General travel sites such as Orbitz, Travelocity or Expedia provide the widest range of airlines, destinations and airfare. Because these sites list all options between two points, you can easily sort by price to uncover the best prices.
FareCompare is an example of a comparison page that allows you to enter your travel information once, and it will automatically search seven travel websites. However, it opens up a page for each website, which can clutter up your screen.
Once you've discovered the airline with the lowest cost, go to that airline's website. Many boast that they have the lowest prices on their websites. In addition, you can sign up for the airline's frequent flier programs and email notifications for advance notice of discount tickets.