Getting Flights

One strategy friends have used is to buy three super-saver seats. You get extra room plus extra baggage allowance.

You don’t have to fly business class to fly comfortably. Book three seats for two people and have as much space as sitting business class but at one-third of the price. Two business class seats from San Francisco to London on BA cost $6,800 + taxes, but you can buy three coach seats with more room for only $825 + taxes. Sure you won’t get the fancy meals, but you’ll be comfortable and save close to $6,000! Also consider buying exit row seats on Qantas, United, Virgin, and Southwest. You get a ton of exra legroom.

Buy a package deal and save thousands. Even if you don’t need/ can’t use the entire package, sometimes booking hotel/cruise/car and airfare can be CHEAPER than booking just the airfare. Keep an eye out for tour operators advertising these ridiculously low fares and package deals, especially if you’re traveling with little advance notice. You’re most likely to see advertisements for these deals in the Sunday Travel Section.

Consider buying roundtrip when you fly one way. Airlines charge exorbitant prices for one-way tickets, and it is often the case that you can get cheaper roundtrip Saturday-stay tickets. Why is this? Because chances are, you’re flying one-way for something that demands that you fly no matter the cost (school, new job, etc.), whereas roundtrip flights must be priced to entice lower priority travel. Book a roundtrip ticket. The airlines don’t like it, but chances are you won’t be pushed on your "no return". Supreme Court Judge Scalia did this when he got a complimentary ride on Cheney’s private jet to kick off a duck-hunting trip but then booked roundtrip airfare (price $218) for his return one-way flight (which was pricing at $698). There was a lot buzz in the travel industry about his choice. One thing is certain: he saved money and he wasn't charged the difference.

Rule 240. Understanding your rights under Rule 240 is essential. Read this article from Aviation.com, which explains the ins and outs of Rule 240: “if an airline [can't] get you to your destination on time, it [is] required to put you on a competitor’s flight if it would get you there faster than your original airline’s next flight.” Some airlines, including Delta, “no longer make any mention of transporting passengers on other airlines in the event of a flight disruption,”. So in a difficult situation with a canceled flight, its always in your best interest to firmly voice your rights.

Why not let people know about my favorite way to get the lowest fare? Go to airfarewatchdog.com and sign up for 1, 2, or 25 airfare city to city alerts of your choice and be emailed when a low fare to/from the city pair is found. Also, get low fare notices daily from your hometown. Airfarewatchdog does list Southwest and lots of small regional carriers like Alliegant and Sun Country, also. I've saved a lot using them during the past 2 years--and I like the extra money-saving tips & charts in the blog.
http://www.airfarewatchdog.com/NEWSADVICE/Newsletter/tabid/152/Default.aspx

Frommer's says:

Look for Y-UP and Q-UP fares. These economy class fares can be upgraded for free to business or first class, but they're not fully refundable and come with other restrictions. Buy them online (e.g., search for "all types" of business class fares on Travelocity), by phone from your airline, or through travel agents. Read more.

Buy international business and first class from consolidators. Ticket sellers such as 1stair.net and planetamex.com sell premium cabin fares at considerable discounts.

Look for last minute upgrades at the airport. Next time you check in for a flight, you may be surprised to see an offer to upgrade to business or first class for surprisingly little. As companies restrict employees from flying up front, airlines are desperate to earn extra revenue for seats that would otherwise go empty. We've heard of people snagging first class for as little as $100 extra. Watch out though, we've heard stories of airlines refusing to assign seats and then trying to up-sell passengers to their premium seating. If regular economy is sold out and you have a ticket, the airline needs to either put you in premium seating for free, or pay you "denied boarding" compensation in cash.

Use miles to upgrade. This is one of the highest-value ways you can spend your miles. Upgrading a $400 fare on United from New York to LA to a $2000 business class fare for 30,000 miles is a better deal than spending those miles on a $400 fare. Unfortunately, many airlines now charge miles plus cash to upgrade or will soon (United will begin charging between $50 and $500 plus miles to upgrade starting next January; see Airfarewatchdog.com's chart for a complete list of fees.)

Brokers

Airline Consolidator specializing in discount fares to Britain: UKAir.com

Sta Travel student consolidator

Travelsupermarket -- compare pricing (Fantastic hotel engine!)

Business class consolidator to London

Cheap flights online

Posted: October 04, 2009

ExpertFlyer (membership starts at $4.99/month) works with several major airlines (regrettably, of the larger US carriers, only American and Delta, and no longer with United), which make their real-time upgrade inventory available to subscribers. The service allows you to figure out the lowest priced fare class eligible for upgrade, and shows which flights have upgradeable seats at that fare.

The cheapest economy fare on my dates of travel was an economy fare of about $230, but only a fare starting at $450 was upgradeable. Still, I preferred “spending” 30,000 miles for $1600 of value rather than 25,000 miles for $230 of value (the price of the cheapest economy fare).

But it’s not always that easy to snag an upgradeable seat at a reasonable fare. Over the last year or two, the major US-based airlines have been tinkering with their upgrade policies, changing mileage requirements, the eligible fare classes, and adding fees. Worse, they’ve been eliminating flights, reducing seat availability. Here’s an update of what to expect.

Delta Delta used to allow upgrades only on more expensive economy class fares, but they recently added less-expensive H, Q and K fare classes. However, other airlines generally offer more fare class choices, a situation mitigated only slightly by Delta’s 25,000 mile upgrades on non-Hawaiian domestic routes (compared to the 30,000 required by other airlines). The good thing about upgrading with miles on Delta is that there are no co-pays. But for international travel, only the more expensive, slightly discounted, B and M fares are available for upgrades.

Maybe you should just buy an upgrade? So which airline should you earn miles on if you’re hoping to upgrade? Let’s not bring your frequent flyer status into the discussion, because that would complicate things beyond the scope of this article. The truth is, it’s a complicated question, because all the miles and co-pay cash in the world amount to nothing if there are no seats available for upgrades when and where you want to fly, or if the only fares eligible are so expensive that when you add a co-pay, you might as well just buy a discounted business class ticket. Which airlines have the most seats available for upgrades at the lowest possible fares? No one really knows (if the aforementioned ExpertFlyer.com worked with all airlines, we might have a fighting chance at stabbing a guess). But that’s the crux of the matter: what difference does it make how many miles you need, or what fare classes are eligible, or what the co-pays are, if the airlines, which are cutting flights and capacity in their premium cabins, really just want to sell you a business or first class seat and aren’t making enough available for upgrades? Basically, the only way to make sure you sit up front is to buy your way in.

Buy international business and first class from consolidators. Ticket sellers such as 1stair.net and planetamex.com sell premium cabin fares at considerable discounts.

Except for Delta, the big US carriers already charge hefty co-payments to upgrade from economy to business class (in addition to miles).

There are some airlines that allow you to book one way with exactly one half of a rountrip mileage ticket. They are:
American
US Air
Air France
Virgin Atlantic
There may be more out there and I am sure that the others will join this list as this becomes a popular option!

There are a few air consolidators that specialize in one-way flights to Europe. We have used www.bt-store.com three times now for these, and have been very happy with the fares and flights. (You choose your flights; it's not like priceline). Won't be able to book flights for this cruise until this fall, but we're hoping for a decent fare. If not, we may do what some others have suggested, and book an eastbound T/A to use the other half of a R/T ticket.

A really good tool that lets you check if economy class seats are available for upgrade in real time is Expertflyer.com. The site only works with select airlines, including Aer Lingus, Air Canada, Air France, Alaska, American, Delta, Frontier, Qantas, and Swiss (they used to cover United as well, but no longer). Monthly and annual membership is available starting at $4.99 per month. Armed with information about which flights have seats available for upgrade you can then book eligible economy fares and then cash in your miles. They’ll also send you alerts to let you know when a seat becomes available for upgrade on flights you specify. We wish more airlines would cooperate with ExpertFlyer.

The best way to find the holiday prices is to go to Continental.com and make sure you tick the "find lower fare +/- 3 days" box and the "search by price" radio button on the home-page search box.

Dollars saved = discomfort + restrictions + inflexibility. Rather than grab the cheapest ticket to Europe, go with the best combination of reliability, economy, and flexibility for your travel needs. Buy your ticket when you're ready to firmly commit to flight dates and ports. As you delay, dates sell out and prices generally go up. Special fares are limited to a few seats to jump-start departures.

Buy your tickets at the right time. Book your spring and summer travel in January, February, and March. In general, the sooner the better — but not all of the best fares are available in January, so watch the airfares and ask your travel agent to advise you when to buy your ticket (or, if booking on your own, check websites such as www.farecompare.com and use the "Farecast Technology" at www.bing.com/travel). Fall travel should probably be booked by May or June, because the trend for airfare prices and availability is known by then. If you're traveling in September — a very popular time to fly to Europe (particularly the first half of the month) — start looking even earlier.

Be aware of surcharges and taxes. Since fuel prices have skyrocketed in recent years, most airlines now levy a hefty "fuel surcharge" of $150–250 round-trip. Combined with airport taxes (which vary by city, but can also exceed $250), this can add a substantial sum to your total ticket price. For example, a "cheap" $300 round-trip off-season flight to London can more than double in price when all the fees are included...not quite such a bargain after all. Most travel agents include all fees in airfare quotes, and many websites do not — but it's always smart to figure out the complete price before you decide.

Look into consolidator fares, which can be less than fares offered by the airline. Sometimes fare wars can make an airline's prices unbeatable, but consolidator tickets are generally cheaper. Consolidators (or wholesalers) negotiate with airlines to get deeply discounted fares on a number of tickets; they offer these tickets to a travel agent, who marks them up and still sells you a cheaper flight to Europe than the airline itself can. An airline's ticket prices in a drawn-out fare war, however, can drop to bargain-basement levels. A good travel agent will offer both consolidator and regular airline fares. If not, specifically ask the agent to check consolidator rates.

With consolidator tickets, you usually have three days to pay after booking. If, after you buy an airline ticket, the airline's price drops yet again, it is possible (although complicated) to exchange your ticket and save some money — but this only makes sense if the discount is greater than the change fee (generally $200–250). Consolidator tickets, however, won't get any cheaper; the price, once established, stays the same. Ask about cancellation policies: What is the fee? Will you receive a refund or credit? Consolidator tickets are usually refundable prior to departure, minus a fee of $350–450.

Consolidator tickets often waive the normal advance-purchase and minimum- and maximum-stay requirements that come with other budget tickets. But consolidator tickets are cheap because they come with disadvantages: They are "nonendorsable," meaning that no other airline is required to honor that ticket if your airline is unable to get you home (though in practice this is rarely a problem). Sometimes you may not get frequent-flyer miles (particularly with British Airways and American Airlines). And, if the airline drops its prices (which often happens), you are stuck with what was, but no longer is, a cheap fare.

Bidding for flights

We stayed in London for one week last May, after our TA cruise. We bid for a 4 star hotel in the Kensington-Knightsbridge-Chelsea district. After three bids, we got the NH Kensington for $58, plus tax. Hotel and room was clean and modern. Location is great, near Earls Court tube and great base for sightseeing.

We got our pre-cruise hotel through Priceline and ended up with a 4 star in the Marble Arch area for $85 per night. It's close to the British Museum which we wanted. The neighborhood descriptions give you some pretty good information about what attractions you would be near.

Bidding links

And you can use a consolidator or a travel agent that uses consolidators and usually save that 10%. Many consolidator airline tickets now accrue miles, allow changes like "normal" tickets and don't have the draconian rules that some consolidator tickets are associated with. The key is doing your homework before purchasing.

I have read in my travel magazines (I subscribe to 3!) that buying from the airlines website directly can be cheaper.

I have the best luck with Travelocity on a regular basis - a tip - if you put in flexible dates you get a better rate, and then you go in and choose your dates. I've saved hundreds by doing it this way rather than plugging in specific rates.

I know from my experiences, buying directly from a carrier is cheaper than the big travelocity type websites--on the actual carrier you'll find more up to date prices without booking fees.

I always use orbitz to find the cheap flights and then go to the airline direct.

I also use www.kayak.com too but I did find that even though it gives a comprehensive search, it didn't offer the lowest fares. The lowest farefinder I have found to date is on tripadviser.com. It had the same fares as kayak however it found lower ones also because for a roundtrip ticket, it searched fares between multiple carriers. For instance, I found a trip to LA originating with one carrier and coming back to Nashville on a different carrier. I do agree with the poster that said check the airline websites too. Sometimes they run promotions. I highly recommend both kayak and tripadvisor sites though.

Article: Hotwire Versus Priceline: Which is Better?

Which is better, Hotwire or Priceline? They're both excellent, but not identical. I prefer one over the other depending on my needs at the time.

Which is better for airfares, Hotwire or Priceline? I really like that you can pick the time of day on Hotwire for a discount, instead of the Priceline system where you must to be willing to depart anytime between 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. for travel in the U.S. when using its "Name Your Own Price" program.
Of course, for the biggest discounts, you have to be willing to depart anytime of day on Hotwire, just like Priceline. In addition, Priceline has discount flights to more places. As with hotels, you can always find out Hotwire's price, and then bid a bit lower on Priceline. You may be able to get a cheaper ticket.

Priceline Help

One of the things I do like about Priceline's name your own price air fare model is that the taxes/fees are displayed before you purchase. This helps you to determine if Priceline is going to assign you a nonstop or connecting itinerary. In a few cases, I've been on a route that only had one nonstop flight a day to my destination, so I knew before I purchased the exact flights I was going to receive (and did).

The total taxes for a domestic nonstop round trip itinerary total $21.20 if the two airports you're using impose $4.50 in PFC (Passenger Facility Charges). The tax total is less than $21.20 if you're flying to any airport that charges a $3.00 PFC (CLT, IAH) or none at all (MEM, for example). So if Priceline is telling you before you purchase that your taxes/fees will be $33.25, that's your "tip off" you'll be assigned connecting flights.

Booking Cheap Flights & Hotels on the Most Reliable Websites

Author: Jay Stephens

It is very easy to book cheap flights and hotels today. There are several packages not only from the airline companies but also from several travel agencies. With Hotwire I make leisure flying trips all the time. From the comfort of my home, I book the cheap flights and hotels, and even make last-minute changes to my trip itinerary.

But, It's easy to get the cheapest airfare. First of all you should be flexible with your travel dates because you will have a better chance of finding a good deal this way. In most cases, if you want to travel on a specific date, chances are you will pay more. If you can manage to leave a day earlier or later, you can often get a cheaper fare with Hotwire. For extra savings I book last minute this allows the price to be very flexible. With Hotwire You can actually use a trip watcher when the prices drop you are updated along with alternative-date savings and bonus days for an even better trip. You could even sign up with Trip starter this allows you to enter your favourite destination and allow you to track the best time of year to visit.

With Hotwire, If you book more than two weeks ahead, you can get the cheapest airfare. However, if it's an International flight, you should book at least 30 days in advance. Earlier, if you stayed over a Saturday night, you got a cheaper offer. But that is not necessary any more. A flight for Sunday or for any other day is not always cheaper now.

Of course if you fly in the middle of the week, it is a cheaper fare. Weekend flights are always more expensive, because most people can fly at that time. Sometimes a flight into a neighboring airport gets you a cheaper airfare. It is quite easy to get trains from these airports into your town. The websites of Travelocity and Orbitz can make an automatic search for neighboring airports for you.

If you are flying one-way, just check the round-trip price. Sometimes one-ways cost more than the round trip. You can really get cheaper airfares for international flights and save a lot. Try and avoid flying on holiday dates. That is when most of the people are flying, and those dates turn out to have the most expensive fares.

Using the multi-city search provided by Hotwire, you can book multi-city trips. Another tip, if you want to go to Europe from the U.S., fly to London first and then to the Continent, it works out cheaper. In any case use the airfare search sites which are tailored to your situation. Check out more than one site, because one site does not always give the best fare.

There is of course no particular way to find the cheapest flights, but you must always compare prices amongst different travel websites, which is not such a great effort. Once you know when you want to travel, just look around for the tickets and the earlier, the better. It naturally depends on your leave and the festivities that you have to attend and cannot miss.

But, if you have been shopping around and looking for the best deal I recommened Hotwire for your travel packages.

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