1. Welcome to VegasMessageBoard
    It appears you are visiting our community as a guest.
    In order to view full-size images, participate in discussions, vote in polls, etc, you will need to Log in or Register.

i still don't have airfare 3 weeks from my trip!!

Discussion in 'Getting There & Getting Around' started by raraavis, May 24, 2012.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. raraavis

    raraavis VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Jan 31, 2010
    Messages:
    1,118
    Location:
    NJ
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    9
    nothing informative in this post. just me freaking out because i still don't have airfare, and we're supposed to leave in 3 weeks! :eek:

    usually my airfare is booked first and then we look for hotels after. well we happen to see a good hotel deal (5 nights at bally's for $220 total) and booked it. we've been watching airfare since end of march, hoping it would go down. silly me :goofy: but bing said to wait (at 80% confidence)! alas, the key wording would be "steady" in the "fares dropping or steady" price predictor. doh! it was so wrong. not only were fares not dropping, they sure weren't remaining steady either! :Þ

    we've never paid more than $400 for a non-stop flight from newark to vegas before. now flights are around $550 for a flight with stops! :grrr: since i basically am losing $600 any time i plan to vacation for a week (my job doesn't give me paid time off), i really can't afford $400+ on airfare. woe is me :cry:.

    anyway, this is really just a rant. even if we had bought in march right when we booked bally's, flights were still hovering around $400. not cheap by any standards. plus, we couldn't book yet because we hadn't determined our exact dates (we always stay with my dad a couple of nights). my dad has had some personal stuff going on, so we didn't want to book without figuring that out first.

    people keep asking me if we can just move our dates to july or august. i have several reasons that is a no. first, i already have this time off from work and will need to switch it (not a huge deal really, just annoying). second, we want to send save the dates for our wedding at least 10 months out since it's a destination wedding (we're planning for a sept. or oct. 2013 wedding). and lastly, it's just too damn hot! :eek2

    also, i have my southwest card in hand, waiting patiently (ok not so patiently) to miraculously have my 50,000 points posted to my account. they say 6-8 weeks. some of the posters on here have said 2-3 weeks. even if i get them in that 2-3 week window, it would be like the day before i'm supposed to leave. i just gotta bite the bullet it looks like and cough up the money. :(
     
  2. Iamrice

    Iamrice High-Roller

    Joined:
    Sep 16, 2009
    Messages:
    608
    Location:
    ATX
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    33
    Sorry to hear it.

    We just canceled a couple of nights at Harrhas (with tix to Miss USA) because flights out of Austin are in the $200 each, each way range.

    I guess we got too comfortable with paying about 50% of that in the past.

    Good luck and I hope you find a sale!
     
  3. saintpauljeff

    saintpauljeff VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Jan 11, 2008
    Messages:
    2,521
    Location:
    Minneapolis, MN
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    999
    Does Priceline still do flights? I know it might be a little crazy to use them for airfare, but you might be able to get a flight closer to your budget. Only drawback is you might get a flight at a wacky time or have 2+ stops.
     
  4. kmarcin

    kmarcin Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Feb 11, 2011
    Messages:
    121
    Location:
    Strongsville, OH
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    20
    Points for Southwest card...

    After making the first purchase on the Southwest credit card, my account was credited with the 50,000 pts. in 3 weeks.

    I hate to say this, but Southwest really jacks up the airfares within 2 weeks of a departure date (the fares almost double each way). That means even if you get the 50,000 pts., it probably won't help given your situation.

    Good luck. Hopefully something opens up for you for a lower fare.
     
  5. kingpasty

    kingpasty High-Roller

    Joined:
    Feb 3, 2009
    Messages:
    834
    Location:
    Wichita Falls, TX
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    14
    Yes, at this point if I were you I'd go ahead and book. Really the only way you're going to get anything POSSIBLY cheaper is a last minute deal. If you know that you're going regardless, best to bite the bullet.
     
  6. wigwam_salesman

    wigwam_salesman VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Aug 30, 2011
    Messages:
    2,466
    Location:
    Manchester, United Kingdom
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    9
    Flights are getting so expensive. It's going to cost me about $250 more for my flight this year from the UK than last year, which means about $1400 return including taxes.
     
  7. sammasseur

    sammasseur VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Oct 25, 2009
    Messages:
    2,785
    Location:
    Salem Oregon
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    63
    I highly recommend http://us.lastminute.com/uslm/index.html as an option for a package deal. I've used them twice, got a very satisfying price, and had absolutely no complications. If you like something you see, you can cancel your existing hotel without penalty and use the airfare/hotel combo from this website. Good luck.
     
  8. raraavis

    raraavis VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Jan 31, 2010
    Messages:
    1,118
    Location:
    NJ
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    9
    thanks everyone for tolerating my rant :nworthy:

    i've been hesitant about using priceline because honestly i don't really know the ins and outs. do you purchase the flight before you find out the information like times or airline? also, the times are kinda important as i need to be able to take the bus to the airport. last year our flight was at 6:30am, but the first bus that would come by my house was at 5:15. it takes at least an hour to get to the airport from my place. our return flight came in around 11:30pm, so no bus. we had to use a car service, so that was an extra $60 each way. plus, my plan is to fly out on a thursday, and i have to put in a half day of work. so i can't leave until afternoon/evening. i know being flexible in dates/times helps bring down the cost, but i am really stuck with the departing times (not so much the returning times). i need to have two weekends in my trip, so i can look at wedding venues (the weekdays are for our actual vacation time-no wedding things allowed!). thanks for the suggestion! i'm going to look into priceline and see what it's all about. :wave:

    really???? wow:grrr:. thanks for the tip! once my fiance comes back from a business trip, i think we're gonna have to book the flight. i just know i can't sit around and wait for my points to become active. i need to find a wedding venue! i can save those points to help my mom and stepdad fly out to vegas for the wedding.

    i don't really like the idea of layovers (who does?), but i haven't seen a non stop flight in months. i think my fiance may be on travel in phoenix right before we go to vegas, so he may be able to grab a cheap flight from phoenix to vegas. that will save some money.

    thanks sam! i've never used this site. i'll have to bookmark it. i'm on the site now. flight prices seem to be about the same i've found on airlines' websites. do you book directly with this site, or does it direct you to another site? we never do the package deals because we only stay at a hotel half the time we're in vegas since we stay with family the other half. our flights never match up with our hotel dates for this reason. i've checked into doing a package deal just to see if it would be cheaper, but so far it hasn't :( thanks for the website! :thumbsup:
     
  9. PokerFaceNJ

    PokerFaceNJ Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Feb 7, 2004
    Messages:
    209
    Location:
    New Jersey
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    21
    Why not try flying out of Philadelphia? We are in NJ but always found Philly prices to be much cheaper. The extra drive might save tons of money.
     
  10. raraavis

    raraavis VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Jan 31, 2010
    Messages:
    1,118
    Location:
    NJ
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    9
    my dad suggested this as well. there are a few problems with this. we have to pay for a rental car to get there or for parking for an 11 day stay (and it's about a two hour drive to get there). since i need to leave directly from work, i just am not able to drive out to philly (i take a bus to work). i'm pretty sure it will break even or just not be worth the hassle. it's the same for flying out of jfk and laguardia in nyc. the hassle to get there just doesn't make up for the price. my dad even suggested flying to LA and driving from there to vegas. but then we run into the whole car rental thing again, and we're breaking even with price but have more of a hassle. thanks for the suggestion though! :wave:
     
  11. sammasseur

    sammasseur VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Oct 25, 2009
    Messages:
    2,785
    Location:
    Salem Oregon
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    63
    Everything is booked directly through the site. Not sure, but there may be an option to use hotel for just a portion of your stay. Guess the site isn't worth it if the flight prices are the same, tho.....
     
  12. saintpauljeff

    saintpauljeff VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Jan 11, 2008
    Messages:
    2,521
    Location:
    Minneapolis, MN
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    999
    i've never actually used Priceline for airfare before, just hotels and cars. I think part of their gamble is you may end up with a flight at whatever time of day, with 2 stops, zig-zaging across the country before you finally end up at your destination. But you got there for the price you bid LOL. Sounds like you have some time constraints...I don't think this option will work, unless they've changed the booking criteria.
     
  13. Turtleman

    Turtleman VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Apr 8, 2005
    Messages:
    4,097
    Location:
    Bradenton, FL
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    110
    Hang in there. We didn't think we'd be going this month, but grabbed good fares 2 weeks ago and were still able to book rooms. Keep checking, check often, and good luck. (In Vegas now.)
     
  14. veovis23

    veovis23 Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Jan 4, 2012
    Messages:
    264
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    3
    Since you are looking for SW flights, I assume you have the Ding! app either on your phone or your computer or both. Defnitely set that up for what you are looking for as well as making sure to check the site daily (from a couple of my common departure points here in FL my price can flucuate by up to $50 each way over the course of a week.
     
  15. KnowItAll

    KnowItAll VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Apr 19, 2008
    Messages:
    2,955
    Location:
    Atlanta
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    69
    Keep waiting......as a new SW customer I have found that if seats are available they do drop last minute (recently got a $200 RT ATL-MDW (chicago) for a next day flight).....I mean this is Vegas so your first gamble is how long to wait :)
     
  16. raraavis

    raraavis VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Jan 31, 2010
    Messages:
    1,118
    Location:
    NJ
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    9
    well i am not waiting particularly for sw flights. i'm looking everywhere! but i also don't want to pay for bags. i think my fiance has ding! or something similar. i'll have to check that out. thanks.

    oh man, i am so not good at gambling!! i don't have a lot of money, so waiting could really mean paying more than i can afford (considering they are already more than i can afford). i can't really reschedule my trip at this point, so it is definitely a gamble to wait it out! i don't think i could wait until the day before to buy my ticket. i am a planner by nature, and the fact that i still don't have a ticket 3 weeks out is stressing me out big time. :faint:
     
  17. Thor

    Thor Beer Drinker

    Joined:
    Apr 3, 2008
    Messages:
    2,084
    Location:
    TEXAS
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    8
    expedia, travelocity, or orbitz do package deals with part hotel stays...can't remember which one. we have used them before and have booked the flight with one random night at a hotel and the prices have always been cheaper than a regular flight out of dfw. weird...but they are cheaper! good luck!!!:beer::beer::beer:
     
  18. Jerseyguy

    Jerseyguy MIA

    Joined:
    Sep 6, 2011
    Messages:
    2,766
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    10
    Dont stress out

    Cancell the trip,Vegas isnt going anywhere ,wait till the time is right.
     
  19. luvlv

    luvlv Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Feb 21, 2010
    Messages:
    257
    Location:
    minnesota
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    20
    You don't sound like you have any flexibility or wiggle room in your dates or times, so you may just have to bite the bullet. Usually I have found having a little flexibility is the only way to get the best deals.
     
  20. theshaah

    theshaah High-Roller

    Joined:
    Jan 15, 2010
    Messages:
    505
    Location:
    Las Vegas,NV
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    100
    Back when I used to pay for airfare this was my biggest gripe. I would get a GREAT hotel deal, and then have to pay jacked up airfare prices. Or i'd get a great price for a flight but then the hotel prices were through the roof. It was like a cat and mouse game. It felt like the hotels and the airlines had a pact that if one would lower their prices, the other would raise theirs and vice versa.

    Now since I work for an airline and most of the time I travel solo I don't worry about the price of airfare because I just hitchike my way to vegas and bum a ride either off of my airline or another one we have jumpseating priveleges with.

    As for the OP my advice is to book a seat NOW. The closer you get the prices can only go UP because they know you NEED to travel on those dates. Same day airfares are astronomically expensive. If you're booking with SWA the worst that can happen to you is they drop the price and if they do you can just call them up and cancel your original reservation and they will give you credit for the difference in fare to use on your next southwest flight.
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.