Here are some things to consider in getting a great ticket price:

•    Time of Year: Airlines base their fares on supply & demand. Summer many people travel therefore fares are the highest, low season (Nov 1st to March 31st - great for Spring Breakers) rates are the lowest. If you're going stand-by you'll have more chance of getting on in Late September/ October (but not to Germany due to Oktoberfest), November, mid January thru Mid March.
•    Day of Week: Try to go Mon-Thurs, as weekends are more full and costlier
•    Consolidator fares: These are bulk tickets sold to travel agencies with discounted prices passed on to the consumer. Check out TravelHub
•    Low-cost airlines: Some airlines, like Icelandair, City bird, Virgin Atlantic, LTU, and Martin air almost always have the lowest fares, or at least as low as others' sale fares.
•    Courier flights: Courier flights are the least flexible. You are only allowed carry-ons and there is no guarantee your flight will be available. Sometimes its not much less than the best price you could come up with otherwise.
•    Airline sales: Occasionally airlines put their tickets on sale. Sometimes, these can be lower than consolidator fares. The best sites to stay on top of all of Airline Specials is Bestfares.com and TravelZoo.com. They are updated daily and you can subscribe to a newsletter that comes once a week!
•    Student Travel Agencies: Many travel agencies are dedicated to students and with the purchase of a student card you can be privy to some great airline prices.
•    Travel Agent: You should check with a travel agent just to see if they can beat a low-fare. Some charter and tour companies will deal only with agents and not the general public. Of course if you can't be bothered with all the above the travel agent is the only way! A good travel agent can offer you advice and might suggest destinations or alternatives you've not thought about.