My husband has been out of town for work and isn't looking to get a weekend off until September. I was planning a flight to go see him in the next couple weeks - but I've never flown. Is there a certain time to schedule to get it cheaper? A better website to get tickets to be more affordable? I was going to go in two weeks - but $600 is a bit much when I can only get Friday - Sunday. I have to leave the same airport here - but I can have some options as to where I fly into. Any advice on booking a flight and ways to save I'd greatly appreciate it. Thanks!
We fly often. I wish I could tell you a magic number for getting the best prices however I haven't found it. I have heard six weeks out is the ticket....well it is sometimes. And sometimes it two weeks out or 10 months. I have also been told that the best day of the week is Wednesday ...well I am sure it is sometimes. I once procrastinated on Sunday and convinced myself to wait for Wednesday and ended up paying 300 more for the ticket as the price never went back down to the Sunday price. The only sure fire way i have been able to save on airfare is flexibility in dates and airports....and that's not always possible. So I have been no help at all......
A friend of ours flies frequently. She gets her tickets through Orbitz. You should be prepared to buy them at least a couple weeks in advance.
Normally Tuesdays are the best days to buy tickets. Airlines do their promoting on Mondays normally. Check SouthWest airlines for their Special Offers. You can find some great deals there. Also, go to the airline's website and check prices. I have found flights over $150 cheaper on the airlines site. I have also called the airline I wanted to fly and asked for the best deal they had to offer. I
This will be my first time flying (and alone). So far Orbitz was cheapest - but I'll definitely look into the airlines sites tomorrow. I'm trying to fly out local - however Pittsburgh seems to be cheapest (but I must factor in gas, tolls, and parking)... Thank you for the tips!
Hubs will be cheaper. For me even though it's 2.5 hours away I sometimes fly out of Charlotte for cheaper prices and direct flights. Does your husband have any frequent flyer points? They kill you but could save a little.
He unfortunately drives everywhere, so no points. I know it'd save to drive the 2 hours, however, if I add in parking, gas, and the toll booths (plus the getting up earlier) - it's just easier going local...the current flights I'm seeing are about averaging out. Though, they aren't direct flights. Which, I think would be fantastic. I'm making sure I can get the Friday off - then I'll be doing my official search tomorrow. Appreciate any and all tips. Thank you.
Orbitz is definitely the cheapest. But, everytime I click one that says it is available it says it's not. Though I refresh and it says hurry 3 seats left. So frustrating! Though, I must admit, my boss is awesome and she is looking for flights for me, lol.
That right there is the reason I never use 3rd party sites for airline tickets. I go straight to the airlines site and if I have problems I call with the browser open and they get it all straightened out.
I was able to get tickets - I think next time, I definitely will start looking well in advance. Now, any advice for a new flyer? I am only going Friday-Sunday (a weekend trip) - so I am planning just doing carry on if I can.
Flying is actually pretty boring, bring something along to occupy yourself like a book or something to listen to music.. Have a good trip. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Domestic Flight? Novice traveler? Be at the airport at least 90 minutes before departure. No liquids more than 3oz. Familiarize yourself with the Tsa prohibited items and security process. Find a copy of your departure and arrival airports so you can find your gates. Checking luggage or going with carry on?
Planning on just carry on. It's a quick three day trip. I am flying to Philadelphia for my layover, then going to Boston. Both are large airports and I want as little of confusion as possible. My hometown airport is tiny, so that doesn't make me nervous, thankfully!
Make sure the carry on is the right size. You may be stuck on a smaller plane, especially, to Philly. If so, check with the gate agent to understand the routine if it's not clearly explained. Look at a map of where the terminals are in Philly. http://maps.phl.org/phl/ If you arrive at one end and are departing from the other you may have to hustle if you have a short layover. Everything else will probably be rather straight forward.
I have a four hour layover - so that's good. I'll look into luggage size because my planes are all small (besides to Boston from Philly) - thank you!
The carryon luggage size is the same no matter what the plane size. But if the small plane is crowded, they may put your carryon bag with the rest of the luggage. So plan ahead. Be sure to print your boarding pass ahead of time at home. Saves time. Also gives you a chance to make sure everything is right. Here's an almost horror story our friend told us. She booked a flight from here to Chicago and on. When she printed the boarding passes, she noticed something was wrong. The flight out of Chicago wasn't until the next day. Checking the schedules, her original flight had been cancelled. So she called Orbitz and they switched her flight out of here to the next day. But it gets worse. In the meantime, the snowstorm closed O'Hare. Had she taken the original flight out of here, she would have spent at least two days in O'Hare waiting for them to get rid of the snow. Orbitz rescheduled her itinerary again and everything worked out alright. She's a frequent flier so I don't know if they would treat everyone that well though. Here's another couple of hints she has. Avoid United if possible. If you can choose between Delta and United, take Delta, including the subsidiary carriers. And be sure to print those boarding passes ahead of time and check them.
I have no idea of how to print the boarding pass. I'll look into that. Of course, I am flying United - but I only had the choice of that or American Airlines (as our hometown airport is small). Tell your friend thanks for the tips. My boss, who is a frequent flier herself, has offered me her carry on bag. Think I'll use that as I know she has flown hundreds of times.
Go to your airlines website. Use the number off your flight confirmation. It will then give you your flight info and offer to print your boarding passes. Your friend who offered you her bag can tell you exactly what to do.
