Confessions of a YYC Travel Junkie

[cmyden]

Calgary to Montego Bay, Jamaica - $465 CDN

Jan 1 - Jan 8

This is on Air Transat, but I'm only seeing this price at http://www.flightnetwork.com Far more expensive on AirTransat's site.

Pretty good price, the next best I can see for January to MBJ is $667 USD

Also available for the same price from Vancouver.

cM

[drewboy12]

Originally Posted by Mike Oxlong

I know this is planning WAY ahead but 4 of us are heading down to Vegas for the WSOP from May 27 and coming back the 31st.

We want to stay at the MGM Grand.
Best Deal we have found so far is $685 on expedia.ca which is way better than I can find anywhere.

Only issue is the return flight leaves Vegas at 9:35 and gets into Calgary at 12:44.
I was hoping to get the flight that leaves Vegas at 2:05 goes through Vancouver and arrives in Calgary around 8:30.
(Expedia isn't offering it as an option which is weird)

Does anyone know if I can change to that other flight through westjet later if I have already booked with Expedia? (Both flights show the same price on the West Jet site)

Are we better off to wait for a better deal closer to the date? I just don't know if this will get any better or not.

I know they make it almost impossible to change flights and such after you book. Could be a huge hassle, or end up costing you more money... wait for a seat sale, and get that, then pay for the hotel separate.

[cmyden]

Calgary to Montego Bay, Jamaica - $375 CDN

Same one as posted yesterday, but the price dropped even further today!

Jan 1 - Jan 8

Only seeing this price at http://www.flightnetwork.com

Not sure if it's a mistake or what. Apparently it's a direct flight.

cM

[UKflames]

Originally Posted by cmyden

^^^ better idea for sure, flight is the same price. Any idea how much EasyJet charges for bringing ski equipment? I can't imagine it's too cheap.

I've never had the chance to ski/board over in Europe, would love to give it a try. I like how you can just ski from one resort/town/country! to another in some areas.

We were in Chamonix in June and it looks like it would be an incredible experience in the winter.

Working out the baggage for Easyjet can be a bit tricky but you are best to add it when booking because they charge more to add it to the booking at the airport.

You mention Chamonix, which is part of the three valleys, and you can indeed ski between a dozen different resorts, although you have make sure you leave yoiurself enough time to get home at the end of the day, there over 1000 km's of piste.

[cmyden]

Calgary to Las Vegas + Hotel - $335 CDN

Dec 17-20, Imperial Palace.

This one is notable because it's a Thursday - Sunday package. Usually the cheap prices are only Monday-Wednesday.

The Imperial Palace isn't a palace, but it's decent, and it's in a great location.

Found at http://www.flightcentre.ca

Direct link to package: http://tinyurl.com/yz988ly

Just noticed the Flamingo is also available for $325 CDN.

cM

[FCAV]

I fly out of Calgary on the 24th and return the 25th (long time away, I know!). I'm keeping my vehicle at the airport. What's the best option for parking?

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by FCAV

I fly out of Calgary on the 24th and return the 25th (long time away, I know!). I'm keeping my vehicle at the airport. What's the best option for parking?

http://www.calgaryairport.com/default.aspx?cid=300 $24

Or if you want something cheaper outside the airport

http://park2go.ca/ claims to be the cheapest

http://www.parknfly.ca/
.

[cmyden]

Calgary to Las Vegas - $268 USD

Feb 5-7
Outbound: United 6392 / Return: Delta 1722

Thought I would mention this one because it's close to the perfect Vegas flight.

It leaves Friday after work at 6:55PM, and comes back Sunday getting you home at 10:25PM.

All for a pretty decent price. Can see it on Kayak.

cM

[Mad Mel]

Originally Posted by MaDMaN_26

Has anyone played with Bing Flight predictions yet? I know its Microsoft (boooo) and the only reason I'm asking is because I saw a commercial (oh god it worked, I'm going to hell) but I am curios if they have something here or if it is just marketing fluff....

http://www.bing.com/travel/about/howAirPredictions.do

The predictors part seems pretty weak for Canadian cities (at least, I haven't been able to figure it out), but once you do a search, their site has some pretty nice filtering tools. For example, I'm flying into YVR on May 16, and needed to find direct flight to YYZ from at least two hours after arrival; it is easy.

http://www.bing.com/travel/flights/

[SanFranFlamesFan]

Hey cmyden,

You are the man! Thanks for all the great resources. Are you a travel agent for a living or just do this for fun?

My fiancée and I are planning to go to South America for our honeymoon, starting around April 26th, 2010 for 6 weeks.

Do you have any good resources for getting there and getting around once in South America? Would you recommend using one of the Flight Passes there?

Thanks!

[cmyden]

Hey SanFran!

I'm just doing this for fun at the moment. It combines two of my favorite things, travelling and deals. My background is more related to IT.

Six weeks in S.A., very nice! We went to Argentina in April '09 for 16 days and it was the best trip we've ever taken.

I guess it depends on your travel plans, but EZE (Buenos Aires) and GRU (Sao Paulo) have been the cheapest airports to fly into for a while. On a cost per mile basis they are actually one of the best deals going. We flew to EZE for $700ish round trip, but I think prices have come up since then, they seem to be hovering around $900.

I know when we were considering getting some sort of pass, we were considering the LAN South America Air Pass.

Here is a great thread with info on the passes:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/onewo...rica-pass.html

You'll see my post in that thread as well. Eventually we ended up not getting one, but I think if one was there for 6 weeks it could definitely be worth it.

I can't speak for the rest of S.A., but I do know that the bus system in Argentina is excellent. There are sleeper coaches for long hauls, etc. About as comfortable as you can be on a bus. We ended up flying most of the time, due to time constraints.

Aerolineas Argentina = cheaper flights, good airline overall, but tendency to re-schedule flights a lot, and known for not always being on time

LAN = more expensive, but reliable.

If you go to Argentina/Chile, definitely try to make it to Patagonia. Visit the Perito Moreno glacier. Also check out Iguazu Falls in the north. You won't be disappointed. Unfortunately the penguins of Punta Tombo will be gone by the time you get there or I would recommend those as well! Maybe you can catch them up north somewhere.

If you need any help planning Argentina let me know. I'm a bit of a research freak so I've got a pretty good handle on most of that country from when I went. As for the others, maybe some other CPers can help out.

[Mad Mel]

50% off WestJet domestic flights.

Book by December 16, 2009 (11:59 p.m. MST) for travel on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays until June 18, 2010.

https://www.westjet.com/guest/en/tra...tSale_20091205


I also booked a Sunday flight, and it was a seat sale as well, though not as cheap as the Tue-Thur price.

[cmyden]

Decent fares for anyone who finds themselves needing to be in Dallas, Texas or Montreal for Christmas:

Dallas: Dec 23-29 $365 USD after taxes
http://www.kayak.com YYC to DFW

Montreal: Dec 23-29 $369 USD after taxes
http://www.kayak.com YYC to YUL (WestJet, direct)

[VladtheImpaler]

My friend waited too long to book her trip to Cuba Dec. 23 - cm, can you rescue her? Anything good around that date?

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by VladtheImpaler

My friend waited too long to book her trip to Cuba Dec. 23 - cm, can you rescue her? Anything good around that date?

Unfortunately I think she did indeed wait too long. Although I'm not sure there were ever any *great* prices for vacations starting on Dec 23. They all have the dreaded Christmas premium price tag.

The absolute cheapest package for Cuba departing on Dec 23 is $1526 and that's for an 'almost all inclusive' at Oasis Islazul which I wouldn't send my worst enemy to.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...dero_Cuba.html


The Oasis Brisas is showing for $1866, and is a 3*+ with pretty decent reviews on TA:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...dero_Cuba.html

That's about the best I can see in that date range I'm afraid.

Mexico is even more ridiculously expensive.

cM

[DJ_NAV]

wow $80 is cheap.. why can't they have those kind of cheap flights from calgary to van.

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by DJ_NAV

wow $80 is cheap.. why can't they have those kind of cheap flights from calgary to van.

I take it you were referring to what I posted here..

This flight + $80 EasyJet flight to Munich or Zurich gets you to the Alps, the best skiing/boarding in Europe, at the best time of year.

I think it probably just comes down to population and competition. There are so many high traffic airports in Europe. Just think of how many cities there are in close proximity to each other. While here in Canada we are such a big spread out country with large populations every 1000km or so.

There's enough room in Europe for not one, but 2 major low cost, no frill carriers (Ryan Air & Easy Jet) and when I say no-frill, I mean paying extra for absolutely everything (there was even talk of charging for using the washroom on the plane).

All that competition drives the prices down.

Hopefully GlobalLive (Wind) will do the same for cell phones here in Canada.

[VladtheImpaler]

Yeah, I still remember my European vacation a few years ago when Ryanair was having their 1 pound to anywhere sale... We hit London, Rome, Oslo, Salzburg... None of the trips was more than $140 CDN AI for 2 people...

[valo403]

Originally Posted by cmyden

I take it you were referring to what I posted here..




I think it probably just comes down to population and competition. There are so many high traffic airports in Europe. Just think of how many cities there are in close proximity to each other. While here in Canada we are such a big spread out country with large populations every 1000km or so.

There's enough room in Europe for not one, but 2 major low cost, no frill carriers (Ryan Air & Easy Jet) and when I say no-frill, I mean paying extra for absolutely everything (there was even talk of charging for using the washroom on the plane).

All that competition drives the prices down.

Hopefully GlobalLive (Wind) will do the same for cell phones here in Canada.

The biggest thing that allows these low cost carriers to profit is the shipping market. The cargo hold of an easyjet flight is jam packed with all kinds of express packages and letters, and when you're flying between so many international business centers there's always business in that sector. A Calgary-Vancouver flight certainly has it share of cargo related income, but the pure quantity isn't going to be there.

[cmyden]

Well, it's official, a $200 CDN flight to Vegas (all in)

Calgary to Las Vegas - $200 CDN

Jan 1,2,3,4 to Jan 8
http://www.westjet.com

Choose the $49/each way + tax flights.

Return price, includes all taxes/fees.

cM