Posted: 12/11/17 | December 11th, 2017
“Have you heard of Scott’s Cheap Flights? Should I use them?”
When friends and family far removed from the travel hacking/cheap flights space ask me about a website, I know its mainstream. While there are many good deal websites out there (The Flight Deal, Secret Flying, and Holiday Pirates are three of my favorites), Scott’s Cheap Flights seems to have broken through where others have not.
Over 1 million people get his daily flight deals email.
I’m a big fan of the website and their ability to often break airfare deals (I used one of their alerts to fly to South Africa). It turns out Scott is a fan of my website too so we sat down for an interview where I got him to spill the secret behind his website:
Nomadic Matt: Tell everyone about yourself. How did you get into this?
Scott: When I graduated college in 2009, I knew two things: (1) I wanted to travel the world and (2) I was never going to be wealthy. So, if I wasn’t going to let #2 prevent #1, I knew I would have to figure out some creative ways to travel without spending my life savings.
I began reading up on flight pricing economics, spending hours on various flight search engines, and learning various airfare patterns. Before long, I found an online community of fellow travel hackers and cheap-flight aficionados who enjoy not just travel but also the thrill of getting a great deal on flights.
Where did the idea of this website come from?
Scott’s Cheap Flights has a weird origin story. In 2013, I got the best deal of my life: nonstop from NYC to Milan for $130 USD round-trip. Milan hadn’t even been on my radar as a place to visit, but for $130 USD round-trip, there’s no way I wouldn’t go.
And it turned out to be amazing! I went skiing in the Alps, caught an AC Milan match, hiked Cinque Terre, hung out on Lake Como. It was divine.
When I got back, word spread among friends and coworkers about the deal I got, and dozens of them began asking me to let them know next time I found a fare like that so they could get in on it, too. So, rather than try to remember to tell George and Esther and Aviva when a great deal popped up, I decided to start a simple little email list instead so I could alert everyone at once. Scott’s Cheap Flights was born.
For the first 18 months, though, it was just a little, fun hobby I did for my friends. It wasn’t until August 2015 that it had generated enough organic growth that it made sense to think about turning it into a business.
You’ve sort of blown up in the last year or so. What do you think have been the two biggest factors into your success?
First off, thanks! We just hit one million subscribers — still hard for me to believe. The credit goes to two primary factors:
First, there’s an incredible team who runs Scott’s Cheap Flights. It’s not just me; we’re up to 25 folks on the team now. We have a team of flight searchers finding great deals around the world, and also a team of amazing customer support folks.
On an average day, we get well over 700 emails in our inbox, and most people get a response within a few hours, if not a few minutes. I think this is a major reason why more than 50% of people who sign up for Scott’s Cheap Flights found out about it via word of mouth.
Second, the startup itself had very serendipitous timing. Right around when Scott’s Cheap Flights became a business, international flight prices began to plummet, fueled by low oil prices and a bevy of new low-cost airlines like Norwegian jumping into the transatlantic market.
Whereas in 2010 it was rare to see flights from the US to Europe under $900 USD round-trip, in 2015 (and through to today), it’s relatively common to see those same flights around $400 USD round-trip, if not less.
We can’t force airlines to offer cheap flights, but we’ve been there to ride the wave these past few years and help subscribers pay half of what they used to to travel abroad.
Were there any media hits or high-profile features that really changed your trajectory? I remember hearing about you a few years ago, but now it seems everyone I know, even outside of travel, has heard of your newsletter.
There was one in particular: a Business Insider article and I were taking in the summer of 2015. It helped take Scott’s Cheap Flights from a hobby to a full-fledged business by bringing in thousands of new subscribers. We’ve had hundreds of media hits in the two years since then, but as we’ve grown, each individual one has necessarily had a diminishing impact.
Perhaps a Nomadic Matt interview will give a big new boost though!
How does your website work? How do you find these deals? Do you have team of people searching for deals? Is it an algorithm?
One thing that surprises a lot of people is that we don’t have a bunch of computers running secret algorithms to find cheap flights. All of our fares are searched by hand. The secret sauce is hard work. Airfare changes by the hour, if not by the minute, and the best deals don’t tend to last very long, so finding out about them early is the key to booking them before they’re gone. Most people don’t want to spend all their free time searching for cheap flights; we love doing it and being subscribers’ early detection radar.
Another way to think of it is like this: Almost everybody is capable of cooking dinner at home, but that doesn’t prevent the existence of the restaurant industry. People don’t always want to put in the time and effort required to find cheap flights, so we’re happy to do it for them.
That seems super time-consuming. How do you decide what and where to search? Do you just randomly plugging in places and dates, or is there more of a method to the madness?
There’s a bit of proprietary knowledge that goes into the process, but 95% of it is just the sheer legwork, day after day, searching various routes and seeing what pops up. There’s more of a skill aspect to the process than I would’ve guessed four years ago, whether that’s remembering certain esoteric routes that periodically go on sale, or knowing that a fare war out of one city likely indicates fare drops in other similar cities. For the most part, though, it’s just a small team of incredibly talented and dedicated flight searchers scouring through fares all day every day, disregarding 99% of them and skimming off the juiciest 1% to send to subscribers.
What are some of the biggest trends in flights you are seeing right now?
In the last year or two we’ve seen far cheaper flights than in the past to India (before: $1,000+, now: ~$600 USD), Italy and the Netherlands (before: $900, now: ~$350), and Hawaii (before: $800 USD, now $350 USD from the West Coast, $550 USD from further east).
Unfortunately (though perhaps not surprisingly), we’re seeing a continued drought of cheap flights to popular destinations like Brazil, Argentina, Australia, and New Zealand.
In addition, we’re seeing a continued unbundling of airfare: more low-cost carriers and “budget economy” fares offered by full-service carriers that don’t include checked bags, seat selection, or meals.
Do you use your own deals or are you more of a points/miles-in-business-class kind of guy?
Sure do! I’m personally not a business-class type of guy. I’m still young enough to be fine in coach for as long and far as a plane can fly. Ask me again in 20 years — but in general, I’m uncomfortable being doted on in the premium section of the plane. I’m a simple guy. I don’t need much.
Will we see more business-class deals?
Don’t wanna overpromise and underdeliver. Stay tuned!
Do you plan to go global and feature more non-US deals?
Yes! We have a team of flight searchers finding cheap fares departing not just from the US but also Canada, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, Latin America, Asia, the Caribbean, and the Middle East.
Note: As of 2020, Scott’s Cheap Flights only finds flights from US airports.
You get all these flight deals, but tell me some of your favorite travel experiences. What’s one of your favorite recent travel memories?
Last year my wife and I took a trip to Belarus to visit her family. One of the days we took a trip to a “park” that consisted of a big open field filled with old discarded and retired Cold War-era Soviet weapons. Think machine guns, missiles, and tanks.
Most people would walk around and pose for selfies in front of these massive weapons, but at one point I saw a small group of tourists from Asia hand a park operator some cash and then start to climb on top of a WWII-era tank. I thought they were just going to take photos, but a few seconds later the tank started lurching forward before hitting a cool 25 miles per hour, zipping around the park. These tourists were having the time of their effing lives, and it gave me so much joy just to watch them.
Your deal website is great of course, but what about just everyday flights people need to see Grandma. What advice do you have based on your experience learning how airline pricing works?
The single best trick to getting cheap airfare is flexibility. Being flexible not just with your dates but also your locations. For example, that NYC-Milan nonstop round-trip deal for $130 USD I mentioned at the top. I wasn’t living in NYC; I was living in DC.
But for that fare, it was well worth the short $20 USD bus ride up. I spent the weekend with friends in New York City and saved myself $650 USD off what fares would’ve been from DC to Milan.
The way most people approach getting a flight is this: (1) pick where they want to go; (2) pick their dates; and (3) see what prices are available. By prioritizing the fare lowest, they often end up with expensive tickets.
Instead, if getting a cheap flight is your priority, flip the order:
- See what prices are available to various places are around the world
- Decide which of the cheap destinations appeal to you
- Select the dates you like that have the cheap fares available
- How To Pick a Credit Card
- How To Earn Miles for Free Flights & Hotels
- Is Travel Hacking Really a Scam?
- World Nomads (for everyone below 70)
- Insure My Trip (for those over 70)
- Medjet (for additional repatriation coverage)
What’s the craziest deal you ever got?
In addition to that $130 USD nonstop NYC-Milan deal, my wife and I recently scored $169 round-trip flights to Japan — flippin’ love mistake fares. And team members have gotten similarly good deals to Hawaii, New Zealand, etc.
Finally, what’s one non-airfare-related travel piece of advice you’d give someone?
Read more magazine articles and listen to more smart, informative podcasts. I’m a firm believer in the liberal arts approach of knowing a bit about everything (as opposed to everything about just one subject), not only as a way to be a well-rounded person but also as a social lubricant.
If you can hold a conversation about anything from architecture to the stock market to Asian budget airlines, you’re far more likely to meet interesting people and develop deeper relationships.
Scott founded Scott’s Cheap Flights in a Denver coffeeshop. Scott is the flight searcher-in-chief, spending 8-12 hours a day on Google Flights as well as overseeing daily operations. If you’re looking for flight deals, it’s one of the best.
Travel Hack Your Way to Free Flights!
Stop paying full price! Download our free guide to travel hacking and learn:
Book Your Trip: Logistical Tips and Tricks
Book Your Flight
Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner or Momondo. They are my two favorite search engines because they search websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is left unturned.
Book Your Accommodation
You can book your hostel with Hostelworld. If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com as they consistently return the cheapest rates for guesthouses and cheap hotels.
Don’t Forget Travel Insurance
Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. I’ve been using World Nomads for ten years. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:
Need to book your trip?
Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel. I list all the ones I use when I travel. The are the best in class and you can’t go wrong using them on your trip.
James Turner
Great interview. I love a success story, and even more so when the guy still has humility like that. Hadn’t heard of him, but now off to check out his site…I’d like to visit Slovakia (or Greece, Slovenia, ad infinitum) this summer!
Thanks Matt and Scott!
Madeline Moffett
Scott’s is the best! We scored RT tickets to South Africa from DC for $375 recently and $450 tickets to Bangkok RT from DC a few months before.
NomadicMatt
Those are some great deals! Very cool!
Ryan Biddulph
Fabulous site and service. I had not heard of Scott or his cheap flights until today. Our record – through my wife’s diligence – was about a $400 round trip to New Delhi from NYC, which is nothing to sneeze at. Some of these deals are bananas. I also like how Scott started this as a hobby, not some huge business venture. This is the sense of detachment you must develop to see it grow into something bigger and bigger while enjoying the ride, and is the the exact reason why I stress to folks to follow their passion with travel blogging or anything, and worry not about the outcomes. With the right, fun, loving, generous energy, the sky is not the limit; it’s the starting point. Then, onward and upward.
Ryan
Sam
Thanks for the interview Matt!
I havent heard of Scott before (im off to check out his site now and sign up to his email!). Hopefully he shares flights form Australia, i find alot of these types of sites feature more from the US or Europe – us poor Aussies get left out!
I look forward to seeing if Business class flights are on the cards in the future, its a little more comfortable than “cattle class” so im happy to pay extra but if i can get a better deal why not hey!
Campbell
Hey Sam!
I work with Scott’s Cheap Flights 🙂 i was reading through the interview and happened to look at the comments. I thought I’d just reach and say Hey! We send out really great fares from Australia often 🙂
Dominik Mikula
Thanks for this interview Matt!
I’ve known about Scott’s Cheap Flights for years and I’ve been on his list for a long time. I’ve booked a few deals with the emails I’ve got myself. I find they are very reliable but you do have to be fast to get them!
I was always curious how they did it. I thought there must be some kind of algorithm behind the madness with at least some software. I’m quite surprised to hear that it’s grunt work. That’s kind of cool also as it means that no one can just come in and replicate some software that Scott uses to make their own site and call it their own.
I hope Scott keeps going strong for years to come! Do you think these type of sites will stay around for the long term as it’s manual labor doing the work?
I hope so as I love snapping up good deals myself! I’m off to Europe via Norwegian Airlines from Singapore in early January and then on to do the ski season in Bulgaria for a few months. I grabbed that flight for only 150 Euros. Nothing beats knowing what Scott mentioned and what I’ve learnt from yourself about getting cheap flights over the years.
On that note thank you so much for your blog. I’ve been a follower of yours for at least five years if I try to think back to the start. You’ve helped me a lot with my travel. So thanks for that! Glad I’m finally commenting to say thank you!
Cheers!
Dominik
Sebastian Bach
As far as i consider Scott’s is the best! I hope Scott keeps going strong for years to come! Do you think these type of sites will stay around for the long term as it’s manual labor doing the work?
James Resner
My personal experience with Scott’s is 100% opposite. After 6 months of their premium service, I have yet to find a SINGLE “deal” that comes anywhere close to what they state.
Even fro destinations I’m not interested in I will often check just to see what the ‘actual” prices are. Most run 2X+ what the email notice states.
This may have been a useful service once but it’s basically a useless waste of time/money now.
Marcin
Actually good to hear not so rosy feedback from an actual subscriber. I was wondering how really accurate those deals are.
Kylie
My husband and I just got roundtrip flights from a small airport in Alabama (where family lives) to Germany for $300. Sometimes it takes a little time searching around, and you have to catch some of them fast (before they disappear), but they’re there.
I also had a friend get round trip tickets to Bora Bora via Scott’s Cheap Flights for $300 as well.
It won’t work every time, and sometimes it takes some work from our end, but the yearly subscription fee paid for itself MANY, MANY times over just from my first purchase since signing up. I hope it pays off for you soon!
Paul Thompson
Thank You for this valuable information about Scott’s Cheap Flights. As I fly frequently I am always on the lookout for hacks to book cheap flight tickets and seems like I’ve found a solution. Loved those travel hacks.
Rachel
It’s great to find a bargain when you have to fly somewhere, but I worry that rock-bottom prices encourage people to fly more than they need to. I’ve drastically cut back on flying because of climate change, so it’s a bit disheartening to hear about people jetting all over the place just for their own pleasure.
Kylie
We just booked our first trip abroad through Scott’s. We got 2 round trip tickets for the price of one!
I love Scott’s site and Google brought me to Nomadic Matt because of my interest in it, and I’m thankful! Going to take a look around and learn how to be even more travel frugal. I’m a bit of a money saving junkie ?
Steve Clark
Wow, what a great article! Thank you for reminding us of the excitement of getting out of our comfort zones and showing us such a different place. I’ve really enjoyed reading it throughout. Thanks
ML
The question is: how are these fares being found, with so many possible combinations, by hand, that they can’t be automated and made available for free? It seems search engines can get this information hundreds of times a day, with tens of thousands of combinations. Just playing devil’s advocate here.
Chris Jarvis
It should really be called ‘Scotts Cheap Flights for Amercicans’.
As of late the only departure cities listed are in USA. Lots of flights but not everyone lives in the United States of America. For example, I am in Canada and I used to get many flights listed from Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, etc. I even got many listings from departure cities in Asia I had selected. ‘The world was my oyster’ Now it is only Boston or Manhattan clam chowder.
Thus I am not sure I will continue my subscription due to this major degrading of service.
I was told I would get six months credit but it was not explained how that works (first six months free with option to cancel? 18 months instead of 12? Something else?) I also found the customer service better two years ago – if they replied to my enquiry it was lost in the deluge of emails – many of them , er Scott’s Cheap Flights alerts.
I also had (in the past, not now) many issues with spam blockers at two of my email services (tutanota and gmx) blocking SCF alerts. I was told by SCF to use Gmail. Well, I don’t like encouraging the big virtual monopolies and prefer small independent companies like SCF is or at lest once once.
In addition, rather than solve technical and content problems I had my account involuntarily cancelled.
The final problem I had was the difficulty in actually booking any of the flights that I received alerts for. Firstly, one of the best features (cell phone text alerts) were cancelled so one had to be online constantly to not miss flights. In the recent past I preferred to not use a smartphone due to privacy issues. But it seems that laptops and especially tablets are going the way of the do do bird. Secondly, the alerts validity period is so brief, like 12-24 hours that one cannot leisurely check into one’s email box once a week and find seat sales. Thirdly, the SCF system is entirely based on alerts rather than being able to go to a website and search for deals (what I would prefer). Fourthly, although technically such alerts referred to real flights I could never get them. They were difficult and ephemeral. But I am an old man and not much of a computer person. Perhaps a traditional bucket shop manned by human beings I know the faces of is a better option for me.
Ben
Can you do a review of The Flight Wizard? I’ve been comparing their deals to the premium version of Scotts, Pomelo, Airfare Watchdog. And the prices are better. They offer the link to the flight they claim the deal is. I feel like thats a huge miss with Scotts. If you’re going to tell me the price, show me the link, right?