[GhostBlade]

I can get round-trip tickets for $870 directly from Northwest Airlines departing from my local airport which usually has much higher prices than what I just listed. This ticket may not seem like a steal since I can get it cheaper if I commute for 2 hours to San Francisco but I will have to pay my friend for the gas which will probably add up to close to $100 if he were to drop me off at the airport and then pick me up once I return from Japan so the good ticket price would be overshadowed by the gas money which wouldn't make it such a deal. Plus by the time I depart gas prices will probably be a bit more than they are now.

The problem is I'm not an expert on buying airline tickets so it is a bit intimidating since it's my first time and I'm having second thoughts whether this is a good deal. The fact that the airline is offering this price makes me believe that maybe I can find a better price from other places closer to the departure in late-May? So is this ticket price worth it considering I can depart from my local airport without hassle and save about $100 from having to pay gas money than if I were to depart from another airport which is a bit more than 100 miles away each way?

I contacted IACE and JTBUSA and their fares around my departure date range from $815-$840 from San Francisco so this price of $870 departing from my local airport which isn't far from me seems like a good deal. Can anyone offer any insight?