calling all "mbers" and i know there are lots of them here... as you ALL know gekko and i plan to get together very very soon... our plans are actually for 2 weeks. i had checked into flights not too too long ago and roundtrips were looking like about 400's range. well, now they are in the 700's and higher range! wtf? and why? sooo....

does ANYONE have any ideas or websites to go to for reasonably priced airline tickets? i cannot believe they have gone up 300 plus dollars. i do not understand that. we have done the expedia, travelocity, priceline, etc.. all with the same results.

ANY INPUT IS APPRECIATED! or, maybe one of you mbers have a private plane and would be willing to fly a fellow mb member somewhere??? <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

thanks! mlhb

hmmmm...there's a discount airline that goes from nyc to atl...think it's either song or spirit?
plus airtran does cheaper flights...gotta be at least a few weeks out though.

you can also try priceline and bid for flights at price YOU want to pay but you gotta be flexible within a day or two and with time. good deals that way. when school kicks back in, flights should go down a bit more.

thanks peachy, will look into those... he is coming here actually. and not into nyc... i am pretty far from nyc. we did priceline too, but cannot chance what the flight times, etc, might be. we are a little flexible but not too much.

but i do appreciate your input!
hope you are having a better weekend.
mlhb

Most fares are lower the earlier you buy. Two weeks in advance will get you a price break in many cases. But, if you try to walk up and buy on the day of the flight, you will pay the highest price. There are some exceptions, so use Orbitz, Expedia, or Travelocity rather than the airline's web site.

Also, try alternative airports. For example, if you were going to New York, Don't specify Lagardia, try "NYC" as the destination, and the system will check Lagardia, JFK and Newark - and you might find a much cheaper flight to Newark. Even then, you might find a cheaper flight to McArthur airport on Long Island, and you have to search for that explicitly.

For me, it is often cheaper to drive 100 miles from home to a different airport - even with the parking fees in some cases.

Some airlines (SW) are not booked through the three agencies I listed, so you have to check their sites directly.

-AD

It's a pity Independence Air went bankrupt. They had some cheap flights into White Plains and such places.

When I was married we traveled a lot to fun places. <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> Some of the sites we used were QUIXO and Side Step (which compares rates in a mega-search) in addition to all the obvious ones. Additionally, don't forget to check out each separate airline, as sometimes their prices beat what's posted on the travel sites. Just typing this is making me think maybe I should find a 'traveling companion', LOL. Happy traveling!

It's cheaper if you schedule flights at least a month in advance. Once you pass the two week point, tickets almost double in price. I will usually check the online services like expedia and orbitz for a week or two before I buy tickets. Orbitz has better comparisons for flexible dates. Tickets bought online are usually cheaper. Sometimes I'll then save $20-30 by then booking the flight directly through the airline's web site. I've also noticed that prices on the same flights are higher at the beginning of the week and are usually cheapest if bought on Wed or Thurs. Travel dates & times can make a big difference as well. American and Air Tran consistantly have the best prices for me in the DFW area, but it depends on what airport you are flying out of.

ok, i get it, gekko is a dumb jerk for waiting so late to book the flight. the reason i waited until now is we canceled and put back on this time to meet two or three times due to our final hearings being delayed and rescheduled. it was impossible to plan this until recently

i have friend of a friend who is trying to run me down a buddy pass. if not i will try the sites again and see if standby flights are cheaper

thx for the help so far

I've heard of www.kayak.com but have never used them.

If you get to the wire and haven't booked it, there's always the last minute fares the airlines email out on Tuesdays. Since all airlines go to NYC, I'm sure one of them would have the weekend special. Requirements are to leave on a Sat. and return Sun, Mon. or Tuesday.

MLHB, where are you? I didnt' realize you are in the area. I'm in Western NJ.

i am no where near NJ.. I am in upstate NY.. mlhb

Almost my neighbor <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />, have a good trip, and the best time!

I searched Expedia - ATL ->WhitePlains->ATL Aug 24-29.
$244 round trip.

-AD

ad, you are awesome for looking for us.... BUT.... sadly, those dates do not work for us. darn! But thank you. The 18th-20th is what we are looking at and/or maybe the 1st-3rd of sept.

thank you and thanks everyone so far! mlhb

mlhb,

Searching for airline tickets is a kind of hobby or minor addiction for me.
I'll stop now.

-AD

I have the same "hobby as [color:"blue"] AD [/color] , LOL. Using AirFareWatchDog I found RT tickets from ATL to HPN for $150. Travel to be taken by Nov. 16, purchase by tomorrow (at least 7 days prior to boarding) and travel any day except Friday or Sunday. You will be hard pressed to find seats anywhere on Sept. 1-3, that's Labor Day weekend.

This site updates DAILY and is a 'Deep Link' provider so you need to check it each day, and the flight discounts and routes change that often.

If I can't find anywhere to go (or someone who wants to travel) then at least maybe I can help you!

you guys are awesome trying to help us out... it is nice to know gekko and i have some "mb" supporters out there! the deal is this... our time frame is a fri-sunday. it is aug 18-20. sounds like if we could be more flexible we could find some good deals though!

we'll see if gekko checks up on this, maybe he can watch that site you mention avondale.

and hey, both of you, i can think of worse things to be addicted to. finding great flights... pretty safe addiction!

mlhb

Here you go!

http://www.airtran.com/sale/ATL.aspx

2-day sale, Airtran ATL/WhitePlains $69 each way.

supposedly...

But I checked Aug 18-20 and got $234 EACH WAY.
Sept 5-7 get's the $69 fare which comes to $158 RT (incl. tax).

Avondale's deal sounds a little better.

-AD

$234 each way is not too bad actually... but... i live no where near white plains. not even sure how to get there. already have lodging reservations for albany, ny which is where gekko will fly into. so we are looking at either flying out of atlanta or athens GA, and into albany,NY...

if you still feel obsessed about checking flights, there are the locals and you have the dates ;-)

there's your challenge ad!
go for it!
mlhb