Searching for low-cost New Orleans flights? You’ve arrived at the ideal location. With good reason, New Orleans is one of the most popular travel destinations in the United States. However, this may make it difficult to get inexpensive airfares, particularly if you want to visit The Big Easy again for Mardi Gras. Here’s where we get involved.
This guide contains all the information you need to locate and book a cheap flight to New Orleans, whether you’re looking to visit the French Quarter shortly or are frantic to find flights around Mardi Gras.
All About MSY, the New Orleans Airport
Are you going to New Orleans? After that, you’ll need to familiarize yourself with MSY, the Louis Armstrong New Orleans airport.
Twenty minutes drive from New Orleans’ city center is the airport’s location in Kenner, Louisiana. Moreover, New Orleans isn’t an airline hub like a lot of other big cities. The number of flights operated by American Airlines, Delta, United, and Southwest into and out of New Orleans is comparable. Additionally, low-cost airlines like Allegiant, Spirit, and Frontier are fairly well-represented. You’re in luck, fellow frugal traveler—no single airline has a monopoly on flights, so expect price reductions and pricing wars between the participating carriers.
The Best Deals We Could Find on Flights to MSY
What is a decent value on a flight to New Orleans, then? Generally speaking, we would classify any round-trip airfare under $200 as a cheap New Orleans flight offer. However, domestic airfare costs have been falling even more recently for travel to this joyous city through 2021 and into 2022.
How inexpensive is it exactly? Through the height of summer, major U.S. carriers are offering tickets as low as $100 roundtrip (and some as low as $50 roundtrip)! No, budget airlines aren’t the only way to find flights at this low cost—though some flights on Spirit, Frontier, and Sun Country can also be incredibly low cost!
Wish to receive real-time notifications when flights this inexpensive come up? For just $5.99 a month, receive flight deal notifications!
These are just a few instances of how cheap flights to New Orleans have gotten in the last year (yes, all of these are round-trip!):
- Philadelphia (PHL): $50;
- Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW): $96;
- Atlanta (ATL): $96;
- Chicago-O’Hare (ORD): $49;
- Miami (MIA): $50;
- Charlotte (CLT): $86
Yes, we’re as thrilled as you are about these inexpensive flights!
Airports Offering the Cheapest New Orleans Flights
However, not every city receives the same adoration for flights to New Orleans. While practically all American cities frequently offer inexpensive flights, a select few receive the lowest fares to New Orleans. You’re in luck if your base is at or close to one of these departing airports! For an inexpensive flight to New Orleans, the best places to fly from are Chicago, Miami, Dallas, Atlanta, Houston, Denver, and New York City.
Our Best Advice for Discovering Low-Cost Flights to New Orleans
Begin with a Low-Cost Flight First
Whether they’re going to New York City or New Orleans, tourists frequently make one big error that ends up costing them hundreds of dollars. They adhere to this script: Decide on a location, set the dates, and then reserve a flight.
You ought to invert that instead. Begin by conducting a flight search, then use the pricing to determine the most affordable dates. That adaptability can come in handy.
Employ Google Flights Instead of Online Travel Companies
There are many search engines available to locate inexpensive flights. Perhaps you have a go-to app like Hopper, Priceline, Expedia, or Skyscanner. But Google Flights is the best of them all.
With an abundance of features, Google Flights is an extremely strong tool for finding the best deal. You can utilize its many filters to focus on the flights you truly want and exclude the ones you don’t. You can use it to locate a fantastic offer departing from your hometown airport and make a direct reservation with the carrier.
Do you need a flight to New Orleans on a particular day? Create price alerts on Google Flights to be notified when airfares drop! To get a better bargain, think about departing from a different airport. Finding a low-cost flight from smaller regional airports, especially from airports with limited links to New Orleans, can be difficult at times. One choice? To save a lot, take off from a larger neighboring hub.
It’s much simpler to choose the best (and least expensive) location to depart from when you may search for up to six departure destinations simultaneously on Google Flights. Assume you are a resident of a town close to Colorado Springs (COS). However, flights from COS airport to New Orleans cost more than $300.
Plan Your Trips Ahead of Time
I hate to break the awful news, but there is never a perfect time to find inexpensive flights to New Orleans, or anywhere else for that matter. It’s not true what you’ve heard about making reservations on Tuesdays. When a flight is on sale is the ideal time to book. In actuality, low-cost flights can appear every day of the week, at any time. Indeed, Tuesdays are a good day to locate cheap flights. On a Wednesday, though, you might get a better offer. or on Thursday. or any day throughout the week.
The myths you’ve heard about Tuesdays are out of date and convenient, but they don’t take into account how frequently ticket prices fluctuate. To undercut their rivals and attract more passengers, airlines adjust their prices hourly.
Aim for the Correct Moment, Too
Cheap tickets don’t matter when you purchase them. It matters more when you board the aircraft. Therefore, it is best to fly on off-peak days—Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays are frequently substantially less expensive. You can save hundreds of dollars by simply moving your departure and return dates forward by one or two days.
Never Bother Experiencing Cookies to Clear
One myth in particular sticks out among the numerous that surround travel and airfare. We hear it repeatedly, from novices to even self-proclaimed travel authorities:
“When looking for flights, you should delete the cookies from your browser because the airline will track your searches and raise the price.” Airlines don’t keep track of your searches. The use of an incognito browser is not necessary. However, what may be the reason for the flight prices that are always fluctuating? Why was the price of the ticket you were looking at suddenly higher?
The truth is that the cost of airfare is erratic and constantly fluctuates. As tickets sell out and demand fluctuates, or as airlines attempt to maximize seat occupancy on a flight, they are continuously adjusting their prices.
Getting Cheap Flights to Mardi Gras in New Orleans
We’ve now gone over our best advice for locating the most affordable flights to New Orleans. What about Mardi Gras, though?
Naturally, this is the most costly time of year to travel to New Orleans. But you can find a flight that is less expensive than you would have thought with a little luck and these pointers.
- Take off and arrive on off-peak days. We previously discussed this advice, but it is still applicable during Mardi Gras: you will save a ton of money if you travel in and out during the week rather than on a Friday or Sunday. Or perhaps float-load?
- Arrive by plane at the beginning or finish of Mardi Gras. During Mardi Gras, timing is crucial. You can arrive at the beginning or finish of Mardi Gras and still enjoy a great deal of the celebrations, as events take place over multiple days!
- Visit Southwest.com. Recall that Google Flights and other flight search engines will not display flights operated by Southwest Airlines. Without a certain, look at Southwest’s flight costs individually to determine whether they’re less expensive.
- Examine one-way ticket costs. Generally speaking, we advise against looking for one-way flights. Furthermore, domestic one-way tickets are frequently precisely half of the round-trip ticket you were considering. But Mardi Gras is a whole other animal. Due to the abundance of flights into and out of MSY at this time, two one-way might be more practical and ultimately less expensive.
Other Cost-Cutting Advice for Traveling to New Orleans
Your flight doesn’t have to end the savings. Here are a few more easy methods to cut costs on your upcoming flight into MSY.
Save on Baggage When Traveling with Delta
It is a hassle to pay for luggage. Those expenses can mount up quickly, as each checked bag costs $30 each way.
Keeping a Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card in your wallet can be beneficial if you want to travel with Delta to New Orleans, or anyplace else for that matter. With this card, you can check in for free on any Delta flight together with the free bag for each of the up to eight friends you have on your ticket. Make sure your Delta card is connected to your SkyMiles account to receive a complimentary bag, even if you choose not to use it to pay for your travel.
Save on Drinks & Food while Using Lounge Access
Airport dining and drinking are also not inexpensive. However, airport lounges offer complimentary food and beverages, providing an opportunity to unwind away from the bustle of the airport before takeoff. You have several choices for your return trip from New Orleans. Club MSY, United Lounge, and Delta SkyClub are the three lounges accessible at MSY.
Instead, Reserve Your Flights for Free or Almost Free!
More appealing than a low-cost flight to New Orleans? All that’s needed is a free flight. Using points and miles to book your flights is the best way to travel more for less money if you’re ready to take things a step further. Not sure where to begin? To catch up, read our guide on how to use credit cards, points, and miles.
Using credit card points, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, is the easiest method to take a cheap flight and make it free. All you have to do is use your points to book a fantastic flight bargain that you find via the Chase travel site, and presto—you’re on your way to a complimentary vacation. Additionally, you will accrue mileage on that particular flight!