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ONT/SNA to FWA



 
 
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  #1  
Old February 9th, 2006, 09:12 AM posted to rec.travel.air
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Default ONT/SNA to FWA

I'm trying to plan a trip to FWA this month. I live closest to ONT
but I'd also consider leaving from SNA. I'm trying to get a cheap
ticket AND arrive on the same day I leave and arrive by mid-evening. So
I have a couple of questions.

1. Am I really going to get a lower price by using something like
Expedia or Orbitz as opposed to going directly to an airline? What's
the best way to get a cheap ticket? It's cheaper from LAX but I don't
want to have to get to LAX early in the morning.

2. Will I save money if I ask the airline for a route that is different
than those they offer when I do a search? For example, Orbitz has me
going to Atlanta to get to FWA. That's a long trip in coach and not
very direct. I'm puzzled why, if I choose ONT as a starting point, I
can't get UAL to show a route that goes to, say, DEN to ORD to FWA,
instead of really odd connections. Why aren't eh routes more
straightforward? I know about hub cities and therefore I'm not
surprised that AA wants to go through DFW, but why would UAL not go more
directly?

Thanks.

  #2  
Old February 9th, 2006, 11:21 AM posted to rec.travel.air
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Default ONT/SNA to FWA

The Litwaks wrote:
I'm trying to plan a trip to FWA this month. I live closest to ONT
but I'd also consider leaving from SNA. I'm trying to get a cheap
ticket AND arrive on the same day I leave and arrive by mid-evening. So
I have a couple of questions.

1. Am I really going to get a lower price by using something like
Expedia or Orbitz as opposed to going directly to an airline?


It is sometimes possible to find lower fares at sites other than the
airline's official site. Airlines sometimes guarantee their site has the
lowest fares. Additionally, you sometimes get perks for booking at the
airline's site and have to pay a fee for booking at other locations.
remember: ymmv

What's
the best way to get a cheap ticket?


midweek travel
sat night stay
off season
consolidators


It's cheaper from LAX but I don't
want to have to get to LAX early in the morning.


How much cheaper?
How much earlier?



2. Will I save money if I ask the airline for a route that is different
than those they offer when I do a search? For example, Orbitz has me
going to Atlanta to get to FWA. That's a long trip in coach and not
very direct. I'm puzzled why, if I choose ONT as a starting point, I
can't get UAL to show a route that goes to, say, DEN to ORD to FWA,
instead of really odd connections. Why aren't eh routes more
straightforward? I know about hub cities and therefore I'm not
surprised that AA wants to go through DFW, but why would UAL not go more
directly?


Did you search by fare or schedule?
You can always use "multicity' on some web site to choose an
intermediate city. Remember that an airline's hub might not have
flights to all the places you want to go. I don't know if UA flies
nonstop from ONT to DEN or ORD, so that might be an issue.
  #3  
Old February 9th, 2006, 03:19 PM posted to rec.travel.air
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Default ONT/SNA to FWA

The Litwaks wrote:

I'm trying to plan a trip to FWA this month. I live closest to
ONT but I'd also consider leaving from SNA. I'm trying to get a
cheap ticket AND arrive on the same day I leave and arrive by mid-
evening.


ONT will be cheaper than SNA by something like $100 for most fares.
Same day arrival isn't a problem, but you can save a bit by taking a
red-eye. It all depends on how much your sleep is worth.

You also might consider flying into SBN, TOL, or perhaps even IND.
There are even lower fares, perhaps up to an additional $100 lower, and
if you need a rental car anyway, the 1.5 to 2.5 hour drive might work.
South Bend has round trip fares as low as $277 out of ONT, and IND has
fares as low as $188.

1. Am I really going to get a lower price by using something like
Expedia or Orbitz as opposed to going directly to an airline? What's
the best way to get a cheap ticket? It's cheaper from LAX but I don't
want to have to get to LAX early in the morning.


Most United flights are routed through LAX using a puddle jumper from
ONT. That is an alternative. The travel web sites will not normally be
lower than the airlines, but there are exceptions. This is because the
airlines supposedly have the same prices as the travel sites, and you
have to pay a fee on the travel sites.

That said, I have ocassionally found a lower fare on a travel site.
This seems to be an issue of timing, where the airline has just jacked
up the fare to increase revenue, and the increase hasn't yet found its
way to the other computer systems. In one case, I saved about $700 on a
full fare flight between the east and west coasts. You have to check a
number of sources to be sure.

2. Will I save money if I ask the airline for a route that is
different than those they offer when I do a search? For example,
Orbitz has me going to Atlanta to get to FWA. That's a long trip in
coach and not very direct. I'm puzzled why, if I choose ONT as a
starting point, I can't get UAL to show a route that goes to, say, DEN
to ORD to FWA, instead of really odd connections.


The travel sites are wired to get the lowest fares. They don't show all
routings if the fare is much higher, if there are long layovers, or if
the routing isn't convenient. UAL does have flights from ONT that
connect through DEN and ORD, which you should be able to find if you
look on the United web site. You can also call their reservation line,
since the agent has more flexibility in looking for connections than you
will find on their web site. You shouldn't have to ask for any
particular routing, as a good agent will easily find the best ones.


  #4  
Old February 9th, 2006, 04:53 PM posted to rec.travel.air
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Default ONT/SNA to FWA

I'm puzzled why, if I choose ONT as a starting point, I can't get UAL to
show a route that goes to, say, DEN to ORD to FWA, instead of really odd
connections. Why aren't eh routes more straightforward?


If you want this kind of information, use www.itasoftware.com , it is not a
booking engine...rather it is a flight schedule and pricing site. It will
give you bukoo options for flights and routing that you can print and then
call a TA or airline with the itinerary that you choose.

It also has a choice that will show you a calendar with day by day pricing
for your itinerary so that you can choose which day to fly....ie, for many
of us that means "cheapest".

Once you know the cheapest days to fly for a given month, you can go to the
airlines website and enter the days shown....it will then show you the fares
that you can pick from.

I did this recently for a trip SDF-PBI....ita showed me the best days...I
chose and went to Delta.com and booked for the exact fare shown on ita.
Using the airline's website to actually book often garners an extra 1000 ff
miles, too.


  #5  
Old February 9th, 2006, 07:49 PM posted to rec.travel.air
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Posts: n/a
Default US to Europe, and ITA site

In article ,
wrote:

If you want this kind of information, use www.itasoftware.com , it is not a
booking engine...rather it is a flight schedule and pricing site. It will
give you bukoo options for flights and routing that you can print and then
call a TA or airline with the itinerary that you choose.


Indeed a very neat and useful site (and fast) (and you can get official
fare rules for each flight, which can be very informative).

Tests for SFO to Munich in April seem to show that fares are distinctly
lower on Tues thru Thurs (and sometimes Mon) than on Fri thru Sun (and
sometimes Mon).

Is this a more or less general rule for flights US to Europe? And does
it mean possibly less crowded planes? -- or just equally crowded, but
less revenue for the airline?
  #6  
Old February 10th, 2006, 02:58 AM posted to rec.travel.air
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Posts: n/a
Default ONT/SNA to FWA

wrote:

I'm puzzled why, if I choose ONT as a starting point, I can't get UAL to
show a route that goes to, say, DEN to ORD to FWA, instead of really odd
connections. Why aren't eh routes more straightforward?



If you want this kind of information, use
www.itasoftware.com , it is not a
booking engine...rather it is a flight schedule and pricing site. It will
give you bukoo options for flights and routing that you can print and then
call a TA or airline with the itinerary that you choose.


Yeah, there are some cool features there.
Like, if you want to fly LAX to London in 3 segments on AA, you could do
specify "::aa aa aa"

It is great for trying to maximize segments.
This is interesting since AA changed the Executive Platinum requirements
for 2006. 100K Elite Qualifying Miles, 100K EQ Points, or 100 segments.
  #7  
Old February 10th, 2006, 03:06 AM posted to rec.travel.air
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default US to Europe, and ITA site

AES wrote:

In article ,
wrote:


If you want this kind of information, use www.itasoftware.com , it is not a
booking engine...rather it is a flight schedule and pricing site. It will
give you bukoo options for flights and routing that you can print and then
call a TA or airline with the itinerary that you choose.



Indeed a very neat and useful site (and fast) (and you can get official
fare rules for each flight, which can be very informative).

Tests for SFO to Munich in April seem to show that fares are distinctly
lower on Tues thru Thurs (and sometimes Mon) than on Fri thru Sun (and
sometimes Mon).

Is this a more or less general rule for flights US to Europe? And does
it mean possibly less crowded planes? -- or just equally crowded, but
less revenue for the airline?


This is a general rule for domestic US flights.
Midweek fares are often lower.

 




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