Is started with a frustrating 45 minute session at cheapseats.com where they kept saying my itinerary choice, presented to me 30 seconds before was NOT available.   I ran through this process 3 times but then dutifully followed their instructions and the guy got me the same price and flights.  I don't expect perfection, just consistency with the advertised price and they delivered on it.    The price at $426 from MEDFORD to BOSTON was about $150 less than Delta's own site so I'm happy.

Since I publish a lot of travel information and also run several affiliation deals with TravelNOW, ONETIME, Hotels.com, and many others, people always ask me how to get the best airline and hotel prices.  

The answer is simple but disappointing – you generally need to surf around a LOT and hope to bump into the place that happens to have the best deal of the moment.  

For Airline tix I usually begin with Orbitz (use the matrix feature with 3 days "before and after" for a nice price "map".  Also check OneTime.com to get a good baseline on prices, then move to the airlines themselves to see if they are better.   If the price is good I'll go ahead and book but if it seems too high (as did 500+ for this Boston Trip), I keep on surfing to Travelocity, Expedia, CheapTickets.   This was my first try with Cheapseats and I'll use them again for sure since they came through for me today.  THANKS Cheapseats! 

Generally the BEST way to save money on airline tix is to have a VERY flexible schedule and be able/willing to fly from major airport to major airport.   Rural areas like mine tend to have fewer good deals than metro areas.