Skyscanner is a search engine, not a travel agency. Type in a route and the app compares fares across hundreds of airlines and online travel agents, then hands you off to whichever seller you pick to complete the booking. The company, founded in Edinburgh in 2003 and owned by China's Trip.com Group since 2016, makes money from referral fees rather than markups, and states that the prices it shows are the sellers' own.
That model shapes everything about the experience. Search is fast and flexible — the Everywhere destination search is still one of the best tools for undecided, budget-first travel — but the price you tap is a quote from a third-party seller, and it can shift or disappear by the time you reach checkout. Understanding that gap is the key to using the app well, and it is where most of the one-star reviews come from.
Finding the cheapest time to fly
Search a whole month, or the cheapest month of the year, and Skyscanner charts fares by day. For travellers with flexible dates this routinely saves more than any coupon: shifting a departure by two days can halve the price.
Deciding where to go at all
Enter your home airport, choose Everywhere as the destination, and the app ranks countries by the lowest fare it can find. It is the best browsing tool in travel search and a genuinely different way to plan a trip around a budget.
Watching a fare before you commit
Price Alerts notify you when a tracked route rises or falls. Fares move constantly, so an alert set a few weeks out gives you a feel for the normal range and a nudge when a real dip appears.
Meta-search across hundreds of sellers
One query hits airlines and online travel agents simultaneously, then lists every price found for the same itinerary. Skyscanner does not sell tickets itself; tapping a result redirects you to the seller's own site or app to book.
Everywhere and flexible-date search
The signature exploration tools. A destination can be a city, a country, or simply Everywhere, and dates can be a specific day, a whole month, or the cheapest month available. Few competitors treat vague plans this well.
Hotels and car hire comparison
The same comparison model extends to accommodation and rental cars, aggregating rates from booking sites and brokers. Useful for a quick read of the market, though hotel coverage runs thinner than dedicated players like Booking.com.
Filters that narrow things down
Results filter by stops, departure times, duration, airline, and airport. Greener-choice labels flag flights with lower estimated emissions, and a best-value sort blending price with journey time pushes the sensible options to the top.
