Where/When/How can I get better priced air fair to LV
So anyways, the purpose of this thread. In the previous 8 or 9 times I was in Vegas we just picked a flight and went. We weren't overly concerned with the price. This time we are very flexible on days and times within a few days of the convention that we are going for.
Can anyone give some tips on how to save on flights?
- discount sites such as expedia
- times or days that are best to fly
- airlines that may have the best rates in and out of Vegas
or Anything else that may help with budget travelers.
We live in Pittsburgh, PA so we would like to fly out of there but if there is enough savings flying out of Cleveland or other close cities are a possibility as well.
Spirit air will have the lowest airfare, but you have to pay for baggage. Not really for your situation unless you can fit everything into 2 personal sized bags.
Flying out on Tuesday or Thursday will be cheaper than the other 5 days in a week.
If you have several bags, southwest is as good option. They don't charge bag fees.
Quote: wrobersonLasvegasdirect will have the lowest package deal prices that will include air and hotel.
Spirit air will have the lowest airfare, but you have to pay for baggage. Not really for your situation unless you can fit everything into 2 personal sized bags.
Flying out on Tuesday or Thursday will be cheaper than the other 5 days in a week.
If you have several bags, southwest is as good option. They don't charge bag fees.
thank you for the info. All of our other trips had to be planned around vacation time but my wife is a stay at home mom now so we don't have to worry about that and my job is really flexible. I have so much to research about flying with kids.
Short direct flights would be best if you have kids aboard.
No junket operators in your area? They don't like flying kids but if they see your gambling history they might go for it.
Weekend travel is usually more expensive. Places like Expedia will get you the rates but best deals are usually booked directly with the airline.
If you book an air fare plus hotel room deal, its unlikely the casino will be able to comp you for your room even if they wanted to.
Kayak was just purchased but its still a good site for watching price TRENDS.
Consider SHIPPING your luggage UPS or USPS and only taking bare minimums with you as carryon. Ship to the hotel or hotel's Business Center marked Hold for Hotel Guest NAME ETA of DATE, TIME.
Good luck.
Quote: GWAEAnother question, what is the sweet spot as far as booking time? Is it best to be 6ish months out or closer to departure?
I tend to have had decent luck 4 to 7 weeks out for flights. My cheapest flight was only about 10 days out though. Southwest was dumping their empty seats or something.
And yeah, you're really early right now, you can't even book with southwest at this point.
Kayak.com will be best booking engine. Check Southwest and JetBlue as well regularly. Set yourself up with alerts on Southwest and JetBlue.
Look at demand as well. Consider switching airlines for one leg of the flight versus the other.
Quote: boymimboGenerally, you are screwed for flights. Your best bet to save on flights is to get yourself an Airline Credit card, use it once, and cash in the bonus miles to get your free travel. But all booking engines use the same centralized tool for pricing so you're not going to find a place that will give you a lower fare than another.
Kayak.com will be best booking engine. Check Southwest and JetBlue as well regularly. Set yourself up with alerts on Southwest and JetBlue.
Look at demand as well. Consider switching airlines for one leg of the flight versus the other.
I had a friend who was flying to Utah and the cheapest fair he could find was $400. He ended up getting a deal with SW for $39 to 1 place, then jet blue for $69 to another place, and then I think SW again to Utah for $39. He ended up flying for under $200. This was 8 years ago so I don't know if something like that is possible again. He also only had carry on so he didn't have to worry about picking up bags and rechecking them.
1. Check regularly. Something might trigger in the airlines' system overnight and it will be $100 cheaper or more expensive than just 12 hours earlier.
2. As previously noted by a poster, best prices are 2-6 weeks in advance. Worst prices too. About 4-5 months ahead of time is when you'll find their base rates, judge from those.
3. Special sites like Expedia/Orbitz haven't really helped me, they can leave out some budget airlines like Spirit. Find out who has direct flights from your local airport and look on their individual websites.
Again, sorry for not having some great answer for you, because there really isn't one. Just stay diligent and you'll eventually find a good enough offer to jump on.
Edit: Just saw that you have to catch a convention on a certain date. My opinion is to buy it 4-5 months out, waiting until a few weeks out would be way too risky.
Quote: GWAEI had a friend who was flying to Utah and the cheapest fair he could find was $400. He ended up getting a deal with SW for $39 to 1 place, then jet blue for $69 to another place, and then I think SW again to Utah for $39. He ended up flying for under $200. This was 8 years ago so I don't know if something like that is possible again. He also only had carry on so he didn't have to worry about picking up bags and rechecking them.
I wouldn't count on it. SW has really upped their prices in the last few years. I am usually cheaper flying another airline with a stop (starting from St. Louis). :(
Quote: ahiromuSorry, I don't really have a magical answer for you on this, but I deal with the same situation. I'm very flexible on my times, but flights can range from $200-$600. I have a couple of things to note:
1. Check regularly. Something might trigger in the airlines' system overnight and it will be $100 cheaper or more expensive than just 12 hours earlier.
2. As previously noted by a poster, best prices are 2-6 weeks in advance. Worst prices too. About 4-5 months ahead of time is when you'll find their base rates, judge from those.
3. Special sites like Expedia/Orbitz haven't really helped me, they can leave out some budget airlines like Spirit. Find out who has direct flights from your local airport and look on their individual websites.
Again, sorry for not having some great answer for you, because there really isn't one. Just stay diligent and you'll eventually find a good enough offer to jump on.
Edit: Just saw that you have to catch a convention on a certain date. My opinion is to buy it 4-5 months out, waiting until a few weeks out would be way too risky.
Thank you for the info. I know there probably is no magic number. I figured maybe someone would mention something that I didn't think of. For example, I had no idea about Spirit and when I searched them they actually fly out of a small local airport but not the international one. They are $30 cheaper each way per seat right now but there is a 5 hour layover.
Quote: GWAEThey are $30 cheaper each way per seat right now but there is a 5 hour layover.
Considering they charge for an overhead bag, your savings are wiped away right there. Spirit needs to be a lot cheaper for you to want to even dare fly it.
When looking, keep Johnstown/Cambria airport in mind. Before he croaked, the corrupt congressman, John Murtha made sure that the airport was named after him and that flights in and out were heavily subsidized and that makes for cheap flight opportunities. If you don't mind switching planes a couple of times, you can get a bargain. If you need something more direct because of the kids, then I recommend sticking with Pittsburgh.Quote: GWAEWe live in Pittsburgh, PA so we would like to fly out of there but if there is enough savings flying out of Cleveland or other close cities are a possibility as well.
Quote: s2dbakerWhen looking, keep Johnstown/Cambria airport in mind. Before he croaked, the corrupt congressman, John Murtha made sure that the airport was named after him and that flights in and out were heavily subsidized and that makes for cheap flight opportunities. If you don't mind switching planes a couple of times, you can get a bargain. If you need something more direct because of the kids, then I recommend sticking with Pittsburgh.
I gave ZERO thought to that area. Another reason why I started this thread. We were actually thinking that it might be easier to have a layover with a 2 year old. I know we could keep him occupied for 2 hours in a plane but 4 1/2 might be another thing.
I never pay more than $125 each way, and I go to Vegas once per month (avg). These are non stop flights also.
Quote: KeyserSozeGWAE- I fly from PIT to LAS often. Southwest is your best option.
I never pay more than $125 each way, and I go to Vegas once per month (avg). These are non stop flights also.
Do you know some trick. I just checked the low fare calendar and the cheapest flight in 2014 is $173.
Quote: Sabretom2Do you know some trick. I just checked the low fare calendar and the cheapest flight in 2014 is $173.
No tricks, but I check prices often (3-4 days p/wk). If you check often enough, you will find the 'low price' flights. I consider low price flights to be $75-$125 one way (PIT-LAS). When I find a good deal, I will book several flights at once.
Last year, I booked 7 round trip flights (all different dates) for $75 each way. It was a special 48 hour sale.
I don't work, so my travel dates are very flexible.
Currently, the best fares are $163.
Quote: beachbumbabsIn my experience, the lowest fares online show up on Monday and/or Tuesday, and the best flight days are Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday. Most expensive Sunday, followed by Friday. You want to get them at least 3 weeks before the start day of your travel for the lowest prices (there are some exceptions, but not predictable).
Basically this, but flying TO Vegas on Sunday doesn't adversely affect my prices usually. Avoid flying FROM Vegas on Sunday though for sure.
Quote: ahiromuOne warning about Spirit, they charge for carry-ons. It's essentially $35 each way, not sure how connections work. As a single guy this isn't an issue, I'd just bring a backpack (personal item that fits under the seat in front of me), however, I can see if you're traveling with your family this might be an issue.
Just to make sure it's clear here is Spirit's policy:
Maximum Dimensions of Personal item: 16in x 14in x 12in (length x width x height)--FREE
Maximum Dimensions of Carry-on Luggage: 22in x 18in x 10in (length x width x height) including handles and wheels--$35
more info. here(excess weight, over size, etc.):
http://www.seatguru.com/airlines/Spirit_Airlines/baggage.php
Quote: KeyserSozeGWAE- I fly from PIT to LAS often. Southwest is your best option.
I never pay more than $125 each way, and I go to Vegas once per month (avg). These are non stop flights also.
Now that is what I am looking for. I guess once they get Aug up I will just check 2 to 3 times every day. Every time that I see them have those 48 hour sales I look at the prices but they never worked for me because we had to leave on a Friday or Sat and it was more expensive on those days. Hopefully this time we can get a better deal since we are completely flexible.
Spirit is off my list. Their baggage police would kill us since I am sure we will have more bags than normal. It may be cheaper for us to just buy some items in vegas than try to use another bag.
Quote: GWAENow that is what I am looking for. I guess once they get Aug up I will just check 2 to 3 times every day. Every time that I see them have those 48 hour sales I look at the prices but they never worked for me because we had to leave on a Friday or Sat and it was more expensive on those days. Hopefully this time we can get a better deal since we are completely flexible.
Based on my past experience for the PIT-LAS fares, it's usually cheapest to fly on Tue, Wed. My trips usually usually go like this: depart on Wed, return on Tues. One week is too long for many people, but it suits me just fine.
You go every month for a week? Not a bad deal. I went at the end of October/beginning of November, and just got back from another trip in December. I think every 3 or 4 months is a good amount. Probably 5 nights.Quote: KeyserSozeBased on my past experience for the PIT-LAS fares, it's usually cheapest to fly on Tue, Wed. My trips usually usually go like this: depart on Wed, return on Tues. One week is too long for many people, but it suits me just fine.
Now, I get the flight for free, the food for free, and the hotel for free, so my only expense is the rental car. I consider it a "business" trip. But I won't be going in January because of the new full-time job.
Quote: teddysYou go every month for a week? Not a bad deal. I went at the end of October/beginning of November, and just got back from another trip in December. I think every 3 or 4 months is a good amount. Probably 5 nights.
Now, I get the flight for free, the food for free, and the hotel for free, so my only expense is the rental car. I consider it a "business" trip. But I won't be going in January because of the new full-time job.
Everytime that we have gone it has been for 6 days because of our job. Now that my wife stays at home we are planning to go for 9 or 10 days. We don't want to spend 10k so a lot of the time will be spent at the pool or just relaxing. Based on what people are saying about the days to fly we are thinking maybe tuesday to thursday of the next week.
Quote: teddysNow, I get the flight for free, the food for free, and the hotel for free, so my only expense is the rental car. I consider it a "business" trip. But I won't be going in January because of the new full-time job.
You get airfare? I didn't know you rolled that high...maybe I need to start playing VP to get the better comps...
Quote: GWAEThank you for the info. I know there probably is no magic number. I figured maybe someone would mention something that I didn't think of. For example, I had no idea about Spirit and when I searched them they actually fly out of a small local airport but not the international one. They are $30 cheaper each way per seat right now but there is a 5 hour layover.
Quote: wancaI am coming out of Turlock California, the partner & I are headed to vegas to celebrate a milestone. We thought we may fly. Can anyone recommend the cheapest flights available? I guess I would have to catch a flight out of Modesto calif or Sac. What airlines has the cheapest flights into vegas? I hope someone can help .
The cheapest and easiest is usually Southwest but I don't know if they fly the routes you need.
Reason for this is because Vegas is the Southwest hub for, well, Southwest :)
There has just recently been talk about a company that will allow regular folk like you and I to book a private jet for a fraction of the costs......Perhaps try and find something about that and look into it if you want to celebrate in style?
