last-minute cheap airfares?
 

Hello, Fodorites. I have the opportunity to go to Miami for U2's kickoff concert on Saturday Mar. 24th. I would like to keep it short and quick, in early Sat. and out by Sunday. Unfortunately, almost everything is sold out for those times, as it must be -UGH-spring break time as well. Can anyone suggest a last-minute website or way of picking up a decent fare, even the night before? Thanks!

I've consistently found great fares on www.hotwire.com but was unable to book them becuase I had to travel/arrive by a certain time of the day. You don't know before booking what time of day you'll be flying out or back - that's the big catch. It's run as a consortium by 5 major airlines and is their answer to priceline.com. In a sense it's better because you don't guess what the lowest acceptable rate might be - they tell you and then you decide.

SW Airlines. I just got a round trip non-stop ticket to L.A. for 179 (tax included)

Problem with Hotwire , as Owen has pointed out, is you won't know what time your flight is but you can almost bet the farm that it will be the hardest to sell, hello 6am. www.smartliving.com will send you the cheapest weekend internet fares that most airlines run. Leave SAt return Sun , Mon or Tues but I don't know if you have time enough to sign up for this.I just got this weekend's fares. You may have to go to airline sights directly and look at their special weekend internet fares. If you're in a Southwest market you can look at flying into Ft Lauderdale for $199RT.

Oh ,you've time to sign up for www.smarterliving.com. Worth while to do anyway. Sign up for travelzoo.com while you're at it. They'll send you the best 20 deals every week.

Airtran (airtran.com) and Spirit Airlines (spiritair.com) have very good, last minute, no restriction fares - if you are in one of their cities. <BR> <BR>I personally don't have a problem with Airtran, but I bet ten cents this post will yield some type of warning. I used Airtran to buy next day tix, one way from Fla to NY for $74. <BR> <BR>

Definitely look into flying into nearby cities as well flights into Miami. <BR> <BR>We learned on Friday before this year's Super Bowl that we had two extra tickets. Called our son in Dallas to come on over. Airfare Dallas-&gt;Tampa flying the next day would have been $1,800/ticket, BUT they found rt fares from Dallas-&gt;Ft. Myers for $340/ticket. They flew into Ft. Myers, rented a car and drove the two hours back here, arriving in time for all the festivities and a nice long weekend. So search, search, search. You might be very pleasantly surprised!!

GOL...you're right, but I can't bring myself personally to fly them again. <BR> <BR>I had a ValueJet flight from Savannah to Dallas. Boarded the flight and saw a woman with a blonde ponytail in the Capt's chair. Thought surely she was just temporarily sitting there, but later in the flight she introduced herself over the PA system as our pilot, "Candy". "Oh great", I thought..."our pilot's name is Candy and she's got a blonde ponytail". How's that for sexist thoughts from a liberated female? I take my liberation just so far... :&gt; At any rate, it was one of the smoothest flights and landings ever, of course, and I felt badly about my lack of confidence in her. About a month later Valuejet crashed in the Everglades...and the pilot's name? Candace. *Very* sad. I felt I had a personal connection to it. <BR> <BR>It was not their/and especially not her fault of course, and after that crash, they are probably one of the safest airlines around, following safety guidelines to a T. Still...given there are so many other choices, can't make myself go back to them! (And here's your dime) :&gt;

You lose, GOL. You've ignore past advice evidently. BTW, despite their website claims about the consumerism awards, the Fed. Gov't. recently put AirTran at the very bottom of the list for timely and accurate advice on plane delays and departures. If they can't at least be honest on the easy part .... well, I'll let you finsih that thought for yourself. Pay up.

Ellen, I don't recall you saying what your home airport is, but here's one more low fare air website to add to your collection: <BR> <BR>http://www.digitalcity.com/travel/

Try qixo.com and the suggestion to fly into other than Miami. Fort Lauderdale, even Orlando, might be cheaper alternatives. <BR> <BR>Good luck and let us know how you make out!

Ellen-My sister got a last minute flight to Orlando on Midway Airlines with a change in Charlotte, NC. They are small, regional jets. I know they fly into Ft. Lauderdale, not sure about Miami. But you could rent a car. Hope this helps.

TOO, you owe me, if you bet. <BR> <BR>I have to second qixo.com for the best comparisons.

Sorry, GOL, but read it more carefully. The reference was about past warnings, and the info about their honesty was just that, info. I take a neutral position when it comes to airlines like AirTran. People may fly them or not ... I just cringe at any decision based soley on cheap air fare. You see, when DC Air comes into existence, we'll have our own little local AirTran to worry about ... an instant airline that owns nothing ... owned by media types ... and dependant on its supposed competitor, UAL, for its very life blood. Have a good day.

Thank you everyone for your suggestions. I'm on it as I type. By the way, I'm flying out of Chicago. Forgot to mention that. <BR>