Group tickets?
 

Hi all,

I'm having a wedding in November at the Little Dix Bay resort in Virgin Gorda. I'm looking for group discounts on airline tickets for my guests. Any suggestions? We have people coming from DC, New York, Philly, Seattle, Norway and LA.

suggest you call airlines to see if they will offer a group discount.

Thank you!

I've done several trips to the Carribean with large groups. The best way to handle group tickets is to call the airline and ask for the "group desk". Explain where you are going and when, and see what kind of deal you can get. Then go to a local travel agency and arrange for your guests to pay for their tickets through the agency. That way you won't have to worry about anything else.

Some of the airlines require the group to go on the same plane, but since people are coming from several locations you may be able to have the airline work with you.

Both Delta and American were the airlines I worked with. Also if the group is large enough they will offer a free ticket,

Hope this helps.

Thank you Travelbuff! That is very helpful. I'll see what I can work out.

I was in a similar situation in 2003 for my wedding. I worked with American Airlines and they at first came back with a price that was still outrageous! I refused their "special" offer and then they came back about two weeks later with a pretty decent offer. I had to have at least 10 people booked on the same flights to get that deal, but once I arranged that, they said they would make the same deal for a group of 8 traveling from a different departure point.

Have you tried dealing with a travel agent. They can negotiate group rates with the airlines.

You would probably get a better deal from the airlines if you negotiate it yourself and then turn the ticketing over to a travel agency to issue them. The last trip we did, I was not involved in the set up with the airline, it was done by the a travel agency/friend of a memeber of our group, and we didn't get as good a deal and I always gave the free ticket to the chorus director, the last trip, lol, since I wasn't involved she had to pay for her own ticket.

Also check with a couple of airlines and let them know you are also talking to the other airlines that are flying into the area.

Good luck.