If you’re hunting for the cheapest way to fly this year, the odds are in your favor with Southwest Airlines. The flyer just nabbed the top spot in the inaugural Going Flight Deal Awards, a new ranking system from Going.com that tracks which airlines and airports deliver the best bang for your buck.
The awards are based on a mountain of data—80,000 flight deals sent to Going members over the past year, spanning more than 200 U.S. airports and dozens of carriers. Every deal they flag sits in the 95th percentile of lowest fares, so when Going says it’s a deal, it’s a deal.
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Southwest taking the crown for the airline with the best flight deals makes sense—it’s long billed itself as America’s go-to budget carrier. But the airline has recently rolled out changes that left many loyal customers fuming. Once famous for its “Bags Fly Free” policy and open seating, Southwest has scrapped both, replacing them with checked bag fees and assigned seats. For a brand that built its reputation on no-frills affordability, these moves feel like a betrayal to some travelers.
Still, the data doesn’t lie. Despite the backlash, Southwest continues to deliver the deepest and most frequent savings compared to typical market fares.
Southwest is followed by American Airlines, United Airlines, Delta and JetBlue as the top five airlines with the best deals. Alaska and Hawaiian tied for sixth. The list is sorted not just by how cheap the fares are, but also how often they pop up and how much lower they fall compared to standard market prices. In other words, these are the airlines where travelers consistently save the most.
Going founder Scott Keyes says the secret to snagging the lowest fares is rethinking how you plan your trips. Studies show that most people pick the destination, then the dates, then finally look at flights. He recommends flipping that order—make price the first priority and you could take multiple trips for the price of one.
Keyes also notes that the cheapest fares usually pop up one to three months before domestic trips and a bit earlier for international ones, especially if you’re traveling during peak periods. Flexibility is the key, as midweek flights, off-peak seasons and even secondary airports can shave hundreds off your ticket.
Flight pricing is extremely volatile, says Keyes, but Southwest stands as the airline that can save you the most.