Cheap airfare, help!!!!

[AXJules]

So my boyfriend and I have been together for a year and we're going to be apart for over a month b/c of school break. We've been apart for this long before but since it's the holidays I'd really love to see him.
At Thanksgiving, tix from St. Louis to chicago round trip were 94 dollars (for next week).
Now they're 183... what kind of shit is that?????

I'm sure one of you has been in a similar situation....where do you go online to get the cheapest airfare??? (Not Orbitz or Cheap tickets.com.)

Thanx, thanx, thanx for all your help!!!!

[texas*princess]

Airlines normally charge less for tix when you buy them WAY in advance. It is part of the "price discrimination" part of economics. (For example, if a family books tickets months in advance for a vacation they might pay $100 a ticket, but if a business person NEEDS to go to the same place, but the flight he/she needs is tomorrow, they can charge more, because that person NEEDS to go there tomorrow and it can't wait so he can't just defer business just to get a cheaper airline ticket.)

Anyhow, I would definately try orbitz.com . There was some news story not too long ago saying that Orbitz gets the cheaper offers [if there are any available] from the airlines because they are in business together in some way, shape or form. Hope this helped.

[Dionysus]

AXJules you're from the STL? Wazzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzuuuuuuuuuupppppp!

[IowaHawkeye]

i would try orbitz... whenever i look for tickets they consistently have the cheapest....


i have NEVER seen round trip tickets for only $94. Usually they adverstize fares for something like $94 then tell you thats for a one way ticket.

Why not just drive? St. Lous - Chicago in only like 6 hours.

[DigitalAngel126]

Orbitz is definately one of my faves, but I don't mind www.travelocity.com either.....

[AXJules]

Dionysus- I'm from Chicago but i go to school @ U. missouri-columbia.... wazzzzzzuuuuuuppppppppp anyway, I've been to St. Louis a couple times and like it a lot!

I always make the drive from Columbia to Chicago, it's 6 hrs, but with snow and everything his car won't make it...plus he's coming to see me so he's the one driving. I would go there but I'm going back to school in like 2 weeks so its kinda pointless

I thought 94 was pretty cheap too but neither one of us had the $$$ at the time.... now I'm like kicking myself for being a poor college student

[AchtungBaby80]

My boyfriend uses those websites where you bid for tickets online, and he usually gets them pretty cheap. The only drawback is that you have to keep at it (it's like any other auction), and you might have to take an airline or route you've never heard of. Two summers ago, he took me home to Ireland with him, and he got our round-trip tickets--in the middle of summer, I might add--for about $300 each. That is cheeeap! We had to fly on Air India, though, which I was really nervous about because my sister kept telling me horror stories of when her uncle flew that airline once back in the 70s...he supposedly had to share a row with a cage of chickens. But it really wasn't that bad--we were the palest people on the plane, but hey, it got us there and for a low price, so I have no complaints!

[chideltjen]

have you ever thought of flying standby? i know my family used to do that when we went on family vacations. it's risky because you aren't guarenteed a seat. but i forget what kinda of money you end up paying. i know it's less than what you would find normally. my roomate is orginally from utah and everytime she flies home, she goes standby. get someone to check the flight times and seat availability.

[Munchkin03]

As someone whose parents shelled out as much as a trans-Atlantic plane ticket costs to make sure I got home for Christmas, I'm not sure how much advice I'd have about cheap fares. Usually we do pretty well, but this year has been strange. Hotwire and Priceline are pretty safe bets. I've gotten tickets on Hotwire with less than a week before the flight for about $200 (from Northern Florida to STL). I know Southwest flies between Chicago and STL, you could possibly call the airline and see how much a flight would cost (sometimes they have very very very cheap flights left). I can't imagine paying more than $150 between STL and Chicago, but maybe that's just me.

Good luck!

[alphachiohmy]

Keep checking with Southwest Airlines on their website. I have found round-trip flights for $29 and $34 each way from Chicago to St. Louis, my home, and back. With tax it comes out to about $70 or $80. And when you book online you qualify for double rapid rewards, meaning make four round trip flights and you get a free ticket anywhere in the U.S. I am one more flight away!

Best of luck.

[BobbyTheDon]

Help!
I need somebody,
Help!
not just anybody,
Help!
you know I need someone
help.


....

Won't you PLEASE! Please help me


eta: PS. I like how AXJule asked for any help aside from Orbitz, or cheaptickets. Yet, people still said " i like Orbitz, cheaptickets". haha

[GeekyPenguin]

Bobby, if you still have a .edu email, try StudentUniverse, that can have good fare sometimes.

[BobbyTheDon]

Originally posted by GeekyPenguin
Bobby, if you still have a .edu email, try StudentUniverse, that can have good fare sometimes.

I knew nothing good could happen if I graduated. Thanks though

[HBADPi]

www.kayak.com

It searches all the airline companies & airports closest to your desired airport to find you the best deal and then redirects you to the airlines website so you can buy it directly from them thus saving yourself the $10-30 fee Orbitz, Travelocity, etc charge you. Very rarely do I buy from the travel sites only because it will be cheaper for you to buy it directly from the airlines website plus if you have their frequent flyer card you normally get 1000 bonus miles or so for purchasing from their website.

[Rudey]

www.mobissimo.com

-Rudey