Between the airlines and my father...I am going crazy!

[cjnix29]

Ok, let me explain. My dad has a sister in California who he has only seen about 3 times in the last 20 years. I convinced him to go out to see her...and of course, I would go too. DS7 agreed to come, but only if he got to go to Disneyland. Gee, twist my arm! Now my sister is coming too. Big family outing. Great. Dad gave my sister and me our plane tickets as Christmas presents. So now, my task is to find us airfare. I am still paying for DS, which is fine. However, my dad does not want to have to change planes, and does not want to fly out of Detroit. He lives in NW Ohio, and my sister and I are in western Michigan. Ok...nearly impossible unless you want to pay about $600 a ticket, and even that may not be possible! His next suggestion was to fly out to Vegas, and then drive to my Aunts, which would be about 4 hours in a car. I can't even find a decent fare to Vegas, which wouldn't far outweigh the extra cost for the car. We still have some time, but I think I am going to go crazy beforehand! I have tried about every combination, and can't get close to something that would work. For me, it's lowest price, I can change planes. But not Dad. Ugh! Ok, had to get that off my chest!

 

[pampam]

Since your father is paying for your fare, he gets to say what type of flight he wants. Did you invite DS7 to go?

 

[cjnix29]

It was part of the discussions when I talked my dad into going. The point is...I can't find my dad what he wants. And...I don't want my dad to spend a fortune either, if I can avoid it.

 

[jessica52877]

Keep checking, airfares change all the time. Usually Tuesday and Wednesday evenings they are cheapest. Although I am sure you are going to pay $ for a direct flight, especially out of a smaller airport.

 

[INDISMOM]

Have you tried Allegiant Air? They fly out of Grand Rapids and Toledo directly to Las Vegas.

 

[VAN]

Have you found out what it is exactly he doesn't like about a connecting flight? Has he not flown that often? Did he have a bad experience before?

We all would like a non-stop flight to somewhere, but it's not always possible without having to drive some distance at either the departure or arrival end of the trip.

Why not show him the best choices you have come up with and let him choose ... maybe if he sees the price difference he will change his mind.

 

[pintamino]

It was part of the discussions when I talked my dad into going. The point is...I can't find my dad what he wants. And...I don't want my dad to spend a fortune either, if I can avoid it.

My mom is this way too -- she wants to fly local, direct! Nearly impossible unless going to one of the local hub cities. Not much help, but you're not the only one!

 

[sharbear]

I used to live in NW Ohio. What your dad wants is impossible. Unless you are flying to Orlando or LasVegas you can't go anywhere without changing planes. Same thing out of Grand Rapids. My D flys into Grand Rapids and I think the only planes that come in there are from Detroit, Chicago, Newark or Cleveland.

The Detroit airport is not that bad and it's only 45 mins from Toledo.

You are just going to have to tell him that what he is asking for is impossible. Maybe he doesn't really want to fly. I find that my parents find every excuse in the book not to fly. They just don't know what to do so they don't fly.

 

[cjnix29]

Click and Save has come to the rescue! Just this morning, I managed to find flights at a decent price. He will have to fly out of Detroit, oh well. On the way out, there is a stop, but no plane change. Which he can live with. On the way back, he will just have to suck it up. But on SW, atleast there is a little more leg room, which means something to him at 6'3". And I had travel credits to use, so that helped the budget!

 

[hffmnheidi]

Glad you found something. Those direct flights are seemingly becoming a thing of the past.