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- From: mkant+@cs.cmu.edu (Mark Kantrowitz)
- Newsgroups: rec.travel.air,rec.travel.marketplace,news.answers,rec.answers
- Subject: FAQ: Air Traveler's Handbook 1/4 [Monthly posting]
- Supersedes: <AIRFARE_1_868777228@CS.CMU.EDU>
- Followup-To: poster
- Date: 13 Aug 1997 07:48:27 GMT
- Organization: School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University
- Lines: 1785
- Approved: news-answers-request@MIT.Edu
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- Summary: Tips about traveling by air, with an emphasis on saving money
- Xref: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu rec.travel.air:111339 rec.travel.marketplace:81762 news.answers:109695 rec.answers:33083
-
- Archive-name: travel/air/handbook/part1
- Last-Modified: Tue Mar 19 14:26:32 1996 by Mark Kantrowitz
- Version: 1.22
- Size: 90743 bytes, 1794 lines
- URL: http://www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs/user/mkant/Public/Travel/airfare.html
-
- ;;; ****************************************************************
- ;;; Airfare FAQ, Part 1 ********************************************
- ;;; ****************************************************************
- ;;; Written by Mark Kantrowitz
-
- This post is a summary of useful information for air travelers. The
- focus is on obtaining inexpensive air fares, although other topics are
- also covered. It was previously posted under the title "FAQ: How to
- Get Cheap Airtickets".
-
- The information in this FAQ applies primarily to US domestic flights,
- though some information may also apply to international flights.
-
- Please mail comments, corrections, additions, suggestions, criticisms
- and other information to mkant@cs.cmu.edu.
-
- *** Copyright:
-
- Copyright (c) 1989-94 by Mark Kantrowitz. All rights reserved.
-
- This FAQ may be freely redistributed in its entirety without
- modification provided that this copyright notice is not removed. It
- may not be sold for profit or incorporated in commercial documents
- (e.g., published for sale on CD-ROM, floppy disks, books, magazines,
- or other print form) without the prior written permission of the
- copyright holder. Permission is expressly granted for this document
- to be made available for file transfer from installations offering
- unrestricted anonymous file transfer on the Internet.
-
- If this FAQ is reproduced in offline media (e.g., CD-ROM, print form,
- etc.), a complimentary copy should be sent to Mark Kantrowitz, School
- of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Avenue,
- Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3891 USA.
-
- This article is provided AS IS without any express or implied warranty.
-
- *** Recent Changes:
-
- ;;; 1.20:
- ;;; 31-MAY-95 mk Replaced all the URLs in [4-12] with a pointer to the FAQ's
- ;;; home page, which now includes a substantially greater
- ;;; number of links.
- ;;; 1.21:
- ;;; 20-DEC-95 mk Corrected several London numbers, thanks to Richard Relf.
- ;;; 19-MAR-96 mk Info about Jet Train provided by Srivathsan Narasimhan
-
- *** Topics Covered:
-
- Part 1:
- [1-0] Obtaining the FAQ
- [1-1a] Standard Tricks: Advance Booking Discounts
- [1-1b] Advance Purchase Fares
- [1-2] Nested/Overlapping Tickets Strategy
- [1-x] Stopovers and Circle Trips
- [1-3] Fare Classes
- [1-4] Classes of Service
- [1-5] Fare Types
-
- [1-6] Special Fare Categories
- [1-7] Children's Fares
- [1-8] Clergy Fares
- [1-9] Military Fares
- [1-10] Senior Citizen Fares
- [1-11] Student/Youth Fares
- [1-12] Family Fares
- [1-13] Conference Fares
- [1-14] Sympathy Fares, Emergency Fares
- [1-15] Refunds
-
- [1-16] Flying Standby
- [1-17] Getting Bumped
- [1-18] Special Travel Dates/Fare Sales/Fare Wars
- [1-19] Moving Up the Return Flight
- [1-20] Hidden City Fares
- [1-21] Buying Someone Else's Nonrefundable Ticket
-
- [1-22] Discount Airlines
-
- [1-23] Tour Desks
-
- Part 2 (Travel Agents, Connections, Airports, Baggage):
-
- Travel Agents:
- [2-1] Travel Agents
- [2-2] Unusual Travel Agents: Commission Rebaters
- [2-3] Consolidators
- [2-4] Couriers
- [2-5] Travel Agencies that Specialize in Students
- [2-6] Visit USA
- [2-7] Free Upgrades to First Class
- [2-8] Companion Tickets
- [2-9] Avoiding Travel Scams
-
- [2-10] Missed Connections
- [2-11] Getting There Faster
-
- [2-12] Airports Monopolized by One Carrier
- [2-13] Hub Cities
-
- Baggage:
- [2-14] Lost Baggage
- [2-15] Baggage Limits
- [2-16] Pets
- [2-17] Bicycles
- [2-18] Restrictions on Electronics
- [2-19] X-ray Machines/Metal Detectors
- [2-20] Packing Tips/Checklist
-
- Part 3 (Safety & Comfort, Frequent Flyers):
-
- Travel Safety, Comfort, and Convenience:
- [3-1] Travel Advisories/Health Information
- [3-2] Travel Safety
- [3-3] Air Quality
- [3-4] Smoke-Free Flights
- [3-4a] Air Pressure Problems (Colds)
- [3-5] Special Meals
- [3-6] Jetlag
- [3-7] Pregnant Passengers
- [3-8] Tips for Families Flying with Children
- [3-9] Tips for Business Travelers
- [3-9b] Best Seats
- [3-10] Exchanging Currency
-
- Frequent Flyers:
- [3-11] Frequent Flyer Programs
- [3-12] Premier FF Membership
- [3-13] Hotel Frequent Flyer Plans
- [3-14] Credit Card Voucher Offers
- [3-15] Telephone Companies
- [3-16] Discount Coupon Offers
-
- Part 4 (Appendices, Miscellaneous):
-
- Appendices:
- [4-1] Airline Reservation Phone Numbers
- [4-2] Flight Information
- [4-3] On-line reservation services
- [4-4] Complaints and Compliments
- [4-5] Glossary
- [4-6] Other Sources of Information
- [4-7] Further Reading
- [4-8] Phone Numbers Included in this FAQ
-
- Miscellaneous:
- [4-9] IRS Rules Change
- [4-10] Airline Antitrust Litigation
- [4-11] Miscellaneous Notes
- [4-12] World-Wide Web (WWW) Resources
-
- Search for [#] to get to question number # quickly.
-
- *** Notes:
-
- All dollar ($) amounts in this FAQ are in US dollars.
-
- ----------------------------------------------------------------
- Subject: [1-0] Obtaining the FAQ
-
- Certain questions and topics come up frequently in the rec.travel.air
- newsgroup. This FAQ is intended to gather these questions and their
- answers into a convenient and comprehensive reference. The hope is
- that this will cut down on the user time and network bandwidth used to
- post, read and respond to the same questions over and over, as well as
- answering questions some readers may not even have thought to ask.
-
- Posts of a commercial nature, such as the buying and selling of
- airplane tickets, should be posted to rec.travel.marketplace and not
- this newsgroup.
-
- An updated version of this file is posted once a month on the 13th of
- the month to the newsgroups rec.travel.air and news.answers. The
- version date for the file is located in the header near the top of the
- file.
-
- In between postings, the latest version of this FAQ is available by
- anonymous FTP from
- ftp.cs.cmu.edu:/user/mkant/Travel/ [128.2.206.173]
- using username "anonymous" and password "name@host" (substitute your
- email address) or via AFS in the Andrew File System directory
- /afs/cs.cmu.edu/user/mkant/Public/Travel/
- as the files airfare1.faq, airfare2.faq, airfare3.faq, and airfare4.faq.
-
- Other files available from this directory include:
- bucket.faq Edward Hasbrouck's FAQ on Bucket Shops and Consolidators
- classes.txt List of fare classes
- discounts.txt Table of Airline Special Fare Discounts (29-JUL-92)
- em_intrfrnc.txt Summary of EM Interference by Laurie Bechtler
- ff.faq Joel Chan's Frequent Flyer FAQ
- flt_attdnt.txt Description of the Job of a Flight Attendant
- iata.tgz List of worldwide airport IATA codes by Peter Loibl
- and Paulo Santos
- jetlag.txt The ANL jet lag diet.
- online.faq John Levine's FAQ on Online Computer Reservation Systems
- tourism.faq Where to get tourist/travel information
-
- The FAQ postings are also archived in the periodic posting archive on
- rtfm.mit.edu:/pub/usenet/news.answers/travel/air/handbook/ [18.181.0.24]
- If you do not have anonymous ftp access, you can access the archive by
- mail server as well. Send an E-mail message to mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu
- with "help" and "index" in the body on separate lines for more
- information.
-
- A HTML version of the FAQ is available as
- http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/travel/air/handbook/top.html
-
- If you need to cite the FAQ for some reason, use the following format:
- Mark Kantrowitz, "Air Traveler's Handbook", rec.travel.air, <month>, <year>,
- ftp.cs.cmu.edu:/user/mkant/Travel/airfare?.faq, mkant+@cs.cmu.edu.
-
- ----------------------------------------------------------------
- Subject: [1-1a] Standard Tricks: Advance Booking Discounts
-
- Airlines give better fares to people who advance book because they are
- trying to encourage people to book as early as possible. If the
- airline were to lower fares just before flight time there would be a
- flood of people (on random flights) at the last minute. Airlines need
- an accurate estimate of the number of people and amount of baggage on
- a flight so that they can load the proper amount of fuel. (Meals and
- beverages also have to be loaded.)
-
- Moreover, people who book at the last minute are usually flying on
- business, and therefore the business is paying for it. People flying
- for pleasure usually know weeks or months in advance, and can't afford
- the prices that a business would pay. Thus it is to an airline's
- advantage to set rates according to the major differences between
- business and leisure travelers:
- o Business travelers fly mostly between 9 and 5, whereas leisure
- travelers can fly offpeak hours.
- o Business travelers buy tickets on very short notice, whereas
- leisure travelers plan trips well in advance.
- o Business travelers do not stay over a weekend (= Saturday
- night), whereas leisure travelers do.
- So airlines typically give discounts for people who stay over a
- weekend, flying offpeak hours, and purchasing tickets 7 days, 14 days,
- 21 days or 30 days in advance. Such fares are known as excursion,
- discount, or supersaver fares.
-
- For example, US domestic excursion fares require that you buy
- your roundtrip ticket 7 days, 14 days, or 30 days in advance, and that
- you stay over a weekend (usually Saturday night, though sometimes
- Sunday night as well). Some may also restrict the travel to a
- 30-day maximum stay. Stopovers aren't allowed, except for the purpose
- of connection (if you want a stopover, you'll have to pay extra).
- Some fares may be limited to a particular routing (e.g., routes with
- connections cost less than nonstop flights). You may also be limited
- to flying during offpeak hours, with flights during the busiest times
- of the day costing more. Tickets are usually non-refundable and
- non-transferable, and may either be non-changeable or have a $35
- change fee. The price is usually the average of the two one-way
- tickets. (E.g., a 2-week advance PGH/BOS advance ticket is around
- $200 this way.) Tickets must be purchased within 24 hours of the
- reservation.
-
- For international excursion fares, also known as apex fares, you must
- book at least 21 days in advance of the flight, and you may have to
- purchase the tickets at the time of the reservation. Minimum stay is
- usually 7-10 days, and maximum stay can range from 3 months to a year.
- Midweek travel (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday) is usually cheaper.
- Tickets are non-refundable and non-transferable. Fares often depend on
- the seasons.
-
- Since a regular 1-way ticket is so much worse than a round-trip
- excursion fare, it sometimes pays to buy a round-trip ticket and throw
- away the other half (if you're only going one way). If you buy a round
- trip ticket and throw away the other half, make the first leg of the
- trip the destination, since some airlines will cancel the return trip
- if you don't show up for the first leg. If you intend to skip ONE leg
- of a multi-leg flight, tell this to your reservation agent in advance,
- so that they can annotated your PNR to prevent subsequent legs from
- being cancelled. (Note: You can't use this technique to exploit a
- "hidden city" fare. You'll have to have a very good reason for
- skipping a leg for the travel agent to allow it, and you may have to
- pay a different fare to do so.)
-
- For example, a round-trip to San Francisco from Pittsburgh with a
- one-night stayover is $1,333. However, the cost of a Saturday night
- stayover is only $479 if you order the ticket a week or two in
- advance. Purchasing two round trip tickets, one originating from Pgh
- and one from SF, and then using one half of each round trip ticket
- saves you $375.
-
- Note that for many airlines the discount fares depend solely on the
- date of the first leg of the trip. The price does not vary no matter
- when the return flight is (so long as you stay over a Saturday night).
- You could buy a flight with one leg in March and the return in
- November, and it would cost the same as if the return was in March.
- For some of the lowest fares, however, there is now a 30-day maximum
- stay. Staying more than 30 days often increases the fare by about 25%.
-
- If you travel on offpeak hours and low volume days, the rates are
- cheaper. Thus to guarrantee a low cost flight, you have to be very
- flexible about where you are going, what time and day you are leaving,
- and how long you want to stay. Offpeak hours typically include before
- 7am, between 10am and 2pm, and after 7pm, depending on the day of the week.
-
- Also important is when you make the reservation. If you make the
- reservation for an offpeak flight during the peak season (say, make a
- reservation for February just before Thanksgiving), you may be charged
- the peak rates. After the holidays some airlines lower their discount
- fares to attract customers. So you may be able to get a better fare by
- making your reservation right after the holidays.
-
- If you notice that the fare for your flight has been lowered after you
- bought the ticket, try calling the airline. Sometimes they will refund
- the difference between the price you paid and the lower fare. (You may
- have to go to the airport to get the ticket rewritten at the lower
- fare.) You may have to pay a $35 to $50 reticketing fee to get the
- refund, but some airlines have been known to waive the fee if you get
- the money back in the form of a voucher (to be applied to future
- travel) instead of cash. For example, USAir will refund the
- difference less a service charge, or give a travel voucher (credit)
- for the difference with no service charge.
-
- According to a Wall Street Journal article by James S. Hirsch, (July
- 30, 1993) many airlines now test fare increases by raising prices on
- the weekend (Friday night through Sunday night). If other airlines
- don't match the increases, the fares return to normal on Monday. So
- you should be careful when purchasing tickets on the weekend. (This
- works around the Justice Department consent decree that prevents
- airlines from signalling proposed fare increases in the computer
- reservation systems. When the competitors didn't match the increase, the
- airlines would cancel the increase before it took effect. With the new
- method, since it affects current prices, it technically isn't price-fixing.)
-
- Hirsch also reported that many airlines have increased the $25 charge
- for changing advanced purchase tickets to $30 or $35. Note that this
- is often a minimum fee -- you'll probably have to pay the full
- difference in price if the new ticket price is much higher. Airlines
- are using these measures to discourage passengers from buying tickets
- during a fare war and later changing the time of flight or
- destination. If you go to one of the airline's ticket agents (not a
- travel agent), some airlines will reissue a ticket at the lower fare
- without fee if the difference is refunded in the form of a voucher for
- future travel.
-
- In addition to the Saturday night stay requirement, many airlines now
- give additional discounts for travel midweek (usually Tuesday and
- Wednesday, sometimes Thursday) when a Saturday night stay is involved.
- Some also provide discounts for travel on Saturdays. Flights usually
- aren't fully booked on these days. For example, Northwest discount
- coupons recently had this restriction. Most leisure travelers like to
- travel Sunday-Sunday, or at least not miss a large part of the week.
- Business travelers, of course, don't like to stay over the weekend.
-
- When making your reservation through an airline ticket agent or
- through a travel agent, always ask for the lowest possible fare. Don't
- just give them specific dates/times and ask them for a low fare --
- tell them that your plans are flexible, and you'd like to know what
- the low fare is. If you're too specific on the flight details, and
- don't say that you're looking for the cheapest possible fare, you
- might not get the best price. Sometimes by departing on a different
- day, you can get a much cheaper fare.
-
- ----------------------------------------------------------------
- Subject: [1-1b] Advance Purchase Fares
-
- [Note: This section to be merged into preceding section.]
-
- Typically, tickets must be purchased 4, 7, 14, 21, or 30 days
- in advance of the departure date. All require confirmed reservations.
- Seats are always limited. Most do not permit changes/cancellations,
- and those that do will usually charge you.
-
- Some require a roundtrip ticket, though there are some that
- give lower rates for one-way tickets. Most do not permit open-jaw
- travel (most require circle-trip for excursion fares). Some permit
- stopovers, and may or may not charge you for the privilege (typically
- $15-30 per stopover). Fares are often seasonal.
-
- For those that have a minimum and maximum stay period (e.g.,
- stay over the weekend, must return 150 days after departure), the day
- of departure is not included as part of the minimum and maximum stay period.
-
- Children's rates are usually discounted against the applicable
- fare. (Some airlines now apply children's discounts against the
- highest fare only.) As usual, children must carry proof of age.
-
- Note that fares are almost always not applicable to/from
- intermediate points. This means a ticket from Boston to Chicago
- passing through Pittsburgh could be cheaper than a ticket from Boston
- to Pittsburgh! But, of course, you can get off at Pittsburgh so long
- as you don't have checked bags nor have subsequent legs on the same
- ticket.
-
- Use the same carrier and flight class for all segments of your
- itinerary. Changing airlines usually adds to the cost of your trip.
- But sometimes you may be able to get a dirt cheap fare on one
- airline to an airport 150 miles or so from your destination, and then
- use another airline to get to your final destination. (This most often
- happens when the first airline has no direct flights to your final
- destination.)
-
- Sometimes fares which involve a connection are cheaper than direct
- flights. So if all the fares are non-stop, ask if flights that involve
- a connection are cheaper. For example, flights from Pittsburgh to
- Boston on TWA are often cheaper than flights on USAir, because USAir
- offers non-stop service while TWA flights are routed through their JFK hub.
-
- Other tips:
-
- + If all the fares are on one airline, ask your travel agent if
- there are cheaper fares on other airlines. Be prepared to ask
- for specific airlines. Don't run down a list of a dozen
- airlines, but ask for two or three. If all show similar lowest
- fares, you aren't likely to do better on another airline.
- (Obviously, this advice doesn't apply if you're calling the
- airlines directly. If so, call 2-3 airlines before purchasing tickets.)
-
- + If there are two airports near where you live (e.g., Washington
- DC, New York), ask if fares from the other airport are cheaper.
- It may pay to drive 40 miles to save $100 on airfare.
-
- + If you qualify for special discounts (youth, student, senior
- citizen, etc.) ask about the availability of such discounts. If
- you don't ask, they won't volunteer the information -- how are
- they to know whether you qualify?
-
- + Tickets are generally cheapest for travel in late August and
- from March (excluding Spring Break) through mid-June, when air
- traffic is the lowest. Of course, this rule of thumb depends a
- lot on the destination, since some destinations have strong
- traffic year-round.
-
- ----------------------------------------------------------------
- Subject: [1-2] Nested/Overlapping Tickets Strategy
-
- If you travel regularly to a particular destination, but don't
- stay over weekends, you can get the cheaper weekend rates by
- staggering your tickets. I.e., if you're flying from A to B and back
- Monday and Wednesday of Week 1, and the same Week 2, instead of buying
- roundtrip tickets for each week, buy a roundtrip ticket leaving A
- Monday of Week 1 and returning Wednesday of Week 2, and a second
- roundtrip ticket leaving B Wednesday of Week 1 and returning to B
- Monday of Week 2. This works out to be precisely the same flights, but
- since both tickets are over a weekend, you get the cheaper rate. The
- only problem is that you have to know your schedule in advance to make
- this work. Using the Pittsburgh-San Francisco example from above, this
- method would save you $1708 on a pair of midweek round trip flights.
-
- If this seems confusing, perhaps the following diagram will make
- things clearer.
-
- --- ------
- | A ----1----->>---MON---- B |
- | --- |
- | A ----2-----<<---FRI---- B | |
- --- | |
- | A ----3----->>---MON---- B | |
- | --- |
- | A ----4-----<<---FRI---- B |
- --- ------
-
- The two round trip flights consist of two outgoing flights (1, 3) and
- two returning flights (2, 4). Normally these are grouped as on the
- left, with flight #1 from A to B being paired with flight #2 from B to
- A, and similarly for flights #3 and #4. The result is two midweek
- flights, neither of which is over a Saturday night. But we could also
- pair flight #1 with flight #4, and flight #2 with flight #3, as shown
- on the right. Then the middle pair of flights (#2 and #3) becomes a
- round trip with its origin at your destination, and both sets of round
- trip tickets are over a Saturday night.
-
- The 30-day maximum stay on discount fares prevents you from using this
- overlapping round trip tickets trick if you travel to a destination
- infrequently (say, every six months). If your trips are more than 30
- days apart, here's a new trick to use. Buy two round trip discount
- tickets (weekend stay) per trip, using one for the outgoing trip and
- one for the return, and then turn in the return portion of each ticket
- for credit towards your next trip. Even with the $25 or so processing
- charge per ticket for crediting and reissuing the ticket, it is still
- cheaper to do this than to buy a single round-trip ticket without a
- weekend stay.
-
- ----------------------------------------------------------------
- Subject: [1-x] Stopovers and Circle Trips
-
- If you're flying to two destinations, ask your travel agent about the
- rates for stopovers and circle trips. A stopover is useful when you
- want to stay for one or two days at a connecting city, and costs only an
- extra $20-50. A circle trip applies when your intermediate
- destination isn't a connecting city, and costs less than a pair of
- round trip tickets, even when your point of origin is a connecting
- city for the middle leg of the circle trip. This is especially true
- when one of the stays isn't over a Saturday night.
-
- ----------------------------------------------------------------
- Subject: [1-3] Fare Classes
-
- When airlines set their fares, they divide their seating into
- "classes", which are based on an analysis of past passenger purchases.
- Suppose you have a 100 seat airliner going from DC to SF. The rates
- might break down on a particular day as follows:
-
- 30 seats at $315 round trip, 30 days in advance
- 20 seats at $350 RT, 21 days in advance
- 20 seats at $375 RT, 14 days in advance
- 20 seats at $400 RT, 7 days in advance
- 10 seats at $450 RT, full fare, available until the last minute.
-
- Now if the time has elapsed within a given price group, then the fare
- will go up to the rate of the next price group. If they sell the quota
- of tickets for a price group, even if the time has not elapsed, then
- they can only sell you tickets at the next rate group price (which is
- naturally higher). So it can pay to make your reservations way in
- advance. (The number of seats available at each fare varies from day
- to day, depending on the airline's yield management algorithm.)
-
- Actually, it would be more accurate to say that airlines distinguish
- between classes of service and types of fares. A discount ticket
- (fare) for first class travel (service) could, in theory, be cheaper
- than an advance purchase ticket (fare) for thrift travel in the first
- class compartment (service). The best way to describe it is as a
- series of overlapping tiers of fares.
-
- There are five regular classes of service: First, Business, Standard,
- Coach and Thrift. Standard is practically nonexistent these days.
- Fares usually drop with lower class service. For each class except
- Standard there are six main types of reduced-fare tickets: discounted,
- night, offpeak, weekend, advance purchase, and excursion fare.
-
- ----------------------------------------------------------------
- Subject: [1-4] Classes of Service
-
- The following chart gives some of the letters used to designate each
- class of service. Note that Fn means Night/Offpeak Coach in the First
- Class compartment, and Yn means Night/Offpeak Coach in other than the
- First Class compartment.
-
- Regular Premium Discounted Night/Offpeak
- First Class F P A Fn (Coach in FC seat)
- Business Class C J D Cn
- Standard S W Bn
- Coach Economy Y B, H, M, Q, T Qn, Yn
- Thrift K L, V Vn, Kn
- Supersonic R
- Shuttle Service U (No reservation needed, Seat guaranteed)
- Shuttle Service E (No reservation allowed)
-
- In reality there is no difference between classes F and P, nor between
- classes C and J. The Q class is usually used for discounted student fares.
-
- If you want the cheapest fares, look at the Thrift and Coach Economy
- classes.
-
- Airlines have started eliminating First Class, because many companies
- now have policies that won't let their employees claim a first class
- ticket on their travel expenses. Instead, the airlines have started
- upgrading their Business Class as a marketing ploy (and, of course,
- company policies are now requiring employees to travel coach).
-
- ----------------------------------------------------------------
- Subject: [1-5] Fare Types
-
- The following lists some of the letters used to designate different
- types of fares. This is distinct from class of service. A number
- (e.g., 7 or 14) usually means how many days in advance the ticket must
- be bought.
-
- Miscellaneous
- AP Advance Purchase
- EX Excursion Fare
- B Capacity-controlled Excursion Fares
- SW Offpeak; Saturday or Sunday
- W Weekend
- X Midweek
- US 48 contiguous states (not including alaska/hawaii)
-
- Economy
- KH Weekend
- KL Midweek/Offpeak
- MH Weekend (Discount Fare)
- ML Midweek/Offpeak (Discount Fare)
- L Capacity-controlled Inventory
-
- Standard
- SH Peak
- SL Offpeak
- V Offpeak
-
- Coach
- B Capacity-controlled Inventory
- BN Night Coach
- H Capacity-controlled Inventory, Coach/Night Coach
- V Offpeak
- YH Weekend
- YL Midweek/Offpeak
-
- Super Coach
- QH Weekend; applies Fri-Sun
- QL Midweek; applies Mon-Thur
-
- ----------------------------------------------------------------
- Subject: [1-6] Special Fare Categories
-
- All airlines have special rate categories, but you have to ask for
- them by name, since the agents are usually not familiar with them.
- You may even have to talk to the agent's supervisor. Below is a brief
- listing of different special fare categories, followed by a more in
- depth discussion of standby fares.
-
- Also, see preceding discussion of classes of service and fare types.
- For example, on TWA, class K, V, YC, and M fares are the cheapest.
-
- Note: Just because you qualify for a special fare category doesn't
- mean that it is the cheapest fare possible. Shop around. By being
- flexible with your travel plans, you may be able to save even more.
- When the special fares are discounted against full fare coach prices,
- you can often do better by purchasing a supersaver or other advance
- booking fare. Of course, if your special fare discount may be
- combined with other offers (e.g., 5% discount for using the official
- airline of a conference to travel to the conference), you win both
- ways.
-
- ----------------------------------------------------------------
- Subject: [1-7] Children's Fares
-
- Children under 2 years of age travel free on US domestic flights.
- (That is, children who have not reached their second birthday at the
- date of commencement of travel.) To be more accurate, the child must
- not occupy a separate seat (sits on its parent's lap), and must be
- accompanied by a fare paying adult passenger 12 years of age and over
- (the lap in which it sits). If the flight isn't full, usually the kid
- can sit in the seat next to the adult, but if the flight is full, the
- child will have to sit in the parent's lap for the duration of the
- flight. Such children do not get a baggage allowance. Ask for an
- "infant ticket" when you make your reservations. Additional children
- under 2 are subject to regular children's fares. On international
- flights you need a "lap child" ticket which typically costs about $100
- (10% of the regular fare).
-
- Fares for children (age 2-12) accompanied by a fare paying adult
- passenger and occupying a separate seat are cheaper than fares for
- unaccompanied children. Some carriers will not accept unaccompanied
- children under five years of age (some 8 years, some 12). Fares for
- accompanied children range from 50% to 100% of an adult fare
- (1/2 fare, 2/3 fare, 3/4 fare, 80%, 90%, full fare). Fares for
- unaccompanied children range from 50% of adult fare to 125% of an
- adult fare (1/2 fare, 2/3 fare, 3/4 fare, full fare, 1-1/4 fare).
- Nowaways, 2/3 fare seems to be the most common children's fare.
-
- Tell your travel agent before they start searching for discount fares
- that you're traveling with children. Not all discount adult fares
- allow discounts for children, so it may sometimes pay to buy a
- slightly more expensive adult ticket that allows for much cheaper
- children fares.
-
- ----------------------------------------------------------------
- Subject: [1-8] Clergy Fares
-
- Clergy have been entitled to discounts by various airlines in the
- past, but as of May 1994, none were participating in such programs.
- Qualified parties would be advised to check with airlines at the time
- of their booking to see if these programs have been reinstated.
-
- ----------------------------------------------------------------
- Subject: [1-9] Military Fares
-
- US military personnel traveling at their own expense on
- authorized leave or pass may get signicantly cheaper fares. Discharged
- military personnel must complete all travel within 7 days of discharge
- date. Valid active duty US green identification card or separation
- orders must be presented. USAir has a 50% military discount.
-
- Also, any military person who is on active duty and either on TDY
- (temporary duty), emergency leave or regular leave, or any retired
- military person may sign up for space available travel on
- pre-scheduled military flights to any air force base (e.g., Hawaii,
- Boston, Florida). Active duty personnel have priority over retired
- personnel, and space is allocated in order of signup. Few flights,
- however, are scheduled more than 24 hours in advance, and you may need
- to go to your destination by a very roundabout route, since not every
- base has a lot of space-available flights. The cost is free from most
- bases, but some tack on a $10 or $20 charge for admin purposes. For
- long flights, they will sell you a box-lunch for $2.40. The planes may
- not be as comfortable as commercial flights. There are numerous books
- on space-available flights that military people can pick up at their
- PX/BX. They should also contact the PAX representative at their
- nearest base for more specific information.
-
- ----------------------------------------------------------------
- Subject: [1-10] Senior Citizen Fares
-
- Certain airlines provide reduced fares for passengers 65 (sometimes
- 62) years of age and older. Passengers must carry proof of age
- (passport, birth certificate, driver's license or medicare card). The
- typical discount is 10 percent, though some discounts may be as high
- as 75%. Some programs provided a booklet of discount coupons, or sell
- several tickets at a sharply discounted rate. Seats are usually
- limited, and off-peak travel may be required. The fares are sometimes
- refundable and sometimes do not require advance purchase. In some cases,
- membership in the AARP will qualify you for the reduced fares. (The
- AARP's 10 percent discount deal with American Airlines ended in 1992
- when the fare war broke out.) Call 1-202-872-4700 for information
- about joining AARP. Airlines with special fares include:
- American, America West, Continental, Delta, Northwest, Southwest
- Airlines, TWA, United, and USAir.
-
- Delta sells books of coupons for travel by retired senior citizens
- (age 62 or higher). The cost is $596 for a book of four coupons,
- $1,032 for eight coupons. Each coupon is good for a one-way flight in
- the continental United States, with two coupons required for travel to
- Alaska or Hawaii. The number of seats are limited, and reservations
- must be made two weeks in advance of departure.
-
- If buying a booklet of coupons, compare the prices against the
- discounted excursion fares. Sometimes you can do better than the coupons.
-
- Be sure to ask if there are any special fares for senior citizens, if
- you qualify. Many travel agents are reluctant to ask a customer if
- they are a senior citizen, because they are afraid the customer might
- be offended.
-
- ----------------------------------------------------------------
- Subject: [1-11] Student/Youth Fares
-
- Some airlines give discounted fares to full-time students of an
- accredited school, college or university who are at least 12 years of
- age. Student ID card must be carried and displayed at the request of
- the carrier. Some restrict the age of the student to under some age
- (e.g., 22, 24, 26 years of age). Stopovers are not permitted, and some
- require reservations at least 7 days before departure.
-
- The status of such discounts varies considerably. For example, the
- USAir student discount was cancelled on May 30, 1992, as a consequence
- of the American fare restructuring. As of June 1993, the program was
- reinstated on a limited scale, primarily on short-haul east-coast
- flights, with an age limit of 24. On June 1, 1994, they cancelled the
- program, and replaced it with a more restrictive youth fare. The
- details of this program are as follows:
-
- + Maximum age 22.
- + Reservations must be made 7 days in advance.
- + Saturday night stay required.
- + Round trips only, must be a non-stop flight.
- + Not offered in all markets, and the amount of the discount
- varies. The best discount seems to be 30% off.
- + The discount seems to not be combinable with supersaver fares.
- + You must show proof of age when making a reservation.
- + The discount is limited to US domestic travel.
-
- Students may purchase discount books of 10 tickets on the Trump (now
- USAir) shuttle for $499. Delta has a similar program for their shuttle.
- Age restrictions can be as low as 18-22 on these tickets (Continental
- 18-22, USAir 18-24 some routes, 18-22 others, Delta is 18-24). Times are
- restricted from 10am to 2:30 pm and after 7 pm.
-
- TWA has established a student discount program. Membership costs $15
- for one year, $25 for two years, and gets you 10% off most TWA
- round-trip fares. You must be a full-time student, aged 16-26. The
- fares must include a Saturday night stay-over and 14-day advance
- purchase.
-
- TWA has also offered a "Youth Travel Pak" which provides coupons for
- four one-way trips in the continental US for $548 (coupons may be
- doubled for travel to Hawaii). The Pak is restricted to students aged
- 14-24. This can be a good deal if you're traveling cross-country.
-
- A variety of discounts are available if you have an International
- Student Identity Card (or International Teacher Identity Card).
- Besides offering proof of student status, the ID provides discounts on
- museums and events, air fare, 24-hour traveler's assistance, and
- health insurance. Ask your travel agent for details on how to get such
- a card and what discounts are available. All Council Travel travel
- agencies sell the International Student ID Cards. They are rather
- cheap -- $17 for students aged 12 to 25 -- and well worth the price.
- However, some people have found that their regular university ID or
- American Youth Hostel Card works just as well for most of the
- discounts. For an application and a free magazine, call the Council
- on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) at 800-438-2643.
-
- Youth fares: Passenger must be between 12 and 22 (25 for international
- travel) years of age. Seats may be limited. Tickets must be purchased
- from the point of origin. Some require picture identification such as
- Youth Fare identification Card, birth certificate, government ID card
- or drivers license. Southwest gives the offpeak rate for *all* flights
- for youth (21 & under), although this is still more expensive than
- their supersaver fares.
-
- In short, when purchasing tickets ask if there is any youth/student discount.
-
- ----------------------------------------------------------------
- Subject: [1-12] Family Fares
-
- Some carriers offer discounts on family travel. For the purposes of
- the discounts, a family is defined as a husband and wife with or
- without accompanying children age 2-17, or one parent with one or more
- accompanying children age 2-17. Age restrictions on children differ
- from airline to airline (some set the maximum age at 20 or 21 years;
- and some break children into two classes, 12 & under and 12-21). Some
- include legal guardian and grandparents within the definition of
- parent. It is usually not necessary for the family to travel under a
- common surname. Proof of family relationship must be established to
- the satisfaction of the carrier and all family members must travel
- together for the entire trip. Fares are typically 100% for first
- family member, 50% each additional. Some have further discounts.
-
- ----------------------------------------------------------------
- Subject: [1-13] Conference Fares
-
- If you're flying to a meeting or conference, airlines will often offer
- a conference discount. This must be arranged ahead of time by the
- conference organizers and only holds for one particular airline. This
- airline is designated as the "official" airline of the conference, and
- is advertised in the registration brochure. Discounts are generally
- 40% off of full coach or 5% off of the best supersaver fare, with
- travel within 3 days of the meeting. The conference organizers receive
- one free round trip ticket for every 20 conference attendees who use
- the airline.
-
- See also "Moving Up the Return Flight" [1-19].
-
- ----------------------------------------------------------------
- Subject: [1-14] Sympathy Fares, Emergency Fares
-
- If you have to go to a funeral, most airlines will give you 50% off of
- the discounted rate, at very short notice. They call this the sympathy
- fare. Similarly for a medical emergency (e.g., a close relative is in
- intensive care, or is likely to die). For example, Continental will
- waive advance purchase requirements for cheap fares for an emergency.
- This is their bereavement rate for people who have to attend funerals.
- Other airlines that do this are United and USAir ("compassionate
- fare"). American gives 50% off of the non-discounted rate, and will
- ask you for the name, address and phone number of the funeral home.
- (Some airlines will require a copy of the death certificate or an
- obituary instead.) This is a tradition carried over from the "funeral
- fare" of the railroad days. Airlines do this because it is simply good
- PR, and doesn't cost them all that much. Some airlines will only allow
- immediate relatives to get a sympathy fare.
-
- [As of 4/30/93, American and United offered 17% discount on
- unrestricted coach, USAir 50%.]
-
- In any case you have to ask and sometimes be persistent as these are
- nonstandard and not widely publicized policies. Many low level airline
- workers are not aware of them or do not have the authority to allow them.
-
- United "Rule 120" describes the rules governing sympathy fares.
-
- ----------------------------------------------------------------
- Subject: [1-15] Refunds
-
- In the same vein, many airlines will refund a ticket, even a
- nonrefundable one, for good cause. Medical emergencies, jury duty, and
- a death in the family generally qualify as a good cause for not using
- a ticket. Some sort of proof must be provided (death certiicate, note
- from doctor), and it is completely up to the airline as to whether or
- not the particular instance warrants a refund. But it doesn't hurt to
- ask, even multiple times. Some airlines may issue a new ticket or
- provide a flight credit voucher instead of offering a refund.
-
- If you don't have any luck in getting a refund when talking with the airline
- ticket agent or their supervisor, try asking your travel agent for
- help. Sometimes they can succeed where you can't. You can also try
- talking to someone at the airline's downtown ticket office in person,
- and writing to their national office. It never hurts to ask, even
- multiple times. If you're making no headway at the airline's downtown
- office, try turning on the tears. This is especially effective if the
- person who is preventing you from getting a refund is of the opposite
- sex. Nothing makes a person try harder to help than seeing someone
- start crying because of them.
-
- A useful trick for normal circumstances: When they ask for your name
- for printing on the ticket, use your first initial instead of your
- full first name. (Many airlines now require your full first name, even
- if you purchase the ticket through a travel agent.) Thus if you can't
- use your "non-transferrable non-refundable" ticket, your spouse or
- some other member of your family might be able to.
-
- [Airlines do not allow name changes on reservations and tickets, to
- prevent travel agents from buying up cheap fares with dummy names in
- anticipation of selling them to real people later. For this reason, it
- is important when traveling overseas to make sure you give your name
- to the travel agent exactly as it is listed on your passport. The name
- on your tickets must match the name on your passport, and once the
- reservations are made and the tickets issued, there's nothing you can
- do to correct the name. The travel agent will have to cancel the
- reservations and rebook the full itinerary using the correct name,
- assuming the seats are still available at that fare. If the tickets were
- non-refundable, there's nothing you can do.]
-
- Another trick is to have your travel agent talk to the airline,
- assuming you used him to purchase the ticket. Sometimes they will be
- able to swing a deal.
-
- Nontransferable tickets may still be useable by other people in your
- organization, if the address listed on the ticket was your business
- address, or if your organization's name appears on the ticket.
-
- If the passenger named on the ticket died before the flight, most
- airlines will allow a name change, and many will even refund a
- nonrefundable ticket.
-
- Unused nonrefundable tickets can often be applied as a credit toward
- another nonrefundable ticket of equal or higher value on the same
- airline, less a small reticketing fee of $35 to $50. You'll also have
- to pay any difference in the fares, and you can do this for up to one
- year after the date of purchase. (Note that if the new ticket costs
- less than the old ticket, you probably won't be credited with the
- difference.) So if you bought a non-refundable ticket and decided to
- not use it, don't throw it away. If you only used part of the ticket
- (e.g., the originating flight but not the return), you probably can't
- do this; these policies are for completely unused tickets.
-
- If you lose your tickets, most airlines will require you to buy new
- tickets, and then issue a refund after 30 days, less a fee of $30 to
- $50. Thus 'losing' your tickets is not an effective means of getting a
- refund for non-refundable tickets.
-
- Full fare tickets (e.g., unrestricted coach, business class, or first
- class), of course, usually allow changes without charge.
-
- Normally a reservation will cancel out automatically if you don't
- purchase a ticket within 24 hours. However, if you ask the airline to
- invoice you, usually this timeout is extended to 10 days to allow
- enough time for the invoice to reach you. You can still pay the
- invoice using a credit card. If you don't pay the invoice, the
- reservation cancels out at the end of the 10 day period. I was once
- able to get the 10 day period extended, but that was because the
- airline had transposed digits in my zip code, causing the invoice to
- arrive after the 10 day period had expired.
-
- Being hostile to airline personnel is the one sure way to prevent you
- from getting a refund or change. Be nice to them -- it doesn't hurt
- you, and probably will help you get what you want.
-
- ----------------------------------------------------------------
- Subject: [1-16] Flying Standby
-
- Flying standby used to be one of the cheapest ways to travel. The idea
- was that an empty seat doesn't earn the airline any money. So some
- airlines would sell special fare "standby tickets". Using such a
- ticket you were NOT guarranteed a seat on a particular flight, but on
- the next flight with empty seats. You'd be enplaned on a flight
- subject to the availability of space at departure time. This was only
- after all passengers with reservations for the flight have been
- boarded. Passengers from a previous flight who were bumped also had
- priority. No stopovers were permitted on standby fares.
-
- Since advance reservations were not accepted, you had to get to the
- gate early to put yourself down on the standby list. If it was a busy
- day and the flights are full, you would have to wait several hours to
- get a seat, or maybe not get a seat at all. A standby ticket didn't
- guarrantee you a seat, but if you did not absolutely, positively have
- to be there tomorrow, you could get some good deals.
-
- But the days when students could hang out at the airport and fly
- standby for dirt cheap prices are long gone. The term "standby" is
- still used, but doesn't mean what it used to:
-
- 1. Most airlines no longer sell standby tickets at a special
- fare, but will sell you a standby ticket at regular fare. In
- other words, if they have space on the flight, the gate agent or
- ticket agent will sell you a ticket for the flight on the spot.
- All this means is you can buy a full fare ticket on the spur of
- the moment.
-
- 2. Nonrefundable, nonchangeable tickets can often be used for
- standby travel on the same or similar route (sometimes with a
- slight surcharge). This most often comes up if you missed your
- flight (e.g., you arrive at the gate after the plane has left,
- and catch another flight to the same destination later that day),
- but you may be able to use unused flight coupons in
- this manner. For example, if you bought a ticket but didn't go
- for some reason (a reason that didn't entitle you to a refund), the
- ticket may still be usable for standby travel on the same airline.
- (Your best bet with such a ticket, however, is to have your
- travel agent or airline credit it towards your next ticket.
- You'll probably have to pay a fee, but it's better than throwing
- away the ticket.) All this is often at the whim of the gate
- agent, and is based on the notion that a ticket is often
- designated as being good for travel on the airline for one year
- from the date of issue. Your luck will vary by airline and gate agent.
-
- 3. If you're on a later flight but get to the airport early,
- check with the attendant at the gate. You may be able to get on the
- earlier flight is there's space available (but this may result in your
- getting no "snack" or losing your special meal). This works even
- for "non-changeable" tickets.
-
- Airlines stopped the practice of selling standby tickets for a variety
- of reasons:
-
- 1. Even if a seat isn't taken, putting somebody in the seat still
- costs the airline some money (e.g., fuel).
-
- 2. Standby travel played havoc with airline load management programs.
- Airlines were sometimes faced with having to unload fuel to
- change the weight distribution of the aircraft because of a
- sudden appearance of several standby passengers.
-
- 3. Some people would "ensure" the availability of standby seats by
- making a large number of regular reservations, and then an hour
- before the flight release the block of seats, virtually ensuring
- that standby passengers will get aboard at cheap standby fares.
- This caused airlines to overbook flights, and eliminated their
- ability to schedule their flights accurately. Since the
- elimination of standby tickets, overbooking errors have dropped
- significantly. (Another result of this practice is the automatic
- cancellation of unpaid reservations after 24 hours.)
-
- 4. Airlines felt that they were losing regular business to standby travel.
-
- Flying standby, however, may be making a comeback. In 1993, some
- airlines had special one-day fares for folks traveling on Christmas
- and New Years. These holidays are the nadir of the travel season, so
- by offering these fares, the airlines were able to increase their
- business on flights they had to fly anyway. (Yes, airlines still have
- to fly the routes, even with empty planes, because scheduling is so
- complex. For example, the plane in Atlanta might need to fly to Boston
- so that it can be used on the Boston-Washington route later in the
- next day.) Now these holiday fares weren't true standby fares, but
- the concept was similar. Since most flights these days fly at 85-95%
- of capacity, one of these days an airline is going to get the bright
- idea of reinstating standby fares in one variation or another. For
- example, some airlines now sell discount flight coupon booklets to
- senior citizens; the coupons may be used for standby travel. And of
- course, US Air Force personnel can fly standby on some US Air Force
- planes on a space available basis for dirt cheap prices, but with no
- amenities (and maybe no real seat either, but strapped to webbing on
- the wall).
-
- Some foreign airlines still provide standby fares, sometimes limited
- to youth.
-
- If you are flying standby one way or another, here's some advice:
-
- - Make sure you get to the gate EARLY. If several people are
- flying standby, you want to make sure that your name is first on
- the list. Note that connecting passengers, bumped passengers,
- etc., get priority over local boarding standbys.
-
- - Days which are bad for getting bumped are usually good days for
- standby seats. Don't fly standby on the day before Thanksgiving
- or the Sunday after, you won't get a seat. On Thanksgiving day
- itself, you're likely to find a seat.
-
- - On really busy days it might pay to show up early for the
- *first* flight of the day, since standbys who don't make it can
- "roll over" to the next flight.
-
- Some airlines will only allow "same day" standby travel (i.e., you
- overslept and missed your flight, and will take a flight on the same
- route later that day). Others will not allow you to fly standby on a
- flight if all the seats in your fare class have sold out, even if
- there are empty seats available. If the agent at the check-in counter
- gives you trouble, go directly to the gate and see what happens.
- [Agents at the check-in counter are under more pressure to enforce the
- rules than gate agents, who have some discretionary power. If you can
- avoid dealing with the agents at the check-in counter, (e.g., no
- checked baggage), so much the better.] If you want to try flying
- standby on one airline using another airline's ticket, bypass the
- check-in agent and go directly to the gate.
-
- Most airline employees (and their spouses and dependents) can fly
- standby on that airline for cheap or free (as "representatives" of the
- airline). Crew who must reach their destination for work purposes have
- priority over all non-revenue passengers. Active employees have
- priority over retired employees and dependents of an employee. There
- is a pretty strict dress code -- suit and ties for men, and similar
- requirements for women -- so you can't fly wearing a jogging suit.
-
- ----------------------------------------------------------------
- Subject: [1-17] Getting Bumped
-
- [Note: Most of the comments in this section apply to US domestic flights
- only. US Department of Transportation rules apply only to flights
- between points in the US. Airlines do not need to give any
- compensation for international flights, so what, if anything, you get
- for an involuntary bump is entirely up to the airline.]
-
- Airlines tend to overbook their flights in case of no-shows. (Airlines
- also ignore the overbook limit when a customer is buing a full-fare
- ticket, because the cost of bribing volunteers with a bump ticket is
- usually less than the additional income derived from a full-fare
- ticket.) Occasionally this will mean that more people show up with
- confirmed reservations than there are seats on the plane. (Or if the
- flight is a particularly full one, it may exceed the weight limit even
- with empty seats.) The airline will ask if there's anyone willing to
- be bumped from the flight in exchange for compensation (e.g., USAir
- will give you a free round-trip ticket anywhere in North America). The
- airline will then put you on the next available flight to your
- destination, along with your free ticket.
-
- Vouchers are typically valid for only a year from date of issue. But
- if you ask *before you get the ticket*, you can sometimes get it
- extended for a month or two beyond the year limitation. (Some folks
- have reported success in getting vouchers extended a month or so
- before expiration.) If your voucher is expiring you can also try using
- it to get a ticket with a particular origin and destination
- but no specific departure and return dates. Such tickets should be
- good for 12 months. Many bump vouchers, however, prohibit exchanging them
- for such "open" tickets. An alternative is to use the voucher to book
- a flight to your favorite destination for some likely dates. If the
- dates don't work out, you can usually rebook the tickets for different
- dates for a small fee.
-
- So another way to reduce the cost of flying is to volunteer to be
- bumped. You can maximize your chances of being bumped by purchasing a
- confirmed reservation on flights that are most likely to be full. A
- good time is 7-10 am or 4-7 pm on a weekday (especially Monday morning
- and Friday afternoon). These are the times most businessmen fly
- (trying to make early morning meetings or to get home for dinner in
- the evening), and hence when the airline is most likely to be
- overbooked. Airlines are also likely to be overbooked on Sunday nights
- (early evening) and the beginning and end of holidays, since that is
- when non-businessmen typically fly. For example, right before
- Thanksgiving and the Sunday or Monday after are prime bumping times.
- The same is true of typical spring break destinations toward the end
- of March and beginning of April. Receiving a free roundtrip ticket
- effectively cuts your air travel costs in half. And if you get bumped
- while using a previous free bump ticket, it gets even cheaper.
-
- Even on the best days for being bumped, the likelihood is still rather
- low. Airline yield software has been getting better and better, so it
- is uncommon for bumping to occur. The DOT figures cited in [4-4]
- show that American had an involuntary bump rate of 1 in 200,000 in 1993.
- (These figures do NOT include voluntary bumps, which are more likely.
- The DOT does not collect statistics on voluntary bumping. Note also
- that American had the lowest involuntarily bump rate. The likelihood
- of your being bumped voluntarily on an average carrier is probably
- close to 1 in 10,000.)
-
- If you want to be bumped and notice that the flight looks full, get to
- the gate as early as possible (e.g., 1-2 hours before departure) and ask
- the gate agent whether they are overbooked. If they are, they will
- need volunteers. Ask them to put your name on the bump list (aka "bump
- queue"). Bump tickets are offered on a first come/first served basis,
- so you want to get your name near the top of the list. This will give
- you priority if there are only a few bumps. Note, however, that by
- pre-volunteering, you're only likely to get a free ticket in addition
- to rebooking on a flight later that day. If nobody volunteers and you
- wait until they ask for volunteers, you can sometimes up the ante,
- depending on how desperate they get. (Some airlines give all
- volunteers the same thing, no matter when they volunteered. Others
- will process you as soon as you volunteer, so the later you volunteer,
- the better the incentive.) In general, you should put your name on the
- bump list, and don't wait until the airline calls for volunteers.
- Enough people volunteer ahead of time these days that if you don't put
- your name on the list, you won't have the opportunity to be bumped
- (except on very rare occasions, when not enough people volunteer).
-
- When you get your bump ticket and are being rebooked on a later
- flight, if the delay is a few hours, ask the gate agent if they can
- give you a meal voucher. This voucher, which is worth $5-$10, can be
- used at airport restaurants to get something to eat. Not every airline
- and not every gate agent will give you one, and they certainly won't
- give you one if you don't ask for it, but sometimes they will. If you
- have any other special requirements (e.g., you want extra frequent
- flyer credits, you want the free ticket to be good for an extra month,
- etc.) it doesn't hurt to ask.
-
- If you have a confirmed reservation, and you notice the flight is
- overbooked but first class is underbooked and you don't necessarily
- want to be bumped, try being the last person on line. If you are lucky
- the coach and business class will be full, and they will have to
- upgrade you to first class at no charge. (Also, having a pre-issued
- boarding pass will decrease your chances of an involuntary bump.) This
- is risky, though, because you might wind up being bumped anyway, so
- only do it if you don't care whether you'll be bumped.
-
- It always pays to volunteer to be bumped, even if the flight isn't
- overbooked. If the airline needs adjacent seating for a family, they
- will sometimes bump you into first class if you are in a row by
- yourself.
-
- When you arrive at the airport, check the flight schedules to see
- which flights (on the airline and its competitors) will be departing
- for your destination, and when. Airlines are extremely reluctant to
- book a volunteer on another carrier, so if you get bumped on the last
- flight to your destination, you may have to stay overnight at a hotel.
-
- Good days to get bumped include: Wednesday before Thanksgiving, Sunday
- after; couple days before and after Christmas weekend; ditto with New Years.
- Friday afternoons, evenings, and Sunday afternoons and evenings also
- bump a lot.
-
- Another trick is to ask your travel agent which flights are full or
- nearly full and to purchase tickets for one of those flights. (Not
- every travel agent will let you do this.) Note, however, that you
- probably won't be able to get the discount rate for such a flight,
- since all the seats in the discount coach fare class have probably
- been sold. Also, if a flight has reached the overbook limit, you won't
- be able to buy any ticket for the flight, except perhaps a full fare
- ticket.
-
- If the airline still has plenty of coach seats a day or so before the
- flight, it is unlikely that they will bump.
-
- Here's what some airlines usually give volunteers:
- Delta, USAir: Open roundtrip
- (Delta requires reservations three days before flight time on
- bump tickets.)
-
- United: Travel voucher in increments of $100 based on how long you have
- to wait for your next flight (e.g., 2 hour wait is $200), up to
- a maximum of $300. You can also ask for a food voucher.
-
- Continental: US domestic roundtrip ticket. Sometimes offers a
- dollar amount in credit to be used towards any Continental
- flight (e.g., $300).
-
- American, America West, Southwest, Northwest: $$ off another
- ticket (usually $150 to $300; Northwest generally around $300;
- American has been known to go as high as $1000.)
- Dollar-denominated vouchers are not subject to tax, so they
- stretch further. Amounts depend on the degree of overbooking of
- the flight. United sometimes will also issue a
- dollar-denominated voucher.
-
- United bumps more than average, Delta less.
-
- Air Canada offers $150 cash or $300 in travel vouchers.
-
- If you are bumped and the next flight out is the next day, the airline
- may offer you overnight accomodation in addition, especially if you
- are bumped while away from home.
-
- Most bump tickets (vouchers) are non-transferable, so you must use
- them yourself. If the voucher must be exchanged for a ticket,
- you may be able to have the ticket issued in someone else's name,
- given a reasonable excuse (e.g., your girlfriend/boyfriend).
-
- If you are bumped (voluntarily or involuntarily) and have checked
- baggage, the airline will not remove your bags from the plane. The bags
- will continue on to your destination and wait there until you arrive.
- So if you're planning to be bumped, bring enough clean clothes in your
- carry-on to last you a day or two just in case your bags are lost or
- stolen by the time you arrive, or you get stuck at a connection.
-
- If you get bumped or your flight is canceled and need to stay at a
- hotel overnight, hotels near the airport will often give you
- a substantial discount if you ask for it (50% discount is not unheard
- of). Ask for the "Distressed Passenger Rate". Airlines also have
- overnight kits they can give you.
-
- A flight being cancelled is *not* the same as being bumped. Bumping
- occurs only when the carrier has more passengers with confirmed
- tickets on the flight than seats. You can get compensation if you are
- bumped, but not if the flight is cancelled.
-
- If airline delays cause you extra expense, the airlines may be willing
- to help you out. For example, if the airline delay caused you to miss
- the cheap bus shuttle service to downtown, the airline may be willing
- to pay the difference between cab fare and shuttle fare. But in
- general, there aren't any policies for compensation (e.g., meals, hotel,
- etc.) that must be given to bumped and delayed passengers. Some
- airlines are very nice and will give you food coupons if you ask, some
- won't.
-
- Under Department of Transportation rules, an involuntarily bumped
- traveler who is delayed more than one hour but less than two on a
- US domestic flight is entitled to $200 or 100 percent of the one-way
- fare, whichever is less (the airline must also honor the original
- ticket). For delays longer than two hours, the compensation doubles.
- The calculation of delay is according to the time of arrival at the
- destination. Airlines can offer you a travel voucher (for a free
- US domestic round-trip ticket) in lieu of cash, but must give you the
- cash if that's what you want. Airlines like bumped volunteers because
- free travel vouchers cost them less than the cash compensation they're
- required to offer involuntarily bumped passengers. Approximately 1 in
- 10,000 passengers is bumped involuntarily. (If the involuntarily
- bumped passengers are put on a flight which brings them to their
- destination within an hour of the original flight time, the airline
- has met its requirement.) Anything more is strictly the policy of the
- airline, which is stated in its Conditions of Carriage statement. (To
- obtain this statement, get it either from your travel agent or by
- writing to the customer affairs office of your airline. Be sure to ask
- for the full copy of the conditions; otherwise they'll give you just a
- three page summary of the limitations of liability sections.) Note
- that these rules do NOT apply to delayed passengers in general, just
- to involuntarily bumped passengers.
-
- According to a 1994 Supreme Court ruling, passengers who are denied
- boarding can sue the airline for compensatory damages, but not punitive
- damages. So in most cases you are better off accepting the
- compensation offered by the airlines.
-
- Note that if you don't show up at the gate 15 minutes before
- departure, the airline can involuntarily bump you and not owe you
- anything.
-
- There are no rules governing compensation for volunteers -- airlines
- can offer as little or as much as it takes to bid you off the flight.
- Delta restricts reservations using volunteer bumped vouchers
- to two days in advance.
-
- Re-booking: Most volunteers are routinely booked on another flight
- within a few hours, but re-routing isn't a legal requirement. Before
- giving up your seat, ask when the next flight leaves, whether you'll
- have a confirmed or standby reservation and (if the flight is with
- another carrier) whether you'll have to pay additional fare.
- Negotiating: Most airline managers can escalate compensation offers in
- an attempt to get enough volunteers. So you might get a better deal by
- simply asking for one. American Airlines, which has the lowest rate of
- involuntary bumpees in the industry, tends to be the most generous
- with compensation for volunteers.
-
- Sometimes, when all of the airline's flights are full, they will
- reroute you on another airline. However, if you are flying on a free
- ticket (e.g., frequent flyer ticket, previous bump ticket), they may
- not be willing to endorse your ticket over to the other airline. (It
- doesn't hurt to ask.) So they'll have to send you out on another
- flight later that day. If this happens and "inconveniences" you (i.e.,
- you have to wait another hour or so), you may be able to weasel
- something else out of the airline -- a roll of quarters for the
- pinball machine, use of their club facilities, first class
- accomodations on the later flight, meal voucher, or something.
-
- If you volunteer and they don't need to bump you, you don't lose your
- seat. If you volunteer, they need you, and you change your mind, you
- may lose your seat, and wind up in a random seat. That is, of course,
- if the airline decides to accommodate you. Once you've volunteered and
- they've accepted your offer, you can't really reneg on it.
-
- If you are bumped on an international flight, the airline will reroute
- you but generally not offer you any extra compensation. Involuntary
- reroutings may involve upgrading your class of service (at no extra
- cost to you) or putting you on a different carrier to your destination
- at the same or higher class of service. If rerouting you requires an
- overnight stay, the airline will provide you with vouchers for hotel
- rooms and meals. But you won't get any free tickets, and writing a
- letter of complaint to the airline probably won't get you anything.
- (The only case where complaining will get you something is if you paid
- for a first class ticket, and they rerouted you on a lower class of
- service. If this occurs, ask the airline to refund the difference in
- fares.) If you're traveling international and don't want to be bumped,
- buy a first class ticket. Airlines rarely bump first class passengers.
-
- ----------------------------------------------------------------
- Subject: [1-18] Special Travel Dates/Fare Sales/Fare Wars
-
- This section describes several recent categories of fare sales.
-
- When one airline announces a sale or promotion, many other airlines will match
- it. But they may not match it in all markets. Some circumstances in
- which the other airlines might not match the fare sale in a given
- market include:
-
- + When the original airline's sale is for a flight that involves a
- connection and the other airlines provide non-stop service.
-
- + When the market isn't a competitive market. For example, when the
- airline holds a virtual monopoly on a particular airport (e.g.,
- USAir in Pittsburgh). They may match the fare for flights through
- the hub, but not for flights originating at the hub.
-
- + When the airline's bookings are already strong for the period
- covered by the sale, and they don't feel the need to compete.
-
- Not all the airlines that match a sale will necessarily impose the
- same restrictions. So it may pay to shop around.
-
- Fare sales are most likely during the early fall (mid-September
- through mid-November), when airlines begin to worry about their
- fourth-quarter financial performance. Other good times are late summer
- and early spring. There are currently about 8 major fare sales a year,
- and you can expect that airlines will start acting like department
- stores with sales every month or two. When an airline gets
- the jump on its competitors with the announcement of a fare sale --
- even if by just half a day -- it gets a significant edge in terms of
- the number of reservations.
-
- The greatest discounts are usually on the most expensive routes.
- Markets where prices are already low due to competition tend to have
- lower discounts.
-
- Fare Wars:
-
- Except for the original airfare war during the summer of 1993,
- media use of the term 'Fare War' for fare sales is a misnomer. To
- some extent airlines try to stir up consumer excitement by using the
- term.
-
- The most common kind of fare sale has the following characteristics:
- + midweek flights (departure on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday)
- or other offpeak times (e.g., Thursday and Friday of Thanksgiving)
- + UP TO 50% off round-trip tickets (most discounts
- substantially less, around 10% to 15%)
- + Saturday night stay, 14-day advance purchase
- + limited purchasing window (1-2 weeks); travel completed
- during a large travel window (2 months)
- + restricted to competitive routes
- + limited number of seats available
- + nonrefundable
-
- Some popular times for air fare sales:
- + Just after Labor Day, for travel between late September and
- mid December, with blackout dates around the holidays.
- + From mid-July to late July for early fall travel.
- (e.g., Continental July 17, 1994)
- + Early August for fall travel. (e.g., America West on 3-AUG-94
- and Continental on 19-AUG-94)
- + Winter, from early December through mid-February, with blackout days
- around Christmas and New Years. (e.g., Continental on 25-NOV-94)
-
- One-way Sales:
-
- These sales offer one-way fares for up to 50% off of the usual
- fare. Since round-trip fares are already 50% off the price of the
- equivalent pair of one-way tickets, such sales do not affect the
- consumer much (but do generate consumer sales anyway due to the
- excitement of a "Fare War!!!").
-
- Southwest routinely offers $25 fares (per non-stop flight segment) on
- flights that leave after 7pm local time on Monday nights, September 12
- through December 26, 1994. The restrictions eliminate many of the
- airline's flights, but it is still a good deal if your schedule and
- destination happens to meet the restrictions. The promotion is part of
- Southwest's sponsorship of ABC's Monday night football.
-
- Two-For-One Sales:
-
- Two-for-one sales, also known as companion fares ("Friend Flies
- Free" or "Add a Pal for a Penny"), offer passengers
- traveling together two tickets for the price of one. However, the
- seats are usually limited, and may not apply to the cheapest coach
- class tickets. So for folks who were traveling in pairs anyway, the
- discounts come closer to 25% off than the "up to 50% off"
- advertised by the airlines, when you take everything into account.
- (Sure, you're saving 50% off the price of the ticket, but if you were
- buying a single ticket, you'd get a cheaper ticket.) Both passengers
- must travel together on all legs of the itinerary. There must also
- be two passengers -- you can't claim a free ticket for a fictitious
- friend just to have an empty seat next to you.
-
- Nadir Days Fare Sales:
-
- There are several days of the year when air travel hits rock bottom,
- like December 25, January 1, Memorial Day, Labor Day, and the 4th of July.
- Airlines can't simply reduce their operations on these days, because
- of scheduling difficulties. A flight from San Jose to Boston must
- still fly on schedule, even if there are no passengers on board,
- because that plane must be in Boston the next day when the normal load
- resumes.
-
- An empty seat doesn't earn the airline any money. So several airlines
- have started special one-day fare sales on peak-minimum days. For
- example, a round trip ticket from Pittsburgh to Boston on the Sunday
- before the 4th of July cost only $100. The catch was that you had to fly
- out after noon on Saturday and return by midnight Sunday.
-
- Whiteout Fare Sales:
-
- In an unusual twist, Delta cut fares about 30-40% on some of the least
- popular travel days around Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years.
- Travel (both departure and return flights) must occur on November 17,
- 21, 24, or 25; December 15, 19, 20, 28; or January 4, 5 or 6. The
- tickets are non-refundable and apply only to the 48 contiguous states.
- Although Delta initially included the usual 14-day advance purchase and a
- November 10, 1994 deadline to buy tickets, USAir and Continental have waived
- those restrictions. (Note that the more popular travel days, such as
- the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, have been excluded.) For
- example, a round trip ticket from Pittsburgh to Boston flying on 11/21
- and 11/25 costs $137, compare to the usual $200-$250.
-
- ----------------------------------------------------------------
- Subject: [1-19] Moving Up the Return Flight
-
- Departure dates on non-changeable tickers are inviolable -- you can't
- change them without running into major obstacles. Return flights,
- however, are sometimes a bit more flexible. You probably can't change
- them before the departure, but sometimes you can change them afterwards.
-
- For example, suppose you're flying to a conference that takes place
- mid-week, but have to buy tickets that include a Saturday night stay.
- Paying for an extra one or two day stay in a hotel (or student
- housing) is cheaper than paying a full-price midweek fare. So you
- need to pick a Saturday night, either the one before the conference or
- the one after. To take advantage of the flexibility on return flights,
- book the flight to include the Saturday night *after* the conference.
- On the night before you want to leave, call the airline and tell them
- you'd like to return early. If they have space available, they'll let
- you return early (possibly with a $35 change fee). For example, if you
- want to fly out on Friday, call them Thursday night. This isn't flying
- standby, because they'll actually give you a reservation for the
- earlier return.
-
- Some travel agents use a similar trick to obtain inexpensive tickets
- for their business customers. They'll issue a ticket with a Saturday
- night stay at the discount rate, and provide the passenger with a
- sticker to put on the return ticket after the outbound ticket has been
- removed. The sticker reflects the earlier return flight. The travel
- agent also changes the return date on the reservation after the
- outbound ticket has been used. Since this is a slightly shady
- practice, any other changes in the itinerary must also be made through
- the travel agent, not the airline. Not all travel agents are willing
- to do this, and then only for expensive tickets and their best
- customers.
-
- If you want to try moving up the departure date, go to the airport a
- few hours before departure and ask. If they have room, they may let
- you on. You will have more success asking at the gate; airport
- ticketing/checkin agents tend to be sticklers for the rules.
- If you ask before the day of departure, or try to get it
- changed by calling the toll free number, the answer will almost
- certainly be no (or involve additional fees).
-
- ----------------------------------------------------------------
- Subject: [1-20] Hidden City Fares
-
- A hidden city fare occurs when a flight from point A to point B
- happens to make a connection in point C and is cheaper than a direct
- flight from point A to point C. This is a quirk of the way in which
- airlines price their routes, which has little to do with the distance
- flown. The prices are driven by market conditions. Prices drop when
- there is a lot of competition on a route. The flight from A to B might
- be a very busy route, with several airlines serving that market, while
- the A-C and C-B routes might be not as busy. Usually such hidden city
- fares occur when A and C aren't hubs for the carrier in question, but
- B is, and B is dominated by the airline. So the airline routes you
- through B, but charges you less than if you were to purchase two
- round-trip tickets..
-
- Theoretically, you could buy a ticket from A to B, get off at
- point C, and throw away the B to C portion, saving some money, if
- point C was your ultimate destination. Airlines frown on this
- practice, and taking advantage of a hidden city fare is explicitly
- forbidden by their rules. If you happen to skip a leg of your flight
- (e.g., logged as a no-show on the airline's computer), the airline has
- the right to cancel all subsequent legs, and will do so to discourage
- folks from using hidden-city fares. So the only case in which you can
- "safely" take advantage of a hidden-city fare is when you're taking a
- one-way flight. If you buy a round-trip ticket from A to B through C,
- skip the C to B leg, and try to board the return flight at B or C,
- you'll find that your reservation has been cancelled and you'll be
- required to buy a new ticket at the full-price one-way fare.
-
- You also can't take advantage of a hidden city fare if you've checked any
- baggage, as your baggage will be sent through to your ultimate
- destination.
-
- Airlines have started to really crack down on the use of hidden city
- fares. They can not only cancel subsequent flights on their own lines,
- but also recommend cancellation of subsequent flights on other
- carriers. They've programmed their airline reservation systems to
- watch out for hidden-city reservations, flagging potential violations
- in the passenger's record, and in some cases will automatically cancel
- all subsequent legs if one leg is skipped. Even if the reservation
- system doesn't automatically cancel the subsequent legs, the agent at
- check-in will see the warning flag and will be very suspicious of any
- skipped legs.
-
- Some airlines (e.g., Delta) have a practice of checking you in for all
- outbound flights at the point of origin. But this doesn't make them any
- more susceptible to folks who use hidden city fares, because if you
- don't show up for the return flight at B, they'll still cancel all
- your remaining legs. Also, sometimes the boarding passes are marked
- "check-in required".
-
- Hidden city fares happen most often when the connecting point is
- dominated by one airline (the carrier of your flight) and the ultimate
- destination is a competitive market.
-
- If you happen to catch an earlier flight than your scheduled one, be
- sure to reconfirm your subsequent flight segments. Any departure from
- your ticketed reservation can potentially cause your itinerary to be
- flagged as a hidden-city violation (e.g., "NOSH" for no-show), if the
- gate agent didn't record the earlier flight properly.
-
- If you're the dishonest type and are going to lie about actually
- having taken the skipped segments, at least have the intelligence to
- remove the ticket and boarding pass (keeping the stub of the boarding
- pass) from the ticket packet. [I once saw a couple try this stunt in
- New York, and the gate agent caught them at it. The wife had removed
- her ticket and boarding pass; the husband hadn't. The husband claimed
- that the gate agent at the hidden city had forgotten to remove the
- ticket. The gate agent didn't let them on the flight because the
- computer showed that they had missed TWO segments of their flight --
- from the hidden city to their ultimate destination and back. In
- addition, the gate agent had been on duty the last time they passed
- through, and didn't remember seeing them board. The agent's supervisor
- concurred.]
-
- If you know in advance that you want to skip a segment of your flight
- (e.g., you're flying from A to C via B, but want to get off in C,
- visit with some friends, then drive up to B to visit some more friends
- and return home), tell this to the travel agent when you buy the
- ticket. They can make a note about it in the record so that your
- return flight won't be automatically cancelled when you miss the B to
- C leg.
-
- ----------------------------------------------------------------
- Subject: [1-21] Buying Someone Else's Nonrefundable Ticket
-
- Many people, when they can't use their nonrefundable ticket (or the
- return leg of a round trip ticket), try to sell their tickets through
- classified advertisements. This can be a source of cheap air tickets.
- However, you'll be traveling under someone else's name, and the
- airlines frown on this practice. If they catch you doing this, you'll
- be forced to pay full fare for the return flight (typically twice the
- face value of the round-trip ticket), and the airline will cancel all
- your frequent traveler miles and all the frequent flyer miles of the
- person who originally bought the ticket. They may also terminate your
- membership in their frequent flyer program. Their contract is with the
- person named on the ticket, not with you. If the tickets are actually
- stolen tickets, they will definitely catch you. Many airlines offer a
- bounty to employees who confiscate such tickets.
-
- Most airlines only check IDs on full flights or on fares that require
- a special ID, such as a student ID. But more are checking IDs on
- randomly selected tickets in an effort to discourage this practice.
- All carriers reserve the right to require identification and to refuse
- transportation if identification cannot be provided. For example
- Northwest prints the following warning on the inside flap of the
- ticket jacket:
-
- "Photo identification is required for all passengers. Boarding may
- be denied and ticket confiscated if passenger's identification does
- not match the name on the ticket."
-
- If the person named on the ticket checks in for you at the baggage
- check-in counter, you'll probably run into trouble on the return trip.
- If the airline catches you, you'll have to pay for a full fare one-way
- ticket, which will negate any savings (and probably cost you more than
- a round-trip would have). Plus, many airlines now check IDs on
- boarding at the gate, to discourage this practice.
-
- If the airplane should crash and you die, the airline won't have your
- real name (which can affect life insurance policies), and this is just
- plain unethical. Moreover, your legal rights are extended only to the
- person named on the ticket (or their estate), so in the event of a
- loss or claim against the carrier, you will have no legal recourse
- whatsoever.
-
- But given that the airline pricing strategies try to game
- the consumer market, some consumers feel they are entitled to game the
- system right back. I NEITHER ADVISE NOR CONDONE USING THIS PRACTICE AS
- A MEANS OF OBTAINING CHEAP AIR TRAVEL. This practice constitutes
- fraud, and hence is illegal.
-
- One thing, however, cannot be stressed enough: Never purchase such a
- ticket for international travel. If the name on your ticket does not
- match the name on your passport, you can get into a lot of trouble,
- not just with the airline, but with Immigration, Customs, and the
- police at your destination. The airlines are required to check your
- travel documents before you are allowed to board the aircraft, so they
- will compare the name on your ticket with the name on your passport.
- Many countries require airlines to return passengers to their country
- of origin (at airline expense) if the passenger is denied entrance
- into the country. So airlines have some incentive to be careful. If,
- by some fluke, they don't catch you, Immigration and Customs will also
- inspect your travel documents. They also tend to compare the name on
- the passport with the name on the bags. When they catch you, the
- consequences can be a lot more serious than having to pay for a
- full-fare ticket. Since traveling under false documents is often a
- crime under the laws of the destination country, you will be subject
- to the courts and punishments of the destination country, and there
- will be little your embassy can do to help you.
-
- ----------------------------------------------------------------
- Subject: [1-22] Discount Airlines
-
- Regional airlines have started eating into the larger airlines by
- offering discount travel on short and medium haul flights in high
- demand routes. Advance purchase fares during off-peak hours on these
- carriers can be dirt cheap. This section describes some of these carriers.
-
- Note that some discount airlines are not full participants in the
- computerized reservation systems, so you may have to call the airline
- direct to purchase tickets. If you're connecting with another airline,
- you may have to transfer your luggage yourself to the other carrier.
- But if you can fit into their limited schedules, you can save a bundle.
-
- Many discount airlines also provide "ticketless travel", where you
- receive a receipt and a confirmation number instead of a ticket, just
- like with rental cars. This reduces the amount of paper the airlines
- must ship around.
-
- The low-cost travel may also involve an elimination of many of the
- frills common on larger airlines, such as meal service. Instead, you
- may just get peanuts, or no food at all.
-
- These discount airlines are expanding rapidly and are adding new
- cities all the time.
-
- MarkAir:
-
- MarkAir was founded in 1947 as Interior Airways, carrying cargo
- within the state of Alaska. In 1984 they took on the name MarkAir
- and began carrying passengers as a regional carrier. Beginning in
- November of 1991, they started a major expansion to the lower 48
- states, and now offer jet (737) service to 16 cities in the lower 48
- states and 13 cities in the State of Alaska. Through MarkAir Express,
- their commuter service, they provide transportation to 144 Alaskan
- communities. Their service is low cost, with peanuts and drinks as
- the main sustenance. Snacks meals are available only on longer haul
- flights. Reservations 1-800-MARKAIR.
-
- Southwest:
-
- Need to write a description.
- 800-IFLY-SWA (800-435-9792) or 800-531-5601.
- Flights to 41 cities in 19 states.
-
- Others include:
-
- American Trans Air 800-382-5892, 800-225-2995
- Flights between AZ, CA, FL, NY, Chicago and Indianapolis.
- Serves different cities during different times of the year. During
- the summer they have flights to Europe and Israel; in the winter,
- they have flights to the Carribean. Some of these operate as
- charter flights and some as regularly scheduled flights.
-
- Carnival Airlines 800-437-2110, 800-8-AIR-FUN
- Flights to FL, LA, and the Caribbean from the Northeast.
-
- Jet Train 800-FLY-4-YOU
- Their daily route is
- Pittsburgh - New York (Newark) 7:45 am - 9:05 am
- New York (Newark) - Orlando 9:45 am - 12:20 pm
- Orlando - New York (Newark) 1:20 pm - 3:55 pm
- New York (Newark) - Pittsburgh 4:35 pm - 5:55 pm
-
- Kiwi International 800-538-5494, 908-353-3232
- Flights between Chicago, Atlanta, Newark, and FL.
-
- Midway Airlines 800-446-4392
- Flights from Chicago's Midway Airport to eastern cities.
-
- National Airlines 800-949-9400
- Flights from Atlanta.
-
- Reno Air 800-736-6247
- Flights between AZ, CA, OR, NV, and WA.
-
- Tower Air 800-221-2500
- 800-34TOWER (800-348-6937)
- Flights between NY and Miami, LA, and San Francisco.
-
- ValuJet 800-825-8538 (404-994-8258)
- Flights via Atlanta to Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky, Louisiana,
- Georgia, and Washington DC (Dulles).
-
- ----------------------------------------------------------------
- Subject: [1-23] Tour Desks
-
- Airline "tour" desks (e.g., Flyaway Vacations on American) are
- excellent sources of good fares on relatively short notice. For
- example, "bulk" or unpublished fares are available with as little as
- four days notice (and a $15 late booking fee if the reservation is
- made less than 14 days prior to arrival) to many popular destinations.
-
- The only catch is that a minimum land package must be booked; after
- all, it is a "tour" package. But for some destinations (e.g., Hawaii
- from the west coast), that's only a minimum two-day rental car. Other
- embarkation points require a three-day minimum hotel stay, but the
- rates are very attractive.
-
- Other cities require a two-day minimum hotel stay, but this can be in
- connection with the Holiday Inn voucher program (runs as little as $79
- per room per night depending on the hotel category). The passenger
- must book a "tour room" directly with a participating Holiday Inn --
- and the airline rarely checks if the passenger actually made the
- reservations. Also, the vouchers do not have to be used in connection
- with a flight, and can be used anytime within a year from the date of
- the trip.
-
- To combat fraud, such as folks cancelling the car rental and applying
- for a refund, the land segment is usually non-refundable. Bulk fares
- are also often blacked out during holidays, but this can vary by the
- destination.
-
- In essence, a tour package combines airfare with a minimum hotel stay
- and/or car rental. Requirements vary with the destination and
- embarkation point, but if you can meet the requirements, you may find
- yourself saving some money.
-
- These tour packages can be particularly useful to business folks who
- don't want to stay over a Saturday night. The savings on the flight
- can more than make up the cost of the hotel stay, especially when
- compared with the cost of a last-minute non-supersaver fare.
-
- Many airlines are starting to outsource their tour calls to
- contractors, as they aren't very profitable to the airlines. How this
- will affect the availability of such deals is unknown.
-
- ----------------------------------------------------------------
- ;;; *EOF*
-