Seven Tips to Find Cheap Flights to Los Angeles (LAX)

Follow these 7 tips from Hopper to find cheap flights to Los Angeles and you could save up to $600 per round-trip ticket!

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Patrick Surry - Tue Jan 27 2015

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Los Angeles attracts visitors from all over the world with its surfer beaches, Hollywood glitz and the tempting possibility of Angelina and Brad sightings. However, to play like the glitterati, you need some serious cash. After all, VH1 doesn’t make The Fabulous Life Of documentaries about people who keep their dough in the bank. So, if you want to party like Lindsay Lohan or Miley Cyrus, you’re going to need to find some ways to save before heading to the City of Angels. Here are five tips that will help you find cheap flights to Los Angeles — that is, until you decide to spend it all on Jager bombs with your new best-bud celeb.

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1. The cheapest time to book a flight to Los Angeles is 15 days in advance, saving up to $270

Booking a trip to Los Angeles more than two weeks out can save travelers up to $270, while those that wait until less than 15 days before will see prices increase dramatically. So, if you want to stand outside the red carpet at the latest movie premiere, you better make sure to plan ahead.

2. The cheapest day to fly to Los Angeles is on a Friday, saving up to $134

Travelers can reach Los Angeles just in time for the weekend festivities to begin and might even save up to $134 by departing on a Friday. It doesn’t really matter what time you arrive because the party won’t stop all weekend with Sunset Strip clubs open until late followed by days filled with DJs, rollerblading and Muscle Beach Gym at Venice Beach.

3. Save up to $105 by returning on a Monday

With the party-never-stops mentality in mind, travelers visiting Los Angeles for the weekend might as well stay until Monday. Sunday nights are just as lively in this SoCal destination, and ticket prices can be up to $105 cheaper if you leave on a Monday, which pretty much offsets the hotel costs of an extra night in Los Angeles.

4. The cheapest day to buy a flight to Los Angeles is on a Tuesday, saving up to $34

Instead of wasting time at work to check out the latest Kim Kardashian wedding on People.com, try booking your ticket to Los Angeles instead. Our research shows that you can save up to $34 buying your ticket on a Tuesday as opposed to any other day of the week. Saving $34 per ticket just by doing an online search on the right day, now that’s a great way to save!

5. The cheapest time to fly to Los Angeles is in August, saving up to $60

There couldn’t be a better time to visit Los Angeles than in August. Not only are ticket prices up to $60 cheaper than other months, the Los Angeles weather stays in the mid-80s all month. It’s the perfect time to go and get a last-minute tan before fall hits in other parts of the country.

6. Check out Hopper’s When to Fly and Buy Reports for up-to-date information

If you’re looking to save as many dollars as you can for the star-studded boulevards of Hollywood or the surfy drinking shacks of Venice Beach, make sure you get the best deal possible on flights to Los Angeles this year by using Hopper’s When to Fly and Buy Reports. It offers a comprehensive breakdown of all the stats and variables affecting air fares on routes into the city, collecting millions of pieces of data from searches right across the internet so you don’t have to.

7. Take a look at Hopper’s Airline Fees Calculator to get the real cost of your ticket

Avoid getting caught out on extra charges when purchasing your flight ticket to Los Angeles this year by making sure you check out Hopper’s Airline Fees Calculator before you buy. It offers the lowdown on all the additional costs associated with your ticket, showing would-be fliers the price of adding things like checked in baggage, extra leg room, in-flight meals and whole host of other optional extras. That should help you save some money for the jet setter restaurants!

Get up-to-date information on finding cheap flights to Los Angeles using Hopper's interactive flight tools.

Check out Hopper's Los Angeles travel section which features dozens of articles on the best of LA and ways to save money in Los Angeles!