74
votes
Accepted
How to search for a flight when dates and cities are flexible but non-direct flights must not pass through a particular country?
Yes, the ITA Matrix supports the undocumented l: syntax in the routing specifier to search by location. You can use l:nXX to search by ISO country code (n for nation), and then add the negation symbol ...
- 37k
50
votes
How can flights operated by the same company have such different prices when marketed by another?
Codeshares usually work in that way, that an airline buys a number of seats on a flight operated by another airline. In your example, both Virgin and Air France bought each a set of seats from Delta, ...
- 9,029
41
votes
Why is 2x one-way fares cheaper than round-trip on Matrix?
What am I missing here?
You are trying to apply logic to flight prices, which these day is dicey. With their dynamic pricing systems and extremely convoluted fare classes and construction rules the ...
- 80.3k
33
votes
Accepted
How to find and compare flights carried out by a specific type of plane?
The ITA Matrix allows you to search by aircraft type, though this feature is undocumented and not found in the official ITA Routing Codes help.
In the Advanced Routing Language field, you would input ...
- 42.8k
32
votes
What is a married segment and how can I identify them?
When determining a price for a journey, the price is a function of the availability on each individual flight. The availability loosely corresponds to the number of seats that have been sold and to ...
- 37k
32
votes
How to search for a flight when dates and cities are flexible but non-direct flights must not pass through a particular country?
Kayak.com also offers this exact functionality. To search for flight route from A to B, but not transiting through X/Y/Z,
Search flight as usual.
Once you are on results page, there are search ...
- 3,066
30
votes
Accepted
Is Sydney - Papeete - Easter Island - Santiago possible on a round the world ticket?
(This answer will become invalid for trips commencing after LATAM leaves oneworld.)
Answer.
Yes, but you have to purchase a particular fare that is not usually advertised (a oneworld global explorer ...
- 37k
30
votes
Accepted
Why does Google Flights show train stations?
The train stations included are some of those train stations that are integrated with air travel as part of an air-rail alliance for single ticketing.
For example, I can search for travel from 30th ...
- 85.6k
23
votes
How can I do a "broad" search for flights?
Since this thread has become the universal flight search engine thread I want to give a breakdown of all the options mentioned in the other answers:
http://matrix.itasoftware.com/ (answer) is the ...
- 26.2k
21
votes
Accepted
Why is 2x one-way fares cheaper than round-trip on Matrix?
Firstly, I would suggest going and reading this answer. It's actually for the exact opposite question to what you're asking, but the background in the answer will leave you clued up to understand ...
- 114k
20
votes
How can I book a flight plan found on Matrix Airfare Search?
We just created https://bookwithmatrix.com, a site that lets you simply copy and paste the itinerary from ITA Matrix and get links to the major OTAs (online travel agents) where you can make the ...
- 1,529
18
votes
Accepted
What is the difference between Google Flights and the ITA Matrix?
The ITA Matrix software was developed by MIT engineers. ITA was then purchased by Google, and used to power Google Flights (as well as other non-google flight search engines). Quoting from the ITA ...
- 51.7k
17
votes
When I know the airline, the flight number, and the airport at each end, but am very flexible with dates, how can I find the cheapest flights?
Matrix allows you to do a month long search:
You'll have to search a month forward each time.
- 28.3k
17
votes
Accepted
Finding flights that do NOT stop in the USA
I found two options
It looks like the best option would be going with Latam through Santiago de Chile to Mexico City. One ways on October are around $800. You can actually book directly to Tijuana but ...
- 80.3k
16
votes
Accepted
Price difference on Matrix ITA and Google Flights
ITA Matrix uses cached results, which often are slightly more out-of-date, while Google Flights actually checks with the airlines and online travel agencies (OTAs) once you get to the final page with ...
- 1,529
16
votes
Accepted
How can I book flights online with separate airlines?
As stated in Hilmar's answer there needs to be some arrangement (code share) between both airlines to book it as a single ticket.
When those arrangements don't exist, one option is still to make this ...
- 12.4k
16
votes
Accepted
Flight search for 3+/4+ stops
ITA Matrix, as always, is probably the most powerful flight search engine out there, and with a bit of trickery, you can ask it for flights with lots of stops.
Under its advanced routing codes, you ...
- 1,529
16
votes
What is minimum information required to identify if two people will be on the same flight?
To fully answer this question you need the administrative operating carrier and flight number, scheduled departure date, departure airport, stops and arrival airport. If all of these are the same the ...
- 261
15
votes
What is minimum information required to identify if two people will be on the same flight?
I once flew from Auckland International to Great Barrier Island, and upon checking in different passengers were given different coloured boarding cards (as far as I know each group was given only one ...
- 1,097
15
votes
Why does Google Flights show train stations?
Whilst Zach's answer is mostly factual regarding train stations with airport codes, this does NOT appear to be the situation here (eg, Frankfurt HBH does not have such a code).
Instead it appears ...
- 114k
14
votes
Where to find ferry flights and empty leg flights?
Private Aircraft
Others have answered for the commercial and chartered sectors, which is increasingly being strangled due to regulation. This answer will focus on the private sector.
Where are ...
- 84.4k
14
votes
How to search for weekend flights?
On Matrix Airfare Search you have the option of searching for flexible dates. In my case I was able to search for flights from LHR to FRA leaving Friday and/or day before and coming back Monday on ...
- 4,301
14
votes
Why does Google Flights show train stations?
It's because Google has decided to incorporate train trips into Google Flights for easier time & cost comparison between flying & riding a train in Europe.
Google Travel's blog announced this ...
- 336
12
votes
Where to find ferry flights and empty leg flights?
Corporate/Business Aircraft
For corporate aircraft, this is a common occurrence and there have indeed been attempts to utilise these legs. A quick search on Google for empty legs turns up plenty of ...
- 2,252
12
votes
Does the ITA Matrix work for all destinations?
Besides the specific limitations around Cuba, ITA Matrix only shows regularly scheduled flights generally available through airline Global Distribution Systems.
As such, it won't show you flights on ...
- 85.6k
12
votes
How can I book flights online with separate airlines?
You have to make two individual bookings, you can't book this on a single ticket.
You can make each booking at any of the typical websites: Lufthansa.com ryanair.com, kayak.com, expedia.com, orbitz....
- 80.3k
12
votes
What countries does a Calafia Airlines flight from Mexico to Brazil pass through?
This appears to be an error, and this itinerary doesn't make any sense.
Calafia Airlines does not fly to California or to Brazil (or anywhere outside of Mexico), and one of the flight numbers that ...
- 85.6k
12
votes
Accepted
What are some tips and tricks for finding the cheapest flight when luggage and other fees are not revealed until far into the booking process?
For Aussies such as yourself, my site - Beat That Flight (and beta Android app) might be able to help a bit.
For example, on a search from Sydney to Hong Kong - on the left side, you can see baggage ...
- 158k
12
votes
Finding flights that do NOT stop in the USA
You can try using Google Flights and filter by the airport type, if those are located in the United States. For example here's how I did this for a random date, and assuming an Auckland departure:
...
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