111op

Hi, I've not traveled domestically in a while. I just checked Orbitz for an airfare for Jul 1-4 and it's about $400.

Don't even know if this is reasonable....

Are there any low-cost carriers between the two cities?

I checked Song (service starts on July 4, so I guess it's too late). JetBlue doesn't service these two destinations.

Any obvious candidates I should check?

Thanks.

111op

Actually I've checked that I can use my Delta FF files if I really do want to go. I'll need to use double miles though (Sky Choice) (i.e. 50,000) rather than Sky Saver (25,000).

Is this normal? It's a holiday weekend, etc., yes. How easy is it to claim awards for domestic travel these days? (For Europe it seems nearly impossible unless you plan very, very early.)

As I mentioned I really haven't been traveling domestically in quite a number of years, so I apologize if these questions are too basic.

Thanks again.

FainaAgain

You may be checking the wrong airport.

Southwest doesn't serve SFO, only OAK. The same connection with the city by BART and shuttles. I don't know if JetBlue flies in/out of SFO or Oakland, but you can check.

LoveItaly

Hi lllop, JetBlue flies from JFK to Oakland CA. There is a shuttle bus that will take you from the Oakland airport to the BART station. You then take BART into SF. It is just as good as flying into SF. I had friends from Italy do this last year and they were thrilled with the airfare, the airline and getting into SF.

111op

JetBlue does fly to OAK. Thanks.

I've not checked Southwest -- somehow I get the impression that fares are low there because there's usually at least one stop. Maybe I'm wrong.

I used to live in the Bay Area, but I always used SFO.

I suppose I could use the San Jose airport even.

But I might as well ask -- how far is OAK from SFO downtown?

Thanks again.

rjw_lgb_ca

JetBlue flies to OAK nonstop out of JFK-- last I heard, JFK services New York city, and many, many people get to SF by flying into OAK. Check out www.jetblue.com for pricing.

mclaurie

Independence Air flies from EWR but still about $350, the cheapest fare I see for those dates.

Airtran flies from LGA with a stop for $323. Got all these from
mobissimo.com

111op

By the way, JetBlue JFK to OAK prices out to be 199 + 139 for the cheapest fares.

For the flights I want it's another $30. With taxes it's about $381.90.

Doesn't sound that cheap to me (for a low-cost carrier), but maybe fares are just up in general -- as I said, just haven't looked in a few years, so I don't know what to expect.

Thanks again.

FainaAgain

About 20 minutes to BART on AirBART - connecting shuttle. And maybe the same on BART. I flew in/out of OAK, and trust me on that, if it's convenient and easy to use for me, so is for anybody!

Just check the schedules, they don't work 24/7. A shuttle is about $35 I think, compare to $15 from SFO, but I've never needed a shuttle.

I don't know about San Jose, check this aiport's ground transportation section.

Search this forum for SJ airport, this been discussed before, just don't remember the advices as I didn't need them then.

111op

Wow, you guys are great. I just saw the responses that came in while I was checking JetBlue and typing my response.

I see that I should budget about 350-400 for a ballpark figure for those dates.

Any comments on FF miles and whether I should cash them?

I tend to equate 100 miles = $1, but I guess it's not like I've really cashed any of my miles lately (as I mentioned, it's almost never possible for me to do so for Europe, where I've traveled in the last few years).

rkkwan

I think it's a pretty good deal to spend 25K miles on a $400 ticket. But not good to spend 50K. You should also have Delta's Skymiles rep check availability on Northwest and Continental. And don't count out first class, as occassionally you can find standard FC awards for 45K miles when coach requires 50K "Skychoice/Easypass/whatever"...

Also, low-cost carriers (Southwest, Jetblue, etc) have lower full fares than the mainlines, and they sell one-way tickets at half the price of a roundtrip, so they are indeed good deal for such trips.

But if you can purchase 14-day advance tickets, and flying roundtrip, then the mainland carriers often have the same or better fares than Southwest, Airtran, Jetblue, etc...

111op

Thanks rk. I agree with you that 50K for $400 seems too much (using the 100 miles = $1 rule of thumb).

On the other hand, it's unclear when I'll get to cash in miles -- but I suppose there's always the rainy day (in the event of unemployement and if I've lots of free time on my hands and can be very flexible, for example).

I'll probably think about it more and in the meantime hope for airfares to Paris to come down. I'm not overly enamored of SF, I must say, but of the major cities in the US I'd probably prefer it to most (to Chicago, for example, where I've also lived for a couple of years).

sneezey

You're flying on a huge holiday weekend. Otherwise you can get JetBlue for 139 + 139 which is under $300 complete with all the taxes. It's $60 more for the 4th of July, plus the particular time you want is another $30 - so there's a $100 right there. I'd bet if you flew out one day earlier or later, plus were willing to be a little inconvenienced by the flying times, you could do much better. Besides, jetBlue is a nice flight. It's more comfortable than the other choices. (way better than Southwest)

rkkwan

I just logged in as Gold Elite on CO to search for CO and NW awards. I can tell you that you will NEVER find standard (Skysaver) awards for 7/1 outbound and 7/4 return. Leaving 7/2, return 7/3 or 7/5, maybe, if you're elite. [I didn't search for all NINE airport combinations, though, but I doubt you'll find anything on those dates.]

wantsomesun

If you haven't traveled in a while I would recommend giving JetBlue a try. The planes are new, and you even get a TV in your seat with lots of channels to watch.

I did the JFK to OAK 2 months ago and it was very easy to get downtown. I stayed of Geary St, and got off the BART at Powell and walked a few blocks.

Have a fun time in SF.

Gekko

For the 4th of July weekend, anything under $400 is a bargain in my opinion. Fly into SFO if you can -- don't be fooled by the "it's-easy-from-Oakland" bit -- it's a pain.

Good luck!

111op

Nope -- not even close, rk. I was pleasantly surprised when AA gave me gold status last year from my trips to Europe though. But I'll probably lose that soon.

Basically it sounds like I should be prepared to spend 350-400 for SF for that long weekend (from what everyone has said), so I'll just have to think about whether I want to spend that money.

Unfortunately my flight times are not flexible. I usually save up my vacation days to take longer trips but try to satisfy my cravings by doing long weekend trips (which means flying out after work in the evenings on a Friday and coming back as late as possible on a Monday -- and this drives fares up).

Thanks again.

Michael

Try Åir Trans. The last two times we flew from SF to NYC, they were cheaper than JetBlue. On the other hand, we had to transfer in Atlanta.