Search and purchase flight tickets
I always search for flights on the website Google Flights. I just need to enter where I want to fly from and when into the search engine and the site will find me lots of flights and their various combinations sorted by price.
I mainly use Google Flights to find flights here. found an airline, which will suit me the most. Whether in terms of price, flight times, or their length.
But I'm not buying the plane ticket here.. When I find the best airline, I go directly to their website.
TIP: On the airline's website, I don't enter the exact date I want to fly, but always plus or minus a few days before and after. It has happened to me several times that when I searched for the exact date, it was more expensive than when I searched for another one, and I only clicked through to my own in the subsequent steps.
When to buy tickets
I haven't found a universal answer to this question yet. Personally, I always spend some time I am watching, how the prices of airline tickets move. I know that prices can change depending on the day of the week. On some days, airline tickets are more expensive, on others they are cheaper. .
Thanks to price tracking, I know how prices are moving. At the same time, I have something in my head the price I am willing to pay for a plane ticket. For example, if I know that tickets to London can be found for around 2,000 CZK, I will not buy it for 6,000 CZK. Then when the price of the ticket appears at a level that I am willing to pay for it, I buy it. Sometimes it can be half a year in advance, sometimes a month. Sometimes there can be a promotion on tickets, so that is why I also follow some influencers and sites that focus on promotional tickets. But be careful, a good promotion does not always mean a good ticket.
If you are hesitating whether to buy a ticket or wait for a lower price, check out the page airhint.com. Enter the search engine from where you are flying to, the date and in the search results select the flight you are waiting for. You will be shown a graphic of the probability that the price of the ticket will drop further. The higher the percentage, the greater the probability. Of course, you can't rely on this completely, but it can help.
Flight with a transfer
If a direct flight is not available and you need to make a connection en route, buy flights within one ticket, with one airline (or related companies). It has its advantages, which I will show you using the example of a flight from Prague to Costa Rica.
There are no direct flights from Prague to San Jose. You can find a flight with KLM, for example. On the KLM website, you enter Prague as your starting point and San Jose as your destination, and you will see several options that differ in the transfer location and waiting time. For example, I choose a transfer in Amsterdam. My trip is on one ticket, so I get both boarding passes at the airport in Prague, drop off my suitcase, and pick it up in San Jose. So you don't have to worry about anything.
Guaranteed transfer
The advantage of such flights is that it is guaranteed transfer. That is, according to the airline, you will make the second flight and you will not fly. If such a situation should arise, the airline will provide you with another flight that will take you to your final destination. If you have to wait for a long time, the airline can provide you with a free hotel or tours of the city where you are waiting. However, this depends on the airline's offer. So it is always a good idea to check the conditions and take advantage of the benefits. For example, Turkish Airlines offers tours from the airport to the city in Istanbul, and if you wait longer than 12 hours (with the condition that there is no later flight that would shorten the wait) also a hotel. All for free.
Purchase of two separate airline tickets
In that case, there would be one ticket from Prague to Amsterdam and the other from Amsterdam to San Jose. In Prague, I would only get the first ticket, I would check in my suitcase, which would only fly to Amsterdam. In Amsterdam, the first flight ends, so I have to pick up my luggage, leave the airport and go to the check-in counter again to check in. If the first flight is delayed, the airline will not do anything; if the second plane takes off, you will have to buy a new ticket. You will not benefit from any benefits from the airline at the airport.