All aboard
I need help from etherf@rm viewers.
Usually my way to deal with the evil fall daylight savings time change is to ponder my travel possibilities for December. Last year I drove to New Orleans, the year before to Illinois, the year before to Spain and Morocco.
This year I’d like to go back to India, but I’m having a hell of time trying to find tickets. It would appear that all the airlines aren’t taking new passengers until the very end of December, and I’d like to leave around Dec. 10 (come back around Jan. 2). Does anyone have tips on how to find tickets in a situation like this? I can fly out of SFO, LAX, or Chicao (ORD) and I don’t really care where I land in India, since I’ll probably just hop a train to the nearest family member.
If indeed tickets are unavailable, I’m going to smack the next white girl I see who’s drinking a chai, doing yoga, and/or sporting a bindi.
Help?
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4 responses
Comment posted at 09:19 on Thursday, October 30, 2003
If you have a ticket budget in mind, are soft on travel dates, and flexible with airports … as it appears you are … I’d do PRICELINE (http://www.priceline.com/).
If you’re not familiar with the service, it’s pretty straight-forward. Figure out target dates for travel to and from your destination, choose a departure city and a destination, then calculate a standard ticket rate. If tickets are plentiful, I’d check with Orbitz to get a feeling for the going rate.
Go to Priceline.
Enter a date in the middle of your departure range, a date from the middle of your return range, a city for departure (be sure to click that you’re willing to leave from any airport in the area!) and likewise a destination.
You’ll be given some options such as whether you’re willing to leave/arrive at un-godly hours (I always say “yes”), and whether you’re willing to have layovers (a definite “yes”).
Now enter your price : enter a price about 20% below the price you came up with.
You will now enter your credit card information.
If Priceline’s computers can find tickets that meet your specifications, they charge your card and BANG! you’re in.
Remember : travel is for a given calendar date, you don’t specify time; also, these tickets are etched in stone. Be sure you’re willing to travel within the parameters you’ve set!
If Priceline’s computers can’t find a match, they’ll encourage you to fiddle with your settings … specifically encouraging you to up your price.
If you’re game, up it (a little). But remember : you can enter a different itinerary (composed of different departure city or different destination) immediately; and you can re-enter the same itinerary within a week or so … so stick to your guns (within reason).
Anyway, I love flying through Priceline.
I’ve even been able to purchase upgrades at the check-in counter (depending on the carrier) for $40 that got me into first class.
: )
Anyway, e-mail me if you have questions.
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Comment posted at 09:25 on Thursday, October 30, 2003
Wow! Thanks, I’ll give it a shot.
update: consider the shot shot. Both priceline and STA travel report that India is pretty much the worst place for ticket buyers looking to leave in December. I think I’ll have to consider a plan B.
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jon
Comment posted at 10:07 on Friday, October 31, 2003
you could try hotwire, http://www.hotwire.com. same idea, but instead of bidding, they show you available prices without
exact itinerary or carrier. (they tell you travel days.) then you pay the nonrefundable price and they reveal your travel details.
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big dipper
Comment posted at 18:03 on Friday, October 31, 2003
I’ve never done this, but: When I was a whee college kid, way before patriot actors and associates, you could register to be a courier. You specify your two cities and maybe date windows, and if anything matches up, you get “hired” to take a package to another airport. The attraction back then was extremely cheap, like free to minimal, fares to overseas destinations. A quick search of SFweekly and Village voice online classifieds yielded me nothing, but you are much better at this internet thing than I am. Who knows? Good luck.
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