What was your best airfare deal .... ever !!
 

It's my favorite travel story.....

Our first trip to Europe. We took advantage of the famous Iceland Air 2 for 1 deal and booked our tickets in December 2000 for travel in the first week of April. Minneapolis (MSP) - Paris (CDG) return. The price - $420 + some change for two (2) people on a return ticket INCLUSIVE of tax. It made my visit to Europe even more memorable.

I'm sure I will spend nothing less than $700-$800 late September Early October to go to Italy later this year. But thingking about my first trip and that awesome fare makes me happy anyway :)

I was not specific ... this was for travel in April 2001 :)

Ours was an offer from Delta to buy one get one free to London from NYC.
We have gotten some great upgrades though, giving us First Class flights that are pretty special to me :)

Mine would probably be last summer's trip to London. Traveled on a BA frequent flyer ticket and got a free upgrade to economy plus.

Got a great deal last February, too. I had a $179 voucher on NW from a cancelled business trip. So I applied that to a fare sale ticket and only paid about $190 for a ticket to London.

way back (1985!); fresh out of college. Had a free ticket from a previous bump on Republic. I decided to go visit a friend around Thanksgiving. Got to the airport; they had mechanical problems and switched to a smaller plane...they needed volunteers. I volunteered, but because I was on a free ticket, they couldn't put me on another airline. So they gave me a 1st class ticket on their next flight (in about 3 hours), plus a free RT ticket for the bump. Came back...they were still overbooked. Did this FIVE times before I finally left on the last flight of the night. By the third time, the gate agent just said, Anne, we've got your voucher ready...see you in a few hours!

Flew all over the country the next year!!

Anne

My best airfare ever was the free flight I got to South Miami Beach this winter to escape my Denver winter, where I got to see the Gin Blossoms within an hour of landing, then spent the weekend on the beach and driving to Key West before flying home First Class.

I have a nice friend. :)

Jules

My best airfare ever was the free flight I got to South Miami Beach this winter to escape my Denver winter, where I got to see the Gin Blossoms in concert, first row, within an hour of landing, then spent the weekend on the beach and driving to Key West before flying home First Class.

I have a nice friend. :)

Jules

Any ticket I've bought prior to this year has been quite a deal. I guess we "really don't know what we got 'til it's gone".

199 RT to brussels on now defunct city bird airlines...

this was a millenium special that required a christmas day depature and a new years day return in and out of miami. city bird was a no frills carrier based in belgium that operated for a couple of years in the orlando/miami market before converting to freight and subsequently going under.

even with the seven hour drive to miami and the four hour drive from bru to paris, how could i pass up this fare and paris for the millenium?

I have flown by Ryanair on different routes all over Europe for as little as $2 plus taxes of about $25.You need to book early to get this rate which is often available on selected flights.See www.ryanair.com for details.

Our best deal ever was in the Spring of 1999 or so when we flew to Paris on $329 tickets from the Midwest including all taxes and picked up $800 bump vouchers each on the way home.

About 25 years ago, got a student rate of about $10 per flight on JAT, flying within Yugoslavia (Belgrade to Dubrovnik and back). Similar deal on Olympic, flying from Athens to the islands.

November 2001 after 9/11 :-(
Syracuse NY to HNL for $299 RT including taxes. (Could have went for $270 on CO but didn't like the connection).

Last July, last-minute site59 ticket for NYC/LHR for the long weekend at about $320, taxes included (I just checked my confirmation e-mail not long ago).

Last week, for the same July long weekend, NYC/LHR for $493 (on Orbitz). Given how high fares are this year and that this is a busy season, I think that qualifies as a bargain.

All taxes included.

Having our family of 5 upgraded to first class for $4 each from a sale ticket.

wow ... great responses ..... I always love to read a "good fare" story :)

April, 1999. St. Maarten to Paris CDG for $450 p/p round trip. I couldn't even fly to Miami for that!

AA, NYC-Rome, June 2003: $450!

As part of an all-inclusive (there were no other kind) tour of Soviet Central Asia with Intourist, we flew on Aeroflot from London - Leningrad - Kubyshev - Tashkent - Dushanbe - Samarkand - Bukhara - Urgench - Tashkent - Moscow - London, 14 days, all hotels, meals, ground transport, tours (including Moscow Circus) for £200 each. 1970s, sure, but that was a lot of BIS miles for the price, never mind the land portion. Best all-time travel bargain.

In March of 2002 My husband and I went to London. We flew from St. Louis to London and stayed 5 nights. Total cost for the package, including airfare and hotel? A little over $400 a piece.

Not quite as good, but still great, is the tickets I purchased through Travelocity for a flight from St. Louis to Paris this November. Including taxes, each ticket came to about $320.

Tracy

2 Swiss franks for Burne Swizzerland to Vienna Austraia. My newphew got that July 2004-booked on the inner net from an airline callt InnerSkys or some thing. He also did City Birds back in 97 for $300(us) plus taxes for New ark to Brussuls in the Belgio in July that year too. I hope he can find us some thing back to the Scandinavio that cheep!!

A cheat really - not me, and very unusual circumstances.

My boss , flying British Airways internally in the UK, got caught up in an industrial dispute - nothing to do with the airline. He was Irate, and rushed off an Email to head office, stating how annoyed he was, but added, a line at the end "If anybody in your company had anysence they would have reacted to this problem by doing X,Y and Z"

A day later, he gets a letter from the MD of BA - thank you for your suggestion, we have implemented some of your ideas, please accept 1st class ytickets for you and immediate family to anyware you want to got within the year.

So he , wife and 2 kids went to Australia.

Free - lots of times.

the late lamented TWA used to have a deal through which for 50,000 miles you got a free first class ticket to anywhere they flew - and your companion paid the lowest fare - then like $600 to europe - and got a first class seat.

I traveled a lot then and really piled up miles - so we used to go to europe first class at least once - and often - twice a year.

Two or three years ago, United had a "Denver air Sale" promotion. For three hours one morning they had a glitch and their website was only charging tax for the tickets. I was searching for tickets from Denver to San Diego for a family wedding and logged on that morning. It took me around 30 minutes before I believed the rate and started booking flights. Before the website was shut down I was able to purchase 6 roundtrip tickets for $120! It made national news that day. My husband just said, "Why didn't you buy tickets to Hawaii?!" LOL I didn't really understand what was happening until it was too late.

To show that you have to keep looking, we saw a 3 day special and we went to Italy about 2 months ago on US Air for $375 round trip, nonstop, Philadelphia to Italy. The service was horrendous but we managed.

First trip to Paris in 2001. LA to Paris. $195 roundtrip - First Class. It was a friends and family ticket from Delta Airlines.

Valencia spain-moscow.. $150. 2000
Valencia-Istanbul-$150 1999

Valencia-berlin 53 euros (rt)
valencia-bergamo-53 euros rt
valencia-sevilla-32 euros rt
valencia-bilbao-42 euros rt

vlc-chicago rt 295 euros

September 2002, Orlando to Paris for $325 pp round trip after all taxes on Delta. I sure didn't know how good I had it!!...... It has managed to go up every year since.

Ninety-nine dollars each way SF to Brussels and back on one of People's Express' inaugural flights, in early December 1984. There were 550 people on a 747 that barely cleared the runway on take-off--even the FA's looked worried.

R/Trip from Charlotte to Munich, May 2004 for $188 plus taxes, direct flight.

Great responses ... how about folks adding HOW was it that they found these fares? We don't want secrets do we? ;0

My iceland air fare -- they emailed me the offer. I took it!

This whole thread is making me jealous.

It was probably in 1988 but Chex cereal had a promotion---with 5 boxtops you could get one free roundtrip ticket, with the purchase of a ticket. I ran out that day, bought 10 boxes of Chex cereal, sent in the boxtops.
There was a special fare offered to Orlando $99 rt. Our family of 4 flew to Orlando for $198 total.

In November 2003 my DH heard a radio ad for special deals on British Airways in celebration of the 100th anniversay of the Wright brothers. My mom any I got round trip, non-stop tickets from L.A. to London for $298 each. That's including all taxes and fees. We went in April 2004. I've never seen a deal like that since nor would I expect to in the future. We plan to go back to the U.K. next year but I know we'll pay a lot more than $298 for the tickets!

lifetravel, I'll add where I found my deal. I found the excellent package to London on American Airlines website. It was on their home page, and at the time I had to call because I couldn't book online. I believe I got the fantastic rate because it wasn't long after 9/11 and tourism was really hurting so there were some excellent deals to be found.

I found the $300 airfare to Paris just a few months ago. I used travelocity's "flexible dates" option and just put in "STL", "CDG" and "NOV - NOV" and hit search and found the deal that way. Now that same fare comes up to almost $700 before taxes, so I'm incredibly happy with my fine, if I must say so!

Tracy

Nine days after 9/11 my wife and I were going to FCO from ATL through CDG on Ari France. Their 747 was not parked in its usual space and when we got to the desk we were told that they had substituted a 767 because they couldn't fill the 747 because of the public concerns following 9/11. When I (politely) noted that I had bulkhead seats and would appreciate same on the 767 I was told that they had just given them to some folks with kids (a common practice). The gate person then asked if we spoke french because she had exit row seats left. Of course we didn't. She pushed a couple of buttons and signed the tickets. We rode first class and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Seattle to Rome, March, 2005, for $575, taxes/transfers included (Delta). I thought this was awesome. A lot better than the $1,012 I am paying in Sept.

In 2002 I found my price of $325 pp round trip Orlando to Paris on Priceline. I bid until it was accepted. It was our first trip abroad (my 2nd time in a plane EVER!) and the personal TV's and such on Delta was a pleasant surprise.

Ireland 2006, airfare a gift from dear and very generous sister!

April, 2005 - $403 from the midwest to Paris. Got it on Expedia. Could NOT pass that up!
Happy travels!