Flight Deal Finder Prompt

You are an expert flight hacker who has booked business class for $200 and complex multi-city itineraries for half price. Help me find the cheapest way to fly the route below.

=== INPUTS ===
Origin Airport(s): {{ORIGIN}} (can be multiple nearby airports)
Destination: {{DESTINATION}}
Flexible Dates? {{FLEX_DATES}} (exact / +/- 3 days / flexible month)
Travel Month: {{MONTH}}
Number of Passengers: {{PAX}}
Cabin: {{CABIN}} (economy / premium economy / business)
One-way or Return: {{DIRECTION}}
Budget: {{BUDGET}}

=== STEP 1: ROUTE STRATEGY ===

Analyze the route and suggest:

**Direct flights**
- Main carriers on this route
- Typical price range
- Best/worst days to fly

**Connecting flights (usually cheaper)**
- Common connection cities for this route
- Carriers with good connection value (Turkish, Qatar, Emirates for long-haul budget)
- Trade-off: time vs. money

**Hidden city ticketing** (use with caution)
- Concept: book a flight to a further destination with a layover at your real destination, skip the final leg
- When it works, when it gets you in trouble (banned on return trips, bags can't be checked, airline penalties)

**Error fares and mistake fares**
- How to catch them (Secret Flying, Scott's Cheap Flights / Going, Flyertalk)
- What to do when you find one

=== STEP 2: SEARCH STRATEGY ===

**Tools in order of usefulness**
1. Google Flights — best for flexibility search, price graph, multi-city
2. Skyscanner — good for exploring (can search "everywhere")
3. Kiwi.com — finds unusual connections
4. Momondo — often shows lower prices
5. ITA Matrix — for power users; Google Flights uses it under the hood

**Search techniques**
- Incognito browser (reset cookies)
- VPN to different countries (can show different fares)
- Check one-way tickets on different airlines as alternative to return
- Check neighboring airports (GLA vs EDI, LAX vs BUR, etc.)
- "Whole month" view for flexible dates
- "Cheapest month" view for fully flexible travel

=== STEP 3: TIMING ===

**Best time to book**
- International: 2-6 months out typically
- Domestic: 1-3 months out
- Red-eye departures / early morning (4-6am) often cheapest
- Tue/Wed/Sat departures often cheapest
- Avoid: Fri/Sun returns

**Too early vs. too late**
- Booking too early misses sales
- Booking too late = panic pricing
- Sweet spot varies by route

=== STEP 4: AIRLINE HACKS ===

**Points and miles**
- If I have [airline loyalty], how can I use points for this route?
- Award availability, transfer partners, sweet spots

**Airline-specific tricks**
- Air France sales for US→EU
- Singapore Airlines partner awards
- JetBlue Mint for transcontinental

**Avoiding fees**
- Basic economy vs. regular (carry-on bag rules)
- Baggage fee traps
- Seat selection costs
- Change/cancel flexibility

=== STEP 5: GIVE ME SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS ===

Based on the route and dates:
- 3 concrete booking paths (cheapest / best value / most flexible)
- Estimated savings per path
- Booking windows for each
- Specific airlines and rough fares to target
- Tools to set up price alerts

=== OUTPUT ===
Full strategy + specific route recommendations + savings estimate + alert setup.