Jetting away no longer costs the earth. With some careful planning and by following Martin’s tips you can dramatically slash the cost of your dream holiday.

There are three different types of websites that can be used to find cheap flights. Get it right and you’ll be able to snatch a dirt cheap deal in minutes.

How to choose the right website

With flights, unlike package holidays, it's usually best to book early.

• Know when and where you want to go?
  
  Here you need to use a screenscraper. It takes your required flight information and zips it to lots of other websites, literally scraping the data off the screen to bring you back the cheapest price.
  
  

  Of the main screenscrapers, Martin’s top picks are Kayak for power, speed and ease, and Travelsupermarket for range.
  
  For a full list, links and a detailed explanation see the flight screenscrapers in Martin’s full Cheap Flights guide.
  
  

• Looking for long haul, or a flight & hotel break combined?
  
  Like screenscrapers, flightbroker websites list a range of different flights, but often also include their own deals too. Yet as most flightbroker sites are included in screenscraper searches, they’re a second tier.
  
  For a full list, links and a detailed explanation see the flightbrokers section of Martin’s full Cheap Flights guide.
  
  
• Want the cheapest budget airline flight anytime or just want to grab £1 budget airline sale seats?
  
  The problem with most budget airline sales is they advertise £1 flights, but go to their sites and you can’t find them.
  

  Provided you’ve some flexibility, the FlightChecker tool allows you to track them down. Simply tell it when you can travel e.g. anytime May or June, and the maximum you’re willing to pay, e.g. £10 e/w inc. taxes and charges, and it'll find all the flights that fit.
  
  For more information read the FlightChecker section of the Cheap Flights article, or go directly to the FlightChecker.

We invited two volunteers onto the show and they cut the cost of a flight from London to New York by £600 by searching on a screenscraper as opposed to booking direct via a scheduled airline. They also found a host of one-way flights under £10 to various European destinations in September via the Flightchecker.

Package holidays shouldn't be ignored

While the internet's great for flights or DIY city breaks (also see the Cheapest Hotel Prices article), it rarely wins for a couple of weeks away in the sun or snow, to a traditional holiday destination.

Then package holidays, where everything's wrapped up in one, often come up trumps (read the Cheapest Package Holidays article).

For all the tips on getting cheap plane travel, including how to slash your carbon footprint, read Martin's Cheap Flights article.