I'm doing a two tiered trip - leaving Washington DC in May '09 and flying to Milan. Then returning from Zurich to Washington, DC. I'm trying to find flight deals.

My buddy in San Diego found flights for $600 to Zurich. I'm 5000 miles closer and can only find tickets from $800. I've tried all of the web sites (kayay, travelocity, orbitz...) and they are all in the same price range.

Does anyone have any other ideas of how to find cheap flights? Your help is appreciated... thanks!