Go ahead and close your browser tabs. At Skyscanner, we compare millions of flight options to find the best flight deals for you. And while it seems like number-crunching magic, it's not. In this guide, learn how Skyscanner works plus answers to the most common questions we're asked by travellers.

1. How does Skyscanner work?

Skyscanner is a search engine that compares millions of flight options to find the best travel deals. Whenever you search for a flight, hotel or car hire, Skyscanner finds live prices and options for that search. To get this information, we have partnerships with online travel agents and airlines who allow us to access their live pricing and data. We also have our own technology to find flight information outside of these partnerships.

Once we've gathered all the info (it only takes seconds), we'll show it to you. From there, you'll easily find the option that works best for your trip.

2. Why should I use Skyscanner to find flights?

With Skyscanner, you'll find all the latest flight prices from multiple airlines and online travel agents in one place. Say goodbye to opening dozens of browser tabs or having to painstakingly track every flight option in a spreadsheet. We'll show the cheapest, best and fastest flight options available on a single page. Booking the flight is just a tap or two away.

If you've got time before you need to book, set up a Skyscanner Price Alert. We'll send you a notification whenever the price of your chosen flight changes. A quick tip: if you're flexible, set up Price Alerts for multiple travel dates for your best shot at grabbing a great deal.

3. How can I find flights using Skyscanner?

Finding flights with Skyscanner is easy. Simply head to Skyscanner.com.au or download the Skyscanner app. Then type in your route, travel dates, number of travellers and cabin class, and click 'Search'. We'll list options sorted by the fastest flights, cheapest flights or what we consider to be the best flights for you. You can filter by airline and alliance, departure and arrival times, budget, CO2 emissions and trip length.

When you see a flight you like, click on it and we'll redirect you to book directly with the airline or online travel agent.

4. Can I earn frequent flyer points using Skyscanner?

Yes, you can earn frequent flyer points on flights found through Skyscanner. When you go to book, you'll be prompted to add your membership number or the email address associated with your membership. After your flight, you can check that your points have been credited to your account. This applies to all major frequent flyer programs, including Velocity and Qantas Frequent Flyer. Saving on flights while racking up points? That's a win-win.

5. What is the Everywhere search?

Not sure where to travel next? Check out the Skyscanner Everywhere search. Type in your departure airport and 'Everywhere' as your destination. Select a date range, and if you're flexible on travel dates, choose 'Whole Month'. Then click 'Search'.

We'll show you a list of the cheapest destinations to fly to during that period. You can also browse direct flights and suggested destinations — flights we think you'll love.

6. Can I find cheap hotels and car hire using Skyscanner?

Skyscanner can help you find great deals on hotels and car hire too. Head to our Hotels search and let us know where and when you plan to stay. Filter results by price, star rating and free cancellation, and use our handy map to find stays in the best location.

Searching for a rental car is simple through our Car Hire search. Refine your results by filtering for unlimited mileage, free cancellation, airport shuttles, electric or hybrid vehicles, transmission type and more.

7. Does Skyscanner change flight prices based on your search history?

All Skyscanner search results are unbiased. We only display the flight prices provided to us by travel providers — the airlines and online travel agents. Skyscanner will never artificially manipulate or inflate prices based on your search history. Read more about cookies to learn about how we handle the data we collect.

Keep in mind that flight prices are dynamic and can update every few minutes. To stay on top of price changes, we recommend setting up a Price Alert so we can notify you whenever a fare rises or drops.

8. How does Skyscanner make money?

Skyscanner earns a commission through the travel providers we partner with, at no extra cost to you. This means that a portion of the revenue from a flight, hotel stay or car hire booking may be paid to us by the travel provider you booked with. Skyscanner also earns revenue through sponsored listings and advertisements, which are always clearly labelled.

9. How does Skyscanner choose which airlines and online travel agents to list?

Skyscanner displays results from a wide range of airlines and travel agents to help you find the best option for your trip. Every company listed in our results is thoroughly vetted and can be removed if we believe they're not meeting our standards. If you ever encounter a problem with an airline or travel provider listed on our site, our Help Team is here for you.