<p>I think those services charge $5 per ticket (or each way - not sure). I’ve often found deals there that I can’t find on the airline websites, and sometimes the other way around. One excellent and less-known website for fare searching is itasoftware.com. You choose search airfares and then “log in as a guest” to access the search functions. You cannot buy tickets from this site, but it shows you every known option for almost all carriers (Southwest being a notable exception). </p>
<p>For the winter break, I’ve already purchased the ticket home, and am just assuming S will have a final on the last day possible. He may not, but I’m sure he can find some way to fill his time.</p>