Perhaps the biggest perk of being a flight attendant is the outrageously cheap airfare. But before I took on this career, I worked hard on figuring out how to find the cheapest flights. Which comes in handy, because even as a flight attendant, there are still times I find myself needing to buy a seat on a flight.
There are plenty of flight search engines out there, which is a blessing and a curse. It’s good to have options — but how do you know when you’re getting the best flight deals?
First, it’s important to understand how these flight search engines work. Travel websites, like Expedia, for example, all use a Global Distribution System (or GDS) from which they source flights for passengers like you. They earn money based on traffic — every time you click through to book flights, they may make a commission.
It’s a fairly complicated system that I’m still learning about myself, so this explanation is very surface level. However, understanding the gist of it reveals why FlyLine, a brand new flight subscription service, is your best bet for finding cheap flights.
So what makes FlyLine different from (and *cough* better than) other flight search engines?
FlyLine’s membership model is the key to finding the cheapest flights.
I know, I know. It can be hard to spend money up front for a subscription, but doing so gives you access to literally the best prices on the internet. FlyLine earns their keep off of that membership fee so they’re able to focus on offering you airline tickets at wholesale prices.
While those other popular travel sites are free, which is great on the surface, it means they’re up-charging you with retail-priced airfare — they’re essentially the middleman, and they need to make money too!
Another way FlyLine saves you money is through virtual interlining, which is a fancy term for combining one-way tickets from different airlines that don’t traditionally partner together to get you the lowest price possible.
Virtual interlining comes in handy when you want to get from Point A to Point B, but there aren’t any direct flights. Instead of having to book a more expensive ticket through one single airline and/or that carrier’s partners or, worse, having to search for and book two separate tickets yourself, FlyLine does all the work for you and books the two different carriers all in one go.
What’s more, other subscription-based travel sites often send alerts for ridiculously cheap flights, but don’t offer you the ability to actually search for tickets to where you want to go.
Hint: FlyLine does both.
Another game-changing feature FlyLine offers is the ability to book directly on-site. You’ve probably noticed that when you book on other travel search engines, they show you the fare. But when you finally choose a flight, you’re redirected to a different site to complete the purchase.
Okay, enough talk. Do I have proof that FlyLine is how to find the cheapest flights?
I’m so glad you asked.
I tested FlyLine myself to find cheap airline tickets to Cape Town, South Africa. Not so easy to get to from my base in Orlando, and therefore, expensive.
First, I searched Kayak for the cheapest flights from Orlando to Cape Town, prioritizing a shorter travel time. The best option was a $2098 flight with 2 short layovers to Cape Town and one layover on the way home.
Kayak prices for MCO - CPT roundtrip flight
I then switched over to FlyLine and looked for flights that spanned the same dates — and was stunned to find a very similar trip (including flights on the same airlines) for almost $1000 cheaper. Actually unbelievable, so here is the proof:
FlyLine prices for MCO - CPT roundtrip flight
It’s worth noting that the return flight does land one day later than the original date I chose, but for $1000 savings, what’s one more vacation day? But just for the sake of the experiment, I looked for a more similar flight and found that using FlyLine, you still save over $200.
FlyLine prices for quicker MCO - CPT roundtrip flight
In both cases, your membership has already paid for itself.
In fact, according to the geniuses at FlyLine, on average members save $10-$30 on domestic flights and $150-$700 on international flights (or $1000 if you’re trying to go to Cape Town, apparently!)
Now that you’re convinced, the most important question: how much does FlyLine actually cost?
The basic plan, which includes everything from flight search and booking, auto check-in, and deal alerts, is $49.99 a year. You can book up to six times throughout the year, so you’ll more than make up for the price, even if you don’t take all six trips!
Those who travel often will want to opt for the premium membership for $79.99, which includes all of the same features as the basic plan with the added perk of unlimited bookings and the option to add a user to your account (they’ll get all the same great deals you do).
If you’re still skeptical, searching is free — so go ahead and give it a try yourself!
Once you’re signed up, you can add your Known Traveler Number for TSA pre-check. And if you’re loyal to a particular airline, the good news is FlyLine has flight deals for over 250 airlines — so you can fly your favorite and add your frequent flier info so you don’t miss out on any points.
From the looks of it, FlyLine is your best bet at finding the cheapest flights out there… Unless you become a flight attendant, of course, and even then you might still use the service!
Now, excuse me while I book my flight to Cape Town.
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