Confessions of a YYC Travel Junkie

[strombad]

Going to visit the homeland this month, but doing a bit of vacationing in Copenhagen and Oslo.

How's the weather been looking lately? Similar to CGY I imagine? Any "MUSTS" that I should rock while I'm there?

[cmyden]

Delta mistake fares to Asia!

Delta has just loaded some really crazy prices on flights to Asia. The prices are so low it's definitely possible they are a mistake.

The last time Delta had a mistake fare event, all booked fares were honored.

There also wasn't even time to write up a blog post about the mistake fares, before Delta fixed them.

Have a look at Google Flights Explorer: https://www.google.ca/flights/explore/

From: Calgary (YYC)
To: Asia

Those are the roundtrip prices, after taxes! Take what you find and enter it into Delta.com to book. As of right now (late Tuesday night), those prices are verifying and bookable.

Live discussion of this event: http://www.facebook.com/YYCdeals

Update:

1. Google Flights Explorer appears to be down. I think Canadians probably overwhelmed it.

2. Deal is still alive. Keep trying different dates on Delta.com from Calgary to Hong Kong, Seoul, or Tokyo.
Tip: Put a checkmark beside 'My Dates Are Flexible' on the initial search screen.

3. People are also reporting success by searching with Skyscanner (website or app) and then clicking through to FlightHub.com to book

4. Others have reported success by searching and booking through FlightNetwork.com

[Flaming Choy]

Thanks. Booked HK for 2 weeks for $500

[Ozy_Flame]

$779 to Tokyo. Dear god that's good.

[Wormius]

Are visas only needed for China? Is it possibly to make impromptu trips to Japan or S.Korea without a visa?

[Oil Stain]

Is this thing still on? My friend just tried to book and he said the price jumped.

[Tron_fdc]

I don't see Delta fares anymore. I saw a few $500 YYC-PEK this AM, but they had really weird layovers.

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by Oil Stain

Is this thing still on? My friend just tried to book and he said the price jumped.

It appears to be still alive, but availability is probably getting more scarce, which leads to prices jumping up on the price verification pages.

Keep trying different dates if possible, and the different methods listed above.

[cmyden]

TIP: Since Google Flights Explorer is broken, go to the regular Google Flight search at:
https://www.google.ca/flights/

- Enter in the city (Hong Kong, Seoul, or Tokyo)
- Pick some random dates. Doesn't matter what dates, but make it the same length of time that you are thinking of going.
- Click on the little bar graph icon. It's on the right, above the blue line.
- This will bring up a monthly calendar view. Scroll through the months. It will show you date combinations that *may* still be available. Hover over dates to see them.
- Take one of these date combinations and try it directly on Delta.com

It's hard to say how accurate a reflection Google's data is of the real availability on Delta.com, but it's a good way to explore large numbers of date combos at once.

[ae118]

Just booked Tokyo for $798 return, all in. Great deal!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Wormius]

Damn. Seoul looks really tempting at $470. What to do there though?

[Travis Munroe]

Odds Delta is willing to cancel a trip with no cancellation fee?
A buddy and I were on the same page to click the final button. I am confirmed and he is informed the fare has now doubled.
Hong Kong solo?

[Oil Stain]

Originally Posted by Wormius

Damn. Seoul looks really tempting at $470. What to do there though?

DMZ. I'm not sure what else. I just got two tickets for that price I will let you know.

You could probably book a round trip to another destination from there and still save a bunch of cash.

Thanks Chris!!

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by fotze

What is wrong with flight explorer. How long has that been pooched?

It seemed to die sometime this morning. Highly likely it is related to the volume of Canadians trying to use it today. I've seen it slow down significantly for a while even after just sending out a deal alert to one city, and this deal was sent out to most of Canada. And other high traffic sources were sending visitors to it this morning as well. At some point, Google redirected traffic to their regular 'Google Flights' search, which might use less resources than Flights Explorer.

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by Realtor 1

Odds Delta is willing to cancel a trip with no cancellation fee?
A buddy and I were on the same page to click the final button. I am confirmed and he is informed the fare has now doubled.
Hong Kong solo?

Delta (and most airlines) give you a 24 hour grace period where you can cancel without penalty.

[Oil Stain]

Originally Posted by fotze

Never heard that. AC and Westjet have this? Are you sure?

AC does for sure. I booked the wrong flight with them once and they let me out of it.

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by fotze

Never heard that. AC and Westjet have this? Are you sure?

Yep...

http://www.aircanada.com/en/travelin...inecancel.html

Do I get a refund if I cancel my booking within 24 hours of purchase?
If you cancel your booking within 24 hours of purchase, we will:

• refund the price of your ticket and send you a confirmation email, or
• cancel the payment transaction (no email is sent in this case).

http://www.westjet.com/mobile/en/tra...ur-fares.shtml

Change and cancel policies vary depending on the fare you have purchased. Because we know that plans change, our fares allow you to change or cancel your flight(s) at no charge for 24 hours after booking

http://www.delta.com/content/www/en_...ommitment.html

Even if you buy a non-refundable ticket from Delta, we will give you time to compare our fares with those of other airlines (valid for travel originating in the United States, U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and Canada). You may cancel and refund your ticket in full until midnight, one day after the reservation is made. For example, a ticket purchased anytime on Monday can be cancelled and refunded until midnight on Tuesday. If the reservation is made on the date of travel, you may cancel and refund your paid ticket in full until midnight that day.

Come to think of it, I should probably be mentioning these policies when I send out an alert, I'm sure many are unaware! It gives a person the peace of mind to book it quickly and still have the chance to think about it when a deal like this comes up.

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by Oil Stain

DMZ. I'm not sure what else. I just got two tickets for that price I will let you know.

You could probably book a round trip to another destination from there and still save a bunch of cash.

Thanks Chris!!

Funny. Somebody else told me the same thing. All I know about is Jeju Island.

[cmyden]

Calgary to Dallas, Texas | $296 roundtrip including taxes, direct flights

WestJet is currently showing direct (non-stop) flights from Calgary to Dallas, Texas (DFW) for $296 roundtrip including taxes.

You can also find similar pricing through WestJet's codeshare partner, Delta. Even though you might be booking through Delta.com, the flights will still be operated by WestJet. Look for the text 'Operated by: Westjet' during the booking process.

more details: http://www.yycdeals.com/calgary-to-d...direct-flights


How To Use AirBNB - The first site you should visit after booking your flight

I know we've discussed AirBNB in this thread a little bit, as a way to get a great deal on a place to stay when traveling.

This guide explains what I've learned from using it the last few years, and why the hotel industry is afraid of losing billions to AirBNB.

link: http://www.yycdeals.com/how-to-use-a...ng-your-flight
^^

[Looch City]

Love AirBNB. Using it for Kelowna in July and for a Euro trip next year as well.

So much better than crappy hotels with atrocious rates.