How Can I Find Flight Deals From a Specific Airport?
"Reader Questions" are answered three days a week — Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays — by TPG Senior Writer Julian Mark Kheel.
One of our more popular features here at The Points Guy is our regular Deal Alerts. But TPG reader Alan wants to know if there's a way to get deals just for his home city...
[pullquote source="TPG Reader Alan"]Is there a website that shows all the deals from a select airport?[/pullquote]
Along with our own TPG Deal Alerts — which you can get sent directly to your smartphone by subscribing to text message alerts from our Twitter feed @tpg_alerts — there are a number of popular websites such as The Flight Deal, Fare Deal Alert, Thrifty Traveler, Scott's Cheap Flights and others which send out airfare deals when they appear. But these sites cover many US departure cities and it's not always easy to filter the results down to just your own city.
However, there is a way to see deals from just one airport to destinations across a region and even over a wide set of dates. The secret is to take advantage of the open-ended search capabilities of our old friend Google Flights, which we already recommend using to track down itineraries that fit your schedule when you get notified of one of our Deal Alerts.
Normally when you're searching with Google Flights, it acts just like a normal flight search engine. You enter your departure city in one field, your destination in the other field and departure and return dates to see flight prices. You can also use the calendar to see how the prices change depending on when you leave and the length of your trip.
But Google Flights has another neat feature — you don't have to actually enter a city as a destination, or even a specific date. Instead, you can enter a country or even an entire continent along with a month of the year and see the best deals to major cities in that region during that time period.
Let's take a look at an example. Say your home city is Chicago and you'd like to find deals for a one-week trip to Europe during the month of October. Go to Google Flights (www.google.com/flights) and make sure Chicago (ORD) is in the "Where from?" box. But then instead of entering any more data, use the buttons just below the search window in the "Discover Trips" section to choose your range of dates, places and interests. Once you do, Google Flights will give you options for different cities and schedules, along with the prices for each destination. You can then click on the choice that interests you to see more details.
Or if you want to see the prices for a slew of cities all at once, you can use the Explore Map feature of Google Flights. Enter a region in the destination field and then click on the map that appears below the search box — you'll see airfares to individual cities in that area on your specific dates. You can change the dates to see new prices, search for nonstop trips or even restrict flights to a specific airline by using the filter options at the top left of the map.
We've found Google Flights to be extremely fast and powerful, which is why it's one of our favorite tools when it comes to searching for flights and deals. And now that you know how to use some of its more advanced features, you can find deals perfect for your own needs as well. Thanks for the question, Alan, and if you're a TPG reader who'd like us to answer a question of your own, tweet us at @thepointsguy, message us on Facebook or email us at info@thepointsguy.com.
TPG featured card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 5X | New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Valuable dining and food-related credits
- Flexible rewards with airline and hotel transfer partners
- Multiple travel and purchase protections
- No foreign transaction fees
- Access to Amex Offers for additional savings (enrollment required)
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- Pay It® lets you tap in the American Express® App to quickly pay for small purchase amounts throughout the month and still earn rewards the way you usually do. Plan It® gives you the option to split up big purchases into equal monthly payments with a fixed fee. You’ll know upfront exactly how much you’ll pay.
- Updated! $120 Dining Credit: Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub (including Seamless), Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory, and Wonder. This can be an annual savings of up to $120. Enrollment required.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year at over 10,000 qualifying U.S. Resy restaurants after you pay for eligible purchases with the American Express® Gold Card. That’s up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: Earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin’ locations. Enrollment required.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Enjoy up to $120 in Uber Cash annually with your Gold Card. Just add your Card to your Uber account and you'll get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.
- New! As an American Express® Gold Card Member, you can enjoy complimentary Hertz Five Star® Status. Enjoy benefits like skipping the counter at select locations, adding an additional driver at no additional cost*, and vehicle upgrades**. Benefit enrollment and Hertz Gold+ registration are required. *Additional drivers must meet standard rental qualifications and must be a spouse or domestic partner to qualify as complimentary. Other additional drivers subject to fees. **Benefits are subject to availability and vary by location. Additional Hertz program Terms and Conditions including age restrictions apply.
- Take advantage of a $100 credit towards eligible charges* at over 1,300 upscale hotels worldwide when you book The Hotel Collection through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App **. *Eligible charges vary by property. **The Hotel Collection requires a two-night minimum stay.
- Book your travel through the Amex Travel App with added peace of mind – backed by American Express® service and support. Only for American Express® Card Members.
- Whenever you need us, we're here. Our Member Services team will ensure you are taken care of. From lost Card replacement to statement questions, we are available to help 24/7.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.