I am trying to fly to Germany for the summer and wanted to know if there are any highly recommended websites for cheap flights. Although, I understand that flights are expensive because one needs to pay for gas, food, staff, etc, but for the love of God how does a college student pay for a $1300 ticket, place to stay, transportation, etc?! Hope someone can help. Thanks -Frustrated Student
Posted by
Myrtle Beach, USA
12313 posts
There are a ton of sites. I usually check as many as I can think of plus airline sites. Some that come to mind Kayak.com (or Sidestep.com), Cheaptickets.com, Expedia.com, Tripadvisor.com, Priceline.com, etc. The key for me is to look at a lot of options so I get an idea what prices are available, then pick a decent price with the best/most direct/most convenient route and times.
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
9369 posts
Along the lines of what Brad already said, start watching fares now so that you get an idea of what they are running. Then when you see a better price you will recognize it for what it is and grab it. You might also want to watch for deals to cities other than the closest one to where you want to go. You might find an exceptional deal to a different city, then you could take a budget flight or train to your original destination. A little more complicated, but if the price is better enough, it would be worth it. For example, a couple of years ago I was looking for cheap flights to Madrid or Barcelona - nothing. But I found a really exceptional deal to London. I booked roundtrip to London, then found a budget flight from London to where I was going in Spain, and another one back to London. My total savings was in the neighborhood of 700, even with the cheap flights factored in (they were only around $50 each).
Posted by
LaGrange, Ga, USA
1178 posts
Suggestion: Be sure to c a r e f u l l y check the sites of the airlines re charges for luggage, printing tickets, seat assignments, etc. if you plan to fly to city A and then take a "local" flight to city B...
Posted by
Charleston, SC, USA
91 posts
The 1st 2 posts have some good info. I always use & have had great success with tripadvisor.com. I literally stalk the flights....if youre going in June or July, you have plenty of time to watch the price trends in the tix so you can spot a good deal when it pops up. Make up a couple of different into/out of itineraries that can work for you & check them EVERY day. Use the old tricks like flying out and back on Tuesdays or Wednesdays (cheapest days). The flight I was watching (direct flight from ATL to Frankfurt/ then leaving out of Prague) dropped from almost $900 to $700 in one day, and I bought immediately, since that was the cheapest I'd seen in like 8 wks. It went right back up again the next day. Maybe check into Southwest for cheap flights from Reno to east coast hubs (ATL, CLT, JFK, LGA, etc). Then try pricing tickets to Germany from the hub and see how much less the price is, might be worth a shot! good luck!
Posted by
Phoenix, AZ, USA
1035 posts
These folks used to have good deals for students (and now teachers). Have no idea if they still have decent deals, but can't hurt to look: http://www.statravel.com/
Posted by
Corsicana, Texas, USA
354 posts
Another website for students and faculty is Student Universe.
www.studentuniverse.com