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Thread: How to score cheaper plane tickets?

  1. #1
    madmaxine
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    Default How to score cheaper plane tickets?

    I keep getting junk e-mails from expedia dot com for discount flights. But they seem like "bait and switch" deals.....
    I have to travel a lot this year so I was wondering if anyone knew ways to reduce flight costs. Is it true if you show up at the last minute, you can get a discount seat from someone's last minute cancellation? Can Independent Contractors get Business Memberships with airlines? Thanks in advance.

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    Default Re: How to score cheaper plane tickets?

    I have found that 'discount' package deals to popular tourist cities are the absolute cheapest option. However, these are usually only available to a few cities i.e. Vegas, Miami, New York etc. However, even if you don't actually want to fly to those tourist cities as your final destination it's usually a cheaper overall deal to use a 'discount' package to get to a tourist city which is close to where you actually want to go, and then buy a regional airline ticket for the final leg of the trip - as opposed to buying a ticket directly to your destination (or with a stop at an airline hub city which isn't part of a 'discount' package deal).

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    Default Re: How to score cheaper plane tickets?

    Great idea Melonie!

    I have used www.Hotwire.com to find fast, cheap tickets to San Diego. Its usually about 150 sometimes and I got them for 85 bucks !! I had to stop at LAX though on the way there not too bad at all.
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  4. #4
    tampafldancer
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    Default Re: How to score cheaper plane tickets?

    menshealth says that if you wait until midnight-2am on tuesday, there are the best deals then.... My SO quoted to me at the time.

    Id use southwest first, and then try orbitz.com for the best deals!

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    Default Re: How to score cheaper plane tickets?

    Have had some dancer friends using skyauction.com

    Not too sure of how that works, though, but they loved it.

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    Default Re: How to score cheaper plane tickets?

    When I was traveling alot I was buying 7 or 8 tickets a year I went southwest and booked 2-3 weeks in advance. If you stay over a sat urday you will usually get the best rate. I always checked online too but it wasnt any cheaper.

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    Default Re: How to score cheaper plane tickets?

    Great idea Melonie!

    I have used to find fast, cheap tickets to San Diego. Its usually about 150 sometimes and I got them for 85 bucks !! I had to stop at LAX though on the way there not too bad at all.
    Actually, I do this sort of thing when my final destination isn't where the cheap promotional ticket would take me. To use your example, I'd use the promotional ticket to get as far as LAX, blow off the San Diego flight, and buy a cheap regional airline ticket from LAX to John Wayne Airport instead !

    Of course, flight dumping and flight jumping will usually get me the dreaded four S's i.e. a guaranteed security check. However, I've found that the security guys always want to pull me aside to see what I might be smuggling inside my bra anyhow, even when I have purchased direct flight tickets !

    I also agree that Southwest is absolutely great in regard to low fares plus decent flights. AirTran isn't bad either if you don't check your bags but carry them instead.

    One other important point. For whatever reason, I usually find that the price for flights to two different airports within 100 miles of each other can vary immensely. It always pays to check fares to other airports near your destination, as it is often possible to buy a much cheaper ticket to the other airport and save quite a bit of money by driving an extra 50 miles to get where you actually need to go.

    And yet another important point. Sometimes it's possible to save huge amounts of money by flying indirect routes. For example, short notice round trip direct flights from NY via Chicago to El Paso TX cost nearly $1000. However, if you're willing to fly from NY via Atlanta to Houston, and then take another flight from Houston to El Paso, you can get there and back for about $400 total ! And the actual travel time in the air is only about 1 hour extra ! But the airline and travel agent schedules are not set up to lay this difference out for you - you have to research it yourself as if it were two separate trips.
    Last edited by Melonie; 02-12-2005 at 07:17 PM.

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    Default Re: How to score cheaper plane tickets?

    I've tried skyauction.com. It is what it sounds like. An auction for travel. The problem is that they can't always place you. It's kind of a scam, I think. I won a trip for two to Mexico on there and I was available to travel any of the days they were offering, and they said there was nothing available. My feeling is that if they don't get a good enough price, they won't book you. They don't guarantee they will. And good luck working with customer service (there is a sad excuse for one.)

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    Default Re: How to score cheaper plane tickets?

    Have you tried qixo.com?

    I really recommend JetBlue, though the places they fly to are limited if you're not in either New York or the West Coast.

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    Default Re: How to score cheaper plane tickets?

    What about those name your own price things? Has anyone tried that?



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    Default Re: How to score cheaper plane tickets?

    What about those name your own price things? Has anyone tried that?
    Yes, I tried priceline ... ONCE. By bidding on a ticket to a particular destination on a particular day you have no control over which airline will accept your bid, or which cities you'll be routed through in getting from your starting point to your destination, or what kind of layover times you'll have to deal with between connecting flights. The one and only time I did this I wound up having to spend the night sleeping on chairs at LAX !

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    Default Re: How to score cheaper plane tickets?

    Quote Originally Posted by Melonie
    Yes, I tried priceline ... ONCE. By bidding on a ticket to a particular destination on a particular day you have no control over which airline will accept your bid, or which cities you'll be routed through in getting from your starting point to your destination, or what kind of layover times you'll have to deal with between connecting flights. The one and only time I did this I wound up having to spend the night sleeping on chairs at LAX !
    I did the Priceline thing ONCE, too. Hated it. To fly from Chicago to San Diego, I had 4 lay-overs...one lay over was 2 hours long. So, a 5 hour trip took about 10-12 hours. Sure, I saved money...but fucking went out of my mind...and the worst part was every flight had no meals, but "travel snacks" and the time I needed to get food was not factored into the "running from one terminal to the other" cardio workout they schedule you on.

    I was not too sure what Skyauction was...but if it's what Emily says it is, I would probably avoid that one as well. I'll just pay a bit more and fly American in a straight flight.

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    Default Re: How to score cheaper plane tickets?

    I did the Priceline thing ONCE, too. Hated it. To fly from Chicago to San Diego, I had 4 lay-overs...one lay over was 2 hours long. So, a 5 hour trip took about 10-12 hours. Sure, I saved money...but fucking went out of my mind...I'll just pay a bit more and fly American in a straight flight.
    You might also try grabbing some super cheap promotional tickets from Chicago to Vegas, and then book a Southwest flight from Vegas to San Diego ! This will cost less than 1/2 the price of tickets on American, but you'll still be in control of picking your flights and layover times.

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    Default Re: How to score cheaper plane tickets?

    Quote Originally Posted by Melonie
    You might also try grabbing some super cheap promotional tickets from Chicago to Vegas, and then book a Southwest flight from Vegas to San Diego ! This will cost less than 1/2 the price of tickets on American, but you'll still be in control of picking your flights and layover times.
    Hmmmmm...or I could just stay in Vegas. Heh...

    Didn't think about that Mel! Thanks!

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    Default Re: How to score cheaper plane tickets?

    Priceline is good for hotels, just not flights.

    And I've heard you can do okay on skyauction, but just my experience and others of those I have read online were bad. They are unreliable and don't guarantee that you will actually get anything even if you are the high bidder.

    I've read some tips in a travel mag that seem to hold true....


    If you are partial to a particular airline or flight, but it's a lot higher than another similar one, often the higher priced flight will come down around Tuesday night. This is when airlines change fares to compete with each other.

    Also, if you are in a airport hub city, really consider starting a frequent flyer program and get their credit card if you use a CC. I'm in a US Air hub and I got a Bank of America card for US Air miles. You get 15,000 miles just for making the first purchase. You only need 20,000 miles for a round trip continental US ticket. They are always running promos for free miles too.

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    Default Re: How to score cheaper plane tickets?

    I AM partial to AA...so we have AA credit cards...we charge EVERYTHING...and I DO mean EVERYTHING to our cards and then just pay it off at the end of the month. If we're going to spend the money...might as well get mileage on it.

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    Default Re: How to score cheaper plane tickets?

    www.mobissimo.com has lists all of the different websites like orbitz, etc, to get you a good deal........

    I like Southwest, especially if you book > 2 weeks in advance!

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    Default Re: How to score cheaper plane tickets?

    Yeah, I like Southwest for 3 reasons: you can check 3 bags, they offer more flight options so you can often get a nonstop easier with them than other airlines, and they have excellent prices if you book 2 weeks out. For short notice trips they often have the best deal too.

    I like Continental and AmericaWest also. And Frontier often has some good deals as well.

    Also I notice that booking flights for days like Tuesday sometimes makes a difference.

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    Default Re: How to score cheaper plane tickets?

    hey-

    you might also consider using a travel agent- they've been dropping prices and the good ones aren't as tricky as the do-it-yourself websites can be.

    You can check out courier flights if you do a lot of last minute travel, and also there's something called invisible cities. If your flight goes from point A to point C, but there's a layover in point B this can sometimes be cheaper.

    For example (from an online article I read) one woman saved over half her ticket price when her travel agent kept telling her to go to Alberquerque (I can't spell that for the life of me) when she really wanted to go to Denver. Denver was the layover spot, and she just didn't catch the next leg.

    Watch out with this trick, however. Travel agents can get fined by airlines if their customers are caught doing this. Nothing will happen to you- but if you've got a conscience, research it a little bit to make sure your travel agent doesn't get screwed. However- it's a very good thing to keep in mind when there isn't a middle person.

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    Default Re: How to score cheaper plane tickets?

    For example (from an online article I read) one woman saved over half her ticket price when her travel agent kept telling her to go to Alberquerque (I can't spell that for the life of me) when she really wanted to go to Denver. Denver was the layover spot, and she just didn't catch the next leg.

    Watch out with this trick, however. Travel agents can get fined by airlines if their customers are caught doing this. Nothing will happen to you- but if you've got a conscience, research it a little bit to make sure your travel agent doesn't get screwed. However- it's a very good thing to keep in mind when there isn't a middle person.
    Yup, buying a heavily discounted 'promotional' ticket to a city you really don't want to go to, in order to get to a 'hub' city you DO want to go to at very low cost, and then blowing off the final leg of the trip (and possibly buying a very low cost ticket on a regional airline from that 'hub' city to the destination you really want to get to) is an EXTREMELY effective way to save tons of money. But you're right that the major airlines hate it when passengers do this, and will fine travel agents who propose doing so to ticket buyers. However the airline is powerless to do anything to the ticket buyers themselves.

    In my experience, if you buy your own tickets on the net rather than using a travel agent, the ONLY down side is that you'll probably wind up being flagged for the full airport security treatment. So if you're going to do this make sure to leave a couple of hours between flight connections at the 'hub' city.

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