Confessions of a YYC Travel Junkie

[cmyden]

Expedia promo to Vegas. Not as interesting as last year, but still interesting.

Those of you that have been following my posts for nearly a year might remember the Expedia flub last November that lead to packages to Vegas for as cheap as $19/person after taxes & fees for flight + hotel packages from all across Canada.

Unfortunately, Expedia didn't make the same mistake this year, but they do have a pretty interesting promo out at the moment where you can get $200 back on packages to Vegas, in the form of a pre-paid Mastercard that they send you in the mail.



Here's the link with the details:

http://www.expedia.ca/p/promos/sale-vegas-baby.htm

It really only gets interesting on packages that are 6 nights (or more) where they'll send you a pre-paid Mastercard for $200 *after* your travel is completed.

Let's say you're a couple heading to Vegas. Each of you could book a package separately and each receive a $200 card.

Here's an example from Calgary:

1. Go to http://www.expedia.ca

2. Select 'Flight + Hotel'. Change the number of adults to '1'. Search for a package from Calgary to Las Vegas from November 16 to November 22. Hit Search.

3. Sort the results by price. What you're looking for now are the packages that are valid for you to receive the $200 pre-paid Mastercard from Expedia. You can find those by looking beside the green 'Expedia Extras' icon.

Here's an example:



Do you see where it says 'Book now and receive a $200 prepai...' ? This means the package is valid to receive the $200 pre-paid Mastercard from Expedia. You can look for other hotel packages that have the same message.

So essentially, the package is now costing you $249 after taxes for flight + hotel. ($449 - $200). That's assuming the pre-paid Mastercard is as useful as cash to you when it arrives. (It can be used anywhere Mastercard is accepted)

Your partner or friend could now do the same thing, booking their own package for one person to the same hotel on the same dates, and receiving $200 back as well. You end up with 2 rooms, but that's fine, you just don't check in to one of them. No, the hotel doesn't care, they've already been paid by Expedia. You just make their life easier, it's one less room to clean. Or you can go ahead and check in to both rooms if you want, it doesn't matter.

In fact, you don't need to check into the room at all, and can just use this as a cheap flight to Vegas. At $249 after taxes that's over 30% cheaper than the cheapest flights alone are to Vegas from Calgary these days. Again, using just the flight portion of your package and ditching the hotel is completely fine. Nobody says you *have* to check into your hotel when buying a package.

What made the deal so great last year was that it was $300 off (per person) with no minimum number of nights required to get those savings, and the savings were instant rather than having to wait for them in the mail. Alas, no such luck this year.

But still, for someone looking for a very cheap package to Vegas, or even just a cheap flight to Vegas (via a package) this could definitely be worth a look.

[tvp2003]

Quick question -- short of getting into a car and driving to Montana, is flying to Vegas generally the cheapest way to get to a city in the US from Calgary (not including that charter to Wendover, Nevada)?

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by tvp2003

Quick question -- short of getting into a car and driving to Montana, is flying to Vegas generally the cheapest way to get to a city in the US from Calgary (not including that charter to Wendover, Nevada)?

In terms of flying to *any* U.S. city, there were flights to Seattle this year for $272 roundtrip after taxes.

http://www.yycdeals.com/calgary-to-s...trip-after-tax

I believe those were the cheapest flights to the U.S. available this year from Calgary if I'm recalling correctly, if you don't count the current Expedia deal to Vegas.

Generally Vegas hits bottom at around $350-$450 roundtrip after taxes these days. Direct and on the weekends it's closer to $550-$600.

There were the occasional flights to Chicago that dropped on United by about 50% to the $300s this year.

As a general overall rule though, the cheapest U.S. cities to get to are in the range of $350-400ish roundtrip after taxes, and include:

Los Angeles
Orange County
San Francisco
Las Vegas
Phoenix
Palm Springs
Orlando (and sometimes Miami)
San Diego


http://www.yycdeals.com/map

^^ Go there and click on <$400 - that'll show them all at the current time.

[Sidney Crosby's Hat]

Originally Posted by cmyden

Expedia promo to Vegas. Not as interesting as last year, but still interesting.

To save even more money (I did this last year), if you really aren't going to use the extra room, check the box that says "I only need a hotel for part of my trip" and reduce that down from six days to one day. Your package deals will be cheaper, some significantly cheaper.

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by Sidney Crosby's Hat

To save even more money (I did this last year), if you really aren't going to use the extra room, check the box that says "I only need a hotel for part of my trip" and reduce that down from six days to one day. Your package deals will be cheaper, some significantly cheaper.

I think Expedia might have wised up with this one. I believe in the fine print it mentions that the $200 savings has to come from the hotel portion of the package. Could maybe bring it down to 3 days though if the hotel is normally $70/night.

[Sidney Crosby's Hat]

Originally Posted by cmyden

I think Expedia might have wised up with this one. I believe in the fine print it mentions that the $200 savings has to come from the hotel portion of the package. Could maybe bring it down to 3 days though if the hotel is normally $70/night.

That's too bad. I flew to Vegas for $47 last year!

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by Sidney Crosby's Hat

That's too bad. I flew to Vegas for $47 last year!

Beat me by $30 !

I think the record was $19. Or free for the people from Vancouver that flew out of Bellingham. Some people in the U.S. had to actually add show tickets to their package to bring the total up to $0 from negative dollars.

[fundmark19]

I was 32! But I only used it for a 26 hour bender due to work constraints

[rd_aaron]

cmyden,

We're looking at going to Mexico (4 star all inclusive.. not too picky about city) over New Years. We're looking at leaving around Dec 27-29. I realize this is probably the most expensive time of the year to go, but it's basically the only time of the year that works for everyone (6-8 people going).

When this time of the year is the most expensive, can we expect to see prices drop as we get closer to the date like most chartered vacations do, or is the demand so high that prices will remain high? We'd be comfortable booking a 4 star at around $1300-$1400.

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by rd_aaron

cmyden,

We're looking at going to Mexico (4 star all inclusive.. not too picky about city) over New Years. We're looking at leaving around Dec 27-29. I realize this is probably the most expensive time of the year to go, but it's basically the only time of the year that works for everyone (6-8 people going).

When this time of the year is the most expensive, can we expect to see prices drop as we get closer to the date like most chartered vacations do, or is the demand so high that prices will remain high? We'd be comfortable booking a 4 star at around $1300-$1400.

Hi Aaron,

It's never possible to truly predict what will happen, but in general prices over Christmas and around New Years tend to start out high and stay that way.

I don't recall there being anything interesting at all last year in terms of price movement over the holidays. This year even non-peak periods seem to be higher than usual, with less amazing deals from the Canadian tour operators in my opinion.

It's an odds game really. Is there a chance prices could come down for the holidays? Sure, but it would definitely shock me, just like it would shock me if the Winnipeg Jets won the Stanley Cup this year.

If there were any significant price cuts it would likely be to just one specific package to a specific resort on a specific date. The best odds for a drop would likely be something leaving on New Year's Eve.

Leaving Christmas Day and coming back New Year's Day would be another one with higher odds of a drop. (Who wants to leave on Christmas Day and come back on Hangover day? Not as many people of course, and lowered demand = better chance of good prices)

Christmas/New Years isn't just a peak period, it's a whole different level beyond that.

Have you taken a look at the Royal Decameron down in Puerto Vallarta? It's at $1378/person after taxes leaving on NYE.

To give an idea of the Christmas/NYE premium, the Decameron is at $850-950 in early to mid December, and it's not uncommon for it to drop to $700ish or slightly below.

And that's one of the better 'deals' !

[cmyden]

Maybe this one would work for you Aaron, if you could convince people to leave on Christmas Day. It leaves about $962/person in the budget, or about $274/night for each couple to share a room at an all inclusive resort.

Christmas to New Years Day flight to Cancun - $438 roundtrip after taxes

$438 roundtrip after taxes isn't the cheapest flight I've ever seen to Cancun, but the important factor here is that it's a Christmas/New Year's flight.

All the time, people understandably want to know if there are deals to be had around Christmas or New Year's, and I try to explain to them that it's unbelievably rare to see a deal to *anywhere* at Christmas, never mind the infinitesimally low odds that a great deal will arise to the one destination they have in mind.

It's the one or two weeks of the year where virtually everyone has enough holiday time to take a holiday together, which means demand is exponentially increased, while supply remains exactly the same. Anyone that's taken Econ 101 can tell you what that means. It's the invisible hand at work, keeping prices sky high all around.

So here we have a flight that in the context of any other date range wouldn't be overly extraordinary. It would be a very good price mind you, ever so slightly below the usual bottom price from Calgary to Cancun of around $450-$500ish. But in the context of Christmas, it shines much brighter.

To find it, try this search:

http://www.kayak.com/flights/#YYC-CU...-flexible-1day

screenshot:



Let's note the other airlines, and what they're charging for Christmas flights, roundtrip after taxes:

Continental: $875
Air Canada: $879
United: $937
Westjet: $961
Delta: $1523

And here we have Air Transat, offering up a flight for almost exactly 50% of the next cheapest airline.

To note, if you click through from Kayak to Air Transat's site you'll find that booking through AirTransat.ca is going to cost $1189! So instead, click through to Expedia, or Travelocity, or Orbitz who are all displaying it at $430ish.

Why is that? It just happens sometimes, and it's definitely not the first time I've seen it happen with Air Transat and the major booking sites. In fact, I often see the reverse as well, where AirTransat.ca is cheaper than the major booking sites. It usually pays to try both.

I will also note that this Christmas flight is just an example. Air Transat seems to have dropped their flights throughout November, December, January, February, and March. Try a 3 day flexible date search on Kayak to find them.

November search example:

http://www.kayak.com/flights/#YYC-CU...-flexible-1day

January:

http://www.kayak.com/flights/#YYC-CU...-flexible-1day

February:

http://www.kayak.com/flights/#YYC-CU...-flexible-1day

March:

http://www.kayak.com/flights/#YYC-CU...-flexible-1day

April:

http://www.kayak.com/flights/#YYC-CU...-flexible-1day

The other nice thing about these flights is that they're all direct each way.

[fundmark19]

This brings back the age old question of how can we pack this into an all inclusive?

[cmyden]

The Dec 25 to Jan 1 flight has now sold out, but a Dec 27 to Jan 1 flight is still available...

http://www.kayak.com/flights/#YYC-CU...12-31-flexible

[cmyden]

Huge fare war from Calgary to Amsterdam - $616 roundtrip after taxes - affecting fares up to May 2012

There's a huge fare war to Amsterdam (AMS) going on at the moment. You do see the occasional charter flight on Air Transat to Amsterdam that drops down to this level, but it's extremely rare to see nearly all the major airlines drop a price to Europe like this that affects such a large range of dates.

They look to have dropped the price of most flights that occur between now and mid-May 2012.



Here's how to find them...

1. Go to http://www.kayak.com

2. Do a 3 day flexible date search for a roundtrip flight from Calgary to Amsterdam that occurs between now and May 15, 2012.

3. The airlines involved in this fare war appear to be Air Canada, United/Continental, Lufthansa, American Airlines, and possibly others. Some of the flights have good routings, some don't.

What you want to do after your search on Kayak is click on the dropdown menu beside 'Sort' and choose 'Duration (short to long)'.

Next, you'll want to use the price slider on the left hand side and bring it down to $650 or so. Now you're looking at the fastest flights that are under $650 roundtrip after taxes.

Here's an example search in May 2012 to get you started:

http://www.kayak.com/flights/#YYC-AM...05-16-flexible

screenshot:



Of course you can also use this as a 'gateway' flight to get somewhere else cheaply in Europe. Plenty of low-cost carriers have flights from Amsterdam.

[cmyden]

Westjet announces no more minimum $1500 spend to earn rewards - nice!

link: http://www.westjet.com/guest/en/rewards/index.shtml

We've removed the $1500 annual qualifying spend requirement.
You read that right. We listened to your feedback and have eliminated the requirement to spend $1500 each qualifying year before you can begin receiving WestJet dollars. Now all members can earn
right away, starting with the first flight flown or WestJet Vacations package taken.

For WestJet flights, earning starts at 1% and increases to 2.5%.
Each qualifying year, you'll begin by earning 1% back in WestJet dollars on eligible spend* between $1 and $1499. Once you reach $1500 in annual qualifying spend**, you'll receive a bonus of $35***
– for a total of $50 WestJet dollars. Even more, your earning rate will increase to 2.5% and will continue at that rate for the remainder of your qualifying year.

For WestJet Vacations® packages, earning starts at 0.5% and increases to 1%...on the entire
package price^.
Each qualifying year, you'll begin by earning 0.5% back in WestJet dollars on your WestJet Vacations packages. Once you reach $1500 in annual qualifying spend on WestJet flights, your earning rate
for WestJet Vacations packages will increase to 1% and will continue at that rate for the remainder of your qualifying year. Earn WestJet dollars for flights, hotel, car rentals or activities that
you purchase as part
of your package.

How does this affect my account?
If your current qualifying spend is between $1 and $1499, a credit of 1% in WestJet dollars for WestJet flights will be posted to your account. Watch for your new WestJet dollars balance on the
account update issued in early December. You'll then continue to earn and receive WestJet dollars at the rates provided above.

If you are currently over $1500 in qualifying spend you will not see any immediate change. You will continue to earn at 2.5% for WestJet flights and 1% for WestJet Vacations for the rest of your
current qualifying year, with WestJet dollars posted to your account within 30 days of completion of travel.

Redeem as little as $25 WestJet dollars or as many as you like.
You'll need to use a minimum of $25 WestJet dollars at one time when redeeming for WestJet flights or WestJet Vacations packages. However you can now use as many as you like towards the purchase of
a WestJet Vacations package – we've removed the maximum redemption amount!

The thing I've always liked about Westjet's reward program is there's no stupid BS to go through when redeeming. You get Westjet dollars, and they can be used on any Westjet flight, plain and simple.

No going through a stupid Aeroplan interface trying to figure out what flights are and aren't available.

[Ozy_Flame]

Which means that Aeroplan better shape up soon to compete - this is actually good news for Aeroplan users as well.

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

Which means that Aeroplan better shape up soon to compete - this is actually good news for Aeroplan users as well.

Aeroplan has a terrible cludgy IT system, and they charge huge bs "fuel surcharges" on any redemption on air canada. But they also have way more options.

I have a booking for 2 business class tickets to Venice coming up, and granted I had to save the points to get it, but Westjet dollars can't get me anything close to that.

[something]

I tried doing the search listed above for YYC to AMS. The best prices I got were from 1000$

Have the sale prices vanished since you posted that? Will they be likely to return?

I did your search, but I also searched from March 9th to May 9th (my preferred dates - although there is some flexibility).

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by something

I tried doing the search listed above for YYC to AMS. The best prices I got were from 1000$

Have the sale prices vanished since you posted that? Will they be likely to return?

I did your search, but I also searched from March 9th to May 9th (my preferred dates - although there is some flexibility).

Unfortunately most of the airlines put them all back up today. AA still has some of the cheap ones around, but only up to the end of March. May want to try AA.com directly, people were reporting cheap ones on there even when Kayak said there wasn't.

This one was actually around since Saturday, but I was away traveling and wasn't able to report it until Monday. Unfortunately that didn't give people a whole lot of time to think about it.

[morgin]

Just got confirm of my holiday time off today (23rd tp 2nd). Need to book YYC to YVR. Is holidays going to be holidays, or is there a historical trned of the blue tag sales on westjet that would make those flights cheaper?