Alright, let’s talk about how I usually go about hunting for flight prices using those search engine things. It’s something I do pretty often, and while it feels like a chore sometimes, doing it right can save you some real cash. I just booked a trip, so the process is fresh in my mind.
First off, I needed to figure out where I was going and roughly when. Had my destination locked in – a trip back home to see family. Dates were kinda flexible, aiming for sometime next month.
So, I popped open my laptop and went to one of those big flight comparison websites. You know the type, the ones that scan hundreds of airlines and travel agents all at once. I punched in my departure city, arrival city, and my ideal dates. Clicked search and waited.
The initial results popped up. Honestly? A bit pricier than I hoped for my preferred dates. No big surprise there. This is where the real work starts.
Checking Flexibility
Most of these search sites have ways to check dates around your initial search. Some show a calendar with prices, others have a ‘+/- days’ button. I started playing around with this. I checked the price if I left a day earlier, or came back two days later. This flexibility thing is key. Seriously, sometimes shifting your trip by just one day can knock a decent chunk off the price. In my case, leaving on a Tuesday instead of a Wednesday looked noticeably cheaper.
Looking at Nearby Airports
Next thing I considered: airports. My destination city has one major airport, but there’s a smaller one about an hour’s drive away. Sometimes flying into those smaller, less convenient airports is way cheaper. So, I did another search, ticking the box to include nearby airports. The search engine churned out some results for the smaller airport. I had to weigh the savings against the extra hassle and cost of getting from that airport into the city. This time, the saving wasn’t big enough to justify the extra travel time and taxi fare. But, it’s always worth checking, I’ve saved big bucks doing this in the past.
Using More Than One Search Engine
Here’s a big tip: don’t just stick to one search engine. They don’t all show the same prices, believe it or not. Some might have deals with certain airlines, some might not list budget carriers. So, I opened up a different, well-known flight search website in another browser tab. I put in the same details – destination, and those slightly adjusted, cheaper dates I found. Ran the search again.
Interestingly, this second site gave me a slightly different price for the exact same flight I was leaning towards from the first site. Not a huge difference, but weird. It also flagged an option with a budget airline that the first site hadn’t shown prominently.
Checking Direct and Hidden Costs
That budget airline flight looked cheap on the surface. But I know how they work. The base fare is low, but they charge extra for everything. Seat selection, carry-on bags, checked bags, even printing your boarding pass sometimes. So, before getting too excited, I went directly to that budget airline’s own website. I went through the booking process almost to the end, adding the cost of a checked bag (which I definitely needed). Lo and behold, once I added the necessary extras, the ‘cheap’ flight was actually more expensive than the regular airline option. Always factor in those extras!
Just to be thorough, I also quickly checked the price for the main flight I liked (the non-budget one, leaving on Tuesday) directly on that airline’s official website. Sometimes booking direct can be cheaper, or at least offer more flexibility if you need to change things later. This time, the price was exactly the same as what the second search engine showed.
Making the Decision
Okay, so after all that clicking and comparing, here’s what I learned for this specific trip:
- Being flexible with dates saved me some money.
- Using the nearby airport wasn’t worth it this time.
- Checking a second search engine found a slightly better price and different options.
- The budget airline wasn’t truly cheaper once bags were included.
- Booking direct vs. through the search engine cost the same for my preferred flight.
So, I went back to the second search engine site, the one that had the slightly better price for the main airline flight on the Tuesday, and booked it through them. Took maybe 30-40 minutes in total, but I felt pretty confident I’d done my homework and got a reasonable deal.
That’s basically my routine. It’s not complicated, just involves a bit of digging and comparing. Don’t just grab the first price you see – poke around a bit, check different sites, look at the dates, and always, always check the final cost including bags on budget carriers. Happy travels!
