Find the Cheapest Flights on Delta and Save $539

Save money on Delta flights by doing just a little research.

In 2018 we are going to hit all 50 states and it just so happens that I have some Delta credits that I need to spend before the middle of November. We are looking to hit the most complicated state to get to and that is Hawaii.

Well, we haven’t been to any of the islands except Kauai, which is amazing by the way, so I was open to whichever island offered the least expensive fare knowing that if I got it cheap enough, we can go from island to island at a pretty reasonable cost.

I also know that if we wait until later in the year then Saylor, our now 1-year-old, will be turning 2, which means we will have to pay for a ticket for her as well so it’s time to save.

First I went to Google Flights which has saved me money on trips to Alabama, Italy and definitely will to Hawaii now that I found this little trick. Maybe it’s old news to you but I’m stoked about saving $539.

So here is the quick guide:

Go to Google Flights ->

Google Flights

I had a specific need on Delta, which I’m not usually too specific with, but I need to spend money there and I really do like Delta so I selected them and then an unspecified range of 7 days in January 2018. Easy right…?

Ok…now here is where the rubber hit the road for me. I had found a great option for sub-$2K to go to Hawaii for a family of 5, pretty good. This was flying out of Los Angeles, which I thought might be the cheapest option. Well, then I decided to see what other direct flights there might be from the Western…South-Western states to a Hawaiian island. I checked this again following in the Delta Routes.

Delta Flight Maps & Destinations

Cheapest Flights to Hawaii

After researching further I found that Honolulu had destinations, i.e. direct flights to Salt Lake City, Los Angeles, San Francisco…all of which were in the area that would be most convenient for us and might be the most direct and cheapest options in our mind. Except, I hadn’t considered San Francisco as an option.

So I input the new option of San Francisco with an open option of flights into the islands of Hawaii and much to my surprise instead of a $1,986 price point I was looking at a $1,447 price point…$539 cheaper than I was seeing leaving from LAX. I love it. It took a little bit more time to research it but the extra 20 minutes it took to figure this out is well worth the $539 savings that we will realize.

I can make that go a long ways when we get to Hawaii, in fact, that might pay for all the camping we will do while we are there. I know Paige hangs a pretty sweet hammock and Hawaii is known for not having nasty bugs and snakes so we will be safe taking the camping gear and roughing it on the beach or close to… We might have a get a nice hotel for a night or two, just because.

Here’s what my search criteria looked like:

Google Flights Search Criteria

Ultimately I ended up with a sweet deal on tickets to Hawaii out of a location that we will be close to anyways, so I’m ready to book because I love saving money and if I don’t use these Delta dollars I will lose them. Here are the results:

San Francisco to Hawaii Flight Results

I hope this quick guide was helpful and proves that saving money is a matter of being flexible and looking a little closer. If you make more than $1,500 an hour, then maybe the 20 minutes to save $500 isn’t worth your time, but I don’t make that, so the little extra energy has me stoked and on our way to Honolulu for cheap.

Update: 3 days later the flight price has increased $368. Phew…I’m glad I booked when I found a good deal. Research pays off but it’s the commitment that ultimately saves you the money. Although, you do have to spend money to save money.

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