Info and tips on Airfares

CityDude,

Maybe we should move this to the Destinations: Tips and Travel Advice section.

I DO really like the idea, though. If everyone would post their 'best travel deal' to the board, I'll bet every Hombre could save enough cash for an extra few days of 'play'.


StrikeEagle

I agree, let Hombre move it appropriately. About
saving money ? I don't know Some of us are
quite wedded to FF Miles LOL

Here's my advice, whether or not it gets moved (BTW, TJHombre, I don't mind where it ends up) ...

Online:

Yahoo: http://travel.yahoo.com/
In general, Yahoo travel (a Sabre service) isn't very good. It is useful for getting a "feel" for domestic American airfares, but its international stuff is way too hard to use online and also is generally not going to give you the best fare, or even close to it.

Furthermore, Yahoo says that it gives you the best possible quotes for "all" airlines, but there are several who don't subscribe to their interface at all. The most noteworthy is Southwest Airlines. Their fares are accessible on the internet only through their own website.

Southwest: http://www.southwest.com/
Excellent site, only flies to select US destinations (Caribbean maybe?). Cheaper to buy online than to buy through a travel agent or through their agents. Sign up for their weekly email updates -- lots of trips to San Diego.

Orbitz: http://www.orbitz.com/
A very good service that can find the odd little savings here and there. They seem to have a connection to the tour outfitters, and have very many good international fares that crop up now and again. Totally unpredictable -- check every day, and double-check the restrictions before buying (there are oddities snuck in there, like, you have to be female to fly on this particular fare, or, you have to be an American citizen, or, you CAN'T be an American citizen, etc.).

Priceline: http://www.priceline.com/
A reverse blind auction website, where you input the details you want about your flight, and then name a price -- that's right, YOU declare how much you're willing to pay. If you're familiar with going rates among the major carriers, and you use Priceline regularly, you can start to get a good "feel" for how low you can go. You're more likely to get what you want if you can vary your travel plans. Unfortunately, whether or not a major airline company "accepts" your offer or not is largely contingent upon how well you suss out the system, and you have to wait for the result to come back before you can input another one.

Priceline currently has a "50%-off" airline ticket sale (50% off of what? the regular price? the price I name? the price they wouldn't have accepted anyway? it's just ad-speak).

Airlines:

In my experience, SWA (Southwest Airlines) is a wonderful experience out of Tampa. (Try to come through TPA later in the day -- before noon it's just a FUGGIN' ZOO!) I've had ridiculously bad luck with USA (US Airways) -- in three trips, they've three times lost my luggage, delayed my connections and then treated me like a pariah for having arrived at the connection late, treated me like shit, gotten long letters of complaint from me THAT THEY DIDNT' ANSWER, etc. etc. But others haven't had such negative experiences with USA. Evidently Philadelphia is their armpit ahem! I mean hub.

Yahoo travel has worked for me. I use it to check international fares since most of my US flying is business. I also have the URLs for a number of agencies in Asai and Europe that I use when I'm going over there.

getting on the wagon..my best experiences have been with www.travelocity.com and www.expedia.com - great for both hotels and air fares.

Does anyone have any experience with courier flights? Apparently you can get steals on airfaire but you have to fly on short notice, depart on their schedule (return flexible?) and only operate out of certain cities - but BA and Rio are among some of them. I checked out many web sites for courier flights but they all require a membership fee. Anyone out there join one? Could be a very good way to go.

www.courier.org might be a good place to start (?)

Courier flights are good for people who a) have flexible schedule b) Used to travel light c) Can do without FF miles,unupgradeable fares.

There are Of!Course many variations to the above theme. The reason for membership is because each Courier groups need to have an exclusive listing and want to be able to call on their membership to go-on-a-moment's notice.
In the US, major international gateway cities like New York, Miami,LAX,Chicago are popular with courier organisations.

Depending on the cargo, you may or maynot get a chance to get more than a small carry-on.

sidestep is showing the cheapest for me at this time...

I am pretty much a one trick pony. I have over 1,000,000 miles with American. I find that by watching their web site, Orbitz, and Expedia, that I can keep a pretty good handle on when to buy. Also in using one main airline and having heavy volume I double and at times triple point all activity. This enables me to pile up a lot of miles that I use for upgrades, Admirals Club, and I am looking at a firat trip to BKK in the fall.

With all these things working for me I move pretty quick through airports. To make this work it's got to be carry on only. I will do laundry on vacation before I check bags. To go at the volume that I do, you have to take some of the pain out of it.

If you're going to use priceline for airfare, hotels or cars I strongly suggest you check www.biddingfortravel.com

They help you with bidding strategy (yes, there is one). Also, people post their winning bids so you can get an idea where to start.

I've used them many times for hotels, but like Gitano, I'm an AA mile whore, so I only fly with them or one of their partners.

Dood

Gitano: Same here, I stick to two carriers in two different alliances, and pretty much leverage the website+elite-status+orbitz to get decent upgradable fares.

Dood: I see another Sheryl fan here

I have flown as a courier for several years and have gotten some great deals. (SF to Bangkok round trip for $200 for example) but since 9/11 the courier market has largely dried up.The only SA route currently being offered is to Ecquador.
The "courier" companies are really just clearing houses for information on flights and phone #s. It is not necessary to belong to anything to be an onboard courier. You just have to know who to call to get the availability. It is possible to buy books which list all the companies using couriers, but the market is so changeable they are soon out of date.

Thanks Artist and Citydude for the courier info. Only thing keeping me away from BA and/or Rio is the $$$ to get there (connecting flights, too).

Hasbrouck has written a very good FAQ - A must read http://hasbrouck.org/faq/

DL announces flights to Liberia Airport, CR starting Dec 1, 2002

"
Delta will begin Atlanta’s first scheduled year-round nonstop service to the Guanacaste region of Costa Rica, site of popular
beaches on the Pacific Ocean, with three flights weekly on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays to the Liberia airport. "

That's great news. Liberia is to the coast and SJ what a farm team is to baseball. Great talent & no publicity. Someone who's on the ball will start an hombre friendly bar or massage club there and do well.

Here is another useful site -A portal of sorts
http://www.johnnyjet.com/ I also put it in the Links section

Citydude, thanks for the link...excellent site

To Costa Rica $399 RT (from Miami)incl. 5 nights at Europe Central Hotel in San Jose(most likely double occupancy), breakfast, shuttles to El Pueblo

From:
Houston add $80
NY add 186
Chicago add 200
LA add 230

Book by May 30th
888)877-9131
ask tour SJ0575

I saw this article in the September/October 2003 VIA (California Automobile Association) magazine. This is for the thrifty monger. Porkers you out there?

THE TRUTH ABOUT AIR COURIERS

Air courier flights are the stuff of legend: Your college buddy's cousin's wife's manicurist once scored a round-trip to Tokyo for $50.

Too good to be true? Nope. Deals like this are out there and they're legit. Here's how they work: International shipments can sit in a warehouse for days waiting to clear customs, so courier companies offer shipping via commercial airlines for time-sensitive documents and computer software. These packages whiz through customs with passenger luggage and arrive at their destination within hours - but the courier companies require warm bodies to carry the packages. In exchange for fares reduced by 40 to 85 persent, a traveler agrees to accompany a package, and possibly forfeit his luggage allowance as well.

Ready to go? Couriers must be 18 or older and have a passport. You also must pay an application fee ($20 to $35) and pony up a $100 to $250 deposit (refunded after the trip).

Three hours before departure, a courier company representative meets you at the airport with a shipping manifest. Couriers rarely see the materials they're carrying, but because companies typically have ongoing relationships with the airlines they use, that's not a problem. You just show the manifest to the ticket agent and board the plane. Another representative greets you upon arrival and walks you through customs. Then you're on your own for seven to 30 days. (Travelers may also be required to serve as couriers on their return flights.)

Courier companies advise booking two months ahead, especially in summer. But courier travel can also be a good deal for anyone able to fly with little notice. Fares can drop at the last minute and free flights, while rare, are not unheard-of. Also, couriers are sometimes allowed to keep the frequent flier miles they earn, making that $100 flight to Manila even more desirable.

Two companies offering these deals from the West Coast are Air Cargo Partners (877-227-9700) and Jupiter Air (650-635-1700). Routes include Las Vegas or San Francisco to London; San Francisco to Singapore; and Los Angeles to Bangkok. For $50, you can join the referral service Courier Travel http://www.couriertravel.org which keeps an updated list of flights.

Here's a sample:

Los Angeles to bangkok
Rate: $480 USD + $100 Deposit
Length of Stay: 7-30 Days
Airline: Japan Airlines
Flight Type: Courier Flight
Comments: Call between 9:30 to 5pm Pacific Time. One check-in bag allowed for Singapore flight only + and carry-on, on other flights carry on bags only. Refundable $100-$250.00 deposit -. $35 initiation / background check if flying the first time - Departure taxes are included

Anyone out there using Northwest's PD837 discount voucher for travel? I never have flown NW nor do I use Ebay, but I understand the vouchers are being sold on Ebay for less than $30 and you can travel anywhere they fly for less than $600. While this may not sound impressive for West Coast travelers who are currently enjoying low fares to Asia, those of you in the midwest or east coast may want to look into this deal as it sounds pretty damned incredible. Well, assuming you can book the travel dates you want and they are not soold or blacked out as many of the Asia dates in Dec-January are.

Porker, I was interested enough to visit Ebay to check this out. Where did you hear about this and are any other airlines offering similar things? Are these tickets generic or are they specific to some Northwest customer? And the fine print says that seats are limited for this fare and that you should call first. Considering that fares from the west coast to Manila right now are close to $1000 from Sacramento this looks pretty good if you could actually get a seat.

TF, from what I read on the other mongering site, the dates are difficult to get in December until at least mid-January (in addition to many blackout dates) and the 1-800 people won't tell you about availability unless you have a certificate number. I gathered it was a promotion for NW customers, but people were buying the certificates on Ebay and getting great deals on flights.

Good luck if you decide to try it out.

Anyone out there every use skyauction.com to purchase airline tickets? Did it work well for you?

I have seen some good fares on that site but I ownder if there are problems with getting the dates you want once you own the tickets. (skyauction normally sells tickets with windows ie goo for flights from June 1 to dec 31.)

(Message edited by canomad on August 09, 2004)

I used SkyAuction once with no problem. I believe you have the right to withdraw your bid if they can't supply the dates you want within a certain period.

Hello all. First post. Seattle-Manila $995 for Evergreen Deluxe Class on Eva Air, as of this moment.

Look for a discounter,

I think closer to $700 for same fare ( I went san/bkk /SAN last year for under $700 with ticked from discounter)

last year, last month, etc, etc. Quote price for particular days or else the number is worthless.

I've flown BOS-BKK from anywhere $499-2500.

I think the prices vary quite a bit from discounter ( bucket shops) and how far in advance you book.

Just my suggestion to look into discount ticket rather than going directly to eva.

the Tickets I purchased last year I booked over the phone with eva, had to go to an travel agent to pay/get the tickets. supprise on me, when I was at the agency they told me they could get me a better fare ( even after their $50 fee)

they re-booked with lower price ( under $700 for economy delux)

I've had good luck getting low fares to BKK on
www.thaifly.com Had a minor problem which they resolved quickly and honorably. (I have no connection except as a satisfied customer)

thanks for the link-- I didn't have that one in my list of bookmarks-- looks like a great find!

Topic: Continental Airlines Versus KAL (Korean Air Lines)


I have this year made two long international flights. One to Bangkok Thailand and one to Lima Peru.

On the Thailand Round Trip: Fresno/LAX/Soul Korea/Bangkok
On the Peru Round Trip: Fresno/LAX/Houston TX/Lima
Both were "ecconomy" tickets purchased on Orbitz, Travelocity sites.

Executive Summary: KAL (Korean Airlines) kicks the fucking shit out of Continental.

Continental's food was high school cafeteria style. Their flight attendendants were the most un-professional I have ever seen (out of 20 or so total flights in my lifetime). They yell at customers, "please don't keep coming to the ticket booth, if you have a seat assignment remain SEATED." . They are understaffed and I could easily overhear their disgust with how few fellow co-workers showed up to work. Continental also has "delayed" - they don't call it "lost" how kind.... my 2 checked in bags. So I am still awaiting my luggage.

Continental's Movie's shown on their 757-200's were ALL jacked up. They either had the audio fucked up or the movie would stop and shutter mid way, then they would abort it and go to the "Hi, I am CEO of Continental, thanks for flying with us... video" . The "attitude" of the stewaradesses was almost shocking on this trip. I have come accustomed to the newscaster fake smile, ya know, the cosmetics counter style fake smile and chit chat? Well ALL Continental flights 12/21 and 01/01 had flight attendants in bad moods! Very few smiles and many direct "don't get out of seatbelts, can you please refrain from disobeying FAA rules?" I witnessed tons of pissed off people in all of their counters in Texas and LA. Many were on standby and surrounding the counters with complaints.

In the interest of disclousure: It was Christmas/New Years - IMO all flights were understaffed. I saw many people who needed special help get on waiting lists for assistance, I personally helped an old man with his cary on's - after hearing him wimper - even though he was to be boarded first, the ticket taker was calling on the radio for a "TB Assist?" or something, then after my row was called, I said, I'll take his bag's. The older man was very thankful, but then the 757-200 has very little overhead compartments - and people brought almost rediculus amounts of stuff - and shoved them in and us passengers were left to deal with the mess. No stewardesses assisted with luggage entry on 2 of the Continental flights; they just shut down the hatch's and played the "Safty First Video."

Now- I was very fortunate I guess to get 3 of my flights in the Emergency Exit row - arragements made at the ticket booth In Fresno and in Lima (the start of the journy's respectly). I am big as a lot of you know and it's very uncomfortable to get cramped in. The emergencyt exit row has more leg room. What I found odd, is that I was not asked if I was capable to assist in an emergency!? I thought that was mandatory. The "video" mentioned that rows 17 were thus emergency and we needed to be ready willing and able, but all in all Continental airlines, while safe, just sucked in comparison to my Koran Air Lines Flight in May.


-----------------------
Korean Air Lines has not only beautiful stewardesses, but they are professional. They do their job. They assist customers with their baggage (and some of the little old ladies I saw getting the shaft with Continental really did need extra help... ) KAL served either traditional Korean or a Western meal. The movies played perfectly, the extra pilows, heated wash cloth, drink cart every 20 mins and SMILING FACES were indeed impressive. As some of you recall, I posted about how overwhealmed I was with KAL - they treated me extreamly well and do not look at you as a freak if you ask for 2 drinks at the same time! I only wish KAL would fly the Lima Peru or Rio de Jenerio Brazil destinations because I would surly use them again. KAL's staff is fully stocked with men and women who answered my questions and, what do you know, my luggage was not "delayed" with them! KAL's flight attendants were not bickering with their co-workers. Continental's were openly bickering with eachother, in the presence of us costomers. KAL's flight attendants asked the customer to put on a seatbelt, if they wanted a drink, if they wanted headphones (free BTW), and even had FREE tooth paste and tooth brush in bathroom.
Continental had a strong policy of "Don't use 1st class lavatory." Now that I can understand, no problem. But Continental's Flight attendants TOLD us what to do in an authoritative voice with seemingly condocending voice.


Okay - yeah I am biassed I guess, but if you get anything out of this I would like to say KAL was the best run Airline I have been on so far. I would gladly pay more to be on their jets.

CheerZ!

Metalboots, I agree with your assesment of KAL vs Continental. I've flown Asiana many times and their service was outstanding.I try to use Asian carriers vice US carriers almost exclusively these days.
I just flew UA to Hawaii and the "bags" they passed of as flight attendants were surly, ungly and un-attentive.
My Feb 06 LOS trip will be ANA IAD - NRT - BKK. I can't wait, ANA is a fantatstic carrier!

In a bit of an "update." My luggage was "delayed." I called Continentals 1-800-we-so-sorry number to be put on hold for 20 mins. They assured me I was a priority. Hhaaahaha. They took 4.5 days (almost 5 days) to figure out that my luggage was indeed mishandled. Fortunalty, by time passing, I got a call with an offer to courrier them over to me. I just went to the airport and picked them up myself. At least that happend on my return and not while in Peru. But, si senior - Continental will be last on my list to pick from in the future.

Oh, shoulda added this - Continental admtted they "Short Checked" my luggage in LAX - meaning they forgot to send them to my home town. What's sad is that it took 4.5 days for them to figure this out.

Some good fares I have been seeing. Mia to Rio/SP with AR connecting in Buenes Aires, $690 inclunding taxes.
Also NY to RIO/SP with TAM for $650 including Taxes.

The AR website has a special that shows MIA-GIG for $795 excluding taxes. I cannot get near the $690 with taxes.

You wouldn't find it on the AR website. It's a consolidator fare. Feel free to PM me if you would like details.

Recs for cheap flights from the Philly/NY area to Medellin? AA, Copa, Avianca?

And is there a time of the year when the best deals are to be had?

TIA

Concarne,
NY is your best bet for lower fares. Avianca has non-stops and is $598 including taxes. AA and Copa are $10 more and you have to make connections. The fares are year round.

On June 17th I bought a ticket on Delta from LAX to MDE for $507.00usd & I can use it anytime, which is really cool. I think it was a mistake because the same ticket was 630.00 the next day.

(Message edited by scooby_1781 on June 26, 2007)

How can you use it any time? No change fees?

If you read the post it doesn't say it's free, I just always got those tickets that you were locked into.

(Message edited by scooby_1781 on June 26, 2007)

If you say you can use a ticket anytime, that would mean you have a full-fare, refundable ticket. If you say you can simply pay the $100 or whatever change fee and move the ticket around, you just described the vast majority of tickets. Maybe you were comparing it to a consolidater or heavy discount seat that you can't even pay to make changes too? You miss a flight, you lose the whole ticket?

Scooby; What is the routing on that Delta LAX / MDE flight?

Darn, & here I thought it was somethin special, the last three I could not change the flight times & they were not refundable at all. As you can tell I have only flown 3 times in the last 25 yrs and they were all within the last year & half. All 3 were to MDE and all were on Copa. Oh well snookered again anyway its still a cheap flight so I still have that.

Roadglide

LAX, ATL, MIA, MDE

Scooby, you have only flown 3 times in the past 25 years! Wow, I think they should put your ass in First Class so you can see what you've been missing. Please post on Hombre as soon as you join the "Mile High Club" ----------lol

I had three round trips last week.

Just noted these rediculous low fairs..Although I am unfamiliar with Spirit Air, $44 each way from Miami to Lima is just incredible.

http://airfare.travelzoo.com/international-airfare/311467?ptl=done

Which airline is ecommended from JFK to San Jose, CR for cost and service.
Thanks

Pretty insane fares (good this time) to Rio on American for August. I just paid $725 with tax.

I am recently retired and looking forward to doing lots of traveling in the next few years. I have heard that a person can go to an airport and buy a ticket for a destination on "stand by" status. Then you wait at the boarding gate for an available seat. Has anyone ever done this and how much cheaper is the ticket?
I want to go from Fresno to Lima Peru. And then return using the same technique. Is this possible?

To my knowledge purchasing a ticket the same day, even standby, gets you nothing in the way of a lower fare. Maybe someone else out there has some more optimistic information but generally you are better off when you buy your tickets well in advance, at least insofar as economy class goes.

Also note some countries require that you have a return or ongoing ticket in hand in order to enter. You would need to check this out before going anywhere without a return or ongoing ticket in hand.

Clod,

Sounds like something out of the 70s or something. I haven't heard of that in years, generally speaking the most expensive tickets are walk-up fares.

Anyways, standing by in general, is bad these days. One, you can't get through security these days without a boarding pass, so you need to book a flight in the first place. Second, most flights are so full that you really need to book a day or so in advance to just get a seat.

Put it this way - airline employees and others traveling with buddy passes are routinely turned down for seats.

Clodbuster, what Laguy and Cat have written is absolutely on the mark! Laguys suggestion to buy early is the best way to go for the lowest fares. Being more flexible with dates now that you are retired will certainly be advantageous.
Cat's remarks about standyby travel (passes,etc) is also very true. I have traveled standy for over 30yrs as an airline employee, and there is a fine art to NOT getting your ass "bumped"....STBY makes booking hotels, etc associated with your trip very difficult. As for buddy passes (should you have any friends at the airlines) I advise against them. Diversity has been trying to use one for months now and has NOT been sucessful on Delta. I quite giving them out long ago, too much trouble, and with the taxaction involved with them (oh yea guys, they arent FREE thanks to our Government) you are better off with a cheap advance ticket, trust me on this one.
Side note: Worst non-reving experience in 30yrs last week trying to get out of Lima! Had to actually buy a ticket on Spirit to get to the States, then my airline full @ FLL so bought a pass on Southwest up to Tampa, before being able to get bk on my company and fly home. Anyone going to Peru, be aware the loads are heavy and the only deals airfare wise are on Spirit. That is this month, ea day/month change with the airlines, always dynamic! The Good, Bad, and Ugly!

Continental Airlines has recently filed for IAH -GIG direct routing. Presently the route is being flown temporarily three times per week. The normal routing involves the stop at GRU. Should this be approved it will eliminate load/weight problems experienced [outbound] at GRU, and of course providing N/S service to GIG as is presently enjoyed by the GRU passengers. This temporary service is due to stop the end of Feb.

(Message edited by copperfieldkid on February 23, 2009)

(Message edited by copperfieldkid on February 23, 2009)

(Message edited by copperfieldkid on February 23, 2009)

Are you pimping for Continental in order to prop up your pension?

Bwana,

great idea, but no. Hopefully for those in the Midwest this will be approved and provide a more direct route to the party. They have enough bad press already!

It'll be nice if/when United and Continental complete their partnership, so I can get/use my Star Alliance miles on that route. I'm tired of flying through IAD.

CFK; Have you had any better luck with flying on a stand-by ticket lately? Not sure what airline you are dealing with, but my neighbor has me on his AA buddy pass. I have used it with luck here in the states, but wonder how things are looking with PAX loads to South America now.

All--

I totall agree with CFK.. As another airline employee I can tell you that while using our "passes" can be a huge perk, it DOES come with several huge pitfalls.. Being "bumped" enroute (flying LAX-NAN-SYD and getting bumped off in Nandi Fiji), being "stuck" somewhere for days on end (Honolulu during spring break), the "unknown" of when you'll arrive (try making hotel, car, dinner plans)... But for all the headaches it is still a nice perk... As a general rule, I take "passes" on several airlines covering the routes I am planning on flying (ex: NRT-SFO.. I'll buy passes for AA, NW, NH and JL).. Unused "passes" are generally fully refundable for employees.
As CFK also says, in some cases the risk and the costs make it so that we're smarter to simply buy a deeply discounted ticket and travel as a "revenue" passenger and enjoy the "perks" of knowing that I will get on the flight.. and even that I can wear pretty much anything I want (I've been travelling in a shirt and tie now for the better part of 20+ years as a part of my airlines' non-revenue dress code...

Roadglide,

Yes, that particular event was the worst experience non-reving in my life! In over 30yrs I have only been bumped 5 times, it's a real art and one must learn the pitfalls.

Gopbi1,

nicely stated: the benefits are worth it. Back-up passes on offline carriers is always a good idea. Rarely do I have to use one, but the peace of mind they provide is worth having.

CFK

*UPDATE*
Continental began daily nonstop service Houston - Rio August 1st. Equipment: 767

Alliance switch: The alliance switch for CO from Sky Team to Star Alliance is set for Oct 27. The alliance is Continental, United, US Air, Air Canada, and a few others. Many of you use UA and CO so this will help with your miles for planning and useage.

CFK

Additional Star Alliance Partners

Air Canada
Air China
Air New Zealand
ANA
Asiana Airlines
Austrian
BMI
LOT Polish Airlines
Lufthansa [carefull of the ovens!]
Scandinavian Airlines
Shanghai Airlines
Singapore Airlines
South African Airways [Isawal's jumping for joy]
Spanair
Swiss (not the cheese Jag)
TAP Portugal
Thai [now Laguy's happy]
Turkish Airlines
US Air

Website: www.staralliance.com

CO (N)OnePass program just had a few updates that, for a change, are not all givebacks and degrading of benefits.
Plat members

• No Same day Change fees
• No Standby fees
• No award change fees
• No close in award fees
• No award redeposit fees (not a change)

• A Saturday-night stay is no longer required for OnePass reward travel
• 100% Elite Qualification Miles and Elite Qualification Points can be earned on discounted fares regardless of where the ticket is purchased or issued.

• Award reservations closer in that 21 days
• Award reservation changes closer in that 21 days(no charge if farther out AND no change to origin and destination)
• Award redeposits

• Regular member $75
• Silver member $50
• Gold member $25
• Plat member 0$

The double elite promotions which most of the airlines are now running is great for those who otherwise would not make a particular tier. However, just like the airline branded credit cards, they have the potential to lessen the benefits that frequent fliers receive overall. For example, Continental Platinums these days get upgraded to First Class (flying domestically) less than a few years ago. Add a bunch of Platinums who otherwise would not qualify but do as a result of the promotion and getting a Platinum upgrade will become that much more difficult given the increased pool of people competing for the upgrades.

Sorry about being a party pooper.

Yup, Being Plat is not what it used to be...
Sort of like the Hobby?

There won't be nearly as many riffraff platinums as there will be riffraff silvers, and plats will still have precedence. THE biggest bene for being platinum on CO (and that Smitopher didn't mention) is access to pimp lounges on International flights.

I've never been more than Silver elite on CO before this year (where, due to promotions I WILL MAKE RIFFRAFF PLATINUM!), and I get upgraded to 1st class on domestic flights at least 50% of the time. It depends where and when you fly, but nobody wants to hear that, do they?

Smitopher, you'll like this one, my last domestic trip, DC-IAH, I got a $250 voucher to give up my 1st class free upgrade seat and sit in coach for a 2 hour flight. I got paid 2 bucks a minute to sit in the RIFFRAFF SEAT I PAID FOR!

You GAVE UP a free first class upgrade? I think We should REVOKE your RIFFRAFF Plat status. YOU DO NOT DESERVE IT.

I can sit with Ma and Pa Kettle for two hours, but I GOTSTA sit up front if it is any longer.

AA is still the best program. When you hit exec plat they give you 8 system wide upgrades. Between miles and the upgrades, I have not flown internationally in a coach seat in over two years. What good is an elite program if you can't upgrade when you want it most - when you are flying overnight 8 hours or more?

Smitopher says
Yup, Being Plat is not what it used to be...Sort of like the Hobby?

I gotta disagree - about the hobby part that is. You are just not buying tickets to the right places. I would say this has been one of my best mongering years yet.

Hey, it not like I've never been to JTown or CP.
I'll be there again soon. I've got a sigNIFicant milestone coming up in Nov. What are you doin?

The first new 747 - 400 goes to United [UA/CO] with the new United Airlines Livery [CO]. For LAguy it will have plenty of those lie flat seats, GCL you're s-o-l.


(Message edited by copperfieldkid on February 24, 2011)

Wall St. reviewed a lengthy list of corporations for which there is substantial research data to choose the 10 most hated in America. No surprise, American Airlines made the list.

American Airlines

American’s parent, AMR, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in November 2011. That virtually wiped out the value of the holdings of every shareholder. American recently was picked as the worst airline for customer service by the annual Middle Seat scorecard, published in the Wall Street Journal. “For the past five years, American has been among the worst three airlines at on-time performance, a key measure of an airline’s operation since it impacts mishandled bags, bumped passengers and even canceled flights and customer complaints,” the survey’s authors said. The report states that the airline was the worst among major carriers last year for baggage handling and canceled flights, canceling 70% more flights than United and Delta. With a score of 63 in the American Customer Satisfaction Index section on airlines, American falls near the bottom, well below leader Southwest, which has a score of 81.

(Message edited by copperfieldkid on January 15, 2012)

Posted on the SA Chat board, re-posted here for everyone:

Southwest is making a play to be a major carrier for routes into Central and South America. This will be the biggest game changer in decades when this occurs. Their recently acquired subsidiary AirTran already operates flights to the Caribbean and Mexico. (Possibly one big reason for the acquisition) The obvious course of action will be to build up the Mexico destinations due the close proximity, plus the lengthier stage lengths will require series 8 & 900 737's for range. Fleet growth will decide the routes.

To expand on why the airfares have become so outrages here is some information that will help explain, beyond the higher fuel costs and other obvious fees.
According to research conducted by MasterCard, visitor numbers are up throughout Latin America. Rio saw a 27.5% year-over-year increase between 2010 and 2011, Lima (Peru) gained nearly 21%, and Buenos Aires grew 15% These figures, and the high yields they produce, clearly explains the loads, lack of FF seats, and higher fares. It's no wonder SW wants a piece of the action! The sooner they can get into these markets the sooner we'll see some relief on the fares as the large carries will be forced to compete. Certainly the routes we'd all like to see immediately probaly will be later in coming[years], but at least it's in the works!

BTY, a few that saw dips in traffic: San Jose, Costa Rica with 1.6% and Quito, Ecuador 2.7%, and the worse was Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic at 9.4% [not even half the gain made by Lima].



(Message edited by copperfieldkid on June 27, 2012)

I took a COPA non-stop flight on a 737 from PTY to LAX in 2005, no way would I want to make that trip again on a 737 and your talking about flying an even longer leg... NO WAY!

RG,

personally I never fly on 737's [regardless of the series: 800 or 900, largest of the series] They are cramped and just plain uncomfortable. They were originally designed for short haul flights. The fact they have stretched them by no means make them any more comfortable, only longer. The info above re:Southwest was to give hope to the fare conscious only.

CFK

(Message edited by copperfieldkid on June 28, 2012)

This Google Flight Explorer looks very promising.

I think United had a 737 on my leg from the states to Korea...boy was that an uncomfortable flight.

I have taken too many flights from Houston to Newark on my way back from Rio on 737's. Also, a few trips to Bogota out of Newark on 737's. I would rather date Lorena Bobbit then to fly a 737.

Nobody flies a 737 on a long-haul trans-pacific international flight. They don't have the range or capacity. More likely it's a 767, which would suck as well.

I have a few flights booked on the new 787, all in first class. All post a review when I'm back.

I think Panama City to Cordoba, AR is the longest non-stop 737 flight currently.

The latest extended-range 737 can certainly do over 3,000 miles, but as Bwana says, they're not trans-Atlantic and definitely not trans-Pacific. You will find 757s, which have the same fuselage, in trans-Atlantic routes, and they are certainly to be avoided. Yeah, they can physically do it, but comfort is piss poor.

I've been getting a lot of the Continental 737s out of Dulles lately, and those birds do suck in comparison to the Airbus 319/320s that United passengers are used to. The 737s have better range, but the cabin is noticeably smaller. Also, for United passengers, we're still acclimating to the Continental way of doing things, which sucks ass.

(Message edited by catocony on January 03, 2013)

Ever wonder if there's a reason you're flying Continental instead of United?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Breaks_Guitars

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YGc4zOqozo

Continental, and I 'assume' United now, flies trans-pacific in 737's. Well kind of. Mainland to Hawaii, then the island hopper from Hawaii to Guam stopping at every god-forsaken atoll that only sees a plane once a week along the way, and Guam to Manilla. I considered taking that trip because the scenery would be interesting at all the stops and because while international, the elite upgrade policy was treated as domestic so free upgrades and first in a 737 is still better than coach in a wide body. I did once do LAX-HNL in a 737 HNL-GUM in a 767 and GUM-MNL back in a 737. That one did suck and was a rough way to cross the pacific.

Alas, the island hopping routine of what used to be Continental Micronesia isn't really trans-Pacific. You could take a regional jet from New York to Halifax, Nova Scotia. Then a 737/A320 on Icelandair to Reykjavik, and another 737/A320 from Reykjavik to London or wherever. I wouldn't really call that trans-Atlantic.

But, if you include the multihop flights, Alaska Airlines used to fly 737s over to Russia from a couple of the far-flung stops in Alaska, and that's theoretically trans-Pacific.

You can have your island hopping, I'm over that adventure after having to land in Wake on a L-1011 a decade ago, daytime is not bad, at night you swear your going in for a water landing.

737's are fine for a 2 hour flight, but anything longer sucks. I took a COPA flight from Panama to LAX, about 6 months later that flight had to land in Tijuana because of fuel issues!

continental used to have an all business class 737 that flew from Amsterdam to Houston. Not bad but noticeably louder than the wide bodies normally flying these distances.

737s are fine for 3-4 hour flights. In this day and age, they're used for transcons all the time, which suck. Then again, I have a flight from Dulles to Texas in a few weeks, and I'm on regional jet for 1,200+ miles. Compared to that, a 737 is luxurious.

15 years ago, the minimum you would see on a transcon was a 757. Now, you see A319s - about 130 seats - and 737-700s, with about the same number of seats. It's pathetic, but it's what the airlines call service these days. The era of widebodies on transcons and flights to Hawaii and the Caribbean and Mexico/Central America is over. We have 3+ hour flights on regional jets where the cabin is barely 6 feet wide, and trans-Atlantic flights on 757s. It sucks.

Yesterday, I was on a US Air flight from Orlando to Charlotte. Because of my frequent flyer status, I got bumped to First Class. It was by far the nicest plane I have boarded in my life. It has a lay flat bed. Despite the fact that the flight was only 1 hour and 15 minutes, I spent most of the time laying down, and wishing the flight was longer. They told me that a person well over 6 feet can lay down. I think it was an Airbus 330 and it was less than 3 years old.

It most likely was going on an international destination. I flew first class in an Airbus 330 this summer from Rio to Paris. Nice.

Right now Delta has the flatbed in first on flights from ATL-GIG. Just came back from Rio after celebrating New Years. It was a Boeing plane. The flatbeds seem harder than the Airbus.