flights

Search travel sites for flights and return a cost comparison table, then save results.

When this skill is invoked:

Step 1 — Collect Inputs

First, check whether travel_plans/ exists and contains any destination folders.

• If existing destination folders are found, use AskUserQuestion to ask the user:
  • "Which destination would you like to search?" with one option per existing folder (using the folder name as the label) plus a "New destination" option
  • If they pick an existing destination, pre-fill the destination field from the folder name and skip asking for it again
  • If they pick "New destination", prompt for the destination as normal

Then collect any remaining missing details via AskUserQuestion:

• Origin city (departure airport or city)
• Destination city — skip if pre-filled from an existing folder
• Departure date (YYYY-MM-DD)
• Return date (YYYY-MM-DD)
• Number of travelers (exact whole number, e.g. 2, 3, 4)

Step 2 — Search for Flights

Step 2a — Run Playwright headless search

Use the Bash tool to run:

node playwright/search.js flights --origin "<ORIGIN>" --destination "<DESTINATION>" --depart <YYYY-MM-DD> --return <YYYY-MM-DD> --travelers <N>

This writes results to travel_plans/[destination-slug]/flights/processed=[YYYY-MM-DD]/results.md and updates summary.md automatically. Wait for the command to complete.

Step 2b — Read results and identify gaps

Read the written results.md file. Identify any rows marked N/A or sites that returned an error.

Step 2c — Fill gaps with Chrome MCP

Silent mode: Execute all Chrome MCP browser steps without narrating individual actions (clicks, scrolls, typing). Use the tools quietly and only report the final prices found or a single error message if a site is blocked.

For each site with an N/A result, use mcp__claude-in-chrome__* tools to search that site in Chrome and retrieve results. Refer to the per-site navigation guides in sites/ for UI steps:

1. Google Flights — https://www.google.com/travel/flights → sites/google-flights.md
2. Southwest Airlines — https://www.southwest.com → sites/southwest.md
3. Expedia — https://www.expedia.com/Flights → sites/expedia.md
4. Kayak — https://www.kayak.com/flights → sites/kayak.md

For each selected option, note:

• Airline(s)
• Departure and return times/duration
• Number of stops
• Price per person
• Total cost for the group

Step 2d — Update results file with MCP data

If any MCP searches succeeded, edit results.md to replace the N/A rows with the new data.

For each site, find the top 1–2 highest-quality or most preferred flight options. Prioritize by:

1. Fewest stops (nonstop preferred over 1-stop; avoid 2+ stop itineraries unless nothing better exists)
2. Reputable airline (major carriers preferred over ultra-low-cost when price difference is modest)
3. Reasonable travel times (avoid red-eyes or excessively long layovers unless significantly cheaper)
4. Best price among options that meet the above criteria

If a site still cannot be searched after MCP attempt, leave it as "N/A" and continue.

Step 3 — Output Results Table

Present the results as a markdown table:

Site	Airline	Departure → Return	Stops	Per Person	Total (Group)
Google Flights	...	...	...	$X	$X
Southwest	...	...	...	$X	$X
Expedia	...	...	...	$X	$X
Kayak	...	...	...	$X	$X

Step 4 — Save Results

Derive a folder-safe destination name from the destination input: lowercase, spaces replaced with hyphens (e.g. "San Diego, CA" → san-diego-ca).

4a — Write search results

Write results to travel_plans/[destination-slug]/flights/processed=[YYYY-MM-DD]/results.md (create directories if needed):

## Flights — Searched: [current date and time]

### Inputs
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | [origin city] |
| Destination | [destination city] |
| Departure | [departure date] |
| Return | [return date] |
| Travelers | [number] |

### Results
[paste the full results table here]

4b — Update summary.md

Update travel_plans/[destination-slug]/summary.md (create if it doesn't exist):

• Set the Latest Prices row for Flights to the best fare found today
• Append a new row to the Price History > Flights table with today's date, best fare, and the change vs. the previous search (or "first search" if none)
• Add an entry to the Search History list pointing to the new processed directory