try this site
www.sidestep.com I always find really good fares on this one. Traveling to or from Europe.
I also use cheaptickets.com.
Hope this helps a bit.
Ciao!

Within Europe, Ryan Air has some good deals. They have an odd group of airports which they serve, but when the tickets are sometimes as low as 2USD (plus airport taxes), you don't mind the lack of amenities. I flew from London to Bratislava for 60USD. Can't beat that!

If you are a student or an instructor or have a ".edu" email address, and if you flew to Europe within the last year, you can get a student rate to fly back to the states at studentuniverse.com. They usually have lower prices and taxes are included. I have found some pretty good deals with them.

Other then that, I would recommend booking either way in advance and trying to get a deal online or waiting for a deal at the last minute. I’ve also used hotwire.com and Travelocity.com, but it really just takes time comparing prices between sites. It takes time, but shop around. Try connecting through different cities or taking off from different cities.

Not sure if that helps, but I hope it does! Hope you're having a great time in Amsterdam!

I agree with the other answers, but I wanted to add a comment. I work for an airline and I can tell you that the sites like cheaptickets.com, Expedia and Travelocity are great to check, but try and book through the airline if possible - even if you are combining different airlines. The fees for making changes will kill you if you go through an online booking agency. For example, the normal change fee on a ticket is usually 100.00 USD, but those sites will also charge you another 50.00USD as their service fee. Likewise, if you buy a ticket through an agency, then the airline could also charge additional service fees for changing the ticket or just selecting a seat. Just be really clear about what kinds of penalties are on the ticket. If you don't plan on making changes, then grab the cheapest flights. Student Universe is also a great place to check as well. Booking well in advance - at least 7 or 14 days, will have an advantage. Good luck!

I have found the best website for cheap flights and now I use it all the time, plus the site is really easy to nagivate around and there is always loads of sale prices as well. Although its an Australian site it does flights for all over the world from any country. www.bestflights.com.au

I find that some of the last minute deals can certainly be worth looking at, especially if your travel plans are flexible. Try looking at the bucket shops that advertise in the London newpapers (most of the publications are online). Even though you are in Amsterdam you should find that routing through a major hub such as London could work out cheaper.

There are also possibilities for courier flights, which entails carrying a package or manifest in return for getting a cheap, (and very occasionally, free) flight.. Try Jupiter Couriers in London for that, but it is important to book early and the prices for courier flights of late, whilst cheaper than regular flights, are not exactly giveaways.
Hope that helps..

Check out www.statravel.com. They usually have some great flight deals and deals on trips and international cell phones etc., especially if you are a student.

If you are planning to travel alone then ask the airline if they operate a courier scheme. British Airways had such a scheme and I flew return to New York from London for about £99 5 years ago. The deal is that you agree to carry an urgent parcel for the airline and they give you a discounted fare. It only operates on some routes however.

To find cheap airfare if you're going back home, you must check out some promotions that airlines give out. Sometimes, airlines offer discounts like 10%-50% off for a specific season. For example, some airlines offer Holiday discounts. Since it's near February, the month of "LUV," then airlines might be offering Valentine discounts for couples.

But if you're planning for a vacation, the best way to have an inexpensive trip is to avail an all-inclusive promotion. All-inclusive promos usually include cheap airfare, free accommodation, and free food. Now, isn't that great?

Well i don't know if they have tickets for the States but you might try ryan air. It is a really cheap option for travelling. But i never checked which places are possible to visit with this airline.

Try www.opodo.co.uk These are by far the best rates from the UK, and they do flights from Europe as well. Whenever my husband and I fly back to the states, we book through Opodo.

Try www.expedia.com - it has some of the best airfare deals I have found, plus you can also book hotels, cars, cruises and activities through this site!

Hi:

A couple of sites that I've found helpful are www.lessno.com and www.airfarewatchdog.com If you're traveling around Singapore, Australia, NZ and Micronesia you might want to try www.zuji.com

Hope this will help.

Cynthia

Hey hansonrc:

I guess it is still time to answer your question – given one always keeps traveling and you are still in Amsterdam. Thus I would highly suggest the system of “air hitchhiking” – that is getting a last minute flight at the very lowest prices. Specifically from Amsterdam to the USA I highly recommend Airtech. See http://www.airtech.com/.
The system works if you have flexile traveling dates. Let us say in a window of 3-4 days you will surely fly at a cost of ~250 US dollars one way, any time of the year. Airtech is the best company I know – maybe others also do the air hitchhiking. So Airtech has deals with companies like Iceland Air, Air Tahiti and others that may offer you last minute tickets they can’t sell. It is harder to find a good deal in times as X-mas perhaps. I always got a flight from San Francisco to Europe, or from the USA East Coast to Europe. Also I got flights from Europe to the USA. Airtech also flies to Hawaii, etc.
Departures from Europe are only from Amsterdam. When flying from the USA, you also don’t know (sometimes) until the last minute if you will land in Paris, London or Amsterdam. In any case the extra European flight you may need to reach your final destination still keeps the entire flight cheaper. Good luck!