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You’re staring at a $1,200 flight to Tokyo, knowing you saw it for $380 three weeks ago but didn’t book because you thought you had time. The fare vanished overnight — a classic airline mistake fare that lasted maybe six hours before some algorithm corrected the “glitch.” This exact scenario plays out thousands of times daily across the travel ecosystem, and it’s why flight deal hunting has become its own specialised skill.
The problem isn’t that great deals don’t exist. Airlines accidentally publish wrong fares, competitors engage in flash price wars, and legitimate sales happen constantly. The problem is timing and discovery — you’d need to manually check hundreds of routes daily to catch even a fraction of these deals before they disappear.
Going (formerly Scott’s Cheap Flights) was built to solve exactly this problem. It’s not quite an AI tool in the ChatGPT sense, but rather a hybrid system that combines AI-powered fare monitoring with human expert curation to catch and verify deals before alerting subscribers. After 18 months of testing it alongside other fare alert services, I can tell you it works — but with important caveats about flexibility and expectations.
What you’ll actually get from this review:
- Real examples of mistake fares I’ve booked (and missed) through Going alerts
- How Going’s three-layer detection system actually works behind the scenes
- Honest breakdown of free vs paid tiers and whether Premium is worth it
- Tactical tips for maximising your hit rate on time-sensitive deals
- Direct comparison with Hopper, Google Flights, and other fare tools
What Going Actually Is (And Isn’t)
Going is fundamentally a flight deal alert service, not a flight search engine. You don’t go to Going when you need to fly somewhere — you subscribe to Going so it can email you when unusually cheap flights appear from your home airports. Think of it as having a dedicated flight deals researcher working 24/7 on your behalf.
The service originated as Scott’s Cheap Flights, started by a guy named Scott Keyes who was obsessed with finding mistake fares and began sharing them with friends via email. What started as a personal hobby scaled into a full company with machine learning fare detection, a team of human experts, and over four million subscribers. They rebranded to “Going” in 2022, presumably because they’d outgrown the “Scott” personal brand.
Here’s what Going does well: it finds deals you’d never discover through normal flight search. Here’s what it doesn’t do: help you plan trips, compare hotels, or search for specific routes on specific dates. It’s a deal discovery tool, not a comprehensive travel planner. Manage your expectations accordingly.
The Three-Layer Detection System Explained
Going’s effectiveness comes from combining automated monitoring with human verification — a hybrid approach that separates legitimate deals from the noise that plagues fully-automated systems.
Layer 1: AI Fare Monitoring
Going’s systems continuously scrape fare data across dozens of airlines, hundreds of routes, and multiple booking classes. Machine learning models analyse this data to detect anomalies — fares that are significantly below the typical price range for that route and travel period. The AI considers factors like historical pricing, seasonal patterns, day-of-week variations, and competitor pricing to identify genuine outliers.
Layer 2: Human Expert Verification
This is Going’s secret weapon. Before any alert reaches subscribers, a human expert manually verifies the fare. They check that it’s actually bookable (not a display error), review the terms for hidden gotchas like brutal connections or no baggage allowance, and assess whether the deal represents genuine value. They also write the alert copy with context about how good the deal is historically.
Layer 3: Targeted Email Alerts
You receive emails like “Dubai to Tokyo, £420 return (normally £850), book before Thursday.” The alert includes direct booking links, travel date windows, and expert commentary about the deal’s significance. Free subscribers get economy deals only; paid tiers unlock business class alerts, mistake fare notifications, and longer booking windows.
Real-World Performance: Deals I’ve Actually Booked
I’ve been testing Going systematically since early 2023, tracking every alert and measuring actual savings. Here are the standout deals I either booked or attempted to book from Dubai:
Dubai to Tokyo (Narita), £420 return — Typical fare: £850. This appeared on a Tuesday morning in March 2024 via Emirates with decent layover times in their network. I booked within two hours and the fare held. The expert note mentioned it was the cheapest Dubai-Tokyo fare they’d seen in 14 months.
Dubai to Lisbon, £370 return — Typical fare: £580. This was a legitimate TAP Air Portugal sale in October 2023, valid for travel through March 2024. Not a mistake fare, just an aggressive promotional price. Booked and flew this one too.
Dubai to New York JFK, £480 return — This was the mistake fare that got away. Appeared Friday evening, marked explicitly as “mistake fare, book immediately.” By the time I checked email Saturday morning, it was dead. The expert warning was accurate — mistake fares rarely survive more than 6-12 hours.
Dubai to Cape Town, £395 return — Typical fare: £650. This was an Emirates flash sale in September 2023. I didn’t book because I wasn’t ready to commit to South African travel, but fare tracking confirmed it was genuine and lasted about 48 hours.
Dubai to Bangkok, £240 return — Typical fare: £350. A relatively modest but consistent deal that appeared twice in 2023. Sometimes the best Going deals aren’t the dramatic mistake fares but solid 30-40% discounts on routes you’d actually want to book.
Free vs Premium vs Elite: Which Tier Makes Sense
Going operates a freemium model with three tiers, and the differences matter significantly for serious deal hunters.
| Feature | Free | Premium (£39/year) | Elite (£169/year) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economy deals | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Business/First class | No | Yes | Yes |
| Mistake fare alerts | No | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app | Basic | Full access | Full access |
| Deal preview time | None | 24 hours early | 24 hours early |
| Customer support | Limited | Priority | White-glove |
My recommendation: Start free to understand Going’s deal flow for your region, then upgrade to Premium for one expensive international trip. If you catch one business class deal worth £2,000+ in savings, Premium pays for itself 50 times over. Elite is only worth it if you’re booking multiple premium trips per year or need the white-glove support for complex itineraries.
The 24-hour preview window for paid subscribers is more valuable than it sounds. Popular deals can sell out or expire within hours of public release. Having advance notice lets you research the destination, check your calendar, and be ready to book immediately when the deal goes live.
How Going Compares to Google Flights and Hopper
Going doesn’t replace traditional flight search tools — it complements them. Each tool serves a different use case in the flight booking ecosystem.
Going: “Tell me about great deals from my airport”
Passive discovery. You set your home airports and Going monitors everything, alerting you to exceptional deals. Best for flexible travellers who prioritise price over specific destinations or dates. High signal-to-noise ratio because of human curation.
Google Flights: “Show me flights from A to B”
Active search for specific routes. Excellent for comparing airlines, times, and prices when you know where you want to go. The Explore feature can surface some deals, but it’s not systematically hunting mistake fares.
Hopper: “Should I book this specific flight now or wait?”
Price prediction for routes you’re already considering. Uses historical data to forecast whether fares will rise or fall over the next few weeks. Helpful for timing purchases, less useful for discovering new deals.
My workflow combines all three: Going catches unexpected deals I’d never search for manually. Google Flights handles specific routes I already know I want. Hopper tells me whether to book immediately or wait for a better price on routes I’m tracking.
The Business Class Deal Advantage
Going’s premium tiers unlock business and first class deal alerts, and this is where the service shows its true value. While economy deals might save you £200-400, business class mistakes can save £2,000-5,000 per ticket.
I’ve seen alerts for Dubai to Tokyo business class at £1,800 (typical: £4,500), Dubai to New York first class at £2,400 (typical: £6,000), and Dubai to London business at £850 (typical: £2,200). These deals are rarer than economy mistakes but proportionally much more valuable.
The key insight: airlines are more likely to make significant pricing errors in premium cabins because the fare rules are more complex and humans are less likely to notice a £2,000 business class fare is wrong compared to a £200 economy fare being obviously broken.
Business class deals also tend to last longer than mistake economy fares. Airlines seem less urgency to correct a £1,800 business fare (which could plausibly be a sale) compared to a £180 transatlantic economy fare (which is obviously wrong).
Mistake Fares: The Holy Grail of Flight Deals
Mistake fares are the crown jewel of Going’s service — flights priced dramatically wrong due to human error, currency conversion mistakes, or system glitches. These can offer savings of 70-90% but require fast action and come with unique risks.
How mistake fares happen:
- Currency conversion errors (airline publishes £400 instead of $400)
- Missing digits in fare filing ($89 instead of $899)
- Route coding mistakes (pricing a long-haul route as domestic)
- Fuel surcharge miscalculations
- System integration errors between airline and booking platforms
The booking window reality: Mistake fares typically survive 2-24 hours before airlines notice and correct them. Going’s email alerts help, but you still need to check email frequently and be prepared to book immediately. I missed that Dubai-New York mistake fare because I was checking email once per day instead of every few hours.
Critical rule for mistake fares: Book first, plan later. If Going marks something as a mistake fare, book it within hours of receiving the alert. You can always cancel if your plans change, but you cannot un-miss a fare that’s been corrected.
Regional Performance and Airport Coverage
Going’s effectiveness varies dramatically based on your home airport. Major international hubs like Dubai, London, New York, and Los Angeles see the most deals because they have more routes and airline competition. Secondary cities receive fewer alerts but can still find value.
From Dubai (my experience): 2-3 quality alerts per week, with excellent coverage of Europe, Asia, and North America. Middle Eastern carriers like Emirates and Etihad occasionally have dramatic mistake fares due to their complex route networks.
Best performance regions:
- North American hubs (NYC, LAX, Chicago, Toronto)
- European gateways (London, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Paris)
- Major Asian hubs (Tokyo, Singapore, Hong Kong, Seoul)
- Australian cities (Sydney, Melbourne) see fewer but higher-value deals
If you live near multiple airports, add them all to your Going profile. Deal availability can vary significantly between airports just 50 miles apart due to different airline presence and competition levels.
Success Tactics: Maximising Your Deal Hit Rate
After 18 months of using Going, I’ve identified specific tactics that dramatically improve your success rate with time-sensitive deals.
Email checking frequency: Check Going emails at least twice daily during weekdays — morning and evening. Mistake fares often appear during airline overnight maintenance windows (10pm-6am local time for the origin airline’s hub).
Payment method setup: Store payment details in your phone’s autofill and have airline accounts pre-created with major carriers from your region. When a mistake fare appears, every minute counts. Don’t let checkout friction cost you the deal.
Destination wish list: Maintain a mental list of 8-10 destinations you’d visit if the price was right. When a deal alert arrives, you need to make decisions quickly. Having pre-considered options lets you evaluate opportunities faster.
Calendar flexibility: The biggest factor in Going success is date flexibility. If you can only travel specific weeks, Going’s value drops significantly. If you can travel any time in a 2-3 month window, it becomes incredibly powerful.
Refundable booking strategy: For expensive mistake fares, book with airlines or credit cards that offer 24-hour free cancellation. This gives you a day to research the destination and confirm your plans while holding the fare.
What Going Gets Wrong
Going isn’t perfect, and understanding its limitations prevents frustration and unrealistic expectations.
Frequency expectations: Don’t expect daily deals to your dream destinations. Going might send 2-3 alerts per week, but only 10-20% will be to places you actually want to visit. The service works best for spontaneous travellers, not people with fixed itineraries.
Date inflexibility penalty: If you need to travel specific dates, Going becomes nearly useless. Deals come with airline-determined travel windows that rarely align with your exact needs. This is by far Going’s biggest limitation.
Geographic bias: Coverage heavily favours routes from major Western hubs. If you’re based in Africa, South America, or smaller Asian cities, deal frequency drops significantly. The service is built around American and European travel patterns.
Alert timing inconsistency: Some deals arrive minutes after they’re discovered, others take hours to reach subscribers. The human verification process introduces delays that can cost you fast-expiring opportunities.
No trip planning integration: Going finds flights but doesn’t help with hotels, activities, or itinerary building. You’ll need separate tools for actual trip planning once you’ve booked the flight.
Integration with Other Travel Planning Tools
Going works best as part of a broader travel planning toolkit rather than a standalone solution. Here’s how I integrate it with other services:
Flight booking flow: Going alerts → Google Flights verification → airline direct booking. I always cross-check Going deals on Google Flights to confirm pricing and explore alternative dates or routing options before committing.
Trip planning sequence: Going finds the flight deal → Layla or ChatGPT for itinerary planning → Booking.com or Airbnb for accommodation → local research for activities and restaurants.
Price tracking backup: For expensive deals I’m considering, I’ll set up parallel price tracking in Hopper or Google Flights to see if the “deal” is actually significantly better than normal fares. Going occasionally alerts on prices that aren’t dramatically better than regular sale fares.
Common Mistakes That Cost You Deals
- Waiting to “think about it” on mistake fares: These disappear within hours. If Going marks something as a mistake fare, book immediately or accept you’ll miss it.
- Only adding your primary airport: Airlines price differently from each airport in a metro area. Add all reasonable departure options to maximise deal opportunities.
- Expecting deals to your specific wish destinations: Going finds deals that exist, not deals you want to exist. Flexibility on destinations is essential for success.
- Ignoring business class upgrades: The Premium subscription often pays for itself with one business class deal. Don’t dismiss premium cabin alerts if you ever fly business.
- Not reading the fine print: Some deals have restrictive booking windows, blackout dates, or unusual routing. Read Going’s expert commentary before booking.
- Checking email once daily: Time-sensitive deals require frequent email checking, especially during weekday business hours when airlines are most active with fare adjustments.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do airlines actually honour mistake fares, or will they cancel my booking?
Most reputable airlines honour mistake fares, especially if you’ve already paid and received a confirmation. Budget carriers are more likely to cancel bookings and refund, but full-service airlines typically honour the fare to avoid customer relations problems. US Department of Transportation rules also provide some protection for US-originating flights.
How far in advance are Going deals typically valid for travel?
Most Going deals are for travel 1-10 months in the future, with sweet spots around 2-6 months out. Last-minute deals (within 30 days) are rare because airlines prefer to sell inventory at higher prices closer to departure. Planning 3-4 months ahead gives you the best selection of Going opportunities.
Can I use Going if I have specific travel dates that can’t change?
Going becomes much less useful with fixed dates. The deals come with airline-determined travel windows that rarely align with specific required dates. If you must travel specific dates, focus on Google Flights price tracking and Hopper predictions instead of Going alerts.
Why don’t I see deals from my regional airport?
Going’s coverage correlates with airline competition and route density. Smaller airports with limited airline presence see fewer deals because there’s less price competition. Consider adding nearby major airports to your profile, even if they require a connecting flight or drive to reach.
How quickly do I need to act on a Going alert?
For regular sales, you typically have 24-72 hours. For mistake fares (clearly marked in alerts), assume 2-12 hours maximum. Flash sales can expire within hours. The Going expert commentary usually indicates urgency level — pay attention to phrases like “book immediately” or “historically expires fast.”
Is the Premium subscription worth it for occasional travellers?
If you take one international trip per year and have some date flexibility, Premium often pays for itself. The business class deals alone can save thousands on expensive routes. Try the free tier first to understand deal frequency for your region, then upgrade when you’re planning a big trip.
Key Takeaways
- Going excels at passive deal discovery — it finds opportunities you’d never search for manually, but requires flexibility on destinations and dates to maximize value.
- The three-layer system works — AI monitoring plus human verification creates high signal-to-noise ratio compared to fully automated competitors.
- Mistake fares require immediate action — book within hours of alert or accept you’ll miss the deal. Don’t overthink these rare opportunities.
- Premium tiers unlock the best value — business class deals and mistake fare alerts often justify the subscription cost with a single booking.
- Major hubs see more deals — add all nearby airports to your profile and consider positioning flights from major cities if you live in a smaller market.
- Integration amplifies effectiveness — combine Going with Google Flights, Hopper, and trip planning tools rather than using it standalone.
- Success requires systems thinking — fast email checking, payment method optimization, and destination flexibility determine whether you’ll actually book the deals you discover.
Going represents the evolution of flight deal hunting from manual search drudgery to intelligent, curated alerts. For flexible travellers who prioritise price over specific itineraries, it’s one of the highest-ROI travel subscriptions available. Start with the free tier to understand the service, then upgrade strategically when you’re planning expensive international trips where the savings potential justifies the cost.