MsPerky

We are going out to Phoenix for a wedding in Nov. Normally, I just book airfares via the airline, but when I looked at USAIR's fare, it was $770!! That pretty much shocked me to Phoenix, even though I know the days of lower fares are g-o-n-e. So I'm considering alternatives. I do see some cheap airfare sites for as low as $490, but I know nothing about them. If you use these sites, which ones work and why? My SIL is the queen of low airfares, so I'll get some advice from her, too.

rwheelz

Kayak.com is a great site to check. I think it also runs expedia and priceline for you while you wait. Aside from this, I check with the cheapie airlines when possible: jet blue, allegiant, southwest etc.

Kyras

I look at the Auto Club website to get an idea of what it'll cost and who's flying where I need to go. I've read that Tuesday and Wednesday have lower prices and weekends are higher. Some airlines only sell on their own website, like JetBlue (I think) and Southwest (for sure), so I'll check them, too. I hate USAir and will never fly them again. I'll start looking early and watch the prices. I bought my flights for Spring Fling a couple weeks ago when I saw $359.70 for the round trip. I know from past experience that that's a great price.

Oh, I always book with the airline itself, once I decide who I'll fly with. If things get screwed up somehow, because of weather or late flights, I think you're better off finding alternative flights if you've booked directly with the airline's website rather than a travel website. Same with the rental cars. My flights for Spring Fling are with Continental/United.

dlq04

I generally prefer to drive than fly, so others may have better suggestions but here's my most notes:

Best plane cost site: http://www.sidestep.com
You don’t buy from them but they do the research for you to compare the major travel sites such as travelocity.com, priceline.com, expedia.com, etc.

Plane travel Best Deals: Rates: http://www.airfarewatchdog.com/

Reportedly best day to price search is Monday.

Reportedly best travel days for prices are Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday.

dlq04

I generally prefer to drive than fly, so others may have better suggestions but here's my most current notes:

Best plane cost site: http://www.sidestep.com
You don’t buy from them but they do the research for you to compare the major travel sites such as travelocity.com, priceline.com, expedia.com, etc.

Plane travel Best Deals: Rates: http://www.airfarewatchdog.com/

Reportedly best day to price search is Monday.

Reportedly best travel days for prices are Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday.

Scooterboy

Southwest may be your best bet. They have a ton of flights through Phoenix. They are not on any other travel site.

Matt_in_VA

As a former business traveler air fairs use to drive me crazy. My former employer based all of their business travel out of either Newark, NJ or Atlanta, GA which was the two corporate hubs. However, the group that I used to be attached too had the world wide rights to sell the niche product that I sold and supported and I live about twelve miles from Dulles International Airport (IAD) The corporate contract model did not work for me as Delta or Continental did not have hubs at IAD.

IMHO one of the keys to finding inexpensive fares is to seek out the airlines that have hubs at both the destination and arrival airports. The next clue is to find an airport that is a hub that is geographically close to where you are going. For example: If one is going to fly from Washington DC's (IAD) to Montgomery, AL the only carrier that flies into Montgomery is Delta. The last that I checked one can fly from IAD to Hawaii for a less expensive fare than to Montgomery. So, considering that one may need a rental car in Montgomery it is less expensive to fly from IAD to ATL and then pick up one's rental car in ATL. Almost always there is about an hour wait for the connecting flight. It is about a ninety minute drive from ATL to downtown Montgomery. So after everything is said and done, it one flies into ATL and picks up a rental car and drives the rest of the way to Montgomery, AL with out the lay over one will arrive there at about or before the same time and save several hundred dollars in the process.

dlq04

Matt, I believe you are right on that hub thing. Big savings. We don't fly that often, so switching flights at a hub, waiting, and risking the loss of luggage and all, we normally just bite the bullet and go non-stop to where ever. But when we have done hub to hub, it was a nice savings.

Kyras

^I can never fly non-stop from Orange County traveling to the east.

Matt_in_VA

Patricia,

I know, From the airport with three names? Orange County, John Wayne and Santa Ana one is pretty much locked int ot American through DFW to IAD. But as IAD is not an American hub the price is not going to be the lowest.

Have you looked into LAX to IAD via UAL ? Both are United hubs. If you don't mind driving up the 405 depending on your flight time it may be worth while.