How I Find Cheap Flights
I often find insanely cheap flights, and have even made money by flying from Germany to the US before—directly, nonetheless.
More recently, on my way to India, I was looking for a connecting flight to get me to London from the US, where my program would begin. I booked a one way for $180, counting the $50 up-charge I paid for an extra large seat. Below is the process I use, but first you should know: finding cheap flights like this almost always involves a high degree of flexibility. For many people, the extra cost to have a more convenient route is well worth it, in which case feel free to disregard these tips.
1. Begin your flight search on Google Flights. Put in multiple departure airports, as many as feasible, and multiple arrival airports.
For example, going from Pittsburgh to Hamburg I might check Cleveland, Dulles, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh for departure, and Hamburg, Berlin, Munich, and Frankfurt for arrival. While this might seem strange, you can likely find a way to get to the other airports for cheap (e.g. mega bus, FlixBus, train, family)
2. Once you enter your ideal travel dates, click on the calendar again to see if any of the dates around your ideal have significantly cheaper fares.
Often we can shift travel plans by a day or two, sometimes saving a hundred bucks or so per person. But even if your dates are more rigid, it's still worth the look.
3. Once you have found an itinerary you like on Google Flights, check it on JustFly.com to see if there are any better options.
On the aforementioned flight to London, I was flying on TAP Airlines, which goes through Portugal. The Google recommended segment had an 8 hour layover in Porto, but on JustFly, I was able to see a whole list of options. These ranged from almost no time on the layover, to the 24h layover in Lisbon I ended up choosing. While Google is great for getting a sense is what's out there, JustFly can be useful for digging a bit deeper once you know which direction you are headed.
4. Book on the airline’s website if possible.
Third party platforms sometimes have fees, and frankly, the fewer people who have access to identifying data, the better. Sometimes you have to book on a third party to get the best rate though, and I've even seen a few offers where you need to book over the phone to get the best deal.
5. Know the rules of the game
I mentioned making money on a flight from Frankfurt to Pittsburgh. This was only possible by accident. I booked the flight for 220€ on Condor, but it was delayed by 5 hours. Recent EU legislation mandates that airlines give their passengers a rebate for delayed flights. The system uses a matrix based on the length of your flight and the amount it is delayed by. In my case, I was in the top bracket, and was entitled a 600€ rebate. After legal fees from FlightRight, (well worth it, cheaper than a lawyer and more reliable than doing it yourself) I *only* made 180€ which was still fine by me!
6. Stay Up to Date
These services are always changing, and what might be the best way to find flights now could be obsolete in a few months. That said, if it still helps you find cheap flights, no need to change!
One last note: If you want to go on a trip, but don't entirely mind where or when, I would recommend SecretFlying.com. They have amazing deals, often including "error fares" where airlines left out a decimal or two and you can get a ticket at 10% its true cost-or less. They also highlight abnormally cheap prices, and I even once saw a 200k helicopter on sale from an error pricing for $600. I almost bought it, but didn't know any pilots or have a hanger to store it. I was hoping to find someone I could gift it to in return for free flights whenever I'm in town.
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Photo is of a glass bird at the Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art and Design. I went there with my host family in Toyama, and had an amazing time. They have great modern exhibits as well as an onomatopoeia rooftop garden. I usually take a picture of the description card with the artist’s name and title of the piece, but seem to have missed this one.
