Results
User prompts
1
single instruction
CLI calls
55
matrix, search, inspect, takeout
Flights reviewed
240
across 24 searches
Routes tested
14
4 origin strategies, 6+ carriers
Date range
11 days
Mar 14 – 24
| Option | Price | Transit | Safety | Travel time |
|---|
| A — Cheapest | €530 | Abu Dhabi | orange | ~25h |
| B — Earlier | €582 | Dubai | orange | ~25h |
| C — Non-Gulf (Cathay) | €1,480 | HKG + LHR | green | ~28h + overnight |
| D — Non-Gulf (Korean) | €1,510 | Seoul ICN | green | ~22h + overnight |
The task
Find the cheapest one-way flight from Siargao (a small island in the Philippines) to Amsterdam, departing between March 14–24. Flexible on dates. Longer travel acceptable if significantly cheaper.
The complication
Siargao has no international airport. Every route requires at least one domestic connection. And the cheapest international flights from the Philippines all transit through Gulf hubs — Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha — currently flagged orange-zone due to airspace disruptions. The agent must find the best price while navigating real geopolitical constraints.
Phase 1 Setup & Discovery
The user provides a geopolitical safety briefing and the search request. The agent loads the CLI agent guide.
User context — safety briefing
RED — Do Not Transit (active conflict / closed airspace)
Iran (IKA/THR) · Iraq (BGW) · Syria (DAM)
Israel (TLV) · Yemen (SAH) · Palestine
Lebanon (BEY) · Russia (SVO/DME) · Belarus (MSQ)
Ukraine · Afghanistan (KBL) · Libya · Somalia
ORANGE — Avoid Transit (disrupted operations)
Dubai (DXB) Intermittent closures, 21k+ canceled
Abu Dhabi (AUH) Partially operational
Doha (DOH) Airspace closures, intermittent ops
Kuwait (KWI) Airspace suspended, drone activity
Bahrain (BAH) Airspace suspended
GREEN — Recommended Transit Hubs
Singapore (SIN) · Istanbul (IST)
Bangkok (BKK) · Seoul (ICN)
Tokyo (NRT) · Taipei (TPE)
Paris (CDG) · Manila direct (MNL)
Bash(flt prime 2>&1)
<flt-agent-guide>
<identity>flt — Flight Search CLI (Google Flights scraper).</identity>
<rate-limits> Auto-waits 3s between Google requests… </rate-limits>
<commands> search · matrix · inspect · itinerary · airports · takeout </commands>
<workflow> matrix for date ranges → search best dates → inspect → itinerary → takeout </workflow>
</flt-agent-guide>
Got it. Let me search for the cheapest way from Siargao (IAO) to Amsterdam (AMS) between March 14-24. I'll start with price matrices to find the best dates, then drill into the details.
The user provides a geopolitical safety briefing with transit risk levels: 13 red-zone countries (closed airspace), 5 orange-zone Gulf hubs (disrupted operations), and 8 green-zone safe transit hubs.
flt prime returns the CLI agent guide — rate-limit rules, command reference, caching behavior, and the recommended search workflow.
Both inputs shape every routing decision that follows.
Phase 2 Through-ticketed scan
Try the simplest approach first — can we buy a single ticket?
Bash(flt matrix IAO AMS 2026-03-14 2026-03-24 --currency EUR 2>&1)
date cheapest carrier stops duration
2026-03-14 - - -1 -
2026-03-15 - - -1 -
… +7 more empty dates
2026-03-23 €1,279 Emirates 1 23h 55m
2026-03-24 €1,279 Emirates 1 23h 55m
Most dates show no through-ticketed results. Mar 23-24 show €1,279 via Emirates (DXB transit - orange zone, risky). Let me check the legs separately for a self-connect strategy.
Scan all 11 dates for a direct-ticketed IAO→AMS. Almost nothing exists — only Mar 23-24 via Emirates through Dubai. DXB orange
Decision: split into domestic + long-haul legs
Phase 3 Domestic leg matrices
Price the Philippine domestic legs across all 11 dates. Two candidates: Manila (MNL) and Cebu (CEB).
Bash(flt matrix IAO MNL 2026-03-14 2026-03-24 --currency EUR 2>&1)
date cheapest carrier stops duration
2026-03-14 €129 Philippine Airlines 1 8h 15m
2026-03-15 €129 Philippine Airlines 1 6h 50m
… +9 lines
Good - IAO→MNL is €117-137 across all dates. Now let me check MNL→AMS.
Siargao→Manila across all dates. €117-137 range via Cebu Pacific with DVO connection. Cheapest on Mar 24.
Bash(flt matrix IAO CEB 2026-03-14 2026-03-24 --currency EUR 2>&1)
date cheapest carrier stops duration
2026-03-14 €133 Sunlight Air 0 1h
2026-03-15 €126 Cebgo, Cebu Pacific 1 10h 10m
… +9 lines
IAO→CEB is much cheaper (€63-133) and only 1 hour direct! Now let me check CEB→AMS.
Alternative: Siargao→Cebu. €63 direct, 1 hour on Sunlight Air. Much cheaper, opens CEB as a connecting point.
Phase 4 Long-haul leg matrices
Price the international leg from both MNL and CEB to Amsterdam.
Bash(flt matrix MNL AMS 2026-03-14 2026-03-24 --currency EUR 2>&1)
date cheapest carrier stops duration
2026-03-14 €530 Philippine Airlines, Qatar Airways 1 25h 5m
… +20 lines
The cheapest MNL→AMS options all route through Gulf hubs (orange zone). Let me check for safer routes - via IST, SIN, ICN, and also check CEB as alternative origin.
Manila→Amsterdam across all dates. Cheapest is €413 Etihad via Abu Dhabi. AUH orange
Bash(flt matrix CEB AMS 2026-03-14 2026-03-24 --currency EUR 2>&1)
date cheapest carrier stops duration
2026-03-14 €548 Qatar Airways 2 24h 55m
2026-03-15 €635 Philippine Airlines, Emirates 2 27h 20m
… +9 lines
CEB→AMS is pricier. Let me now search MNL→AMS on the cheapest dates to see all options including non-Gulf routes.
Cebu→Amsterdam — €548+, more expensive than MNL route.
Decision: use MNL as the hub
Phase 5 Carrier-specific searches
The cheapest options all transit through orange-zone Gulf hubs. Search by carrier to find alternatives.
Bash(flt search MNL AMS 2026-03-22 --currency EUR --limit 15 --sort price --fmt brief 2>&1)
O1 €413 Etihad 1 stop 19h 50m 2026-03-22 05:45→18:35
O2 €413 Etihad 1 stop 20h 5m 2026-03-22 18:45→07:50+1
O3 €413 Etihad 1 stop 33h 5m 2026-03-22 05:45→07:50+1
… +13 lines
All results go via Gulf. Let me search for KLM direct (MNL→AMS rerouted north per green list) and check safe-hub routes.
First broad search on the cheapest date. All top results are Gulf carriers — Etihad, Emirates, Qatar dominate the top 15.
Bash(flt search MNL AMS 2026-03-22 --currency EUR --limit 50 --sort price --carrier "KLM" --fmt brief 2>&1)
O1 €1,913 Cathay Pacific, KLM 1 stop 19h 55m 2026-03-22 17:45→06:40+1
O2 €2,457 Air France, KLM 1 stop 19h 30m 2026-03-22 —→10:30+1
O3 €2,457 Air France, KLM 1 stop 20h 5m 2026-03-22 —→11:05+1
KLM is way too expensive. Let me check Turkish Airlines and self-connect via safe hubs.
KLM: €1,913+. The MNL→AMS direct (rerouted north to avoid Gulf airspace) is prohibitively expensive. safe route
Bash(flt search MNL AMS 2026-03-22 --currency EUR --limit 10 --sort price --carrier "Turkish" --fmt brief 2>&1)
O1 €920 Gulf Air, Turkish Airlines 2 stops 25h 15m 2026-03-22 16:25→10:40+1
O2 €920 Gulf Air, Turkish Airlines 2 stops 27h 55m 2026-03-22 16:25→13:20+1
… +6 lines
Turkish: €920. Cheaper, but still transits via Gulf Air through Bahrain. BAH orange
Bash(flt search MNL AMS 2026-03-24 --currency EUR --limit 50 --sort price --fmt brief 2>&1 | grep -v "Etihad\|Emirates\|Qatar\|Gulf\|Oman")
O28 €1,324 Cathay Pacific, British Airways 2 stops 24h 2026-03-24 17:45→10:45+1
O29 €1,339 China Southern 1 stop 38h 15m 2026-03-24 —→19:15+1
… +19 lines
Filter out all Gulf carriers with grep. Non-Gulf starts at €1,324 — nearly 3x the Etihad price. all green hubs
Phase 6 Safe-hub exploration
Test self-connect strategies through green-listed hubs: Singapore, Seoul, Istanbul.
Bash(flt matrix MNL SIN 2026-03-14 2026-03-24 --currency EUR 2>&1)
date cheapest carrier stops duration
2026-03-14 €113 Vietjet 1 8h 20m
2026-03-15 €106 Scoot 0 3h 55m
… +9 lines
SIN→AMS cheapest also routes via Gulf. Let me check for Singapore Airlines direct SIN→AMS, and also ICN→AMS.
Bash(flt search SIN AMS 2026-03-22 --currency EUR --limit 10 --sort price --max-stops 0 --fmt brief 2>&1)
O1 €2,135 KLM direct 13h 50m 2026-03-22 01:40→08:30
MNL→Singapore cheap (€106 Scoot direct). But SIN→AMS direct is €2,135. Cheap SIN→AMS options all route via Gulf anyway. Dead end. SIN green
Bash(flt matrix MNL ICN 2026-03-14 2026-03-24 --currency EUR 2>&1)
date cheapest carrier stops duration
2026-03-14 €171 Cathay Pacific 1 7h 10m
2026-03-15 €171 Cathay Pacific 1 27h 45m
… +9 lines
Bash(flt search ICN AMS 2026-03-22 --currency EUR --limit 10 --sort price --max-stops 0 --fmt brief 2>&1)
O1 €1,023 Korean Air direct 14h 20m 2026-03-22 12:10→18:30
O2 €1,052 KLM direct 14h 15m 2026-03-22 23:05→05:20+1
MNL→Seoul €171 + ICN→AMS direct €1,023 = €1,194 self-connect. Cheaper than single-ticket non-Gulf. ICN green
Bash(flt matrix MNL IST 2026-03-22 2026-03-24 --currency EUR 2>&1)
date cheapest carrier stops duration
2026-03-22 €473 Emirates 1 19h
2026-03-23 €473 Emirates 1 19h
2026-03-24 €473 Emirates 1 19h
Let me check the IST (Istanbul, green hub) self-connect option and also Turkish Airlines from MNL directly.
MNL→Istanbul €473, but all routes still transit DXB. Istanbul is green but unreachable from Manila without Gulf. via DXB
Phase 7 Connection timing
With self-connect tickets, layover timing is critical.
Bash(flt search IAO MNL 2026-03-24 --currency EUR --limit 10 --sort dep --fmt brief 2>&1)
O1 €117 Cebgo, Cebu Pacific 1 stop 7h 35m 2026-03-24 06:30→14:05
O2 €145 Cebgo, Cebu Pacific 1 stop 4h 35m 2026-03-24 09:35→14:10
O3 €161 Cebgo, Cebu Pacific 1 stop 6h 15m 2026-03-24 09:35→15:50
… +9 lines
Good timing. IAO→MNL arrives 14:05, Etihad departs 18:45 = 4h40m connection. Let me also check Mar 22 options and earlier dates with cheaper domestic legs.
Domestic arrives 14:05. Etihad departs 18:45. That's a 4h 40m self-connect — comfortable for separate tickets at MNL.
Bash(flt search IAO MNL 2026-03-23 --currency EUR --limit 3 --sort price --max-stops 1 --max-dur 480 --fmt brief 2>&1)
O1 €132 Cebgo, Cebu Pacific 1 stop 7h 35m 2026-03-23 13:05→20:40
O2 €134 Cebgo, Cebu Pacific 1 stop 7h 5m 2026-03-23 16:20→23:25
O3 €137 Philippine Airlines 1 stop 6h 35m 2026-03-23 14:30→21:05
Day-before option for overnight in Manila. Arrives evening, sleep, catch morning long-haul — needed for Cathay/Korean routes.
Phase 8 Creative routing
Test a two-hop domestic: IAO→CEB→MNL. Does the split save money?
Bash(flt search IAO CEB 2026-03-24 --currency EUR --limit 5 --sort dep --fmt brief 2>&1)
O1 €100 Cebgo, Cebu Pacific 1 stop 7h 45m 2026-03-24 06:30→14:15
O2 €150 Cebgo, Cebu Pacific 1 stop 11h 50m 2026-03-24 07:55→19:45
O3 €69 Sunlight Air direct 1h 2026-03-24 08:50→09:50
… +4 lines
Bash(flt search CEB MNL 2026-03-24 --currency EUR --limit 10 --sort dep --dep-after 05:00 --dep-before 14:00 --fmt brief 2>&1)
O1 €32 Philippine Airlines direct 1h 25m 2026-03-24 05:30→06:55
O2 €49 Cebu Pacific direct 1h 40m 2026-03-24 06:40→08:20
O3 €86 Cebu Pacific 1 stop 7h 20m 2026-03-24 06:45→14:05
… +9 lines
€69 + €32 = €101 via Cebu split vs €117 direct. Saves only €16 but adds a third self-connect and timing risk.
Decision: stick with direct IAO→MNL at €117
Phase 9 Flight detail inspection
Drill into top candidates — aircraft type, layover, leg breakdown.
Bash(flt search MNL AMS 2026-03-24 --currency EUR --limit 2 --sort price --fmt jsonl 2>&1)
Bash(flt inspect O1 --fmt table 2>&1)
ID O1
Price €413
Airline Etihad
Stops 1
Duration 20h 5m
Leg 1 MNL→AUH 18:45–00:35+1 9h 50m Boeing 787-10
AUH layover 3h 15m
Leg 2 AUH→AMS 03:50–07:50 7h 0m Airbus A321neo
Inspect the cheapest MNL→AMS offer. Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner for the long leg, 3h 15m layover in Abu Dhabi.
Bash(flt search MNL AMS 2026-03-24 --currency EUR --limit 1 --sort price --carrier "Cathay" --fmt jsonl 2>&1)
Bash(flt inspect O1 --fmt table 2>&1)
ID O1
Price €1,324
Airline Cathay Pacific, British Airways
Stops 2
Duration 24h
Leg 1 MNL→HKG 17:45–20:05 2h 20m
Leg 2 HKG→LHR 23:45–05:25+1 13h 40m
Leg 3 LHR→AMS 08:00–10:45 1h 45m
Cheapest non-Gulf option. MNL→HKG→LHR→AMS on Cathay + BA. All green hubs. HKG LHR
Bash(flt search MNL AMS 2026-03-24 --currency EUR --limit 1 --sort price --carrier "Korean" --fmt jsonl 2>&1)
Bash(flt inspect O1 --fmt table 2>&1)
ID O1
Price €1,352
Airline Korean Air
Stops 1
Duration 22h 20m
Leg 1 MNL→ICN 03:10–08:30 4h 20m
Leg 2 ICN→AMS 12:10–18:30 14h 20m Boeing 787-10
Korean Air via Seoul. Single carrier, single stop, 787-10 for the long leg. Fastest non-Gulf option. ICN green
Phase 10 Export
Save all search results to markdown for review.
I now have a comprehensive picture. Let me run the takeout with the best options.
Bash(flt takeout --title "Siargao → Amsterdam, March 14-24, 2026" -o flights-siargao-ams.md 2>&1)
{"ok":true,
"path":"flights-siargao-ams.md",
"searches":24,
"itineraries":0}
Export all 24 cached searches to a markdown file. Every matrix scan, carrier search, and inspect result preserved.