I don't know if the cookies trick really does work for Orbitz. I've tried it before, and sometimes the fares don't change at all.

I tend to think that it's a function of availability and when discounts are offered, etc. -- the cleaning of cookies and lower fares could very well have been coincidental.

Whatever it is, sometimes patience is a virtue. I remember that one year I waited a week or two before I saw the same low fare again, and this was very close to my departure date. We flew Swiss Air (probably 2003).

Cleaning the cookie is more likely to work for airline home sites than for a site like Orbitz -- I suspect I've caught American and Delta both jacking up prices when I shop over a period of hours or even days because so often, the second visit (even after a matter of minutes) always shows a higher (never lower) price.

One additional quirk seems to be that the very act of shopping may temporarily pull a deeply discounted seat out of availability. My husband and I were once shopping for a particular itinerary -- he on his laptop through his professional internet access and browser, I on the home access and another browser. It was obvious that when he pulled up a particular itinerary, it "held" the choice a while after he relinquished it and went on to another -- sometimes quite a while.

And yes, cleaning the cookies sometimes helps (although the First Principle is timing).

"it 'held' the choice a while after he relinquished it and went on to another -- sometimes quite a while."

It's very plausible -- I've had this happen not on Orbitz specifically -- but just with booking tickets online in general, when there're very few seats. I'd click but not confirm and then open another browser, and there'd be no more seats.

Once I bought a ticket on Orbitz for one (when I should have bought for two). When I tried booking for two, the fare was not available.

I asked about it here.

I use Orbitz as a yardstick. Being able to select multiple flights is very important. When I'm ready to buy I see if anyone else can beat them.

I usually track prices six months out, typically when the prices are reasonable and the best flights are available. Unfortunately, sometimes I fail to jump on low fares thinking they will go lower.

Airgorilla.com always has the cheapest prices when I look, but have not followed through to reserve. Has anyone used them? Are they OK?

There is more to the value of a ticket than just the cost. I suspect that the tickets bought and resold by consolidators are of the use-or-lose variety, and very likely will not earn frequent flyer miles, if that is important to you. Tickets sold by the airlines are, at worst, non-refundable, which means you can change them, or even cancel them, and you will incur a penalty, but you will also have a credit with that airline for a future flight, and airline-sold tickets, in my experience, always earn some frequent flyer miles.

Also, I think we sometimes don't realize how in flux the business of selling tickets is. There may be thousands of us at the same time trying to buy a certain flight, and some of us may have reserved tickets, but later cancel the order, so it is hardly surprising that in the time between when we initiate our purchase, and the time we finalize it, the price may change, and certainly in the time between our search using one engine and a second search using another engine, availability of a certain-priced ticket may change. I reserved tickets on a domestic flight yesterday; when I checked with the same airline today, prices on some flights had gone up, and on some had gone down, so I'm going to check again just before my reservation expires, hoping to find a better deal.

I agree that the best procedure for buying an important ticket is to do a lot of research, checking when and by how much tickets on that route sold in past years, and come up with a price that will satisfy you (probably increasing the historical date if there are new taxes, or if fuel prices have soared), then look everywhere for someone who meets your price and buy right away, because many of us are also seeking that deal.

My rd,

Have you looked into the availability of catching a military hop. They have some great deals, but I think it is very like a stand-by basis. When I was a recruiter, one of out selling points was the availability of very low-cost travel, world-wide, and many of my friends would go on tourist travel for even as short as a weekend. Its definitely worth a look.

How do you find out about the military hop? I have never even heard of it before.

The military has a lot of cargo and passenger planes, and a lot of crewmembers who need flight time, so it is not uncommon for a reserve crew, for example, to schedule a flight to an attractive destination, just to get their flight time, and the extra seats in that flight are available to military and their dependents. I knew a pilot assigned to a base in Texas who made fairly regular "training flights" to Alaska, and somehow that plane was loaded with crablegs on the return flight.

The name of the office that is familiar with this no doubt varies with the branch of service, but if you talk to senior NCO's, or your travel office, they will tell you where to look. I seem to recall that there are higher and lesser priorities, and I think military and dependents moving to an overseas base, or coming home on vacation, were a very high priority, but at the same time, years ago there were a lot of seats that went unfilled.

Also, there are a number of military resort facilities, in addition to visiting quarters on overseas bases. I recall military resorts in Korea, Alaska, Hawaii, Florida (near the disney facility), and Germany, all of which have very reasonable rates, although some are not right in the main tourist areas. In Alaska, for example, the facility is in Seward; in Hawaii I seem to recall multiple facilities, one in the center of a national park.

Try these links, but they may be outdated:

http://spacea.info/linkslist.html

http://wpsv.wpafb.af.mil/recoffsites.htm

Whitey: Thank you! There were NO non-stop flights just the other day on 1800flyeurope.

Whitey: A million thanks for the 1800flyeurope tip!

Not only did I book May for $631.26, our dates in September priced out at only $552.85 - picture me thrilled! Because we can travel only on certain days and really appreciate non-stop flights, shopping is a bit more challenging for me. I usually book way ahead for specific flights and better seats, but so far no significantly better fares have come up between then and departure.

I was not really planning to book for May until February, but in my experience fares are more likely to go up than down when you are not flexible. I hadn't even looked at September yet!

To me the September fare was SO astonishing (we haven't gotten a fare under $600 since 1996 for our dates), I actually waited until the office opened and phoned to book.

Note that I got right through on the phone to one of the nicest and most efficient booking agents I've ever, ever, experienced.

DJK,
I'm glad to hear that you got some great pricing. Now you can relax and focus on some of the other parts of your trip. Do you think it's better to call, than to book directly online? I'm always afraid that they'll rush me and sneak in some extra charges.

When I selected the fare at 1800FlyEurope.com, the name of the airline was not shown. I was certain they were American's non-stop flights. But, there did not appear to be any way to select seats. So, I waited until they opened and phoned.

I was assisted by the nicest booking agent ever. The airlines are disclosed on the phone and they book your seats for you. This gent was really on the ball.

I was planning to go ahead with the $39 Travel Guard anyway, but had to actually ask for it after the seats were booked.

Really great is that you are sent an e-mail confirming your booking, which is not finalized until you reply to the e-mail. This is fantastic! Gives you a chance to check name spellings and triple check your days/dates.

Within an hour, my record locators for both trips came up on AA.com, where I could have selected or changed seats.

I've used 1800FlyEurope before, with the same pleasant and efficient service.

Mark to read later

How do you "clean cookies"?

(yes, I'm computer illiterate--would make a frowning face here, but don't know how)

So another question I have wondered for a while -- if you buy through Orbitz, consolidator etc/
what about all the airlines in bankruptcy or Delta, which may go on strike?

Another "how to you clean cookies" request.

Thanks.

Sandy

Depends on your browser, but you'll click on either "tools" (in IE, for example) or the equivalent and then on "internet options" (IE, again) or "options" or the equivalent. You should find a menu that offers you settings for "general security" or "privacy" or, in the case, it's the "general tab. What you're looking for is the settings for "cache", "temporary internet files," and (or) "cookies." On Netscape, it's "Tasks" then "Privacy" and then you'll see "cookie manager" -- go to "view stored cookies" and you'll be able to delete them all.

(Temporary internet files are usually just the webpages of a site you've recently visited; cookies are actual markers/tracking devices. It's worth deleting both sets of files.)

You should be able to "delete all cookies" and "delete all temporary files." But be aware that when you delete cookies, you will have to re-enter identifying info for websites you go to frequently, such as airline home pages, etc.

Clear as mud?

Some got garblededed: You should find a menu that offers you settings for "general security" or "privacy" or, in the case of IE, it's the "general" tab.

Some sites will require you to have their cookies enabled before you can use the site.

I too have wondered about cookies, if whether they store the price of the flight the last time you visited, in order to manipulate your perception of the 'true' cost. On the other hand, the variation in airline prices due to market fluctuations is considerable, and besides, these sites know well that you have other sites at your disposal. All vendors try to maximize profits, but they also realize they need to attract customers to make any profit.

Cookies are also used, I suspect, for things like storing the flight you've selected while you proceed to the next page, say to enter in other details required for the booking.

Try checking fares after midnight on tuesdays, thats when the new fares come out.