A Rant on Airline Prices

[true_notes]

Hello All,

Another time for a gripefest from True_notes...

Today what pisses me off is the Airline Industry. I'll tell you why folks! Today, I was struck by the news that the United States Navy would not pay for my wife's trip back to the United States from Italy. Now, I'm just finishing my tour here in Italy up, and money is starting to get tight due to the huge ass trip I have to take back to the states.

So, not thinking it is any big deal, I decided to go to the internet (getting Italians to work for you is like pulling a rusty crank with needles on the handle). What I saw made my jaw drop. There wasn't a ticket below $1,500!

As an E-4, I simply cannot afford these tickets comfortably. So I call the airlines to confirm the prices and try to wedge a little military discount in, and low and behold, the prices went up from the time I viewed them online from the time I called the crooks.

So let me get this straight, my job, which pays me scant for being in an overseas locale will not even lend a hand in my situation, and corporate America won't, either.

Fuck I say!

Can anyone give any pointers on cheaper tickets?

[wakeme2008]

1. Buy a round-trip ticket

:)

I just is a Rome to NYC and got $530 on http://www.kayak.com/s/index.jsp in June.

Pick a return date three weeks or more out to meet all the silly rules.

[true_notes]

2. Wow

Thank you....hopefully it will revolve.

[wakeme2008]

3. Play with the day of week and a couple major US cities

But it is summer vacation and you will not get the really cheap flights like in winter. ie $300 round trip.

[true_notes]

4. This is what I got

2054 FCO > ATL
ATL > FCO KLM Royal Dutch 9:30a
4:22p 8:04p
3:05p 2 (16h 34m)
2 (16h 43m)
buy direct at: klm.com detailsemail this



$2054 FCO > ATL
ATL > FCO KLM Royal Dutch 9:30a
2:34p 8:04p
3:05p 2 (16h 34m)
2 (18h 31m)
buy direct at: klm.com detailsemail this



$2110 FCO > ATL
ATL > FCO British Airways 6:15p
6:25p 4:25p
5:30p 1 (28h 10m)
1 (17h 05m)
buy at: cheaptickets.com detailsemail thisall prices
$2110 buy at: cheaptickets.com
$2112 buy at: orbitz.com




$2143 FCO > ATL
ATL > FCO United /
Multiple Airlines 10:30a
12:40p 2:40p
9:25a 1 (34h 10m)
2 (14h 45m)
buy at: cheaptickets.com detailsemail this



$2165 FCO > ATL
ATL > FCO Multiple Airlines 6:55a
12:40p 2:40p
9:25a 1 (13h 45m)
2 (14h 45m)
buy at: cheaptickets.com detailsemail this



$2225 FCO > ATL
ATL > FCO Northwest /
Air France 6:20a
3:35p 1:50p
9:20a 1 (13h 30m)
1 (11h 45m)
buy at: orbitz.com detailsemail this



$2225 FCO > ATL
ATL > FCO Northwest /
Air France 6:20a
5:50p 1:50p
11:55a 1 (13h 30m)
1 (12h 05m)
buy at: orbitz.com detailsemail this



$2225 FCO > ATL
ATL > FCO Northwest /
Air France 6:20a
7:00p 1:50p
1:10p 1 (13h 30m)
1 (12h 10m)
buy at: orbitz.com detailsemail this



$2225 FCO > ATL
ATL > FCO Northwest /
Air France 6:20a
5:50p 1:50p
1:10p 1 (13h 30m)
1 (13h 20m)
buy at: orbitz.com detailsemail this



$2225 FCO > ATL
ATL > FCO Northwest /
Air France 6:20a
3:35p 1:50p
10:55a 1 (13h 30m)
1 (13h 20m)
buy at: orbitz.com detailsemail this



$2225 FCO > ATL
ATL > FCO Northwest /
Air France 6:20a
3:35p 1:50p
11:55a 1 (13h 30m)
1 (14h 20m)
buy at: orbitz.com detailsemail this



$2225 FCO > ATL
ATL > FCO Northwest /
Air France 6:20a
9:30p 1:50p
5:50p 1 (13h 30m)
1 (14h 20m)
buy at: orbitz.com detailsemail this



$2225 FCO > ATL
ATL > FCO Multiple Airlines /
Air France 8:55p
3:35p 1:50p
9:20a 1 (22h 55m)
1 (11h 45m)
buy at: orbitz.com detailsemail this

[wakeme2008]

12. Not knowing your dates but here is what I got

Rome, Italy to Atlanta, GA Tue 30 May 2006 – Tue 27 Jun 2006 / round-trip for 1




$862
FCO > ATL
ATL > FCO
Multiple Airlines 8:55p
5:05p 1:50p
12:40p 1 (22h 55m)
1 (13h 35m)
buy at: orbitz.com
detailsemail this


if I go out 30 days I for first flight I get

$728
FCO > ATL
ATL > FCO
Multiple Airlines /
Lufthansa 9:40a
4:30p 9:00p
12:20p 2 (17h 20m)
1 (13h 50m)


while it is a problem to get from airport to airport, Air Tran has a $79 NYC to Atlanta flight so it you find a cheap flight into NYC then that is one way to do it.

[Rabrrrrrr]

5. Of course you didn't give any dates, or cities,

so it's all guessworkf rom here, but a quick 3 minutes at travelocity found 6 flights from Rome to JFK between $762 to $984.

Another 2 minutes, found $314:

http://dps1.travelocity.com/airgchoice.ctl?SearchMethod=BestFareFinder&trip_option=roundtrp&dep_arp_cd(1)=fco&arr_arp_cd(1)=jfk&module=calendar&adult_pax_cnt=1&chld_pax_cnt=0&senior_pax_cnt=0&frontDoor=Y&departure_dt=May&arrival_dt=Jul&pref_aln=all&FromTF=true

[Skittles]

6. yes

we just got back from a trip to England and Italy last month and found a decent price (less than 400 bucks) by playing around in such sites

[Kellanved]

7. Try building your own connection

You should be able to get to Atlanta from Frankfurt or Munich for around €450 (+/- €100).
Even on relatively short notice (i.e. in May).

[BooScout]

8. Fly out of a different city....

Play with the dates a bit and fly out of a different city. For instance.........if she flies out of Amsterdam on May 30th roundtrip (to June 6th which you don't care about since she won't be using the backend of the ticket)....she can fly on NW direct to Atlanta for $503 USD. Amsterdam is a really cheap city to fly out of. She can take a train or maybe grab a cheap local flight into Amsterdam.

[Divernan]

9. Prices you find on Travelocity will be cheaper direct from airline.

For roundtrip to Ireland at end of May (and which I just booked last week), I started out checking Aer Lingus, which is usually cheaper to Ireland than many other airlines. With that as a comparative price, I searched via Travelocity, including option of traveling on alternate dates to and from same location for lower fares. That got the price down about $60. Found the best deal on Continental (also great for my frequent flyer deal with them. Went direct to Continental and requested same flights on same days and the price came down another $40 from Travelocity. Continental's search engine informed me even cheaper flights were available if I flew within 1 or 2 days. Hit that option and got the price down another $100, by staying in Ireland one extra day! I am departing US on a Sunday night and returning 8 days later (on Tuesday) round trip from Pittsburgh via Newark to Dublin, for $581.00 (+ 85 taxes/fees).
And since I'm going there to take a class in Law of the EU, a lot of the trip is a business expense/tax deduction!)

[BooScout]

10. Also....fly midweek.....Tuesday thru Thursday is usually cheapest. n/t

[dipsydoodle]

11. You need to book online

it's always cheaper that way and the sooner you do so the better - ticket prices escalate as time moves on toward necessary departure dates. It may also be worthwhile considering flying back from Paris for example. Check direct on the websites of the airlines and compare Alitalia with Airfrance for example. Yes - return flights always seem to work out cheaper.

[LostinVA]

13. Cheap hop to London will be $50 or less

Than a flight to DC, JFK, etc. can be relatively cheap from London. Chaeptickets.com, the airlines direct online, other consolidators -- lots of options for WAY WAY less than $1500. The Italy to London hop is not the quickest, but will be the cheapest. That's what I've always done.

[radwriter0555]

14. yes, check virgin atlantic 1 way fares from london. Take easyjet from

where-ever you can in italy to london to connect to Virgin Atlantic.

Should cost about half the price or possibly MAYBE less.

Keep in mind the airlines are being gouged by the oil and gas cartels too.

[DFW]

15. It wasn 't clear if you were looking for a one way or RT

There is also a new route on Delta out of Düsseldorf in Germany
nonstop to Atlanta. It just started service las month, so they may
be offering some cheap fares. There is also an airline that used to
be only charter but now also accepts reservations, also out of
Düsseldorf, but only to Los Angeles and New York. It is called LTU,
and they don't fly every day, but a friend of mine was on his way
home from Italy, and stopped off on Düsseldorf to see me, and I got
him a one way flight Düsseldorf to JFK for 200 Euros, about $260 now.

With tha US dollar in the crapper against the Euro these days (thank
you George), there will be a LOT of Europeans booking flights to the
USA this summer, so be as flexible as you can, but also as fast as you
can. I was looking to book a flight to Boston from Germany on a specific
day in July, and my wife and daughters and I will have to take different
routes to get there due to flights being filled up already!

[hoholli1]

16. Need more info...

Do you have PCS orders back to the States, or are you going TAD? Have you checked out MAC flights? If you can't get a MAC to the States, from Italy, try going through Germany. Flights from Germany to either Dover or Andrews arrive daily, if memory serves.

Are you going home on emergency leave? Navy, Marine Corps Relief will frequently help with loans. In extreme hardships, you might not be required to pay it back.

[Freedom_Aflaim]

17. Book ahead

Airline tickets are actually about as low as they ever have been. Even lower if you factor in fuel prices.

Booking at the last minute however, you WILL get screwed.

Tips (in rough order)

1) Book 3 weeks ahead
2) Book 3 weeks ahead (yes I repeated it)
3) Try different neighboring cities at both destination and departure. Sometimes an hour drive can cut a ticket price in half.
4) Try discounters like priceline.com
5) Get a friend with lots of FF miles to book a ticket for you and pay him a fair price. Back when I had alot of miles I would have loved to have been able to sell some.
6) Try booking 1 hop beyond. (i.e. RDU-CVG vs RDU-CVG-DAY)...that particular city combination, by booking an extra connection saves about 1/3 even though its an extra segment. You just get off at the 1st airport. Must bring luggage carryon
7) Try booking a roundtrip, although that rarely works anymore.


edit: Also play with the day of the week. Fri/Sun/Mon is usually the most expensive. Wednesday and Thursday usually the cheapest.