Overheard a couple at the airport talking about their 'flight credit' system

I was waiting for a bus in Denver and two people were comparing notes on a trip to Mexico City. One said they never book a round trip anymore. They book two one way tickets, often on different airlines, and save about 30% on average. The key is checking the airline's own site for a basic fare, not a third party site. They said a flight from Chicago to Miami last month was $89 one way on Spirit, but the return on Frontier was only $75. Has anyone else had luck piecing together trips like this? I'm curious if it works for international flights too.

3 comments

3 Comments

oscar_ellis1mo ago

Oh man, that sounds like a part time job. I tried that mix and match method once and the stress wasn't worth the fifty bucks I saved. Missed a connection because the first airline was late and the second one wouldn't help at all. You're basically on your own if anything goes wrong. For me, the cheap peace of mind of a single booking beats the hunt for the absolute lowest price every time.

park.abby1mo ago

Yeah, but @oscar_ellis, I've saved hundreds doing it.

drewsullivan20d ago

@park.abby I feel like that's the same logic as buying cheap tools that break after one use. You save now but pay later when something goes sideways.