xbones7480 Posted March 3, 2008 Share Posted March 3, 2008 So i'm trying to book a flight for next weekend. What is the best way to do this for those who have been through this process before, i haven't, so i don't know any tricks or tips that some of you vets might have.I'm trying to book a flight from North Carolina, to Texas, for the crossmen camp. The lowest price i can get round trip is $472. Does it REALLY cost that much to fly?, it just seems crazy in my opinion. Email Jarrett Lipman at jarrett@crossmen.org I think the corps has a shuttle bus from Houston to SA that will bring you to camp. That might save you some money if you dont' have to fly into SA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EndzoneEric Posted March 3, 2008 Share Posted March 3, 2008 Email Jarrett Lipman at jarrett@crossmen.org I think the corps has a shuttle bus from Houston to SA that will bring you to camp. That might save you some money if you dont' have to fly into SA. Ditto. I fly tens of thousands of miles a year for business, and San Antonio is an expensive place to fly into, pretty much regardless of wherever you're coming from and generally regardless of how early you book. It does make sense, however, to plan ahead as far as possible whenever you're traveling by air. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leadtrumpet44 Posted March 3, 2008 Share Posted March 3, 2008 I used Kayak.com to book every one of my flights from Philadelphia to Oakland for BD camps for the past 2 years.. http://www.kayak.com/s/flights.jsp?searchi...;completed=true Kayak has your flight starting at 296.00.. flying multiple airlines.. leaving on a Thursday and coming home on a Monday. In order to get rock bottom flights, sometimes you need to leave a day early and come home a day late :) good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linda Slocum Posted March 3, 2008 Share Posted March 3, 2008 Just a thought... see if any of your friends/family have skymiles that you can use for this last-minute flight. Even if you have to "buy" the miles from them for the price of a standard ticket, it's cheaper than paying the last-minute airline rates. For future trips... Join ALL of the free mileage programs for airlines that fly into the desired airports. Quite often they'll email out discount codes that aren't available to the general public. Check Midwest, Northwest, Southwest for discounts. American Airlines also has a little widget that you can install that will alert you when the desired flight is available - you set locations, date, and desired price. Kayak.com is pretty good for comparison shopping, but not always 100% accurate. Also, if you use credit cards, apply for those attached to airlines that you use. Southwest's Visa program is pretty generous... they send you a round-trip flight coupon every time you qualify. They also fly into San Antonio. It's cheapest to book at least 21 days in advance. If you're flying out on Memorial Day Weekend for move-ins, then it's best to book soon as those cheaper seats will fill up fast. Same with flying home from Indy unless you wait an extra day or two - that airport will be pretty packed with all of the members, family and other spectators all flying out on the same day. Along with charging a $25 fee for extra bags, airlines are starting to consolidate flights, meaning that there will be fewer "cheap seats" and skymiles seats available. Booking early will become much more important as these consolidations continue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Boo Posted March 3, 2008 Share Posted March 3, 2008 Email Jarrett Lipman at jarrett@crossmen.org I think the corps has a shuttle bus from Houston to SA that will bring you to camp. That might save you some money if you dont' have to fly into SA. www.southwest.com, flying in after 6:00p on Friday from Raleigh/Durham and leaving after 6:00p on Sunday from Houston. 2554/1412 7:30am 11:15am BNA/1 4:45 $313 $293 first column Business Select, second just Business 3855/40 9:30am 3:35pm 1 stop 7:05 $313 $293 1229/42 9:45am 3:55pm 1 stop 7:10 $313 $293 447/46 12:45pm 5:05pm 1 stop 5:20 $313 $293 3925/3665 2:15pm 7:25pm 1 stop 6:10 $313 $293 3919/224 4:45pm 8:55pm 2 stops 5:10 $313 $293 1417 7:25pm 10:30pm 1 stop 4:05 $313 $293 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guard Diva Posted March 3, 2008 Share Posted March 3, 2008 yes . . .the key to getting cheap flights is to book early (like very early!!!). . not always.....I looked on Thursday of last week for tickets to Minnesota for the St Peter/South St. Paul weekend and to Rochester for DCA in AUGUST (5 months from now)..............we're still lookling at between 350 and 450. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted March 3, 2008 Share Posted March 3, 2008 I use a trial-and-error method when it comes to tickets. 1. I check kayak.com to see what's available for where I need to go. 2. I check the websites of the airlines listed to see if it's cheaper than what kayak.com says. 3. If that still looks too expensive, I'll check the price against some airlines that don't show prices on kayak like Southwest airlines. 4. My usual last resort is to see if I can find the tickets I want on studentuniverse.com because that's a great website for college students. If all of the above options seem too expensive still, think creatively. Are there any major cities nearby you can fly out of or into instead? What about taking a bus? Can you carpool to an airport where someone else is flying and see if that's cheaper? I've gotten to camps in many different ways -- it just required some thought and coordination. Sometimes the cosmos just have to align. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R.A.M. Posted March 3, 2008 Share Posted March 3, 2008 If you are returning for the next camps and move-in (and I hope you are), sign up for Southwest's DING and e-mail alerts. Last week I received alerts for non-stop flights to/from Raleigh Durham (and other airports) for travel in April/May/June booked a month or more in advance for $49/$59 each way, so you just have to stay alert. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lafalot Posted March 4, 2008 Share Posted March 4, 2008 www.southwest.com, flying in after 6:00p on Friday from Raleigh/Durham and leaving after 6:00p on Sunday from Houston.2554/1412 7:30am 11:15am BNA/1 4:45 $313 $293 first column Business Select, second just Business 3855/40 9:30am 3:35pm 1 stop 7:05 $313 $293 1229/42 9:45am 3:55pm 1 stop 7:10 $313 $293 447/46 12:45pm 5:05pm 1 stop 5:20 $313 $293 3925/3665 2:15pm 7:25pm 1 stop 6:10 $313 $293 3919/224 4:45pm 8:55pm 2 stops 5:10 $313 $293 1417 7:25pm 10:30pm 1 stop 4:05 $313 $293 I love Southwest..... just keep in mind that these are ONE-WAY fares...so, the round-trip price on these is $586 to $626. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Boo Posted March 4, 2008 Share Posted March 4, 2008 I love Southwest..... just keep in mind that these are ONE-WAY fares...so, the round-trip price on these is $586 to $626. Oh, geez, I hadn't noticed that even though I put in for a round-trip, I didn't copy the bottom part from the website. Thanks for pointing that out. For some reason, there is less availability returning than flying there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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