Airfare

Can anyone help out on some information about Airfare? I have tried the usually sites...Travelocity, Expedia, Cheap Tickets. ARe there any other sites or places that offer cheaper airfare?

I even tried Delta because they were supposedly giving reduce discounts but believe it or not they were the most expensive.

Any input would be appreciated...thanks.

[GoReds]

Yeah, I was in the same boat. Looked almost daily at several different sites trying to find a better price.

What I found is that usually, the airline webpage is the best bet for the best price. Priceline can be cheaper if time of departure and return are not an issue. One thing to watch when using the priceline bid process - the price that you are bidding with DOES NOT include taxes and fees, and that can be substantial.

[westofyou]

www.orbitz.com has the best rates that aren't "Pricelineish"

ITN has an engine here http://www134.americanexpress.com/tr...ype=travelhome

Where are you going, the trick is to find either the Hub discount or the little guy taking on the Hub monster.

[RBA]

What airport are you traveling from and where do you want to go?

Sometimes airlines own websites IE America West, Southwest will give you the best deals over the big travel search engines.

[Unassisted]

1. Start here... http://quickfares.bestfares.com/ That'll tell you the lowest price available from point A to point B. It'll also tell you which discounters are operating on that route and whether you can get a better deal by using nearby airports. If Bestfares identified a discount airline like Southwest or JetBlue as operating on that route with the lowest fare, skip directly to step 3.

2. Then go to a major site like Travelocity, Expedia, or the sites woy recommended and see which airline has the best price on that route. What you're hoping for is to get something close to what you found in step 1.

3. Once you identify the airline with the best combination of fare and schedule, go to that airline's site to purchase the tickets, because the fees are always lower at the airline's own site.

The nearest airport in my proximity is Yeager in Charleston, WV (their rates aren't good unless you can get a flight through Independence Air).

I am flying cross country to LAX...leaving March 25 and returning March 28.

The lowest rates I have found so far is $354.00 per person which I believe is decently reasonable but I would like to see if I could find a flight just a tad cheaper.

[westofyou]

That's a good rate for a weekend this short out.

Originally Posted by westofyou

That's a good rate for a weekend this short out.

I think so, that rate probably will be the best I find. Probably book it today or tomorrow...Thanks WOY.

Wow I finally agreed with you on something! Seriously, thanks.

[westofyou]

The cost of fuel is high right now, so that probably accounts for a fare that is 15% more than what I would think is usually doable.

[TeamBoone]

I just received this information in an email from my timeshare... thought you might want to give it a whirl. If you do, please give us a report back as to whether or not it met your expectations. Thanks.

"As the airlines compete even more for your travel dollar,
another site has appeared to help you find the very best
deal. Kayak.com is brought to you by the co-founders of
Expedia, Travelocity, and Orbitz -- all well-known sites
themselves. The site helps you to compare fares for more
than 550 airlines by checking almost 100 online travel
websites. The site also offers a feature which allows you to
choose where to purchase your air tickets.

The site is currently in a 'beta release' phase; new
features are added on a regular basis."

They also offered this tip when searching any website:

"When searching for the cheapest airfare, most travelers
automatically check the round-trip cost on a single airline.
But bargains can be found by looking at the trip in segments
and being open to traveling with different airlines on each
segment. For example, instead of booking a round-trip flight
on a single carrier between Philadelphia and San Diego, book
two one-way tickets -- and consider different carriers for
each ticket. While this tactic won't always yield a savings,
it's one more tool you can use to secure the lowest possible
airfare."

[RBA]

Originally Posted by bomarl1969

The nearest airport in my proximity is Yeager in Charleston, WV (their rates aren't good unless you can get a flight through Independence Air).

I am flying cross country to LAX...leaving March 25 and returning March 28.

The lowest rates I have found so far is $354.00 per person which I believe is decently reasonable but I would like to see if I could find a flight just a tad cheaper.

I just heard of Independence Air. I think they are adding more west coast cities in the near future. Not soon enought to help you now.

[westofyou]

Originally Posted by TeamBoone

I just received this information in an email from my timeshare... thought you might want to give it a whirl. If you do, please give us a report back as to whether or not it met your expectations. Thanks.

"As the airlines compete even more for your travel dollar,
another site has appeared to help you find the very best
deal. Kayak.com is brought to you by the co-founders of
Expedia, Travelocity, and Orbitz -- all well-known sites
themselves. The site helps you to compare fares for more
than 550 airlines by checking almost 100 online travel
websites. The site also offers a feature which allows you to
choose where to purchase your air tickets.

The site is currently in a 'beta release' phase; new
features are added on a regular basis."

They also offered this tip when searching any website:

Pretty good management team there, thanks for the heads up.

[REDREAD]

I think Priceline also sticks you with a $50 fee, which in my limited experience, seemed to wipe out any "savings" you'd get by using them.

[Redsland]

Originally Posted by TeamBoone

But bargains can be found by looking at the trip in segments and being open to traveling with different airlines on each
segment. For example, instead of booking a round-trip flight
on a single carrier between Philadelphia and San Diego, book
two one-way tickets -- and consider different carriers for
each ticket.

Be real careful with this strategy. It's a great way to get bumped from an overbooked flight.

If you're flying one segment each way, you'll be fine. But if you manually switch from one airline to another at some hub or layover, you'll be in jeopardy.

Under the usual system, when you check in for your first leg of the day, you're automatically checked in for all subsequent legs for that day. But if you manually pick and choose different airlines in and out of a hub, you won't be. This means that you can get to the gate of flight #2 and discover that you've been bumped because people currently in the air "checked in" before you did.

I nearly got to spend a night in Salt Lake City this way, and I don't know about you, but I've never heard much about the night life in Salt Lake City.

Originally Posted by BigRedHotPotato

I just heard of Independence Air. I think they are adding more west coast cities in the near future. Not soon enought to help you now.

They are. I read about where you can start flying to Vegas in March and LA probably around May or June. But you are right, not soon enough to help me out!