How to book airline tickets, with Kaousuu.

[Suu]

Well folks, it's coming to that time of year when I need my tri-annual GET ME THE FUCK OUT OF HERE from Rhode Island. And since we have spags flying from Florida and Ohio for Memorial Day, I figured this would help.

I wasn't initially planning to go to FL for the spring (agreement with my folks is that they will only pay for Christmas and birthday trips, nothing in between), but since my birthday trip this year isn't happening due to a later Pennsic War and a wedding we all have to go to in Pennsylvania in September (thus blowing my damn DragonCon plans. Fuuuuuu...) my dad suggested I look into flights during my spring break and go crash the BARF. The BARF being the Bay Area Renaissance Festival, which turned us toward the SCA in the late 90s.

Here in lies the situation:

1: Yes, I have the money. We'll thank the State of Rhode Island for their tax credit for renters. My federal return is getting put toward Pennsic and a deposit on a cruise or trip to Europe next year.

2: I want to fly out of FUCKING PROVIDENCE WARWICK. NOT BOSTON, FOR FUCKS SAKE.

3: I have to fly on a Friday. I have a class on Thursday nights. However, if I can talk to my professor about skipping that one and him giving me the lecture notes for it, I may be able to skip out that night.


Now, general rules of domestic air travel within the US is thus:

1: Never fly on a weekend if you don't have to.

2: Best fares are on Tuesdays or Wednesdays.

3: Always book your ticket on a Thursday. Don't ask me why, but you'll notice a difference.

4: Keep watching the fares between your favorite airlines (For me that's Southwest and JetBlue) for at least a week in advance of the date you wish to book. You'll get a good idea of the pricing trends.

5: If you find a good fare, double check with the carrier about their checked luggage policy. One of the main reasons I fly the above airlines is that they don't charge you to check one bag. I believe with Southwest you can check 2.

6: Look at surrounding airports. The reason why I've been flying out of Boston more lately than Providence is that it's been cheaper to fly JetBlue than Southwest. Check into transportation to the alternative airport. We have buses and trains that run between T.F. Green and Logan for this reason. I believe Tampa and Orlando also have a bus shuttle system. However, also take into account the cost of your transportation needs. If I'm looking at flights out of each of my regional airports, I add in the costs to get there. For me, TF Green is the closest, and I can get there by bus for 2 bucks. Logan I need to budget at least $20 for each way. If the fare is low enough to accommodate that, like it was for Christmas, then I go for it. It's not worth it if the flight out of Providence is only $5 more than the one out of Boston.

7: Layovers. Sometimes their a necessary evil, especially up and down the East Coast. It's not uncommon for me to have a layover in either JFK, Baltimore-Washington, or Charlotte. If you have to take a layover, make sure that you have enough time to get to your connection and have a decent lunch in between. I've had to run between AIRSIDES at Charlotte before, and that is not a small airport. Neither is Baltimore for that matter and your connection will NEVER be the next gate over. EVER.  The only time that ever happened to me was 3 years ago in Nashville, and I was FLOORED. Fortunately, Tampa and Providence are both hubs for Southwest, and Boston is a hub for JetBlue. This makes it easier to get non-stops. Non-stop flights are actually cheaper in the tax aspect, because you won't have to pay additional port and security taxes for however many stops you make. You also have less of a chance to get your luggage lost. You need an hour. Period. 2 hours, on the other hand, can get annoying and boring.

8: If you don't fly often, check what type of aircraft you'll be on. I don't care if it's a puddle jumper or a massive Airbus, but some people do. If the airline has you choose your seat, make sure you are comfortable with sitting by a window or the aisle or ESPECIALLY in an evacuation row. I really hate sitting next to people, period. So I go all the way to the back. You're last out of the plane, sure, but elbow room is nice.

9: Kids are going to scream. Deal with it. The air pressure hurts their ears and they often don't understand what's going on, it can also be an exciting experience for them. Don't always blame this on the parent unless you see them not doing anything at all. Bring headphones like Skull Candy that help block out sound. The first time I flew I was 5, and I just stared out the window the whole time totally mesmerized and thought the take off was the coolest thing ever, however my brother was 2, and didn't do so hot with my poor 8 month pregnant mother doing her best to keep him occupied. Just be patient with them.

10: Bubblegum, hand sanitizer and Airborne. I shouldn't have to explain this. Not only do I start taking Airborne 3 days before I fly, but in the spring I have to start taking Claritin a WEEK before I fly to Florida because of my own allergies. Otherwise, my trip is usually not-so-fun. If you're sick, do your best not to spread your germ warfare to the other passengers. You'll get some nasty looks anyway.


I hope this helps for those who plan to fly. Now back to hawking over Southwest and bitching and wondering if they'll hear me.

[East Coast Hustle]

Pretty good advice, though I absolutely HATE Southwest. I fly USAir when possible because they seem to have more legroom on their default 737 configuration than most other domestic airlines. They're also usually the cheapest of the major domestic carriers (cheaper than Southwest most of the time, but evens out if you're checking a bag) and if they're not, Continental probably will be and they share a frequent flyer program so either one gets me those precious miles. I also tend to fly cross-country more than up/down the east coast (usually I fly from Norfolk to DC or Philly, then to Seattle or Portland) so that may be a reason for the different experiences. Flying cross-country on Southwest tends to involve ridiculous routes and/or awful layovers.

I've also been told that the cheapest time of the week to BUY (as opposed to actually flying on) is tuesday afternoon because tuesday morning is when the major airlines usually release their sale fares, though my experience has been that as long as I'm buying on tuesday, wednesday, or thursday there isn't much difference. This may be different on routes with heavy business traffic or between hubs. Definitely tuesday and wednesday are cheapest to fly on, saturday is also pretty cheap since most people flying on weekend trips are staying at their destination that day. It's also usually cheaper if your trip is long enough to include staying over a weekend. If you are trying to fly during the holiday season and are willing to fly ON thanksgiving or christmas day you can score big savings.

[Suu]

Also excellent tips.

Southwest isn't luxury, that's for sure. Be prepared to be packed in like sardines, but at least the crew is usually AWESOME. I'm convinced you have to be sightly nuts to work for them.

The main reason I fly them is because they're the ONLY AIRLINE that flies from Providence to Tampa nonstop. USAir and I'm guaranteed a layover in Charlotte. Who's airport code is CLT, and I read as Clit, every time.

JetBlue is amazing for a budget airline. You have free onboard TV and radio. I know they were looking into flying into PVD, but they have to make the fucking runway longer first. Until then...to Boston I go.

[Suu]

And my sister is giving me her points for a free flight, since I earned them anyway. So, it looks like I'll be on JetBlue again next month.