// Use when searching for flights, comparing airlines, or finding virtual interlining combinations across multiple carriers. Triggers on find flights, search routes, compare airlines, best price.
Use when planning flights, comparing ticket prices, or asking about flight costs, airline fees, travel dates, or route options. Triggers on booking flights, cheap tickets, flight search, vé máy bay, săn vé rẻ, tối ưu chi phí bay, đặt vé, virtual interlining, or any flight-related cost question.
Use when traveler has flexible dates and wants to find the cheapest departure/return combination. Triggers on cheapest day to fly, flexible dates, when to book, price calendar.
Use when looking for airline promo codes, flash sales, or credit card discounts before booking. Triggers on promo code, discount, sale, deal, coupon, cashback, loyalty discount.
Use when advertised flight price seems too good, or when comparing LCC vs legacy carrier total costs. Triggers on hidden fees, baggage cost, true price, real cost, checkout surprise.
Use when deciding between flexible and non-refundable tickets, or when travel plans might change. Triggers on refundable vs non-refundable, cancel risk, change fee, should I buy flexible ticket.
Use when user explicitly asks about hidden city ticketing, skiplagging, or throwaway ticketing. Requires explicit consent before analysis. Triggers on hidden city, skiplag, get off at layover.
| name | flight-search |
| description | Use when searching for flights, comparing airlines, or finding virtual interlining combinations across multiple carriers. Triggers on find flights, search routes, compare airlines, best price. |
Find the best flight options by searching across multiple data sources, including virtual interlining combinations that standard search engines don't show. This is where the biggest savings happen - a combination of two separate tickets from different airlines can be 30-40% cheaper than any single-airline itinerary.
From orchestrator:
origin, destination (IATA codes)departure_date, return_datepassengers (count + types)cabin_classpreferred_airlines, avoided_airlines (optional)optimal_dates from date-optimization (if available)Based on route type, choose data sources:
| Route Type | Primary Source | Secondary | Virtual Interlining |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic VN | AI Knowledge (VN carriers) | Kiwi Tequila | Low value |
| Intra-Asia | Kiwi Tequila | AI Knowledge | HIGH value |
| Intercontinental | Kiwi Tequila | AI Knowledge | HIGHEST value |
For each route, generate estimated options using airline knowledge:
Known carrier pricing tiers (estimate ranges):
| Carrier Type | Example | Domestic VN | Asia Short-haul | Intercontinental |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LCC | VietJet, AirAsia | $30-80 | $50-200 | $300-600 |
| Mid-tier | Bamboo, Scoot | $50-120 | $80-300 | $400-800 |
| Legacy | VN Airlines, SQ | $80-200 | $150-500 | $600-1500 |
| Premium | Emirates, QR | N/A | $200-600 | $800-2500 |
Adjust estimates based on:
This is the KEY differentiator. Identify potential virtual interlining combinations:
Pattern: Route A→B has no cheap direct option, but:
Common virtual interlining opportunities:
| Origin | Destination | Via Hub | Typical Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| HAN | SFO | ICN (Korean Air/Asiana → United/Alaska) | 20-35% |
| SGN | CDG | BKK (VietJet → Thai/AF) | 15-30% |
| HAN | SYD | SIN (VietJet → Scoot/Jetstar) | 25-40% |
| SGN | NRT | TPE (VietJet → Peach/Vanilla) | 20-35% |
Virtual interlining risks to flag:
For ALL options regardless of source:
Price normalization: Ensure every price includes:
Deduplication: If same flight appears from multiple sources:
Tag each option:
[DIRECT] - Point-to-point, no stops[1-STOP] - One connection, same airline/alliance[2-STOP] - Two connections[INTERLINING] - Virtual interlining (separate tickets)[LCC] - Low-cost carrier[LEGACY] - Full-service carrierSort by true_total_price (ascending). Present top 10:
# Route Airlines Adv.Price True Total Tags
1. HAN→ICN→SFO VJ+UA $520 $595 [INTERLINING][LCC+LEGACY]
2. HAN→NRT→SFO VN+UA $680 $710 [1-STOP][LEGACY]
3. HAN→BKK→SFO VJ+CX+UA $490 $620 [2-STOP][INTERLINING]
4. HAN→SFO VN $1,100 $1,100 [DIRECT][LEGACY]
5. HAN→TPE→SFO VJ+EVA $550 $630 [INTERLINING][LCC+LEGACY]
Highlight: "Options 1, 3, 5 are virtual interlining - NOT available on Google Flights or standard aggregators."
Send to downstream skills:
flight_options[] → fee-analysis (for true cost calculation)baseline_direct → route-optimization (for comparison)fare_classes[] → flexibility-analysisWhen API is configured, execute:
references/api-integration.md for setup../../scripts/kiwi_client.py with parameters