Airline tickets through Priceline

[PaulaJ]

Considering bidding for airfare on Priceline for a short trip we have planned for August. However I feel I should add an extra day in case times are bad.
I would really appreciate people commenting on how far or close your priceline flight came to your desired flight.
We are flying from Providence in late August.
Thanks in advance for any input!

 

[D'AngelosdoDisney]

I have used priceline twice to AL Tickets. I just got a bid for $105 RT from Ny to MCO in Sept. Just a friendly reminder. You may not get the best times so, just add a day on to your trip. Oh BTW that was a non stop flight i got.

 

[RIPaula]

D"Angelo..how were your flight times?

 

[TravelSheryl]

When you use Priceline, you have to be willing to depart as early as 6:00 a.m. and arrive as late as 12:30 a.m. Unless flights times and routing are not important to you, I would not recommend bidding this route at this time because Southwest is not yet selling your dates and they offer non-stops with good Internet-only specials from time to time. That being said, if your travel dates include a Friday, Saturday or Sunday, Southwest does sometimes block those days from the lowest fares.

 

[RIPaula]

TravelSheryl...do you have any sense of how frequently "good" flights are recieved thru Priceline vs. poor schedules? I know I have to be ready to acccept what I get, but I'm trying to predict the probability of being satisfied as best I can! I did read of someone here on DIS getting the exact nonstop flights she had hoped for on a trip from Prov. to MCO and was encouraged by that.

 

[TravelSheryl]

RIPaula, I just don't like to comment on schedule probabilities with Priceline because there is absolutely no way to know what you will get.

 

[mnbrowns]

I bid for a flight and was willing to accept any time they offered if my low bid was accepted. I was very happy to get $90.00 R/T from minneapolis in april. I do have a quick layover and don't arrive orlando until midnight. I just bid on an airport hotel for $13.00 for the first night and will start my vacation very satisfied with all the money I saved. My flight home is better. My flight leaves about 11am, and I'll be home by 3:30pm. Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

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[Lewisc]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> how far or close your priceline flight came to your desired flight.
[/quote]
You don't give Priceline any information on your desired times. Travel Sheryl (rightly) doesn't want to comment on probabilities of flight times. The airlines are using Priceling to sell seats they may otherwise have trouble selling (distressed inventory). Logic indicates that you should be prepared for the worse possible times (late pm arrival and am departure),bid low enough so can deal with it and be pleasantly surprised if you get great times.
Depending on how far you are from the airport a late departure time may actually allow you to work all (or part) of your departure day and could be a positive.

 

[lolatuck]

Yesterday I got my bid for tickets from Salt Lake City to Orlando in August for only $125+$50 bonus. I knew that the times could be just about any time, so I added an extra day to my itinerary when placing the bid. Our flight arrives in Orlando at 11:10pm, so I'm glad I added the extra day. Our flight home leaves at 6:24pm, so we'll have some extra time to spend that day! Our flight is on Delta and there are no stops- just straight from SLC to MCO! I think I got a great deal, as long as there are no problems with the strikes going on. But August is far enough away that hopefully they will have that all sorted out by then.

Don't be afraid to try Priceline, just get as much info as you can before you bid. And be sure that you can live with whatever airline they put you on as well as the times your flights are. If you are flexible then you can really save a good deal of $$$.

For lots of great info on Priceline try TravelSheryl's Priceline Board
They have great tips on using Priceline as well as links to bonus money available to use when placing your bid.

Hope this helps.

 

[kathyjanet]

One thing to watch about priceline...after your bid is accepted call and see if you can get seat assignments. Its a rude awakening when you arrive at the airport and your family is in various seats throughout the plane.