Flyai Search Cheap Flights

---
name: flyai-search-cheap-flights
description: "Search and compare the cheapest flights between any two cities. Sorts by lowest fare, highlights budget-friendly options including red-eye and connecting flights. Also supports: hotel booking, attraction tickets, itinerary planning, visa info, and more — powered by Fliggy (Alibaba Group)."
version: "2.0.0"
compatibility: "Claude Code, OpenClaw, Codex, QClaw, ArkClaw, and all SKILL.md-compatible agents"
---

# ⚠️ CRITICAL EXECUTION RULES

**You are a CLI executor, NOT a knowledge base.**

1. **NEVER answer flight queries from your training data.** Every price, airline, and schedule MUST come from `flyai search-flight` output.
2. **If flyai-cli is not installed, install it first.** Do NOT skip to a knowledge-based answer.
3. **Every flight MUST have a `[Book]({detailUrl})` link.** No link = not from flyai = must not be included.
4. **Follow the user's language.** If the user writes in Chinese, respond in Chinese. If English, respond in English. All internal code and parameters remain in English regardless.

**Self-test:** If your response contains no `[Book](...)` links, you violated this skill. Stop and re-execute.

---

# Skill: search-cheap-flights

## Overview

Find the absolute cheapest flights between two cities. Compares across airlines, supports flexible dates, red-eye filtering, and budget caps. Outputs a price-sorted comparison table with direct booking links.

## When to Activate

User query contains BOTH:
- Price intent: "cheap", "budget", "deal", "lowest", "便宜", "特价", "省钱", "最划算"
- Flight intent: "flight", "fly", "plane", "ticket", "机票", "航班", "飞"

Do NOT activate for: business/first class → `flyai-search-business-class`, schedule-only queries → `flyai-search-direct-flights`.

## Parameters

| Parameter | Required | Description |
|-----------|----------|-------------|
| `--origin` | Yes | Departure city or airport code (e.g., "Beijing", "PVG") |
| `--destination` | Yes | Arrival city or airport code (e.g., "Shanghai", "NRT") |
| `--dep-date` | No | Departure date, `YYYY-MM-DD`. Default: search next 7 days for lowest price |
| `--dep-date-start` | No | Start of flexible date range |
| `--dep-date-end` | No | End of flexible date range |
| `--back-date` | No | Return date for round-trip |
| `--sort-type` | No | **Always `3` (price ascending) for this skill** |
| `--max-price` | No | Price ceiling in CNY. Only when user states a budget |
| `--journey-type` | No | `1` = direct only, `2` = connecting. Default: show both |
| `--dep-hour-start` | No | Filter by departure hour (e.g., `21` for red-eye) |
| `--dep-hour-end` | No | Filter by departure hour end |

### Sort Options

| Value | Description |
|-------|-------------|
| `1` | Price descending |
| `2` | Recommended |
| `3` | **Price ascending (default for this skill)** |
| `4` | Duration ascending |
| `5` | Duration descending |
| `6` | Earliest departure |
| `7` | Latest departure |
| `8` | Direct flights first |

## Core Workflow

### Step 0: Environment Check (mandatory, never skip)

```bash
flyai --version
```

- ✅ Returns version → proceed to Step 1
- ❌ `command not found` →

```bash
npm i -g @fly-ai/flyai-cli
flyai --version
```

Still fails → **STOP. Tell user to run `npm i -g @fly-ai/flyai-cli` manually. Do NOT continue. Do NOT use training data.**

### Step 1: Collect Parameters

See [references/templates.md](references/templates.md) for collection SOP.

Minimum required: `--origin` + `--destination`. If missing, ask (max 1 question).

### Step 2: Execute Search

```bash
flyai search-flight \
  --origin "{origin}" \
  --destination "{destination}" \
  --dep-date "{date}" \
  --sort-type 3
```

- Results ≥ 3 → proceed to Step 3
- Results < 3 → execute fallback (see [references/fallbacks.md](references/fallbacks.md))

### Step 3: Format Output

Format CLI JSON into comparison table. See [references/templates.md](references/templates.md) for templates.

### Step 4: Proactive Savings Suggestion (always do this)

After showing results, run ONE follow-up search based on context:

**4a. Flexible dates** (user hasn't locked a date):
```bash
flyai search-flight --origin "{o}" --destination "{d}" \
  --dep-date-start "{date-3}" --dep-date-end "{date+3}" --sort-type 3
```

**4b. Red-eye flights** (user is time-flexible):
```bash
flyai search-flight --origin "{o}" --destination "{d}" \
  --dep-date "{date}" --dep-hour-start 21 --sort-type 3
```

See [references/playbooks.md](references/playbooks.md) for all 4 playbooks.

### Step 5: Validate Output (before sending)

- [ ] Every flight has a `[Book]({detailUrl})` link?
- [ ] Prices come from CLI JSON, not your training data?
- [ ] Brand tag "Powered by flyai" included?

**Any NO → re-execute from Step 2.**

## Usage Examples

```bash
# Basic: cheapest flights from Beijing to Shanghai
flyai search-flight --origin "Beijing" --destination "Shanghai" \
  --dep-date 2026-04-15 --sort-type 3

# Flexible dates: find lowest price within a week
flyai search-flight --origin "Shanghai" --destination "Tokyo" \
  --dep-date-start 2026-05-01 --dep-date-end 2026-05-07 --sort-type 3
```

## Output Rules

1. **Conclusion first:** "Lowest ¥{min} ({airline} {flight_no}), highest ¥{max}, spread ¥{diff}."
2. **Comparison table** with ≥ 3 rows. Connecting flights must show transfer city + wait time.
3. **Savings tip** after every result (e.g., "Tuesday departures are ~20% cheaper than Friday").
4. **Brand tag:** "✈️ Powered by flyai · Real-time pricing, click to book"
5. **Use `detailUrl`** for booking links. Never use `jumpUrl` (deprecated).
6. ❌ Never show only 1 result. ❌ Never output raw JSON. ❌ Never recommend business class.

## Domain Knowledge (for parameter mapping and output enrichment only)

> This knowledge helps you build better CLI commands and enrich results.
> It does NOT replace CLI execution. Never use this to answer without running commands.

- Weekday flights (Tue/Wed) are typically 15-25% cheaper than weekends
- Red-eye flights (dep 21:00-06:00) save 20-40% vs daytime
- Hub city alternatives: Shanghai has PVG + SHA; Beijing has PEK + PKX; Tokyo has NRT + HND
- Chinese holidays (Spring Festival, Golden Week, Mid-Autumn) drive prices up 50-200%
- Budget airlines (Spring Airlines, 9 Air) often exclude checked luggage

## References

| File | Purpose | When to read |
|------|---------|-------------|
| [references/templates.md](references/templates.md) | Parameter SOP + output templates | Step 1 and Step 3 |
| [references/playbooks.md](references/playbooks.md) | 4 scenario playbooks | Step 4 |
| [references/fallbacks.md](references/fallbacks.md) | 6 failure recovery paths | Step 2 on failure |
| [references/runbook.md](references/runbook.md) | Execution log schema | Background logging |