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Tips on getting low-cost airfare?

 
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Hi,

I want to fly from Frankfurt (Main, germany), to Spokane (US) in June and I'm therefore searching for good airfare deals. I already searched the web (http://www.airlinetickets.de/ looked most promising to me) and asked a travel agency, but if anyone has any tips on how to get low-cost tickets, I'd very much appreciate it.
 
Ranch Hand
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yahoo!travel is a good source. perhaps become of fierce competition, airline ticket can't be lower. for example, from detroit to san jose, ca, it costs $128 by air, ~7 hours,
$109 by bus, 2 1/2 days,
$169 by train w/o room, 2 1/2 days

all the figure are for one way.
 
Ilja Preuss
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Thanks for the tip. Unfortunately, none of the airfares it finds is available for june. My travel agency already warned me that june isn't the cheapest month to fly... :sigh:
 
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you could try kayak.com
 
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Originally posted by Ilja Preuss:
Hi,

I want to fly from Frankfurt (Main, germany), to Spokane (US) in June and I'm therefore searching for good airfare deals. I already searched the web (http://www.airlinetickets.de/ looked most promising to me) and asked a travel agency, but if anyone has any tips on how to get low-cost tickets, I'd very much appreciate it.



Whatever you do, make sure you use a credit card or travel agent that gives you some protection from loss due to the carrier going backrupt like Jetsgo stranding 17000 travellers.
 
ranger
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I've used www.cheaptickets.com and www.orbitz.com a good number of times.

Mark
 
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Hi Mr. Preu�,

according to my humble personal experience on getting international plane tickets, I guess one could hardly find good deal online. Air Berlin sometimes has incredible offer (for example, Frankfurt am Main --> Barcelona --> Frankfurt am Main, costs 29 euros), but you'll have to be agile enough to grab the offer.

Try to call 040-3233220. I almost always got Germany-->China-->Germany round trip ticket under 450 euro from them (plus tax already. The same ticket's online price was 800+ euros). This company not only deals with Chinese people, they have very good price for Germany-->USA-->Germany too, the lowest I heard was Frankfurt-->LA-->Frankfurt 330 euros.


Good luck!
Ellen
[ March 22, 2005: Message edited by: Ellen Zhao ]
 
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US Airways was talking about sales to and from Europe. Check their website for latest fare sales.
 
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Whatever you do, buy direct from the airlines. That way you avoid the commission charged by the intermediates (which can be as much as 30% or more of the total sum) and can respond more quickly to temporary deals.

Drawback is of course that there's more work on your part as you need to keep track of airline sites to find the time the price is lowest.

Keep in mind that June is not a time to get really low prices. It's the start of the summer vacation season so airlines will be starting to ask their highest prices of the season. While you can get good deals with last minute tickets still, do you want to risk booking 2 days before departure (and thus possibly not getting a ticket at all if no seats are available...)?

And does it have to be from Frankfurt? You might get a lower price if you go from say Dortmund or Koeln/Bonn (to name but two reasonably close airports).
 
Ilja Preuss
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Originally posted by Steven Bell:
you could try kayak.com



Nice site! No cheaper flight, though...
 
Ilja Preuss
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Originally posted by Jeroen Wenting:
Keep in mind that June is not a time to get really low prices.



Yes, I already noticed that...

While you can get good deals with last minute tickets still, do you want to risk booking 2 days before departure (and thus possibly not getting a ticket at all if no seats are available...)?



No, not in this case.

And does it have to be from Frankfurt? You might get a lower price if you go from say Dortmund or Koeln/Bonn (to name but two reasonably close airports).



Doesn't have to be Frankfurt, actually. Other airports don't seem to be cheaper, though.
 
Ilja Preuss
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Originally posted by Mark Spritzler:
I've used www.cheaptickets.com and www.orbitz.com a good number of times.

Mark



Orbitz doesn't seem to work well for german airports.

Cheaptickets, on the other hand, is really cool! Didn't find anything cheaper nevertheless, though...
 
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check out options in intraEurope air travel. you might be better flying to London and flying from there.


expedia.com and netscape travel
 
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I've used expedia and found them to be competitively cheap.

I've heard opodo were good but that might apply only to those flying from London.
 
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