DTW-MCO "Bargain Fare"

[pinky]

Thanks to all who responded to my post on the other board (DTW-MCO in March during Spring Break). In the meantime, I've subscribed to NW, MLT, Spirit, AA, UA and some others for their cyber fares and specials. We live in Howell but my husband prefers Detroit (Metro) to Lansing, Toledo or Flint.
Is anyone familiar with Expedia's "Bargain Fare"? I can buy a ticket for $190 but it won't reveal the departure/arrival times or carrier until you've bought it. They guarantee up to 1 layover, but I don't want a 6 hour layover! I'm so nervous about buying the unknown. Can anyone help?

Pinky

 

[TravelSheryl]

Expedia's Bargain Fare works exactly like Priceline and Hotwire, where you do not know your itinerary until after you purchase. I do not know if either Expedia's Bargain Fare or Hotwire guarantee that your connection will be no longer than a certain amount of time, but Priceline guarantees that your domestic layover will be no longer than 3 hours.

I think there is a very strong chance that Priceline can beat the Expedia Bargain Fare, especially if you use the $25 bonus money offer available at the message board I host to discuss Priceline bidding.

See http://pub4.ezboard.com/fpricelineandexpediabiddingbonusmoneyopportunities

 

[dolphinlover]

well i just made reservations for my sister flying delta shes going in july i got her a straight through flight for 199 and her 11 yr old son for 179. i thought that was a great deal. she leaves at 7:10 am arriver at 10:15 on the way back she leaves at 12:30 and arrives at 2:30 i just thought it was a great find. maybe you could do the same in your area.

 

[Thachi]

We're flying from DTW to MCO in July and just made our reservations a couple of weeks ago. Got a great price from NWA for $169.50 each non-stop both ways......the only catch is we're leaving DTW 'early' (7:00am) on the 4th of July.

 

[pinky]

Thanks TravelSheryl for that link; that site was quite informative. I actually tried priceline last April for our WDW trip a few months ago. My bid was too low, but I was able to snag a good one through expedia (Delta) later that week.

Thanks dolphinlover, you got a great deal. Unfortunately we leave out of DTW (Detroit) and Delta does not fly non-stop into Orlando. We used them this past trip and our layover was in either Cincy or Columbus. It wasn't a bad flight since we had an Ohio connection (we only had to pull back in to get a light bulb changed, all those poor people that were connecting in Atlanta before going to MCO had already been sitting in Detroit for 6 hours before I arrived!) The identical flights we took are going for close to $400 in March (2002).

Thanks for your response Thachi. My dates aren't flexible though. We have to leave the weekend of March 2nd and return the weekend after that - it's our daughter's spring break at college. My first choice is NW but decent flights (I don't want to land at 11:56 pm!) are $358+.

Right now Spirit is the cheapest non-stop but I'll continue watching through the summer. In the meantime, thanks again.

Pinky

 

[pinky]

I'm so glad I did not go for the "Bargain Fare" through Expedia. I tried Priceline (extremely low bids) twice last week and was turned down. But....Delta (connecting in Cincy) came through for me - praise God. Their rates came down to $176 per ticket - I can hardly believe it!! We always go during President's Week or my college daughters Spring Break and this is the cheapest we've ever flown. I feel especially good that 4 tickets this year at $176 apiece are still less than last years 3 tickets (Delta) at $251/ticket.
Pinky

 

[bearzabout]

Spirit posts their Cybersales on Fridays. Last week, they had numerous dates for DTW to and from Orlando for $59 each way. Check this site each week. They post dates up to a month in advance.

Their fares frequently run $59-$99 each way as long as you avoid travel on weekends. Rates increase as more seats are sold.

Last year, I paid between $118 and $149 for various nonstop trips on Northwest. I volunteered to get bumped from one flight and ended up with a $500 voucher that paid for even more trips to Orlando.

If you sign up for Expedia's or Travelocity's farewatch program, they will E-mail you when rates drop so you don't miss a sale.