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Old 03-23-2010, 08:44 AM   #1021
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Love that travel maps thing. Was looking at Calgary to Bali and the map showed me that it was way cheaper to go to Jakarta (which is only like a $40 flight to Bali). Wicked. Thanks.
Glad to hear it helped! I do the same thing, look for destinations nearby that are highlighted green (cheap) and then look for cheap regional airlines between the two.
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Old 03-23-2010, 08:58 AM   #1022
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Hi hmmhmmcamo.

From the Vancouver area, Alaska Airlines is cheapest, $229 after tax out of YVR with May 19-25 being the cheapest date combo. Orbitz is showing flight + hotel packages for $528/person for NY NY. It's actually one of the best deals for that date in terms of decent strip hotels.


Don't see anything out of Seattle that is cheaper (didn't check SouthWest though, since they're not listed in search engines).

Bellingham is about the same as Vancouver. Could try Allegiant Air, sometimes they have cheap flights out of Bellingham. They have also been having a 'buy 1 package, second person flys free deals', can see it here: http://www.allegiantair.com/FlyFreeLASMarch2010.php (deal ends on March 24th, but available for fares until September)

So at this point, I would say, out of Vancouver, unless Allegiant Air is way cheaper with that 2 for 1 deal they're offering out of Bellingham.
Thanks for your help.

We tried those dates on Expedia last night and found 6 nights at NYNY for $505 including taxes + 2 show tickets (several shows to choose from including Cirque, Lion King etc).

We started booking online but our internet connection was crapping out, so we called the 1-800 number to complete the booking. Buddy tells us the show ticket offer isn't valid anymore because it's 10 minutes after midnight on the east coast and the offer expired at midnight Mar 22nd! We tried to argue that we still had 2 hours and 50 minutes of Mar 22nd left on the west coast, but no luck. We didn't book it.
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Old 03-23-2010, 09:07 AM   #1023
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Thanks for your help.

We tried those dates on Expedia last night and found 6 nights at NYNY for $505 including taxes + 2 show tickets (several shows to choose from including Cirque, Lion King etc).

We started booking online but our internet connection was crapping out, so we called the 1-800 number to complete the booking. Buddy tells us the show ticket offer isn't valid anymore because it's 10 minutes after midnight on the east coast and the offer expired at midnight Mar 22nd! We tried to argue that we still had 2 hours and 50 minutes of Mar 22nd left on the west coast, but no luck. We didn't book it.
Wow that sucks, nobody around with a better Internet connection? Just call a buddy and get them to book it? Hopefully a similar or better deal will come your way. Around this time is when I would probably start looking for Vegas, 2 months ahead of when you're going.
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Old 03-23-2010, 01:04 PM   #1024
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cmyden,

I am sure it's somewhere within this thread - (I have seen the answer from a year ago) but what sites/ email subscriptions are using to keep an eye on deals?

I currently have westjet and air canada subscriptions but they have not been extremely worthy for me, maybe I need to go back in and adjust my cities of interest.

Thanks

(btw, is your screen name cmyden welsh?)
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Old 03-23-2010, 01:25 PM   #1025
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cmyden,

I am tasked with organizing an all-inclusive type trip to somewhere warm for approximately 8-16 of us in our early 20s, in the time-frame of May to July.

I am an avid follower of yours on CP as well as Facebook and notice many of the deals you have found in the past don't specify how many spaces are available. For many of the deals, is there any way to determine how many spaces there are for that price? The last thing I want to do is find a deal, tell people to book, only to find only four people got the deal.

I guess the broader question is, for that type of trip would I be better off using a travel agent or larger travel site to book, or could I still use you for example, to find great deals?

Thanks
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Old 03-23-2010, 01:30 PM   #1026
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Originally Posted by mc0709 View Post
cmyden,

I am sure it's somewhere within this thread - (I have seen the answer from a year ago) but what sites/ email subscriptions are using to keep an eye on deals?

I currently have westjet and air canada subscriptions but they have not been extremely worthy for me, maybe I need to go back in and adjust my cities of interest.

Thanks

(btw, is your screen name cmyden welsh?)
Hi mc0709,

The first page of this thread has the most useful sites. It's funny, AC and WestJet usually don't have much of anything useful in their newsletter, their best deals are usually not announced.

For example, the best deals I can think of this year, $230 return to Newark, $200 something dollar return flights to Mexico, etc, weren't mentioned.

I also hate that their newsletters try to convince people that X is a really good price even though it's one-way and before tax and it's the same price you can get all year round. I guess all travel companies do that in Canada though.

At this point I feel I have a pretty good handle on all the data out there available for fares and deals from all sources. It's just a matter of applying a bit of human logic and experience to spot the good deals.

I'm not sure which screen name you were referring to (MSN?) but I'm pretty sure none of mine have welsh in the title.
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Old 03-23-2010, 01:45 PM   #1027
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cmyden,

I am tasked with organizing an all-inclusive type trip to somewhere warm for approximately 8-16 of us in our early 20s, in the time-frame of May to July.

I am an avid follower of yours on CP as well as Facebook and notice many of the deals you have found in the past don't specify how many spaces are available. For many of the deals, is there any way to determine how many spaces there are for that price? The last thing I want to do is find a deal, tell people to book, only to find only four people got the deal.

I guess the broader question is, for that type of trip would I be better off using a travel agent or larger travel site to book, or could I still use you for example, to find great deals?

Thanks
Hey United,

Good question, I think the best way might be if you spot a deal you like, just take it to one of the travel agencies (or call) and ask if you can get that price for 8-16 people. They all grab their prices from the same place and the same tour operators so they likely all have the same availability available to them.

I've never heard from anyone that they couldn't get one of the all inclusive deals that I post for more than 4 people, but there could certainly be limited numbers I suppose. I know with some of the WestJet flight deals they only have a certain number of seats.

If you see a deal you like, let me know, and I can try to find out.

The El Cid Resort is still the best all inclusive deal going between May-July. $835/person after tax. Lots of dates. June 1, 5, 8, etc. So I'm pretty sure you could get a deal at that price for 8-16 people without a problem.

reviews: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...fic_Coast.html
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Old 03-25-2010, 08:14 AM   #1028
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Barbados has dropped to $476 after tax, roundtrip

WestJet has dropped their price even further for Barbados (BGI), for flights in June. It was already the cheapest Caribbean destination. It's also one of the furthest away (over 4000 miles, the Bahamas by comparison are 2600)

The prices seem cheaper on Orbitz than on WestJet's site. June 2-9 is one example date.
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Old 03-28-2010, 12:06 PM   #1029
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Hey cmyden,

I was reading posts about vegas and it seems if i'm booking for early may I better get on it as it only gets more expensive closer to the summer?

Thanks
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Old 03-28-2010, 01:00 PM   #1030
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Hey cmyden,

I was reading posts about vegas and it seems if i'm booking for early may I better get on it as it only gets more expensive closer to the summer?

Thanks
Hi Dave,

Well, I think it has more to do with the fact that we're getting close to early May than to summer

It's impossible to predict price changes, but generally I find the best prices for most destinations are available about 2-3 months ahead. Vegas is more of a 'spur of the moment' destination from Calgary so it might be safe to watch prices up until as close as 4 weeks ahead and hope for a drop.

Beyond that and I think you're risking watching the prices go up and up, but that's the gamble of course. WestJet could decide that they're not seeing the demand, and slash prices.
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Old 03-29-2010, 03:00 PM   #1031
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In your opinion, is it better to book hotels in advance or could one save a ton of money waiting till last minute deals happen (specifically New York in June)?
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Old 03-29-2010, 03:13 PM   #1032
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In your opinion, is it better to book hotels in advance or could one save a ton of money waiting till last minute deals happen (specifically New York in June)?
I think it's pretty similar to flights. I'd probably start looking now, about 2 months ahead. You could always try Priceline or Hotwire but probably too early for hotel owners to be offering up June deals.

Waiting until last minute is a gamble, only the supply and demand Gods know if there will be a need for hotel owners to offer lower prices.

I would think June would be a fairly popular time to visit NYC.
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Old 03-30-2010, 07:33 PM   #1033
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Anyone know if airlines still do standby flights? (are they cheaper?)

Trying to get to Toronto on April 1st, but since its so close to the date, all the prices are triple what they usually are.
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Old 03-31-2010, 02:05 PM   #1034
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Am I the only one that is finding its cheaper to go directly to the airline websites themselves when looking for flight deals?

Expedia, Kayak, Travelocity, etc. etc. etc. all come up with higher flight costs than if I just go to the airlines website itself. Doesnt this seem to contradict the reason for these sites existence? (saving us money)

I am trying to find a flight from Calgary to Orlando leaving Oct.24th and found the best deals are on Continental and American Airlines websites themselves.

odd.
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Old 03-31-2010, 02:18 PM   #1035
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Am I the only one that is finding its cheaper to go directly to the airline websites themselves when looking for flight deals?

Expedia, Kayak, Travelocity, etc. etc. etc. all come up with higher flight costs than if I just go to the airlines website itself. Doesnt this seem to contradict the reason for these sites existence? (saving us money)

I am trying to find a flight from Calgary to Orlando leaving Oct.24th and found the best deals are on Continental and American Airlines websites themselves.

odd.
It never hurts to check both. I see sites like Kayak/Orbitz more as just a tool to find the best prices, you'll rarely see better prices on there than on the airline sites themselves.

On the other hand, I've found it's also rare to find much lower prices on the airline sites than on Kayak/Orbitz/etc. They all file their fares to the same places and are essentially grabbing their fares from the same database.

Depending on what date you're coming back, it seems to me that Delta is actually cheapest ($454 after tax) if you flew Oct 26 to Nov 2.

For flights leaving on Oct 24 however, Continental does seem cheapest, showing at $559 after tax on Kayak which seems to mirror what's showing on Continental.com at $548 USD.

What prices are you seeing on Continental/American versus the 'search engines' ? What dates?
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Old 03-31-2010, 02:25 PM   #1036
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Anyone know if airlines still do standby flights? (are they cheaper?)

Trying to get to Toronto on April 1st, but since its so close to the date, all the prices are triple what they usually are.
I don't know about stand-by, but I do know I've gotten really cheap flights twice recently booking the morning of and flying out the same evening. So maybe they'll be cheaper tomorrow morning if you can risk waiting?
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Old 03-31-2010, 03:04 PM   #1037
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I'm sorry to be 'this guy', as I follow this thread and have an idea that this may not be the best question to ask, but my wife is pressing for a vacation to Vegas with our sizeable income tax return. Of course, I teach, so our only real opportunity to go - and not pay an arm and a leg - is over the summer. Is this typically a slow time in Vegas? Do people avoid it then due to opressive heat?

I'm noticing current flight fares don't seem spectacular at all (unless I have bizarre, unreasonable expectations). Are the fares we're seeing right now (~$400) typical for Vegas in the summer?

Any advice re: buying show tickets before or while there? She would like to see Terry Fator and I'd like to see - specifically - the LOVE Cirque Du Soleil. Of course, if there is something better out there in that regard, I'm willing to change my mind.

We're also considering flying out of Great Falls via Allegiant Air. Any thoughts?
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Old 03-31-2010, 04:59 PM   #1038
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It never hurts to check both. I see sites like Kayak/Orbitz more as just a tool to find the best prices, you'll rarely see better prices on there than on the airline sites themselves.

On the other hand, I've found it's also rare to find much lower prices on the airline sites than on Kayak/Orbitz/etc. They all file their fares to the same places and are essentially grabbing their fares from the same database.

Depending on what date you're coming back, it seems to me that Delta is actually cheapest ($454 after tax) if you flew Oct 26 to Nov 2.

For flights leaving on Oct 24 however, Continental does seem cheapest, showing at $559 after tax on Kayak which seems to mirror what's showing on Continental.com at $548 USD.

What prices are you seeing on Continental/American versus the 'search engines' ? What dates?
Well, we are looking to make it a bit longer of a trip than originally planned. Oct. 24th to Nov. 14 (3 weeks) is our preferred dates. We decided since we will be in Florida, it would be a good opportunity to take a short cruise to see if we may want to consider that for a future vacation.

Anyways, I have discovered that prices fluctuate many times during the day and it also seems like its actually cheaper to grab one way flights rather than return packages.

Here is what I have put on hold with American Airlines. Keep in mind these are one way fares. Also these, prices have changed a few times during the day today. Its like pulling a roullette wheel!

Oct. 24th - Calgary to Orlando
$256/person

Nov. 14th - Orlando to Calgary
$164/person

There is certainly some money to be saved if we switched to a Tuesday or Thursday departure/arrival, but for the savings it provides you also lose weekends where I dont have to use vacation days.

Lots of things to consider when looking at these rates.
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Old 04-01-2010, 09:23 AM   #1039
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My buddy and I are going to Japan in October for 3 weeks. Going to backpack around and try to hit some unknown - less touristy places. Any advice out there?

Also wondering when is the best time to book a flight for October? 2 months before or 6 months before? Anyone know?
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Old 04-01-2010, 09:44 AM   #1040
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My buddy and I are going to Japan in October for 3 weeks. Going to backpack around and try to hit some unknown - less touristy places. Any advice out there?

Also wondering when is the best time to book a flight for October? 2 months before or 6 months before? Anyone know?
http://www.japan-guide.com/

^^^ good site

This is my favorite part of the site...

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e623a.html

The 'best of' each area as far as things to see. I've got a few places in mind I would like to check out Japan, one of them being where the snow monkeys live...

http://gojapan.about.com/cs/chubureg...snowmonkey.htm

The Yakushima forest looks pretty interesting as well...

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4650.html




Impossible to know when the best time to buy your ticket will be, but you can probably safely watch prices throughout most of July/August.

Air Canada just launched the first non stop flights to Tokyo from Calgary, hopefully it will do well. Seeing some decent prices for April (low as $750ish after tax) but nothing like last year unfortunately!
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