I was hoping to go to Greece in August to visit some friends. I did a search on Orbitz and the cheapest flight from NY is almost $1000! I know it’s peak season but I thought it would be less than half that much. Any better ideas on how to find cheap airfares? I think I qualify for student rates if it helps, but those aren’t always cheaper. Thanks!
Being in a (temporary) long-distance relationship, I’ve done a lot of cross-country flying recently . . . I hate to say it, but Orbitz may be your best bet for the cheapest fares. I’ve checked with airlines directly, as well as checking other sites like Expedia, Hotwire, CheapTickets, etc. The airlines tend to cost more if you buy direct and the discount ticket websites have always had the exact same fares. Your only other options would probably be to keep an eye out for special deals (my local news gives regular updates on travel deals) or get in touch with a travel agent & see if they can get you a deal.
Some tips to keep in mind; if you travel to and from on a Wednesday, you will likely get better prices. Also, if you book your tickets on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday you will also probably get better prices - IME, ticket prices jump up Friday through Monday and then drop a bit in the middle of the week (as much as $50-$100 difference for domestic flights).
Also, the fare changes a lot depending on what airport you fly out of - on an Expedia search, if you fly out of LGA, you will pay TWO TIMES as much as if you fly out of JFK or NYC on the exact same dates ($1883 at LGA v. $932 at JFK/NYC). Definitely shop around for airports if you can.
Have fun & be sure to take lots of pictures to share when you get back. 
Bestfares has it for $750 max from the west coast. If you need to buy a membership it is still only $60.00.
One thing to do is check on Orbitz, Travelocity or Expedia to get the flight numbers, then check on the actual airline websites- they’re usually a slight bit cheaper, at least on international flights.
Also, check on www.statravel.com - I got a DFW/London ticket for about 740, which was a good $150-200 less than the standard BA or AA flight.
I went to Germany in May. The ticket cost less than $400. I monitored orbitz for about two weeks before I bought the ticket. There was a brief period one day where the price dropped $200. Also be flexible with what airport you leave from. I left from Atlanta rather than Nashville or Knoxville since it was a few hundred cheaper. What I spent on gas, parking and hotel was still less than leaving from some place closer to home.
What about Priceline? Any good?
I’ve tried Priceline, but Orbitz just gave me the better deal for flights.
Orbitz gives you the whole price with taxes and everything put together. The only thing they might not include is the $5 fee they charge. Priceline on the other hand takes your bid and then adds on the taxes and the fees. I personally couldn’t find a better price with them. And Orbitz let me actually see the flight schedule and everything else before I bought.
Priceline, however, was great for booking a room. I got a 4 star for $50 in Atlanta. Quite nice for a 23 year old traveling by herself.
I once used Priceline during a family emergency and everything was fine, but as ShadiRoxan says, Orbitz (and Travelocity) let you see the schedule, fees etc before you press the submit button.
I have talked to folks who use LastMinute.com with good results, but of course, we are talking about booking at the proverbial last minute.
Of all the discounters, I’ve had the best luck with Travelocity.
But I fly out of Denver–that has something to do with it. We were BestFares members for awhile, but BestFares is not all that great for Denver travelers.
chula, if you are flying out of NY you should be able to find something cheaper to Greece, even in August.
Try www.greeceflights.com
I swear I thought the OP was “Best way to find cheap fairies”. I was going to suggest asking some of the gays in the group. 
Try www.hotwire.com
I just got a good deal on a hotel via Orbitz. We were staying in a hotel in Chattanooga (prime tourist country) on a Sunday night. I made the reservation via Orbitz, first time I’d ever tried it. We got to the hotel and checked in, the clerk confirmed my rate (about $43, plus taxes and such). We went to the room and it was HUGE, had a mini-fridge and microwave and lotsa channels on the TV. The little placard on the door said the absolute lowest rate for one person was $89. Starting for the two of us would’ve been $109. Talk about shock…
Apologies for the slight hijack…
I was checking out Bestfares.com, and they are substantially cheaper than anything else I can find… at least in the ‘advertised’ fare. But you can’t find out whether its really available or who the airline is or what the final cost will be (doesn’t say if the price includes taxes departure fees, etc.) without becoming a member and dropping $60.
SO…
Has anyone ever used Bestfares? Are they reputable? Do they book you on standard/major carriers or is this a ‘charter plane’ business offshoot? It looks like they could save me a good chunk, but I’m worried about ‘getting what you pay for’, ya’ know?
This may not apply, but I have done it in the past. Hang out at the airport…standby rates are incredible at times. Of course, this also means you cannot set a real schedule so I am not so sure if this is helpful
Work for an airline.
Check out Eurotrip.com for good info. on flights to Europe. Thed site also has info. for student travel.
If you’re in a university, see if there’s a travel agency (or something similar) at your school or someone they work with for student travel.
That’s what I do! 
I am a current subscriber. I first used them four or five years ago before the Orbitz’s and Hotwire’s were around. I saved $400 on a family vacation over the best fare I could find anywhere, so it was well worth it to me. They do seem to have access to better fares and they have negotiated standard discounts with a number of airlines, so you can almost always get a better fare through them.
If you are a single traveller and don’t travel much, it might not be worth the $60 unless you are planning a long trip like the OP is. The drawbacks as I see them are: 1) They always quote you the lowest price first on the phone. I was once quoted something like $85 round trip Denver-Las Vegas, but I had to change planes in Salt Lake City. I’d rather just pay $200 and get there in an hour and a half than save $100 and waste half a day. Some of the really low fares are on airlines that have only a few planes and if one has mechanical trouble or is delayed by weather, you are out of luck. Also, if you are a frequent flier, the best prices are rarely on the major airlines.
With the subscription you also get a monthly magazine which has tips like how to get coupons for additional discounts, some of which can be downloaded. The website is better organized much better than in the past, and searching only for your favorite airline still yields better deals than you can find on the other sites.
I have saved more than the subscription price every year, and in some years the savings have been close to $1000.
I recommend it.
Thanks Lamar!
It sounds like it’s worth it to ‘risk’ the sixty bucks and sign up to see what the story is…
I just go to the airline website, thats how I get the best deals. One time I got a flight for $505 to Maui on their website. So I called the airline directly & was quoted $550. I said, ‘but its only $505 on your website’ the guy said, ’ so order from the website’. A few months After that I went to another airline website & found round trip to Maui from SFO for $199…