5 Ways to Say “No” to a la Carte Travel

Airlines today often expect passenger to pay for each item separately on a trip. This significantly drives up cost, but passengers can control these problems by looking for chances to bundle their expenses. This can be applied to all aspects of travel, not just air fare, to reduce the cost of vacation or personal travel.

1. Look for Packaged Travel
   Southwest and JetBlue do not charge for add-ons like checked bags or sodas. You can take this a step further by using an online service like Expedia, Orbitz or Travelocity. These organizations negotiate deals with multiple providers on the whole sale level. They then package these items, like air fare, hotel cost and rental car expenses into one package. Going with this type of package truly presents savings over buying each individually even with the site’s small markup.
2. Make Your Voice Heard
   When a company charges for an item that you expected was covered in the original price, say something. Companies should disclose these items, like insurance on a rental car, up front. Companies are legally obligated to tell you this information before you book with them. If you tell them you are aware of this obligation, they may back down from the charges and give you the chance to avoid the fees.
3. Skip out on Bad Deals
   There are many levels of a la carte chargers. Some are worse than others. The very worst tend to include: Spirit, Allegiant and AirTran. If you know an airline is very inconvenient due to added a la carte fees, then simply elect to take your business elsewhere. A good indicator you may be in for a pricey trip is the fee to book a ticket. If a company charges you a convenience fee to book online or over the phone, then think hard about booking. There is a mandatory September 11 surcharge of $10 imposed by the FAA. All other booking fees should be avoided.
4. Make Alternative Arrangements
   Ship your baggage instead of checking it. Pack a carry on instead of a large suit case. Buy a water in the terminal instead of a soda on the flight. Do not pay to sit in the front bulkhead or the emergency row. Just plan on doing what you have to in order to avoid fees, and you will save hundreds of dollars a year on travel.
5. Join the Club
   There are savings to be had with frequent flier programs and airline credit cards. Concentrating your travel to one airline alone often presents the best options to really cash in. When you use one airline repeatedly, you will get off without the added fees. Sacrificing a little flexibility will be worth the savings.

Tags: added fees, airline tickets, baggage fee, booking fee, cheap airline tickets

Southwest 12 Days of LUV

Southwest Airlines is currently offering a promotion to provide $1,000 Southwest gift cards according to competition rules. The rules are announced on Twitter each day @SouthwestAir.

The basics of the 12 days of LUV competition are as follows:

Each of the 12 days from December 11 - 22 Southwest will post the rules for a photo contest on Twitter. You will have the chance to respond with a photo of your choosing by using the tag #swagc on the photo. If you win, you get $1,000 to spend on airfare through Southwest.

Contest examples

So far, the contest has included requests for photos of your favorite holiday attire or photos of decorations on your car. These simple photos result in one winner each day throughout the promotion. The Southwest Twitter account is updated with the rules for the current submission contest, and the account continues to update until the winner is chosen. Once the winner is announced for a single competition, the next competition rules are posted to the account. Southwest benefits by gaining more followers on Twitter, and you benefit by having a great shot at winning a number of free flights such by submitting a simple picture.

Why we love Southwest

If you follow this blog, you are aware we are often lauding Southwest’s efforts to bring you cheap travel. Southwest is one of the few airlines allowing your bags to fly free. According to recent market reports, the policy is bringing them huge payoffs in the long run. Aside from the bags fly free principle, Southwest also offers frequent sales on short flights nationwide. One-way tickets go as low as $24 on the airline, leaving many to wonder again and again how they do it. Southwest is among the most profitable airlines in the country, however, for the past many years.

Follow Airlines on Twitter

You may be surprised to note Southwest is not the only airline offering deals on Twitter. In fact, United and Delta often offer great travel deals on Twitter as well. You will also find hotel chains on the social network. Hilton, Hampton and other chains promote to their followers before promoting to the public. You can capitalize on deals other people are not even aware of by becoming a follower of the travel retailers.

Joining Twitter for the Deals

Okay, so you don’t think you’d like to have a Twitter account? Did you know you can join without even issuing a single “tweet.” A number of businesses and persons are members for the simple benefit of following others and capitalizing on the deals we have mentioned so far. Have a Google account? You don’t even need to be a member of Twitter in order to check the deals. Simply type in the name of the company followed by “Twitter” into Google in order to see a list of recent tweets from the member that interest you. You can subscribe to these updates through an RSS feed, allowing you to stay aware of what is going on without logging into Twitter.

Tags: cheap airline tickets, cheap flight tickets, free flight vouchers, free southwest flights, southwest 12 days of luv, southwest twitter

Cheap Last-Minute Holiday Plane Tickets

Three airlines are offering great deals on dates typically blacked out for other airlines, including December 25 and January 1. If you are looking to book last-minute travel, you should check out deals at Midwest, Northwest and United.

United $94 Round trip tickets

United is offering tickets under $100 for the busiest travel days of Dec. 16, 17, and 25 and January 1 and 4. These dates tend to be heavy with holiday travel, especially for students looking to get home for the holidays. If you haven’t booked yet, try to capitalize on the lowest fares by booking on these high travel days. You may also find good fares on  Dec. 20, 21, 24, 30, and 31 but should avoid Dec. 18, 19, 22, 23, 26, 28, and 29.

The reason behind this complicated date schedule is market research. Officials at the airlines believe they can create bigger profits on the days mentioned by charging higher fees, and you will be penalized as a result. The best tickets are on short flights between major cities on those specific dates mentioned.

The Catch

• All three of the airlines mentioned, Northwest, Midwest and Delta, charge fees for checked luggage. If you are truly going to capitalize on the low price, try packing all of your belongings into a carry on for the short trip. This can be hard if you are planning on taking along presents. As such, it is advisable to consider shipping the gifts all at once. Shipping one box can cost as little as $30 if done in advance. You will also have the advantage of not having to carry and pack the boxes when you are traveling. If you do happen to carry on presents, you should be aware that security may ask you to unwrap any gift box. It is better to simply wait until you arrive at your destination to wrap gifts.
• You should be aware of the conditions of the ticket. For example, you have to purchase your ticket at least 3 days in advance to get the United deal.
• You must also be staying at least three nights or be staying overnight on a Friday or Saturday at your destination to get the deal. Flying only during the week will not result in the same savings.
• Finally, you need to purchase the ticket by December 16 - which is just around the corner!

Holiday Hotel Deals

Most hotels are finding their income is going down this year. Even though the rough economy is not having a large impact on how many people are flying or traveling, it is changing the way they enjoy themselves at their final destination. Most people will opt to stay with friends or family where possible. You should too to max your savings! However, if this is not possible, then check hotel holiday deals for similar discount offers. The best deals are coming from smaller hotels that do not have a large corporate backing to get them through the hump. Look into bed and breakfasts or independent hotels in the area. You can also pursue savings by being selective about when you stay - Sundays are cheapest.

Tags: cheap christmas travel tickets, cheap holiday travel, fly on christmas, holiday travel, travel for christmas

American Airlines Economy Super Saver

American Airlines typically quotes one extremely low ticket price for a flight called the “Economy Super Saver.” Tickets regularly costing over $400 can be had for as low as $190. But what’s the catch?

Non Refundable Ticket

The main catch for this ticket is it is absolutely non refundable. The tickets are made far in advance, at least a few weeks out, and they cannot be changed, altered or canceled without a substantial fee. This does not just mean that YOU cannot change the ticket; the airline cannot easily change the ticket either. For example, if the flight is canceled, delayed or experiences other problems, they will only attempt to get you on another flight. There is no guaranty. If you have to stay overnight as a result of the problem, the airline will attempt to locate you lodging as it may be available. All in all, this ticket basically means “you are on your own from this point forward.” With change fees up to $200 and a difference in fair, you can be looking at an additional $700 if the ticket doesn’t work for you. American Airlines will not generally provide you with flight credit in the case of the cancellation, either.

Benefits of the Super Saver

The key benefit to the Super Saver ticket is - hello - the price! You can get tickets at a 50% discount by agreeing to the nonrefundable policy. As long as you know your travel plans will not change, you do not have as much to worry about. It helps to have a flexible flight itinerary. American Airlines will guaranty to get you to your destination eventually. If you can wait a few hours or until the next day, then you do not have to fear the airline’s cancellation of your ticket.

Travel Insurance

Non of this “non refundability” may matter if you have a good travel insurance plan. For example, a couple traveling for their honeymoon will likely have a hefty travel insurance policy. They can save 50% on cross-country tickets booking early and locking in the price. If they do have to cancel for any reason, they will both receive a full reimbursement from their travel insurance company given the premiums have been paid. So, for an extra $30, you can generally assure you will not lose the money. Of course, a good travel insurance plan will be a few hundred dollars, but $30 is an estimate regarding the percentage that you can estimate up front goes to cover cancellation issues.

Use Priceline

Savvy shoppers know a way to get a refundable Super Saver for just $16 more. If you book your ticket through Priceline, you will find the same prices on the cheap tickets. Then, elect to add the $16 total trip protection plan. In this case, Priceline will fully refund you for the cost of your purchase if you have to cancel your trip for any reason. There are a limited number of tickets allocated to Priceline customers, so shop early and snag a good deal the moment you find it.

Tags: american airlines, economy super saver, non refundable ticket, priceline, Travel insurance, trip cancellation insurance

Caribbean on Sale Today: 3 airlines

If you are planning on booking a trip to a Caribbean or Latin American destination, do it today! Three airlines - Jet Blue, Delta and American - are all having big sales for those who can act fast and book tickets promptly.

Jet Blue Flights Start at $29 Today Only

For one day only, Jet Blue is posting huge sales on over 250 routes in North American and Caribbean destinations including Bahamas, Bermuda, Florida and Las Vegas. The flights are discounted up to 45% for those who meet the requirements. Those requirements are:

• Travel dates between December 2 and 16 or January 6 and 28
• Certain days of the week are discounted, depending on the route you are taking. Keep your dates flexible in order to truly capitalize on the discount.
• If you are planning on traveling January 14, 15 18 or 19, think again, these dates are blacked out
• Sale ends November 19
• A full list of cities and routes on sale can be found at :  Jet Blue’s Sample Sale Site

Delta’s Discounts out of Atlanta

If you can get to Atlanta, you can capitalize on extremely low rates to many destinations throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. Travel to St. Kitts, San Salvador or Antigua starting at around $360 round trip now through February. Requirements include:

• Travel dates now through February 28
• Fares are blacked out on November 19-29, December 17-January 12
• Must purchase your tickets by November 23
• You must stay at least one Saturday night in your destination and cannot stay longer than 30 days
• Go directly to the offer: Delta’s Atlanta ticket sale site

American Ticket Sales to Central America Under $350

If you can purchase tickets about a month in advance for expected travel to South America, then you should view American Airlines’ current sale. Travel to Costa Rica, Panama and Guatemala, among other destinations. Travel requirements include:

• Travel date between now and March 31, but you must be departing between January 5 and March 29
• You must book at least 28 days in advance
• The flights are offered daily!
• Need to purchase by December 15 at midnight
• Must stay at least 2 days and cannot stay longer than 90 days
• Book now: American Airlines Central America discount page

Discount Ticket Tips

• You should be as flexible as possible with your travel dates to capture the lowest fare.
• If you need to get to another city first in order to get a cheap ticket, consider looking into purchasing with two separate airlines. Southwest often has the cheapest tickets within the States but does not present international options. Take Southwest to a major airport, and then hop on American or Delta.
• You may find you are in an unfavorable seat. If you attempt to change this in advance, you will be charged a difference in fair. Instead, wait until you are at the airport to ask about open seats on the plane. These changes are often accommodated free of charge if no one else has booked the seats within a few hours of the flight.
• If you have to change your ticket, you will see a huge fee for the change. Instead, consider canceling the ticket in exchange for credit.

Tags: airline discounts, airline ticket sales, cheap airline tickets, cheap tickets to the caribbean, far discounts, tickets to south america

New Southwest Travel Sale

The success of past efforts to put tickets on sale around the holidays has lead to more sales, and this time Southwest is joined by United.

Southwest announced one-way tickets starting at $59. You will likely need to book by November 23 to take advantage of the “Wanna Get Away” promotion. The best airports and cities to travel to in order to take advantage of the deal are: Las Vegas, New York, Orlando and Los Angeles. Smaller airports will still run you a little more, and so will trips over a certain distance. In order to capitalize on this and most Southwest sales, you have to book online, and you have to do it fast. The further in advance you make your tickets the cheaper they will be. This helps the airline book seats on flights way in the future that may otherwise not be fully-booked.

United made an announcement it will match Southwest’s prices during this period of time. The tickets on United will start at $118 round trip, a dead match, and will also be most affordable to major cities with short flights. United is just one of the many major airlines posting competitive pries to steal Southwest’s loyal customers. As the saying goes, when they compete, you win. Passengers are cashing in on these cheaper travel deals; as joblessness still remains high, airlines are not likely to increase ticket prices until after the new year. In most instances, Southwest is still the king of the sale. When compared, travelers who book on Southwest during this promotion will save about $20 per flight over those who book on United. Further, you should note Southwest has no baggage fee, which makes United and other competitors at least $15 per leg more expensive than Southwest.

Other airlines to consider during the next few weeks in order to capitalize on a good deal include: JetBlue, AirTran, Continental, Delta and Northwest. On some trips these airlines will be more competitive to the low sale price than others.

Hot Travel Tip:

Have you tried Bing’s travel service yet? Bing is a search engine touted by Microsoft as a “decision engine.” Bing reviews prices on multiple different travel sites for you, much like Expedia or CheapTickets. However, when you book through Bing, you don’t buy the tickets from Bing. Instead, Bing directs you straight to the airline to make your purchases.

Using discount services like Priceline can save you money, but travelers have recently complained that these sites do not always give you what you pay for. For example, there are frequent complaints of users getting booked on the wrong flight. In fact, personally, I have had one of these sites book me for a return flight prior to my departure.

Since you are booking through the airline and not a third party, there is less room for error. Ticket changes are also easier without as many fees. Avoiding change fees is key when the average airline charges $200 for you to do so.

Tags: airline ticket sale, bing, Dirt cheap airline tickets, round trip ticket sale, southwest airline sale, united airline sale

Holiday Travel: Dates to Avoid

Travel engines like Bing, Priceline and Cheap Tickets provide valuable advice about when to travel over the holidays. This year, flights are still expected to be lower than in the past. However, as the economy shows signs of recovery, they are expected to go up - so buy early!

When to Avoid

The dates to avoid around Thanksgiving and Christmas include:

• November: 25, 28 & 29
• December: (weekend before and after Christmas) 19-29, 23, 26-29
• January: 2-3

Tips for Holiday Travel

1. Take flights before 7AM. The hassle of an early airport trip will payoff big in your pocket. Aside from early morning flights, overnight flights tend to have the best deals. Many people shy away from overnight, but if you are flying from the west coast to the east coast, the time change and travel distance may play well to a red eye flight. The airport is usually less crowded on a red eye, meaning you will have less hassle getting to and from your gate.
2. Consider multiple airports in your area. For example, John Wayne airport in Orange County may have cheaper flights than LAX and additionally be less crowded in the holiday season.
3. Do not wait until the last minute to book your flight unless you have to. If you do have to, though, buy through a source like Priceline, which actually rewards you for waiting. Airlines will charge you much more to book last minute.
4. If you have to fly during a busy travel time, minimize the pain by only flying on one “red” day. For example, if you have to fly out for Thanksgiving on Wednesday, wait until Monday to fly home. This simple change will save you an average of $35.
5. Do not plan on parking at the airport! There may not be any spots left by the time you get there.

Average Air Fare

Sources predict the average air far for Thanksgiving traveling this year will be $340, while Christmas will be $374. Traveling for only one of these two holidays will save you immensely, especially when you tack on the fees for baggage, transport to the airport, and other penalties.

To avoid bag fees, consider shipping all of your gift prior to the date of travel then just carrying on. If you are shipping gifts, throw in heavy luggage. By packing items like sweaters and coats into the shipping containers, you will save having to pack these bulky items in suitcases. You may be able to totally carry on your travel necessities. Further, these are the items that can put you over the weight limit on airlines that do not charge for bags (which are very few these days).

Plan on buying toiletries when you arrive to avoid checking liquids. If you are staying with family, you may even request they have a few simple items for you when you arrive. They will be happy when they do not have to wait for you to get your bags once you arrive in town - ensuring you both benefit from the adjustment. Making these simple plans in advance will save an average family about $200 in fees on a single trip.

Tags: best days to fly over christmas, best days to fly over the holidays, days to avoid flying, Dirt cheap airline tickets, flying over christmas, flying over thanksgiving

Airfare sales to capture immediately

A few of the major airlines are in the middle of a bidding war to fill seats this winter, and the big winner here is the consumer.

Leading the charge, Southwest and AirTran launched major sales this Tuesday. The fares are as low as $25 for a one-way ticket. If you are planning on traveling on busy days, like Christmas Eve or the Sunday after Thanksgiving, you will not capitalize on the sales. They are aimed at flights that would otherwise be largely empty.

Southwest Deals

One-ways sales are good for travel December 2-16 and January 5 through February 20. The sales are on for $25 on routes up to 375 miles, $50 on routes up to 549 miles, and $75 on routes up to 999 miles. Act fast! The sale expires on Thursday.

Book here

AirTran Deals

Traveling on AirTran through February 10 will save you some hard cash. One-way tickets drop to $39 on short routes. Longer routes range from $164 to $149 one-way. For this sale, you have until November 10.

Book here

The Catch

Aside from limited time to buy the sale tickets, both sales have restrictions. These restrictions include a limited number of seats, especially on the more in-demand flights. The tickets are also nonrefundable in the vast majority of cases. Southwest does have a great policy on travel vouchers, though, meaning you will likely be able to reserve the expense for another flight.

Discount Airlines

Southwest and AirTran are major competitors in the discount airline arena. Their conventional competitors do not offer the same sale benefits, and they also usually charge baggage fees and other additional penalties.

Extra charges are helping airlines get over the current travel recession, but they cost travelers about $4 billion in the first half of this year. Yes, billion. That’s nearly twice as much as the year before, and the fees are not expected to go away anytime soon.

Southwest and AirTran, though, do not impose these fees. You may opt to pay an additional charge on Southwest to jump to the front of the cattle-call seating line, but this is entirely optional. As airfares are creeping up along with penalties across the industry, these sale prices come at a needed time for consumers.

Hot TIPS

• You may also want to check out JetBlue and Frontier on routes that compete with Southwest routes. Often, these higher end competitors can offer reasonable prices that are very close to the Southwest charge.
• Priceline just created an iPhone application that will help you watch hotel fares. If you are traveling this holiday season and need accommodations, consider downloading this free app. You can even book hotels directly through your iPhone when you find a price you want to lock in.
• If its your birthday, be sure to let representatives at the ticket counter at Southwest know. They give away a lot of free drink tickets for people celebrating special occasions. People who like to travel cheap are always looking for free deals, and a free drink on the plane ride can put you in the right mood to get your holiday travels up and running!

Tags: airfare sales, priceline iphone application, southwest sales

Number One Travel Cost Factor: Destination

The biggest factor that will affect how much you spend on  you trip is where you are going. This may seem like common sense, but there is a lot that goes into the cost of destination when you are considering traveling to a specific city. Many people think that Europe is always expensive and Mexico is always cheap, but this is only when the two places are evaluated on a limited range of factors. When you determine where you are going, think of all the criteria going into the decision.

Public Transportation

Public transit is the way of the world for budget-conscious travelers. European cities are notorious for well-developed public transit systems that even run between cities and between countries. This means a person can get from Paris to Milan with relatively low cost. It may require several stops and transit changes along the way, but it is doable, and it is cheap. The same goes for traveling the northeastern seaboard of the US. Getting from New York to Boston to Philadelphia to D.C. is relatively inexpensive. Hopping from San Francisco to LA to San Diego will cost you.

Free Activities

The number of free activities in a large, developed cities may compensate for higher travel and room rates. New York, for example, has expansive public parks and sight-seeing opportunities for those who are interested. Boston, similarly, is rich with historical sites viewable at no cost whatsoever. Traveling to Mexico, however, typically means a charge to even use a restroom at most public locations. Even if the charge is small, it can often add up.

In-Room Kitchens

Dining in will save hundreds of dollars over the course of a vacation week. Even having a kitchenette where you can serve breakfast and lunch is key to keeping expenses down. In-room dining options increase when  you stay at family-friendly hotels as opposed to more luxury rooms. These hotels understand the high cost of feeding a large group and offer well-stocked kitchens on most occasions. Hotels in extended-stay locations may also be a better option than resorts. Try looking for a time share rental to get the most options out of your immediate room.

Dietary Restrictions

When you travel to a third world location in particular, it is important to understand that dietary restrictions may force you into high-end restaurants. These restaurants cater to tourists who cannot stomach the local food. Tourist-specific locations are always more expensive because vacationers are more apt to spend money on the whole. Staying away from tourism centers will save you. However, if you are unable to be in the mix with street food or local restaurants, you may not have a choice.

Exchange Rate

Exchange rate is often overlooked but is a major contributing factor to the cost of a trip. Choosing to go to locations where you can get a favorable exchange will allow you to spend more lavishly. You will be able to afford higher-end dinners than if you go to a place where the exchange rate is one-sided in the opposite direction.