Best PHL Flight Deals Book Cheap Flights to Philadelphia

The ideal time for buying a ticket should be around 1-2 months before the departure date in case of domestic flights and 3-4 months before international ones. Buying tickets on Tuesday and Wednesday may help you grab some fare discounts, and flying midweek, on Tuesday or Wednesday, instead of Friday or Sunday may save additional expenses.

Speaking about the actual dates of travel, the deep winter, namely January and February, will always be the period of lower prices due to cold weather and absence of any holidays.

Try to avoid peak seasons if you are concerned about saving money: March-June and September-November are seasons when more tourists travel because of sightseeing trips, graduation tours, and autumn foliage. And don’t choose the Fourth of July since the historic background of Philadelphia makes the holiday more expensive, with 30-60% of fares above winter prices.

About 30 million passengers annually use PHL airport, which serves as one of the key hubs of American Airlines on the East Coast.

American Airlines:

• Includes a carry-on bag and a personal item in Main Cabin but not in Basic Economy.
• PHL is an essential hub for American Airlines, providing extensive connections in the Northeast, Midwest and transatlantic flights to Europe.

Southwest Airlines:

• Two free checked bags without any change/cancellation fee.
• Provides good connections to the Southeast, Midwest, and Florida and therefore is a preferred choice among budget-oriented families and leisure travelers.

Spirit Airlines:

• Low base fare with extra charges on carry-ons, checked bags and seat selection.
• Suitable for light travel where unbundled pricing is not an issue.

Delta Air Lines:

• Includes carry-on bag and personal item baggage allowance in the Main Cabin fares.
• Provides connections via Atlanta and Detroit airports, which makes it useful for people traveling southward or in the Midwest region.

United Airlines:

• Includes carry-on bag and personal item baggage allowance in Economy fares.
• Good connections via Newark and Chicago airports are popular among business travelers along the Northeast Corridor.

Given that PHL handles substantial volumes of ultra-low-cost carriers, like Spirit Airlines and Frontier Airlines, unbundling can mean that what seems to be a cheap fare ends up costing you more in total than you would think. This is because the basic price will usually cover only the seat, while items such as overhead bins, checked luggage, seat assignments, and priority boarding are all charged separately, often for a total price that may actually cost more than a full-price ticket.

Look out for:

• If your fare covers an overhead bin or just a personal item.
• The personal item size restrictions of your airline, since PHL enforces these strictly.
• If there are any change fees or cancellations for your ticket, most Basic Economy fares and ultra-low-cost fares cannot be changed or refunded.

Disclaimer: Make sure you always use CompareMost to get a side-by-side comparison of all of the airlines and travel websites before you book your Philadelphia flight!