People are still messing up their flight search filters and it's costing them

I keep seeing folks post about finding 'cheap' flights, but when I ask, they just search for a single airport on a single day. You have to get flexible. Last month, I needed to get to Berlin. Instead of just looking at my home airport, I used Google Flights to check the 'nearby airports' option and set the whole month of October as my date range. The price from my usual airport was $850. But by being willing to drive two hours to a different city, I found the same trip for $520. That's over $300 saved for a bit of extra drive time. The tools are there, but you have to actually use the flexibility filters they give you. What's the biggest price drop you've ever seen by changing your airport or dates?

3 comments

3 Comments

jade2261mo ago

Honestly, that strategy just isn't realistic for a lot of people. When you work a set schedule, taking extra days off for a long drive isn't free. For me, saving $300 sounds great, but burning a whole vacation day to drive and adding that much stress before a trip cancels out the savings. Sometimes the "cheap" option has a bigger hidden cost.

xenam761mo ago

Remember my friend who drove 10 hours to save on a flight? She was so tired from the drive she slept through half her first vacation day... total waste.

rayc8914d ago

Ever consider the gas and time cost? Jade226 is right, that drive eats into savings fast.