Help needed with flights
Aug 31st, 2006, 12:38 AM
#1
Help needed with flights
Just new to Fodorsand this will probably be the first of many questions. We are planning our first trip to the US in March/April 2007 from Nelson New Zealand. We intend to visit San Francisco, Columbia Maryland (visiting e-mail friends who we haven't met yet but have been e-mailing for 10 years) New York, and Los Angeles. Just wondering should we be booking our flights from New York to LA now, or will they get cheaper between now and April 07.I have looked at the travelocity site and fares look reasonable, quite a bit less than our travel agent quoted anyway. Will they get cheaper than this? Is travelling in April a busy time to travel?
Aug 31st, 2006, 03:07 AM
#2
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How cool that you are meeting friends you've known for 10 years! ;-) We have a lot of that going on here on Fodors.
I'm sure others can advise as to when it would be best to purchase your tickets, but please be sure to the check the websites of the airlines for prices. Lately I've found better prices with the airline than with the large online ticketing agents. So you are better off checking all sources.
There are threads here about airfare, so you might want to search out those threads for pointers.
Avoiding our summer, June - August, and holidays, usually makes for less crowded travel. College kids often have a week in spring (around Easter, but can vary with each university) when they go to the beach communities. I don't think that will be a problem for you with your itinerary.
Good luck with the planning, and welcome to Fodors!
I'm sure others can advise as to when it would be best to purchase your tickets, but please be sure to the check the websites of the airlines for prices. Lately I've found better prices with the airline than with the large online ticketing agents. So you are better off checking all sources.
There are threads here about airfare, so you might want to search out those threads for pointers.
Avoiding our summer, June - August, and holidays, usually makes for less crowded travel. College kids often have a week in spring (around Easter, but can vary with each university) when they go to the beach communities. I don't think that will be a problem for you with your itinerary.
Good luck with the planning, and welcome to Fodors!
Aug 31st, 2006, 03:24 AM
#3
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itasoftware.com is a good tool to check airfares - but you can not book from the site and sometimes it is difficult to find the fare on airline site.
Lots of opinions about airfare pricing - when to book. For domestic US fares, trend has been up for past year with fewer sales and bargains than I have seen in past. Some lower cost US airlines are Southwest and JetBlue (but you can not book or even check 4/07 fares yet) and AirTran - the first 2 will not show up on most airline fare search sites, but AirTran usually will.
Fares will go up around Easter (I think it is first weekend in April on 2007). Most colleges have vacation week in March, but some lower age schools do a week in April - still not enough travelers to make a fare difference.
There are 3 major NY airport - LaGuardia, JFK, and Newark and several options close to LA - so it makes fare shopping more time consuming.
If it were me and I was sure of my travel dates, I would shop around in the next month or so and if I saw a good fare, book it. I think chances of fares getting a lot lower are slim.
Lots of opinions about airfare pricing - when to book. For domestic US fares, trend has been up for past year with fewer sales and bargains than I have seen in past. Some lower cost US airlines are Southwest and JetBlue (but you can not book or even check 4/07 fares yet) and AirTran - the first 2 will not show up on most airline fare search sites, but AirTran usually will.
Fares will go up around Easter (I think it is first weekend in April on 2007). Most colleges have vacation week in March, but some lower age schools do a week in April - still not enough travelers to make a fare difference.
There are 3 major NY airport - LaGuardia, JFK, and Newark and several options close to LA - so it makes fare shopping more time consuming.
If it were me and I was sure of my travel dates, I would shop around in the next month or so and if I saw a good fare, book it. I think chances of fares getting a lot lower are slim.
Aug 31st, 2006, 06:34 AM
#4
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JFK nonstop to Burbank on JetBlue is a good flight to watch for, depending on where you're staying in the Los Angeles area. LAX is ok for the westside/Santa Monica.
Check the prices that are popping up for September, then for October. How do these compare to what you're seeing for March/April. If they're lower, you should wait until 2007 to book. If not you could book now, but will pay a penalty if you need to change anything down the line.
Check the prices that are popping up for September, then for October. How do these compare to what you're seeing for March/April. If they're lower, you should wait until 2007 to book. If not you could book now, but will pay a penalty if you need to change anything down the line.
Aug 31st, 2006, 12:05 PM
#5
Thanks for your help. Our friends mentioned SW airlines and I have done a bit of research. I have downloaded Ding but can't register as it keeps wanting a zip code, even though I have said we are from NZ. Any tips on how to get around this?
Aug 31st, 2006, 12:12 PM
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Just skimmed your post. I agree JET BLUE is the way to go between NY and LA. Fly into Long Beach for LA. jetblue.com
Southwest is ok, but they don't really fly from NYC. They have a deal with another airline out of LGA, otherwise you have to go to ISP, Long Island, NOT an easy trip from Manhattan.
To deal with Ding thing, just pick any zip code. 10022 is a Manhattan code.
Southwest is ok, but they don't really fly from NYC. They have a deal with another airline out of LGA, otherwise you have to go to ISP, Long Island, NOT an easy trip from Manhattan.
To deal with Ding thing, just pick any zip code. 10022 is a Manhattan code.
Aug 31st, 2006, 02:07 PM
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Hi nelsonian, I don't know during what part of your trip you are planning to visit San Francisco but here is a thought for you.
Friends from Italy first visited NewYork City. They than took JetBlue from JFK to LasVegas. They did spend a couple of days in LasVegas but one doesn't need to. The plane than went on to Long Beach airport. They stayed on the plane and flew into Oakland Airport which is right across the San Francisco Bay from San Francisco. They took the shuttle bus to BART and took BART into San Francisco. When they flew home they flew from San Francisco (SFO) back to Italy. They got to SFO from San Francisco via BART.
They loved JetBlue, larger than normal leather airline seats, private video etc. So just one idea for you.
Friends from Italy first visited NewYork City. They than took JetBlue from JFK to LasVegas. They did spend a couple of days in LasVegas but one doesn't need to. The plane than went on to Long Beach airport. They stayed on the plane and flew into Oakland Airport which is right across the San Francisco Bay from San Francisco. They took the shuttle bus to BART and took BART into San Francisco. When they flew home they flew from San Francisco (SFO) back to Italy. They got to SFO from San Francisco via BART.
They loved JetBlue, larger than normal leather airline seats, private video etc. So just one idea for you.
Aug 31st, 2006, 02:16 PM
#9
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Which airlines? Some of them, the cheaper ones, do not advertise on Travelocity, Orbitz, Expedia.
Check out JetBlue and Southwest websites, they may not sell tickets far in advance, in this case you'll have to wait, but don't wait too long, you're coming during school spring holidays.
Check out JetBlue and Southwest websites, they may not sell tickets far in advance, in this case you'll have to wait, but don't wait too long, you're coming during school spring holidays.
Jan 8th, 2007, 02:07 PM
#10
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u know what, all of the big companies that sell airline tickets are of course good, but what we all have forgotten is the parson to person interaction, and nowadays machines handle a lot of our stuff, but the solution is to go to the smaller companies that still value live communication. one of these companies is MIGTRAVEL, they are pretty small, but all calls are answered live, and you do get to ask and get help on whatever type of travel you have. go ahead and check out their site www.cheapticketsfinder.com or simply call them and ask for the fare or a consultation , its totall free 877-433-6796
They still try to preserve the old fashioned way of buying tickets with the intergration of new technologies. I have bought a couple of tickets from them, the service was great , and everything was quick and smooth.
They still try to preserve the old fashioned way of buying tickets with the intergration of new technologies. I have bought a couple of tickets from them, the service was great , and everything was quick and smooth.
Jan 8th, 2007, 02:17 PM
#11
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nelsonian-
I just saw your post date of 8/31/06 and hope that too much time hasn't gone by for a reply.
regarding the timing of your ticket purchase, try Farecast <http://www.farecast.com/>, sort of a cyber crystal ball for airline prices. I don't know how accurate it is.
I just saw your post date of 8/31/06 and hope that too much time hasn't gone by for a reply.
regarding the timing of your ticket purchase, try Farecast <http://www.farecast.com/>, sort of a cyber crystal ball for airline prices. I don't know how accurate it is.
Jan 8th, 2007, 03:08 PM
#12
rojer_that003 registered this evening just to dredge up this old thread and post his link. It is pretty certain rojer and cheapticketsfinder are one and the same.
(rojer, advertising is not allowed on here - ESPECIALLY when posing as a "satisfied customer" of yourself)
(rojer, advertising is not allowed on here - ESPECIALLY when posing as a "satisfied customer" of yourself)
