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How to search for flights using smart search

How to use Smart Search to find flights, compare points and miles, and filter for your loyalty goals.

Written by Joel Waldhoff

Search flights with Smart Search

Smart Search is TravelSmarter's flight search tool. It searches live fares across airlines and returns results alongside the Tier Points and Miles you would earn for each flight, helping you choose the flight that best serves your loyalty goals.

To open Smart Search:

  • Click Smart Search in the left-hand navigation menu

  • The Smart Search page loads with a search form at the top and a filter panel on the left sidebar.

Entering search criteria:

  • From: Click the FROM dropdown and type or select your departure airport.

  • To: Click the TO dropdown and type or select your destination airport. A swap button (two arrows icon) between the fields lets you reverse the route.

  • Date: Click the calendar icon labelled Outbound to select your departure date.

  • Cabin Class: Select one of the cabin class buttons - Economy, Premium, Business, or First.

  • Trip Type: Choose One-way or Round-trip.

  • Click the Flight Search button to run the search.

Understanding Smart search results:

  • Airline name and logo

  • Departure and arrival times with the number of stops

  • Flight duration

  • Price (e.g. $1,011)

  • Tier Points - the tier points you would earn for that flight

  • Miles - the loyalty miles you would earn

  • A View Details button and a Select button to proceed with that flight

Sorting Smart search results:

  • Best Value - a balanced score of price and points earned

  • Smartest - optimized for maximum loyalty value

  • Cheapest - lowest fare first

  • Shortest - fastest journey time first

Filtering Results:

  • Number of stops (Non-stop only, 1 stop, 2+ stops)

  • Alliance filter (Alliances, OneWorld)

  • Specific airline selection

Hotel and car offers:

At the bottom of the results page, TravelSmarter shows banner cards for hotels and car hire at your destination. These link to booking partners.

Next Steps:

Once you select a flight:

You can save it to your Flight Log

To calculate points for a specific flight before searching:

To find the most efficient route to your target status:

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