Liz CA Posted October 14, 2019 Share Posted October 14, 2019 I am signed up with CheapOAir but the emails I am getting are not helpful - like $20 off a potentially $1800 trip. Any other favorite sites you get alerts from that are a little more substantial? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted October 14, 2019 Share Posted October 14, 2019 Airfare watchdog is good. There's one with a little rabbit icon...Hopper, maybe? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
May Posted October 14, 2019 Share Posted October 14, 2019 I like Hopper and I just read Skyscanner is another good one. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted October 14, 2019 Share Posted October 14, 2019 I use, I trust more than other web sites, and I suggest using Google Flights. That's the one I use when we are ready to book. I like Google Flights, among other reasons, because when I am ready to book, they direct me to the web site of the airline and not to the web site of some OTA (Online Travel Agency). There are different ways to use it, one is to set up an "Agent" to check a specific route on specific dates and to notify you when the fare changes, which will probably be 2 or 3 times a week, depending on the route. You can also check for nearby dates. Many ways to use Google Flights and other sites such as Kayak. I do have the Hopper App installed on my Android phone and that gives you a very quick way to see days when the fares are highest (color Red) and when the fares are lowest (color Green) and you can then go to Google Flights or somewhere else and look for detailed information, and not just generalizations. Note: If you are not aware of the recent demise of the Thomas Cook company, be aware that there are other companies known to be on the edge. I think Norwegian Air is one of the company's whose survival is questionable? Depending on the route you are interested in, try to select carriers that are in good financial shape. WOW AIr, if it resumes service, and it may, because the woman who bought it is no dummy, will also be very questionable, if it resumes service. Note: Depending upon the route and the time of year and the competition, there can be enormous differences in the fare, from one day or week to the next. This morning, I checked, on the SPIRIT web site, one way fares from here (Cali, Colombia) to Raleigh-Durham). I checked from now until the first week in January. Their basic one way fare on that route, depending on the dates, for the Passenger and the "Personal Item", ranged from $167 USD to $910 USD. The competition obviously does the same with their fares, but charges far more. So, the bottom line here is that if you can be very flexible with the dates of your travel, you might be able to save a great deal of money. It is when your dates are in concrete, such as when we made the reservation for DD to go to RDU early in April, 4 months before the trip, which is at least one month before I would normally make a reservation, that you must simply book it, pay for it, and then possibly watch the fare increase or decrease over time, but you have it in concrete. Those who don't do that normally watch the fare increase and then close to departure, all of the flights, for one week, are full and there are no good options for those who didn't plan in advance. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaybee Posted October 14, 2019 Share Posted October 14, 2019 Well, this is only for Southwest rather than broader, but they have great deals periodically for Southwest flights. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted October 14, 2019 Share Posted October 14, 2019 I follow Scott's Cheap Flights, they send out emails, it is how I found a good deal on our flights to Europe this year. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted October 15, 2019 Author Share Posted October 15, 2019 Thank you! I will check them all out. Like Lanny said, the price differences are mind boggling and I don't want to pay more than I have to obviously. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyoffive Posted October 15, 2019 Share Posted October 15, 2019 Where are you wanting to go? Do you have a place picked out already? Or are you just looking to go anywhere? Honestly the best way to find a airfare deal is do it yourself and just look on google flights. I always find the deals on Google Flights myself before any airfare sight gets them. Have you considered travel hacking and just getting free flights instead of paying? Scotts Cheap Flights Airfare Watch Dog Points blogs have lots of deals posted thepointsguy.com is a great one to start Secret Flying ----- This is the best one 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted October 15, 2019 Share Posted October 15, 2019 I think Google Flights has a feature like this. I know that Kayak has it. On Kayak it is called "Explore" or something like that. You enter your home airport and the date (or month) and a maximum budget and it shows you where you can go with that budget at that time. That's for people who do not have a specific destination in mind. I remember, as mid-August approached, watching on the SPIRIT web site, for the flights from here to Raleigh-Durham. That was a "peak" season and in the end, there were one or two weeks when they didn't have seats available, at any price. The aircraft have a limited number of seats and when they are gone, they are gone... Anyone who needed to go at the last minute had to take a longer route, with one additional connection city, and pay an arm and a leg. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted October 17, 2019 Author Share Posted October 17, 2019 On 10/15/2019 at 8:03 AM, mommyoffive said: Where are you wanting to go? Do you have a place picked out already? Or are you just looking to go anywhere? Honestly the best way to find a airfare deal is do it yourself and just look on google flights. I always find the deals on Google Flights myself before any airfare sight gets them. Have you considered travel hacking and just getting free flights instead of paying? Scotts Cheap Flights Airfare Watch Dog Points blogs have lots of deals posted thepointsguy.com is a great one to start Secret Flying ----- This is the best one I am going to either Heathrow, Frankfurt or Munich. From these location I can catch other transportation to my final destination and I have a set date that can vary by a day or two but not much more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyoffive Posted October 17, 2019 Share Posted October 17, 2019 10 hours ago, Liz CA said: I am going to either Heathrow, Frankfurt or Munich. From these location I can catch other transportation to my final destination and I have a set date that can vary by a day or two but not much more. Where are you flying from? What dates? There are ton of great deals right now, but I don't know when you are going. Those are really easy airports to get deals to. TO: Amsterdam (AMS) Athens (ATH) Barcelona (BCN) Basel (BSL) Berlin (TXL) Bologna (BLQ) Brussels (BRU) Bucharest (OTP) Budapest (BUD) Casablanca (CMN) Chișinău (KIV) Cologne (CGN) Dublin (DUB) Düsseldorf (DUS) Edinburgh (EDI) Florence (FLR) Frankfurt (FRA) Gdansk (GDN) Geneva (GVA) Genoa (GOA) Gothenburg (GOT) Hamburg (HAM) Helsinki (HEL) Istanbul (IST) Krakow (KRK) Kyiv (KBP) Larnaca (LCA) Lisbon (LIS) Ljubljana (LJU) Luxembourg (LUX) Malta (MLA) Manchester (MAN) Marrakesh (RAK) Marseille (MRS) Milan (LIN) Milan (MXP) Moscow (SVO) Munich (MUC) Naples (NAP) Nice (NCE) Palermo (PMO) Paris (CDG) Pisa (PSA) Porto (OPO) Prague (PRG) Riga (RIX) Rome (FCO) Santorini (JTR) Sofia (SOF) St. Petersburg (LED) Stockholm (ARN) Stuttgart (STR) Tallinn (TLL) Thessaloniki (SKG) Trieste (TRS) Turin (TRN) Valencia (VLC) Venice (VCE) Vienna (VIE) Warsaw (WAW) Wroclaw (WRO) Zagreb (ZAG) Zurich (ZRH) FROM: Albany (ALB) - $486 Albuquerque (ABQ) - $515 Allentown (ABE) - $486 Appleton (ATW) - $506 Asheville (AVL) - $486 Aspen (ASE) - $502 Atlanta (ATL) - $468 Austin (AUS) - $504 Billings (BIL) - $483 Birmingham (BHM) - $486 Boise (BOI) - $497 Bozeman (BZN) - $497 Burlington (BTV) - $486 Cedar Rapids (CID) - $486 Charlotte (CLT) - $468 Charlottesville (CHO) - $486 Chattanooga (CHA) - $486 Cincinnati (CVG) - $468 Cleveland (CLE) - $486 Cody (COD) - $507 Columbia (CAE) - $486 Columbus (CMH) - $486 Corpus Christi (CRP) - $499 Dallas (DFW) - $504 Dayton (DAY) - $486 Des Moines (DSM) - $486 Destin (VPS) - $504 Detroit (DTW) - $468 Duluth (DLH) - $486 Durango (DRO) - $480 El Paso (ELP) - $486 Eugene (EUG) - $488 Everett (PAE) - $496 Fargo (FAR) - $486 Fayetteville (XNA) - $486 Fort Lauderdale (FLL) - $468 Fort Myers (RSW) - $486 Fort Wayne (FWA) - $486 Grand Junction (GJT) - $502 Grand Rapids (GRR) - $486 Great Falls (GTF) - $507 Greensboro (GSO) - $486 Greenville (GSP) - $486 Harrisburg (MDT) - $486 Hartford (BDL) - $462 Huntsville (HSV) - $486 Indianapolis (IND) - $486 Jackson (JAN) - $486 Jackson Hole (JAC) - $502 Jacksonville (JAX) - $486 Kalispell (FCA) - $502 Kansas City (MCI) - $486 Knoxville (TYS) - $486 Las Vegas (LAS) - $486 Lexington (LEX) - $486 Lincoln (LNK) - $486 Little Rock (LIT) - $486 Louisville (SDF) - $486 Madison (MSN) - $486 McAllen (MFE) - $499 Medford (MFR) - $481 Memphis (MEM) - $486 Miami (MIA) - $468 Milwaukee (MKE) - $486 Minneapolis (MSP) - $468 Minot (MOT) - $486 Missoula (MSO) - $502 Mobile (MOB) - $486 Moline (MLI) - $506 Nashville (BNA) - $486 Norfolk (ORF) - $486 Oakland (OAK) - $485 Oklahoma City (OKC) - $486 Omaha (OMA) - $486 Orlando (MCO) - $468 Panama City (ECP) - $486 Pasco (PSC) - $501 Pensacola (PNS) - $486 Peoria (PIA) - $486 Philadelphia (PHL) - $462 Phoenix (PHX) - $486 Pittsburgh (PIT) - $465 Portland (PDX) - $486 Portland (PWM) - $486 Providence (PVD) - $486 Raleigh (RDU) - $468 Rapid City (RAP) - $486 Redmond (RDM) - $497 Reno (RNO) - $497 Richmond (RIC) - $486 Roanoke (ROA) - $486 Rochester (ROC) - $486 Sacramento (SMF) - $476 Salt Lake City (SLC) - $504 San Antonio (SAT) - $486 San Diego (SAN) - $486 San Francisco (SFO) - $506 Sarasota (SRQ) - $486 Savannah (SAV) - $486 Seattle (SEA) - $486 Shreveport (SHV) - $486 Sioux Falls (FSD) - $486 South Bend (SBN) - $486 Spokane (GEG) - $476 St. Louis (STL) - $486 Syracuse (SYR) - $486 Tampa (TPA) - $468 Tucson (TUS) - $507 Tulsa (TUL) - $486 Westchester (HPN) - $567 Wichita (ICT) - $486 Wilmington (ILM) - $486 WHEN: Varies by route. Generally November 2019 through May 2020 and August through September 2020, some routes include Thanksgiving but all exclude Xmas/NYE NORMAL PRICE: $850+ roundtrip AIRLINE(S): Air Canada (Star Alliance) Brussels Airlines (Star Alliance) Lufthansa (Star Alliance) Swiss (Star Alliance) United (Star Alliance) ADD-ON FEES: The cheapest available fares are basic economy, which means early seat selection and a checked bag are not included. For most routes, it costs $60 each way to upgrade to regular economy, which includes a checked bag and early seat selection. A checked bag costs $60 each way à la carte BUY BY: We think these fares will last 1-2 days From Scott's Cheap flights https://www.airfarewatchdog.com/blog/50084900/sas-scandinavian-airlines-europe-on-sale-from-278-roundtrip/?source=54&nltv=144959_b&nl_cs=51647131%3A%3A%3A%3A%3A%3A144959_b&mcid=21443&mi_u=CSIAL6L2ZB Or sign up for a credit card, make one purchase and get enough points for a free ticket to Europe. https://dannydealguru.com/2019/09/07/barclays-aviator-red-60k-bonus/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted October 18, 2019 Author Share Posted October 18, 2019 Wow, thanks @mommyoffive I will be leaving preferably from SMF (Sacramento), SFO is a possibility but would be much more of a hassle. It will be around May 22/23 2020 until May 28/29 2020. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyoffive Posted October 18, 2019 Share Posted October 18, 2019 Does the Scott's cheap flight deal work for you? I know it had SMF on there. Those are good dates as high summer travel season usually hasn't kicked in yet. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted October 18, 2019 Share Posted October 18, 2019 I prefer to fly Alaska, and buy tickets directly from their site. I get deal alerts from them on a regular basis. (the thing that irritates me is I have to call them to change my email address!) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted October 19, 2019 Author Share Posted October 19, 2019 On 10/18/2019 at 6:56 AM, mommyoffive said: Does the Scott's cheap flight deal work for you? I know it had SMF on there. Those are good dates as high summer travel season usually hasn't kicked in yet. I have gotten a few deals by email but none for my flight specifically yet. I did sign up for all the other ones as well. I will need to take a weekend and concentrate my efforts on sleuthing out a decent price with decent flight path so it does not take 25 hours to get there. 🙂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted October 19, 2019 Share Posted October 19, 2019 We just got round trip tickets, multi-city to Europe for a really good price. I tend to follow Scott's Cheap Flights to get a sense of when deals are good. They've been very good to Europe for the last month or so. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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