Cheapest way?

Vegeta99 · 04-18-2002, 04:20 PM

Okay, sorry to ask, but lets face it, you guys are the experts! I've only flown TWICE, and I didn't have anything to do with getting the plane tickets. Anyway.

This summer I plan to go to Moscow, Idaho. They've got an airport there, but I can get picked up in Spokane. I'm departing from Williamsport, PA (IPT), but I can go to Philadelphia, Harrisburg, Wilkes-Barre Scranton, JFK, or LaGuardia if need be. Is there any way I can get round-trip for rougly $300? I really don't care HOW many times I'm connected, as long as I (eventually) get there.

dbaker · 04-18-2002, 04:37 PM

What days do you have planned for this trip? That might allow us to help a bit more. Additionally, if we're talking August/September here, it may be benefitial to hang on a bit and try and purchase closer to the date of travel. I think that the best deals are available 3-4 weeks ahead of time. Generally, once you're purchasing a ticket more than a month in advance, you're not taking advantage of any promotions that the airline may be running besides avoiding any general advance purchase restrictions.

To look for fares for you, I started fiddling with travel on June 22 with a return on June 29. Safely within "summer" and all flying on Saturdays, which is generally one of the cheapest days of the week to fly, if not the cheapest.

For $494, I see Northwest as an option. Harrisburg(MDT)-Detroit(DTW)-Seattle(SEA)-Lewiston(LWS) with the reverse as the return.

For $418, I see Northwest as an option out of LGA. Laguardia(LGA)-Minneapolis(MSP)-Boise(BOI)-Lewiston (LWS)

I don't know how far Seattle is from your destination and I suspect that JFK is a bit out of the way for you, too, but if you're willing to cope with that, I see $285.60 if you fly Jetblue JFK-SEA non-stop.

Failing any other options, if you're willing to be flexible with your schedule (which it sounds like you will be), you could wait a bit until it gets slightly closer to the date of travel and go to Priceline, which lets you bid on airfare. You can't select the airline or flight time, but you can select airports, travel dates, etc. It may be a good option for you. If you haven't already, you might want to take a moment to check out the site and get a feel for it. It may help you out in the future.

I hope this helps. Let me know some more specifics and what you think of the Jetblue option and maybe we can help more. Cheers.

Vegeta99 · 04-18-2002, 05:00 PM

Thanks dbaker! I'm thinking of leaving around July 31st and returning August 14th. I was told that flying on Wednesdays was cheaper.

I checked out Priceline. They refuse to tell you if your bid will get you tickets unless you purchase them!

04-18-2002, 04:20 PM	#1
Vegeta99 Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: IPT Posts: 4	Cheapest way? Okay, sorry to ask, but lets face it, you guys are the experts! I've only flown TWICE, and I didn't have anything to do with getting the plane tickets. Anyway. This summer I plan to go to Moscow, Idaho. They've got an airport there, but I can get picked up in Spokane. I'm departing from Williamsport, PA (IPT), but I can go to Philadelphia, Harrisburg, Wilkes-Barre Scranton, JFK, or LaGuardia if need be. Is there any way I can get round-trip for rougly $300? I really don't care HOW many times I'm connected, as long as I (eventually) get there. __________________

04-18-2002, 04:37 PM	#2
dbaker Senior Member ITYT Captain Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: IAH/HOU Posts: 2,354	What days do you have planned for this trip? That might allow us to help a bit more. Additionally, if we're talking August/September here, it may be benefitial to hang on a bit and try and purchase closer to the date of travel. I think that the best deals are available 3-4 weeks ahead of time. Generally, once you're purchasing a ticket more than a month in advance, you're not taking advantage of any promotions that the airline may be running besides avoiding any general advance purchase restrictions. To look for fares for you, I started fiddling with travel on June 22 with a return on June 29. Safely within "summer" and all flying on Saturdays, which is generally one of the cheapest days of the week to fly, if not the cheapest. For $494, I see Northwest as an option. Harrisburg(MDT)-Detroit(DTW)-Seattle(SEA)-Lewiston(LWS) with the reverse as the return. For $418, I see Northwest as an option out of LGA. Laguardia(LGA)-Minneapolis(MSP)-Boise(BOI)-Lewiston (LWS) I don't know how far Seattle is from your destination and I suspect that JFK is a bit out of the way for you, too, but if you're willing to cope with that, I see $285.60 if you fly Jetblue JFK-SEA non-stop. Failing any other options, if you're willing to be flexible with your schedule (which it sounds like you will be), you could wait a bit until it gets slightly closer to the date of travel and go to Priceline, which lets you bid on airfare. You can't select the airline or flight time, but you can select airports, travel dates, etc. It may be a good option for you. If you haven't already, you might want to take a moment to check out the site and get a feel for it. It may help you out in the future. I hope this helps. Let me know some more specifics and what you think of the Jetblue option and maybe we can help more. Cheers. __________________

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04-18-2002, 05:00 PM	#3
Vegeta99 Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: IPT Posts: 4	Thanks dbaker! I'm thinking of leaving around July 31st and returning August 14th. I was told that flying on Wednesdays was cheaper. I checked out Priceline. They refuse to tell you if your bid will get you tickets unless you purchase them!