Anyone use HOTWIRE.COM (or Priceline.com)?

[Superdoopercooper]

It is a priceline.com kind of thing... but is run by the 6 most major US airlines. Seems more likely to get good flights.

But, I'm wondering how bad layovers are when using these "ULTRA-LOW PRICE" kind of services? I'm heading to a wedding in August, and if I buy tickets straight from american, the cost is $400 per ticket. Using HOTWIRE.COM, tickets to/from the same airports (beginning and final destinations) are $232.

Problem is, you don't know carriers or times of flights until after you drop the cash on the tickets. The promising thing is that they will likely be on one of those 6 airlines (AA, USAir, Delta, etc)... but I don't want to have a 6 hour layover is some lame-O airport.

Any help would be appriciated. Thanx.

 

[Superdoopercooper]

one bump...

 

[d0ofy]

I used Priceline three times, and have been satified every time. Every flight I had was non-stop, one was red-eye, and another was in the evening, but delayed 4 hours due to a storm. I flew to Chicago for ~$130, and to Savannah for ~$150. I also used Priceline's hotel service and stayed in a 4 star hotel for two nights for only $50 a night. Compare that to the $300+ regular price/night.
If time is of the essence, I don't suggest you use one of these services. Once you get a flight, you can't change it. But if time is not a problem, you don't have anything to lose from using Priceline.

 

[Helpless]

I use Priceline all the time when I fly to Germany...saved some serious $$; but yes, delays and connecting flights are the opportunity costs you must incur


I know I always got a flight for the exact days I choose, but exact times aren't known until, as you said, you book it...I would say leave a day earlier and use the cash you saved to get a hotel room and a cheap hook...I mean book.

As for the airlines, I flew on Air Canada the last two times and must say that is was better than any of the domestic airlines I have been on...way better service....before that was Sabena, or whatever they are called...same deal--great service and better than Delta, UsAir, etc, etc...

 

[chainbolt]

<< I use Priceline all the time when I fly to Germany...saved some serious $$; but yes, delays and connecting flights are the opportunity costs you must incur


I know I always got a flight for the exact days I choose, but exact times aren't known until, as you said, you book it...I would say leave a day earlier and use the cash you saved to get a hotel room and a cheap hook...I mean book.

As for the airlines, I flew on Air Canada the last two times and must say that is was better than any of the domestic airlines I have been on...way better service....before that was Sabena, or whatever they are called...same deal--great service and better than Delta, UsAir, etc, etc... >>



what r u doing in germany, getting sauerkraut und bratwuerste?

 

[Superdoopercooper]

<< I use Priceline all the time when I fly to Germany...saved some serious $$; but yes, delays and connecting flights are the opportunity costs you must incur


I know I always got a flight for the exact days I choose, but exact times aren't known until, as you said, you book it...I would say leave a day earlier and use the cash you saved to get a hotel room and a cheap hook...I mean book.

As for the airlines, I flew on Air Canada the last two times and must say that is was better than any of the domestic airlines I have been on...way better service....before that was Sabena, or whatever they are called...same deal--great service and better than Delta, UsAir, etc, etc... >>



Helpless... how long were your layovers? I'm just not wanting to have a 6 hour layover in a dumb airport. It wouldnt' be such a big deal, but my wife will be with me, and I just hate havin' us waste our time sitting around in airports.

Actually, I found some &quot;regular&quot; fares taht are only $50 more than HOTWIRE's or EXpedia's new cheap-O find out after you pay services. So, I just may take the $100 hit for two tix, and go with what I know. However, if it were a $300 issue... that is a differetn story... or if I were travelling alone.

 

[Helpless]

>what r u doing in germany, getting sauerkraut und bratwuerste?<

Ja wohl; und Rahmschnitzel, spatzle, und Weizen Bier!



>how long were your layovers?<

They have always varied, but I do remember a 6-hour one in Canada ...I just hung out, watched the Giants spank Minn. 44-0, and drank Molson Lager in the bar.

 

[Helpless]

..but I agree with you; if the difference is a mere $50.00 a ticket roundtrip, I would shell out the extra clams and get a direct flight with no delays...

 

[Superdoopercooper]

Well... it the $50 extra ticket does have layovers, but they are known, and short. 35 minutes on the way there... and 1.5 hours on the way back.

EDIT: The price difference on tix is at least $168 PER TICKET!! I'm really inclinded to do the HOTWIRE thing, but it is sorta scary.

 

[GTaudiophile]

Ich reise oft nach Deutschland, weil ich die h&uuml;bsche Frauen ohne Badeanz&uuml;ge am Strand sehen will

I work for an airline, so I get Business Class air travel for free when it's available.

 

[GTaudiophile]

What, no one likes what I had to say?

 

[Helpless]

i thought it was funny Nice translation, sir

 

[GTaudiophile]

Oh, I've been studying German for around 10 years now.

 

[Helpless]

...keep your day job, then

 

[szymcom]

Well, what airports do you consider &quot;dumb&quot;?
Has there been a thread on the worst airports yet? I'm too lazy to search for it. I know Newark and JFK would probably rank somewhere up there.

Szymon

 

[sgopal2]

I'm a frequent traveller (Continental Gold) and have racked up many miles over the last few years.

In my opinion, Priceline.com sucks. You can generally find lower fares by doing extensive searching on your own. Another reason why priceline sucks is that you can't pick your itinerary before they charge your credit card. In that respect hotwire.com is a bit better. But they both suck because you can't accrue FF miles with fares bought on hotwire or priceline!!! That defeats the purpose!!!

My favorite trick is to goto www.orbitz.com (this is new site run by the major airlines that let you search across ALL airlines -- including discounters like southwest &amp; jetblue). You can then pick out the flight that you prefer.

Another good site is Travelocity -- they have a feature called &quot;dream maps&quot;. Punching in a starting location will give you cheap fares in Europe, Asia and US. Its pretty good for locating the lowest published fare.

 

[CvCXL]

I've used hotwire a couple of times in the past. The best deal I got was $224 round trip to New York from SFO. The bad thing was that I had stop overs in Memphis and Chicago. It's good if you have the time, but it sucks if your travel schedule isn't flexible.