How to Find the Cheapest Flights and Lowest Fares - Chicago Outbound

by KatieHammel

My husband and I have been planning a summer trip to Prague since earlier this year. The trouble was, I have never been able to find flights for less than $1200-$1300 per person, which is more than we were willing and able to pay. We started to give up on the idea of being able to take the trip until we could save more money.

Then, Monday night as I was just about to sign off Twitter, I saw the tweet: .

Maybe, I thought, flights from Chicago to Prague would be included. They weren't, but flights from Chicago to Frankfurt were. I decided to jump on the fare, which came to $1372 for two tickets. Tickets from Frankfurt on to Prague will be an additional $300 total. So while other carriers would have charged us $2400-$2600 for the flights, we were able to snag seats for less than $1700 with the mistake fare.

Of course, I'm not always so lucky. A few weeks ago, I jumped on a $580 per person flight to Mumbai that British Airways mistakenly filed. When they caught the error a few hours later, they cancelled my ticket and refunded the money.

So what's the secret to getting these elusive easy come, easy go deals and mistake fares?

Get on Twitter Fare Compare, Orbitz, Kayak and most other booking engines and fare tracking sites will allow you to set up notifications so that when a fare decreases below your designated price, you get an email. If there is a destination you have in mind, set up alerts on any and every site you use to make sure you find out when your price drops.

Act Fast Many of these quick-fire fares sell out instantly and the mistake fares are often pulled down almost immediately after word gets out. So you need to be in the right place at the right time, online, with your credit card and ready to book. Don't be hasty, but don't debate too long. Hesitation can cost you a ticket.

Accept Defeat When it Happens

I find that being patient is the key to these types of deals. I spent a month in Europe this past summer flying in and out of London Heathrow. When I saw a round trip flight for $850 I jumped on it thinking it was the deal of a lifetime in the middle of the tourism season. Turns out the fare dropped all the way to $500 round trip in the next few months. I ended up canceling my ticket, paying the fee, and re-booking lower. That saved me $150, but it could have been double that if I had just had some patience.