What experiences have you had with airlines trip packages? Has anyone found them to be cheaper? Are they as advertised?

Interesting question. I would like to hear more on the subject as I am making plans for March '02

My one experience was with Jet Vacations/AirFrance for Paris a week in July/Bastille Day. It definitely was a bargain. It was around $600 (a few years ago) and included airfare&hotel (nothing else, which is what I wanted). The hotel was for tourists, but still had charm, and I couldn't have put together a week in Paris, high season, for that price (airfare was over $600).

We had a fantastic week in London using Virgin Airlines. We purchased a lot of extras (tickets to two plays, 7-day tube passes, tickets to a few sights, transport to/from Gatwick, and a lot more, and still kept it down to about $1400, including tax and insurance. I thought it was a great deal, especially since the flight would have cost us about $800. And, yes, it was exactly as advertised.

I have taken several American Airlines vacation packages during the past few years (all to the Caribbean and Hawaii, however) and have always gotten exactly what I paid for at a lower price than I could have gotten paying for everything separately.

I've taken a couple of British Airways city stay packages to London and one London/Rome. All were reasonable and easy. Hotels were great and, unexpectedly, we were greated at our Rome hotel by a BA rep who presented us with a package of maps and a free sightseeing tour the next day. The bus picked us up at the hotel and it was exactly that--free--no hidden charges. Surprising since we had literally booked just the air/hotel package. <BR>I've also taken a few city stay packages through gotoday.com which have also been great bargains. Having said all that, however, I now usually book my own flight/hotel/car, etc. since I go off season when all rates are low and I now have favorite/preferred hotels.

Like the prior post, we have taken several package tours with American Airlines, all to European destinations. We usually stay at 3 star hotels and have never been disappointed with any aspect of the trips. The prices were definitely cheaper than doing it on our own.

My experience has mirrored that of the other posters, although I've traveled only with United Airlines. A friend and I used a United vacation package to take a short trip to London in May. The cost came to about $850 a person for airfare (which was running around $500 at the time), three nights in a five-star hotel (booked separately, our room would have cost around $400 a night), and roundtrip shuttle service between the airport and hotel. We had a fabulous long weekend in London and saved a bundle by taking advantage of the package deal. Just do your homework--read the fine print, investigate the hotels offered (most will have web sites with detailed descriptions and pictures of the rooms), and research the optional excursions (not all will be cost savers) before signing on the dotted line. Enjoy your trip, and let us know what you decide! <BR>

I priced my last trip to Italy on Delta, <BR>American and Alitalia. I beat their packages by about 30 percent($1200) by booking my own trip. I used their prices as my benchmark for comparison. And, I think I got a better flight and hotel(for charm/no tour groups etc.) than any of them offered. Plus, I had $1200 left more for my next trip. <BR>On my last trip to Hawaii, though, the package was better than I could do myself. <BR>It's a good idea to price it out and see if you can do better on your own.

To the top.

I've had wonderful experiences with Italiatour (Alitalia's tour arm)off-season packages--for @$850 per person, we've gotten 5 nights at the Hotel Bisanzio in Venice, plus RT air NYC-Venice, plus buffet breakfasts and shuttle motorboat from Venice airport; we also did Rome and upgraded ourselves to the Colonna Palace for @$1,000 per person. The only caveat I would offer is that you must do your research on the hotels and their locations before you book. I also am only recommending these particular hotels in this package, but next winter I am planning to do their Florence package.

I did a trip with Air France to Nice and found that it was cheaper than what I was finding independently.

Debbie- <BR>As others advised, compare before buying. I do and have at times found the packages a better deal, other times was able to put together something better on my own. Sometimes during "peak" season the package is better, as seats and rooms are blocked months in advance.

I have looked into several packages but have found in every case but one that I can generally do better by booking myself. Since the package prices are usually priced per person based on double occupancy, what you really need to do is take the package price per person, back out the per person airfare cost, and remember that what is left is the PER PERSON (not per room) hotel cost. I have almost always found that I can beat that price by booking separately (usually at a different hotel). I have also found that most of the packages have fairly limited hotel options that are sometimes not in the most desirable locations for sightseeing (location is more important to me than amenities). However, I did once book a package to the Caribbean (St. Lucia) at a better rate than I could have gotten by booking it separately. It was through American Airlines and it was great. In that case, there was a particular resort where we knew we wanted to stay that was out of our price range if we booked it ourselves, but the airline package that included airfare, transfers, and an excursion made the whole trip much more affordable.