I’ll create an authentic, conversational travel article written as Ava Martinez. Let me write this blog post about finding cheap flights from Miami to Los Angeles.

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Scoring Dirt-Cheap Flights from Miami to Los Angeles: What I Learned Booking This Route 12 Times

So here’s the thing about the Miami to LA route – I’ve flown it more times than I can count on both hands, and honestly, it’s become one of my favorite routes to hack. Last February, I snagged a roundtrip ticket for $87. Eighty-seven dollars. My Uber to the airport cost almost half that.

The Miami-Los Angeles corridor is one of those routes that looks deceptively expensive when you first search for it. You’ll see prices ranging from $250 to $400 for a one-way ticket, and you might think that’s just what it costs. But trust me, I’ve cracked the code on this route, and I’m going to share exactly how I consistently find tickets under $150 – sometimes even under $100.

Why This Route Is Actually a Budget Traveler’s Playground

Here’s what most people don’t realize: Miami and LA are two of the busiest airports in the country, which means there’s insane competition between airlines. You’ve got Spirit, Frontier, Southwest, American, United, Delta, JetBlue, and Alaska all fighting for your dollars on this route. When airlines compete, we win.

I figured this out the hard way back in 2019 when I needed to fly from Miami to LA for a friend’s wedding. I panicked and booked a $340 ticket three months in advance because I thought I was being “responsible.” Then, two weeks before the flight, I checked prices out of curiosity and nearly threw my laptop across the room. The same route? $76 on Spirit. I learned my lesson that day: sometimes the conventional wisdom about booking flights early is just… wrong.

The sweet spot for this route, based on my extensive trial and error (read: obsessive price tracking), is actually 3-6 weeks out. I know everyone says book 2-3 months in advance, but that doesn’t hold true for heavily trafficked domestic routes like this one. Airlines know they’ll fill those seats, so they start high and drop prices as they get closer to departure.

The Airlines You Actually Want to Consider

Let me break down the real deal with each carrier, because they’re not all created equal on this route.

Spirit and Frontier are going to be your cheapest options, usually ranging from $49 to $120 one-way. Last September, I flew Spirit from Miami to LAX for $62 including my backpack. The catch? You’re going to pay for literally everything else. Want to bring a carry-on? That’s $40-60 each way. Want to pick your seat? Another $15-40. By the time you add everything up, your $62 ticket might be $140. But here’s my trick: I’ve gotten really good at living out of a personal item (a backpack that fits under the seat), and I just accept whatever random seat they give me. For a 5-hour flight, it’s totally worth the savings.

Southwest is my secret weapon for flexibility. They usually price between $120-200 on this route, but here’s why I love them: no change fees, two free checked bags, and honestly, their Rapid Rewards program is probably the easiest points system to actually use. I once had to change my Miami-LA flight three times because of work stuff, and Southwest didn’t charge me a penny. Try that with any other airline.

JetBlue typically sits in the $140-220 range, but you’re getting free wifi, snacks, and more legroom than Spirit or Frontier. Sometimes the extra $30 is worth it for your sanity, especially if you’re trying to work during the flight. I booked them last month for $156, and honestly, the free wifi meant I could finish a freelance article that paid for half the ticket.

The Timing Game That Actually Works

I’ve tested this extensively because, well, I’m a bit obsessive about flight prices. Here’s what I’ve found works specifically for the Miami-LA route:

Tuesday and Wednesday flights are consistently cheaper – we’re talking $40-80 less than weekend flights. My cheapest Miami-LA flight ever was a Wednesday afternoon departure in March for $51 on Frontier. The flight was half empty, I got a whole row to myself, and I felt like I’d won the lottery.

Early morning flights (before 8 AM) and red-eyes are your friends. Yeah, waking up at 4:30 AM sucks, but when it saves you $75, suddenly that alarm doesn’t seem so bad. I’ve taken the 6 AM Spirit flight probably five times now, and there’s something oddly peaceful about being in the airport when it’s still quiet.

Avoid holiday weeks like the plague unless you book ridiculously early. I made the mistake of trying to fly Miami-LA the week before Thanksgiving last year and watched prices jump to $380 in real-time. I ended up driving to Fort Lauderdale instead and flying from there for $189, which brings me to my next point.

The Fort Lauderdale Hack That Saves Me Hundreds

Fort Lauderdale airport (FLL) is literally 30 minutes north of Miami, and I’ve saved anywhere from $50 to $200 by checking flights from both airports. Sometimes the difference is insane. Just last June, I was looking at a $215 flight from Miami to LAX, checked Fort Lauderdale on a whim, and found a Spirit flight for $78. The Uber to FLL cost me $35, so I still saved over $100.

Pro tip: If you have a friend in Miami with a car, offer them $20 in gas money to drive you to Fort Lauderdale. Or take the Tri-Rail to the Fort Lauderdale station and then an Uber from there – costs about $15 total and takes maybe an hour, but the savings can be totally worth it.

My Go-To Booking Strategy (That Actually Works)

I use Google Flights for searching because their price tracking is legit. Set up price alerts for both Miami and Fort Lauderdale to LA, and Google will email you when prices drop. I’ve scored some of my best deals this way – got a notification at 11 PM that prices dropped to $68, booked it in my pajamas, went back to sleep feeling like a champion.

Hopper is another app I check, though I’ll be honest, their “predictions” aren’t always accurate. But their calendar view showing the cheapest dates is super helpful when you have flexibility.

Scott’s Cheap Flights (now called Going) occasionally sends deals for this route. I got a $97 roundtrip deal through them last April that I absolutely never would have found on my own. The premium membership is $50/year, and if you fly even twice a year, it pays for itself.

Here’s something counterintuitive I’ve learned: sometimes booking two one-way tickets on different airlines is cheaper than a roundtrip. It’s annoying to track two separate reservations, but when it saves you $60, who cares? I did this in January – Spirit from Miami to LA for $71, Southwest back for $89. Total: $160. The cheapest roundtrip I could find was $245.

What About Points and Miles?

Listen, I’m not one of those credit card churning people who has 17 cards and a spreadsheet tracking every point. But I do use the Southwest Rapid Rewards card for most of my purchases, and I’ve flown Miami-LA completely free three times now using points. The companion pass is kind of amazing if you have someone you travel with regularly – basically buy one ticket, get one free for almost two years.

American Airlines also has decent availability on this route for points redemptions. I usually see options for 12,500-15,000 miles one-way, which isn’t the best value I’ve ever seen, but if you’re sitting on a pile of miles and want to save cash, it works.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred transfers to several airlines that fly this route, and I’ve gotten good value transferring to Southwest or Virgin Atlantic (which partners with Delta). But honestly, if you’re not already into the points game, don’t stress about it. Straight-up cheap cash tickets are everywhere on this route.

The Entertainment, Tourism, and Relocation Angle

I’ve flown this route for all three reasons, and each one has different booking considerations. When I was consulting for a company in LA and flying back and forth monthly, I needed flexibility more than rock-bottom prices. Southwest became my best friend because of those no-fee changes.

For tourism trips where my dates were set in stone, I could afford to hunt for the absolute cheapest option and deal with Spirit’s nonsense. That’s when I’d book those $60 flights and just suck it up with a personal item and a random middle seat.

The relocation scenario is interesting because I’ve helped three friends make this move. If you’re relocating, you’re probably bringing more stuff than a backpack, so suddenly those $40 carry-on fees on Spirit add up fast. In that case, Southwest or JetBlue might actually be cheaper when you factor in the free bags. My friend Marcus moved from Miami to LA last August and flew Southwest with two huge checked bags, a carry-on, and a personal item for $178 total. That same amount of luggage on Spirit would’ve been over $250 once you added all the fees.

When Things Go Wrong (Because They Will)

Let me tell you about the time I booked a $73 Frontier flight that got cancelled, and they wanted to rebook me on a flight two days later. TWO DAYS. I was supposed to speak at a travel conference in LA, and missing it wasn’t an option. Here’s what I learned: always check the airline’s cancellation policy before booking those ultra-cheap fares.

Some airlines will rebook you for free on the next available flight. Others will give you a refund and basically say “good luck.” Frontier gave me a refund, and I ended up spending $287 on a last-minute American flight. My “cheap” trip suddenly became expensive.

Now I have a backup plan: I keep a credit card with a decent limit available and accept that sometimes you have to pay more to not completely screw up your plans. It’s a bummer, but it’s reality.

My Final, Actually Useful Advice

The Miami to LA route is genuinely one of the easiest to hack if you’re flexible and persistent. Set up those price alerts, check both Miami and Fort Lauderdale, and don’t assume that booking months in advance is always better.

My sweet spot is booking 4-5 weeks out for under $125, choosing Tuesday or Wednesday flights, and being okay with whatever seat or time I get. If you need more comfort or specific timing, expect to pay $150-200, which honestly still isn’t bad for a cross-country flight.

The biggest thing I’ve learned after flying this route so many times is that there’s no perfect system. Prices fluctuate randomly, sometimes deals pop up out of nowhere, and occasionally you’ll pay more than you wanted. But if you stay persistent and flexible, you’ll almost always find something reasonable.

Last thing: if you’re flying for something important – a wedding, a job interview, a non-refundable hotel reservation – maybe don’t push the absolute cheapest option that has terrible reviews and a high cancellation rate. Sometimes paying an extra $40 for peace of mind is worth it. I learned that lesson the hard way with that Frontier disaster, and now I try to balance my cheapskate tendencies with actual practicality.

Trust me, once you crack the code on this route, you’ll feel like you have a superpower. And hey, when your friends are complaining about their $350 tickets while you’re sitting pretty with your $94 fare, you can just smile and send them a link to this post.

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