Cheap flights to
Maine

If we know one thing about finding cheap flights, it’s that planning ahead can save you money. There’s a window when flights are typically cheapest, and it’s not last-minute, nor too far away from your departure date either. We call this just-right window the Goldilocks Window, and it’s 1–3 months before a domestic flight and 2–8 months before an international flight.

However, if you want to travel during peak season, which happens to be summer in Maine, you should book on the earlier side. For example, if you’re planning to visit Maine in July, start looking for fares in March. Trust us when we say that last-minute deals are few and far between during a busy travel period. Fare jumps happen at the 21-, 14-, and 7-day points before a trip, so whatever you do, book before those dates.

We have a trick that we use to reach the notoriously expensive Greek islands in the summer. It involves looking for the cheapest flight that gets you as close to Greece as possible (London, for example). You then find a budget airline flight for the final leg.

The Greek Islands Trick can be used for summers in Maine, too. If you want to fly from Nashville to Maine but flights are out of your price range, look at flights to New York or Boston instead. If you see a great deal, you can then look for a cheap flight from one of those cities to Maine or even rent a car for the last leg. Yes, it involves a little more work on your part, but it can also save you some cash for an extra night in a hotel.

This is like the Greek Islands Trick in reverse. If you live in Grand Rapids, Michigan, for example, flights to Portland, Maine, in the summer could be upwards of $500. But, what about flights from Chicago or Detroit? If you see a deal for $250, it might be worth the drive.

We see great deals from airports all over the country every day, so even if you live near a big airport, like Chicago, it could be worth checking flights from somewhere close, like Milwaukee. If you don’t search other airports in your vicinity, you could be missing out on some amazing deals.

We love to travel during shoulder seasons. These periods just before and after a high season typically still have nice weather, but they also have fewer crowds and lower hotel prices and airfare than peak season. Visiting Maine in May or early June, before the summer crowds descend, could save you a few hundred bucks. The same goes for visiting in September or October; plus, you get to see the beautiful fall leaves. If you don’t mind snow, you can save even more by traveling between November and March.

No matter what season you travel, the more flexible you can be with your dates the better. Play around with your dates and see if leaving a few days earlier or later is cheaper. If you can, fly on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays, which are the cheapest days to fly. Fridays and Sundays are, unsurprisingly, the most expensive.

If you’re spending time at work checking flights, finding yourself frustrated that they never seem to drop, stop. Instead, set up flight alerts to do the work for you, and make sure you never miss a price drop. Set up alerts for your travel dates––making sure to set up a few if your dates are flexible––and you’ll get an email when prices drop substantially or into your price range. It’s best to do this before the Goldilocks Window we talked about above so you can see the deals that pop up during that time.

Maine is not the easiest place to get to. If you live on the East Coast, there are good options, and there are a few direct flights from Dallas, Denver, and Chicago. But, from elsewhere in the US or any other country, you’ll have to make a connection.