Best way to book flights to/in the US?
Joey Hoffnaagle
I'm currently planning a visit to Canada/US based to spend Christmas with a
friend and New Years at Times Square based on the rough itinerary;
22nd Dec - Sydney to L.A.
23rd Dec - L.A. to Vancouver
29th Dec - Vancouver to New York
4th Jan - New York to Las Vegas
7th Jan - Las Vegas to Sydney (Via L.A.?)
Having never really booked a trip with stop-overs, can anyone advise whether
I'm likely to be better off trying to book a multi-city flight plan with the
stopovers - or just buying a normal return or one way ticket to L.A. and
then just organising the other legs (and return flight) separately?
Obviously, it's not exactly cheap season, so I'm trying to keep the price as
reasonable as possible and I've got a good deal on the table for the first
leg to L.A. that I'd like to book if it's the best way?
Can any seasoned travellers throughout the US recommend whether I should
lock it in and set about looking online for the other legs, or is buying the
one multi-stop ticket usually more cost-effective. Likewise, what timeframe
(ie one week before, three months before etc) is generally the best time to
book the cheapest flights? Finally, can anyone recommend any decent websites
for domestic flights throughout US and Canada?
Any and all help is appreciated.
Kenn Smith
Considering the reduction in number of flights, and corresponding
reduction in number of seats, I would start locking down flights as soon
as possible.
A good starting place might be Expedia.com.
Dan C
It's generally best to book it all at once, multi-stop as you called it.
Usually best prices are available if you buy at least 30 days prior to
flying.
Some sites for tickets:
http://www.expedia.com
http://www.cheaptickets.com
http://www.travelocity.com
--
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"Bother!" said Pooh, as he garotted another passing Liberal.
Usenet Improvement Project: http://twovoyagers.com/improve-usenet.org/
PeterL
Sometimes (like what you are doing, stopping at two different
countries) it's best to use a travel agent.
John Levine
>friend and New Years at Times Square based on the rough itinerary;
>22nd Dec - Sydney to L.A.
>23rd Dec - L.A. to Vancouver
>29th Dec - Vancouver to New York
>4th Jan - New York to Las Vegas
>7th Jan - Las Vegas to Sydney (Via L.A.?)
I concur with the advice that if you want to do this trip, you should
book promptly because fares will increase and flights will sell out.
First, I would make sure you really want to spend that much time on
airplanes. Vancouver to N.Y. is 4000 km and N.Y. to Vegas is 3600 km,
which for comparision is about the same as Perth to Brisbane.
If that what you want to do, I would first get my round trip from
Sydney to North America. The only cities with service to Sydney are
L.A., San Francisco, and Vancouver, so if you want to fly back from
Vegas, you'll have to change in S.F. or L.A., and will probably need a
separate ticket for that.
For the flights within the US, there are Visit USA (VUSA) tickets
available only to non-residents that must be booked abroad, e.g.
http://www2.usairways.com/en-US/specials/traveldiscountprograms/vusa.html
They'd probably be a good deal for this itinerary. Some VUSA programs
include Vancouver, but you'll probably fly through Seattle anyway,
since there is only one nonstop flight a day to N.Y., the tail end of
a Cathay Flight from Hong Kong. If you are visiting friends in
Vancouver, they might be willing to take you to SEA, particularly
since the C$ is very strong relative to the US$ so it'd give them a
chance to do some shopping. If you do that, you might reorganize your
trip to fly directly to Vancouver on a split United/Air Canada ticket.
If you can find a good agent locally, this is the kind of trip where
they can really provide value, checking the various VUSA tickets
against normal fares, looking at some of the low fare airlines that
don't show up in the regular computers (notably Westjet in Canada,
Southwest and Jetblue in the US), and figuring out the best overall
fares and routes for you.
R's,
John
Graham Harrison
"Joey Hoffnaagle" <jo...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:hd64sd$mp0$1...@news.eternal-september.org...
Don't rely on the web. You need to use the services of an agency so you
talk through your options. Try
http://www.trailfinders.com.au/travel-centre/syd or
http://www.flightcentre.com.au/. Talking doesn't stop you using the web
later when you're better informed.
Couple of comments.
Crossing the border to Canada by air might have a surprising (negative)
effect on price. Investigate flying to Seattle and taking Amtrak or
Greyhound across the border.
US rules relating to international air fares seem to often permit a "free"
stopover at your gateway (e.g. Los Angeles) of up to 24 hours. So arrive
from Sydney at 1100 and depart at or before 1059 and you may simply pay the
fare to Vancouver (or Seattle!). I've certainly done that by catching the
last flight from Denver to Chicago arriving after the last London flight had
left, and catching the second (of 3) flights back to London.
Graham Harrison
"Joey Hoffnaagle" <jo...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:hd64sd$mp0$1...@news.eternal-september.org...
One other thing.....
If you buy separate tickets make sure you leave PLENTY of time between
flights. The thing is that each time you start a new ticket you enter into
a new contract which says "I will present myself in time at check in". If
you don't you have broken the contract and you will probably have to buy a
new (more expensive) ticket. On the other hand with one through ticket for
multiple flights if the inbound flight is delayed that delivering carrier is
responsible for finding you an alternative onward flight. You might have a
bit of a fight getting them to accept their responsibility but keep pushing.
A Mate
STA office.
There are many pitfalls in multi city booking over the net when you are not
experienced - you could inadvertently cost yourself much time (and money).
Unfortunately the times you are looking to book are super peak times in and
out of Australia. Fares on the USA - Aust routes have been very cheap (still
are) but not after Christmas.
Are you aware of how much time you will be spending in the air covering
those huge distances. Sydney to LA can take up to 19 hours (depending on the
routing). LA to Vancouver; Vancouver to NYC; NYC to Las Vegas - all are
loooong flights
"Joey Hoffnaagle" <jo...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:hd64sd$mp0$1...@news.eternal-september.org...
Dan C
> Are you aware of how much time you will be spending in the air covering
> those huge distances. Sydney to LA can take up to 19 hours (depending on
> the routing). LA to Vancouver; Vancouver to NYC; NYC to Las Vegas - all
> are loooong flights
How would you suggest he shorten those distances...?
Ad absurdum per aspera
the discount airlines. If ground transportation to/from Vancouver
works for you, the Seattle airport might open up more such options.
southwest.com, jetblue.com, usairways.com (a major that seems to have
absorbed America West, and which serves Vancouver), alaskaair.com, and
frontierairlines.com are among the sites worth a glance at their route
map for at least part of your trip, in addition to the major
international airlines you know about.
A possibility to keep in mind is the use of secondary airports near
your destination (possibly nearER your actual ground destination!),
like Islip, Long Island for NYC or perhaps Burbank, Long Beach, Orange
County, etc. for the LA area.
Some of these airlines have software apps (like Southwest's "Ding!")
or mailing lists for the bargain hunter. Two or three weeks in
advance will often do -- especially if it is feasible for you to come
a bit earlier (you're probably staying long enough into January) so as
to miss the peak of holiday travel, when (a) it's always a zoo and (b)
the airlines don't have to offer bargains.
You might want to use these resources to get an idea of the
possibilities and then consult a travel agent who's familiar with the
US.
Enjoy your trip,
--Joe
SMS
> Howdy Campers,
>
> I'm currently planning a visit to Canada/US based to spend Christmas with a
> friend and New Years at Times Square based on the rough itinerary;
> 22nd Dec - Sydney to L.A.
> 23rd Dec - L.A. to Vancouver
> 29th Dec - Vancouver to New York
> 4th Jan - New York to Las Vegas
> 7th Jan - Las Vegas to Sydney (Via L.A.?)
Book the Sydney to L.A. round trip and then book the flights in North
America separately.
You might look into renting a car for Seattle to Vancouver and back if
your objective is to save money. The flights to/from Canada are likely
to be very pricey. There are also buses for about $55 each way.
Check out JetBlue who prices each segment of their flights separately
and doesn't charge extra for non-round trips. The downside of JetBlue is
if they cancel your flight and can't book you on another one of their
flights, they refund your money for the segment and leave you to
purchase a full fare, no-advance purchase, ticket on another airline.
Happened to my mother, and happens to quite a few people apparently.
Jeff Hacker
"Joey Hoffnaagle" <jo...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:hd64sd$mp0$1...@news.eternal-september.org...
America fares. Using Qantas and American, United, Air Canada, Continental,
and US Airways, or Delta, you should be able to put together an itinerary at
a tolerable airfare. An alternative might be a round-the-world fare using
one of the alliances and continuing eastbound all the way back to Sydney.
Based on your particular itinerary, I would suggest Star Alliance as
follows:
1. United from Sydney to LAX
2. United or Air Canada from LAX to Vancouver
3. Air Canada, US Airways, or United from Vancouver to New York (via
Toronto, Phoenix, or Chicago, respectively)
4. US Airways, United or Continental from New York to Las Vegas (via
Philadelphia or Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland or Houston depending on the
airline, then US Airways from Las Vegas to LAX and United home.
One nice thing about this type of itinearary is that they might have a
favorable Business Class option available, at least on the long haul
segments.
Have a great trip.
Jeff
A Mate
"Dan C" <youmust...@lan.invalid> wrote in message
news:pan.2009.11...@moria.lan...
Ad absurdum per aspera
> One nice thing about this type of itinerary is that they might have a
> favorable Business Class option available, at least on the long haul
> segments.
A good point -- I just spent a total of 14 hours on airplanes in the
course of a 22-hour-long (body time) travel day, in coach and most of
it on pretty full flights, which is quite common now that a lot of
airlines have cut back their capacity to meet lowered demand.
Fortunately most of this was on Air France, one of the airlines that
still act as though they appreciate your business, but nonetheless
the people forward of the curtain seemed to be having a better time.
By sticking to one alliance as much as you can, you also concentrate
your frequent-flyer miles instead of spreading them among several
places where you might never accumulate quite enough to use.
Something worth mentioning about the Vegas-LA (or really, Vegas-
anywhere) bit of the itinerary is that it has some of the most
flexible flight options. You can even take a bus to any number of
points in the LA area if you're yearning for a ground-level view of
the desert (well, okay, probably looks a lot like your own desert...)
and a better or at least different chance to meet people. Getting
you to and from Vegas, either on a planned basis or on the spur of the
moment (before your luck runs cold or the girl changes her mind about
marrying you or whatever), is a big business in the US, and there are
a lot of choices. Even a one-way car rental might not prove to be
completely silly if you'd rather try that.
Alas, I don't think the train service lasted long (1999-2001?) and
more-recent talk about a futuristic high-speed train was sidetracked
when the economy derailed. Amtrak offers some ability to book you
on that route, but AFAIK they just sell the ticket as part of their
overall service, and the actual trip occurs on a bus.
--Joe
Carthell
Note: your baggage will add a variable cost to your domestic flights
(except on Southwest,
which makes a point of not charging for baggage); be prepared to pay
at the airport. I have
yet to hear of a ground transport company that charges for baggage.
-d
Jeff Hacker
"Carthell" <dcart...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:6da0b99e-ca98-42a9...@f20g2000vbl.googlegroups.com...
-d
If the OP books the entire itinerary on one record, including a special fare
(i.e., Star Alliance / OneWorld visit North America, etc.), the entire
journey gets the international baggage allowance which is probably 2 free
bags.
Bill Barnes
"Jeff Hacker" <jha...@usa.net> wrote in message
news:JDGNm.19429$ET3....@newsfe17.iad...
We did SYD-LAX-ATL-ORF-ATL-HOU-ATL-LAX-SYD on Delta in October. The
stopover in Houston was for 4 days and for the travel from Norfolk to
Houston, we were charged for baggage even though it was on the same
itinerary.