Which airline? New Flyer?
May 19th, 2004 | 10:44 AM
#1
Original Poster
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 44
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Which airline? New Flyer?
I've only flown once and a travel agent booked the flight. It was a Delta Flight to Venice and I arrived safe but it was a little short on leg room. I would like to fly out of Dulles and into Florence this time. Is it safe to book online, are seats guaranteed and would there be a better choice of airline? I'd like to book it myself this time and want to look for a good deal but am not sure of things I should be looking for. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks
May 19th, 2004 | 01:53 PM
#2
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 138
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Do you belong to AAA or does your employer have an in-house travel agent? You can search the web for best fares/flight schedules on travelocity or expedia then go over to seatguru and see what the seating on the flights you've chosen look like. Once you've narrowed down the field, call the airline directly and book with them. The online sites are great but have a couple glaring problems not the least of which is something us who have flown wayyyyyy to much understand but you will probably never of thought of and that is legal connections. The airline can assign you a seat. You need to enroll in their frequent flyer program as well. Try not to change planes in Heathrow - if you can get to Milan before changing for Florence, that'd be better. Or, get off plane and visit Milan for a couple days then take the train over to Florence. Very easy and scenic. Have fun!
May 20th, 2004 | 10:06 AM
#4
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 2,049
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If you have plenty of lead time, savvy, and time to research, there is no reason why you cannot book your own flight. On the other hand, if you don't have those, a travel agent would not be a bad idea.
To do it yourself, first bookmark and subscribe to a number of sites, such as travelocity, expedia, and orbitz. I say a number, because while each covers multiple airlines, not all cover the same airlines, and you want to cast your net wide. By going to all those sites frequently (be sure to look up the airport codes for the airports you want to use) you will get a good idea of who flies where you want to go, and how much the prevailing fares are. Understand that fares change frequently and seasonably, so when you see a fare that is good, go to that airline and book directly with them. I don't book through these sites any more, as they sometimes cobble together unrelated flights, which can leave you stranded if problems crop up.
You will find all kinds of opinions here on various airlines. If space is important, and assuming you will be in tourist class, you will want to look at those few airlines that offer more space in tourist.
I am not sure that joining a frequent flyer program is useful, unless you fly an awful lot. While they are free, the benefits don't seem to kick in unless you fly at least 25,000 miles yearly, and even then the free flights and upgrades are very limited. To me, the disadvantage of a frequent flyer membership is that you then tend to limit yourself to that airline, even when better deals are available on others. I joined one and right now I am looking at a $350 fare on "my" airline, when a competitor is offering the same flight for just over $200! That I am still looking shows that I have been enslaved by my desire for frequent flyer miles.
We went to Florence last year, and I seem to recall that the Pisa airport had more international flights than Florence, and Pisa is very near Florence. In fact, I think you take a train to get from either to Florence itself. We actually ended up finding a great fare to Venice, so we took it and caught a train to Florence.
Enjoy your trip.
To do it yourself, first bookmark and subscribe to a number of sites, such as travelocity, expedia, and orbitz. I say a number, because while each covers multiple airlines, not all cover the same airlines, and you want to cast your net wide. By going to all those sites frequently (be sure to look up the airport codes for the airports you want to use) you will get a good idea of who flies where you want to go, and how much the prevailing fares are. Understand that fares change frequently and seasonably, so when you see a fare that is good, go to that airline and book directly with them. I don't book through these sites any more, as they sometimes cobble together unrelated flights, which can leave you stranded if problems crop up.
You will find all kinds of opinions here on various airlines. If space is important, and assuming you will be in tourist class, you will want to look at those few airlines that offer more space in tourist.
I am not sure that joining a frequent flyer program is useful, unless you fly an awful lot. While they are free, the benefits don't seem to kick in unless you fly at least 25,000 miles yearly, and even then the free flights and upgrades are very limited. To me, the disadvantage of a frequent flyer membership is that you then tend to limit yourself to that airline, even when better deals are available on others. I joined one and right now I am looking at a $350 fare on "my" airline, when a competitor is offering the same flight for just over $200! That I am still looking shows that I have been enslaved by my desire for frequent flyer miles.
We went to Florence last year, and I seem to recall that the Pisa airport had more international flights than Florence, and Pisa is very near Florence. In fact, I think you take a train to get from either to Florence itself. We actually ended up finding a great fare to Venice, so we took it and caught a train to Florence.
Enjoy your trip.
May 20th, 2004 | 02:40 PM
#5
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 23,073
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I believe most airlines require you to enroll in their FF program (all free, BTW) to book tickets directly on their websites; and I am sure if you want to pull out an itinerary, to change seats on your own, or to check-in online (the last one doesn't apply to international flgihts), you must sign in with your FF number.
Most of the time (but not always), the prices you'll get from an airline's site is the same as on expedia, travelocity, etc; except you don't get charged an extra $5 or $10 service fee. I'd always book directly with an airline, not only to avoid that fee, but it's often easier to reschedule, refund, etc, rather than going through a 3rd party site.
Most of the time (but not always), the prices you'll get from an airline's site is the same as on expedia, travelocity, etc; except you don't get charged an extra $5 or $10 service fee. I'd always book directly with an airline, not only to avoid that fee, but it's often easier to reschedule, refund, etc, rather than going through a 3rd party site.
