Air travel advice

[Robert Maxwell]

As may or may not be well-known around here, I work in New Jersey while my family lives in Indiana. Up to now, I've been driving back for visits, but 10 hours each way in my car has taken its toll and I'm just about sick of it.

So, I've been pricing air fare and it seems it only costs a little more to fly than it would for me to pay for gas and tolls with my car--and that's not even counting the maintenance costs of putting 1400 miles on my car in one shot.

I'm planning my next trip for late October/early November, so the main thing I'm curious about is, when is the best time to buy tickets? I know buying well in advance is a good idea, but sometimes you can snap up a great deal at the last minute. When is the best time to buy? I'm planning to fly from Newark (EWR) to Dayton (DAY) on 10/30 and then fly back on 11/6.

I don't need a car or a hotel, just a flight. I've looked at both Priceline and Orbitz and the prices are roughly equivalent. Anyone have any advice on ways to save money on such a trip, or make it go more smoothly?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Captain Ice]

Can't help with the last minute things, but check AAA and Southwest airlines for low fares too.

 

[Mr. B]

Buying early has worked well for me. I've heard the same about last minute deals but never felt like chancing it. I like having my ticket months in advance and not having to worry about it. If Southwest of some other airline you like services that route you could just try their own websites.

If you're checking a bag you should consider putting your liquids in it. That helped me breeze through security.

 

[AliciaD496]

I'd definitely check with both kayak.com and cheaptickets.com as well as the other sites you looked at. If your dates are flexible at all you might be able to find a cheaper fair by flying on a different day than you expected initially.

 

[Kestra]

I'll second Kayak.com but I think the best thing you can do nowadays is to check what fees they have for luggage and anything else. You might think you're buying the cheapest ticket but once you add on all the fees, it might not be the best deal anymore.

 

[T'Girl]

If you basically live in both places can you fly with no luggage? Might make homeland security a little curious though. Try looking in to some of the small commuter airlines, the ones who operate out of smaller airfields, they tend to be dirt cheap.

The travel agency's sometimes don't list them, and they sometimes have frequent flier programs too.

 

[Lindley]

When searching for tickets, always remember to check the "also search nearby airports" box.

 

[nevermore]

I'll second Kayak.com but I think the best thing you can do nowadays is to check what fees they have for luggage and anything else. You might think you're buying the cheapest ticket but once you add on all the fees, it might not be the best deal anymore.

This. Southwest is, I think, the only airline that does not charge for checked baggage on domestic flights any more. Southwest is not included in the searches on any of those travel sites though; you have to go to their website. I also don't know if they fly out of Newark, actually.

I generally find that for non-holiday travel, prices are best between 60 and 30 days out. In terms of timing, Kayak has a utility that shows you the price trends on the the tickets that you're looking for; it also actually searches all the airline websites (except Southwest) as well. You can set up an email alert for current prices. For last-minute deals, Priceline and Hotwire.com have usually been the most useful sites for me.

 

[Lindley]

This. Southwest is, I think, the only airline that does not charge for checked baggage on domestic flights any more.

Jetblue also has the first bag free. Plus, many smaller airlines (like Cape Air) still don't have baggage fees.

Remember: you pay for baggage based on the airline of your first leg, even if a later leg is on an airline with a different policy, unless for some reason you need to claim and re-check at an intermediate stop.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I buy tickets as early as possible. As soon as I can.

I'm about to go to NYC in two weeks, and I bought the plane tickets in January.

 

[Sky]

I fly between Amsterdam and Munich frequently (I live in the NL, hubby lives in Bavaria, what can you do). I try to buy the tickets well in advance. I also travel without luggage and have only my hand bag with me, which makes the whole process a bit faster. And pretty often I end up taking the train, which is sometimes cheaper and almost as fast. Is that an option or do you lack train travel in the US?

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

^ Rail travel in the US is not what it once was.

We do have Amtrak, but it's not enough.

 

[Lindley]

And pretty often I end up taking the train, which is sometimes cheaper and almost as fast. Is that an option or do you lack train travel in the US?

Well, there's Amtrak, which can sometimes be cheaper and is usually fun enough. However, you kind of have to get lucky----if your trip follows one of their routes, you're good. If multiple trains will be required, things get dicier.....the trains don't run all that frequently, so while some layovers can just be an hour or so, it's not uncommon to be faced with the prospect of a 10-hour layover, which is (for me) a trip killer.

 

[Sky]

^That's a pity. It'd be such an interesting continent to travel by train. Faster than the bus but you still see the scenery go by.. would be nice.

 

[Canadave]

^That's a pity. It'd be such an interesting continent to travel by train. Faster than the bus but you still see the scenery go by.. would be nice.

Sometimes in North America, it can be slower than the bus.

 

[nevermore]

^That's a pity. It'd be such an interesting continent to travel by train. Faster than the bus but you still see the scenery go by.. would be nice.

He could, theoretically, take the Cardinal from NY or Philly to Indianapolis, but it would take 26 hours and costs $125 each way. Which is more expensive than the flight, which takes like 2 hours.


There are a number of great long-distance routes, but they take days and as such, they're more of a train cruise type thing than a means of transporting oneself efficiently. I've always sort of wanted to take the Sunset Limited, or the California Zephyr and the Coast Starlight myself. A guy I know went from CA to FL on the train and said it was awesome, but it took a week. I mostly only ever get to take the MARC train between Baltimore & DC or the Northeast regional up to NYC. Both of which, by the way, are the best way to travel those routes. This is phenomenon confined entirely to the Northeast; it's also the only area where Amtrak actually makes money.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Great advice, everyone.

A train sounds like fun but it would take longer than driving myself, so it's not really efficient for me!

I appreciate the additional sites. I'd never heard of kayak.com. I'll definitely check out the options you guys listed.

 

[Kestra]

Don't forget to swing by Chicago!

 

[JiNX-01]

Can't help with the last minute things, but check AAA and Southwest airlines for low fares too.

I love Southwest airlines. I just checked and Newark Airport isn't an option. You'd have to go to LaGuardia.

ETA:

As may or may not be well-known around here, I work in New Jersey while my family lives in Indiana. Up to now, I've been driving back for visits, but 10 hours each way in my car has taken its toll and I'm just about sick of it.

So, I've been pricing air fare and it seems it only costs a little more to fly than it would for me to pay for gas and tolls with my car--and that's not even counting the maintenance costs of putting 1400 miles on my car in one shot.

I'm planning my next trip for late October/early November, so the main thing I'm curious about is, when is the best time to buy tickets? I know buying well in advance is a good idea, but sometimes you can snap up a great deal at the last minute. When is the best time to buy? I'm planning to fly from Newark (EWR) to Dayton (DAY) on 10/30 and then fly back on 11/6.

I don't need a car or a hotel, just a flight. I've looked at both Priceline and Orbitz and the prices are roughly equivalent. Anyone have any advice on ways to save money on such a trip, or make it go more smoothly?

Thanks in advance.

Cheapo air has a non-stop round trip ticket Newark to Dayton for $225. You will be charged a fee for checking one or two bags (since you will only be gone a week, you should be able to manage with one plus a carry on). It's a Continental flight and I couldn't find the actual fee amount, but you can get a discount if you pre-pay the fee at continental.com

I'll second Kayak.com but I think the best thing you can do nowadays is to check what fees they have for luggage and anything else. You might think you're buying the cheapest ticket but once you add on all the fees, it might not be the best deal anymore.

The luggage fee is separate, but the ticket price for Cheapo air does include airport and security fees (but not the taxes).

 

[Robert Maxwell]

I'm tempted to go to LGA. I'm taking public transit either way I get there, and it's a bit over $3 to go to EWR vs. $8 for LGA, so if the extra $5 opens up more options (and cheaper rates) it could be worth it.

That is one thing I'll say for this area--public transit is a legitimate and affordable option here!