Pricline Air Fares?

[sk!mom]

I would love to hear anyone's recent experience with Priceline for airline tickets. I'm thinking of trying it for our next Disney trip, flying from DFW to Orlando. How has it worked for you? Thanks for your help!

 

[CarolA]

Go to www.biddingfortravel.com and read all the posts on the airfare from your airport.

I won't use it because you have such limited controls over times. Make sure you know the LOWEST possible conventional airfare and that you bid low enough that the savings are worth the risk.

 

[prncess674]

Priceline is great for last minute travel that would otherwise cost you an arm and leg but it is not a great option when you have many months to research and price the best flights. If you do decide to use PL find out what the lowest traditional fare is then look at the prices Hotwire is offering and then bid below that.

Remember on PL the only thing you can specify is the dates of travel. You could end up being booked on the 10PM flight out of DFW and have to leave MCO on the 6AM flight. This could potentially cut 2 days out of your vacation.

 

[Lewisc]

Originally posted by prncess674
Priceline is great for last minute travel that would otherwise cost you an arm and leg but it is not a great option when you have many months to research and price the best flights. If you do decide to use PL find out what the lowest traditional fare is then look at the prices Hotwire is offering and then bid below that.

Remember on PL the only thing you can specify is the dates of travel. You could end up being booked on the 10PM flight out of DFW and have to leave MCO on the 6AM flight. This could potentially cut 2 days out of your vacation.

Well said, in addition Orlando is serviced by several low cost airlines. Attractive fares are frequently available. PL doesn't even guarantee non-stop or a direct connection.

I doubt you'll save enough with PL to compensate for horrible flight times/connections.

 

[lexis53]

I live in a more expensive city to fly out of. We are an NWA hub city and prices are much more expensive. I have used priceline twice for airfare. Both times, I paid 60% less than the lowest published fare anywhere. Plus I got better flight times than what I would have had to do for the lowest fare. I have used it to fly to charleston, SC and Reno, NV. I will use it again since the lowest fare is about $2XX for not so good times. I figure it can't be any worse than the 6:30 a.m. flight out of MEM or the 7:00 a.m. return flight. The better flights are more. But I think it really depends on how competitive the airlines are in your city. I plan on bidding around $100 and waiting for some bonus money.

Try biddingfortravel.com to research. Just research the heck out of that site to see whether it is a good idea for you.

 

[Mustangdi]

Lexus53
I also live near Memphis and it is nearly impossible to find a reasonably priced flight. I
have wanted to try Priceline for flights but am so
afraid of the unknowns. Airlines? Schedules? and
stops? I have flown Delta and Air Tran out of MEM
and Air Tran was a bad exp. Would appreciate some
more info on your Priceline flights. Thanks

 

[prncess674]

Originally posted by Mustangdi
Lexus53
I also live near Memphis and it is nearly impossible to find a reasonably priced flight. I
have wanted to try Priceline for flights but am so
afraid of the unknowns. Airlines? Schedules? and
stops? I have flown Delta and Air Tran out of MEM
and Air Tran was a bad exp. Would appreciate some
more info on your Priceline flights. Thanks

The only thing you get to pick is the date. You could be routed on any carrier through any city that PL chooses. The savings need to be significant. For example PL could route you to MCO on United Airlines via Denver, CO or Chicago, IL which is significantly out of your way. They do not guarantee direct flights and most times it will be a connecting flight which could also have a significant layover. Factor all this info into account when deciding if PL is the right choice for you. Flying direct, at good times is worth something to me. You will not know your flight times, carriers or connections until AFTER you purchase your tickets. I am not saying PL is bad because I have used them on several occasions for very expensive tickets. For example, I needed to go to DC on very short notice (2 days notice). the cheapest ticket I could find was over $700. I used PL and got a ticket (connecting through St. Louis) for $180. In this case it was worth the difference for a little inconvenience.

Have you tried using www.travelocity.com , www.expedia.com , or www.travelworm.com to see what the lowest fare is on ANY carrier.

 

[lexis53]

Originally posted by Mustangdi
Lexus53
I also live near Memphis and it is nearly impossible to find a reasonably priced flight. I
have wanted to try Priceline for flights but am so
afraid of the unknowns. Airlines? Schedules? and
stops? I have flown Delta and Air Tran out of MEM
and Air Tran was a bad exp. Would appreciate some
more info on your Priceline flights. Thanks

Here's the last one I got. It was a pretty long flight so it was expensive on priceline. I still got the flight for half the rate on the web site. The lowest fare at an airline was for a terrible schedule and priceline beat it since we left here at 9 a.m. and got back in memphis at 7 p.m. I cannot get teh exact itinerary anymore.

lexis53
Registered User
(12/30/02 3:45 pm)
Reply MEM-RNO 2/8/03-2/15/03 $178+$10 Bonus
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Well we originally bid $150 + $10 Bonus but then they countered with $178. The flight is United and was $393 per ticket on their web site.

When you take the counter, do you lose the bonus money? It never showed us the money being applied.

Thanks and used the link here to give you credit!

Edited by: Sheryl at: 12/30/02 3:07:14 pm

Sheryl
Administrator
(12/30/02 4:12 pm)
Reply
ezSupporter
Re: MEM-RNO 2/8/03-2/15/03 $178+$10 Bonus
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That is a great deal that you got. When the counteroffer was given to you, it should have indicated that the bonus money was included. The bonus money does not appear on your winning bid though.

So you know for the future, Priceline will accept less than their counteroffer. If you use the strategy explained in the Using Alternate Airports category, you can undercut the counteroffer with a free re-bid.

Would you please post your itinerary and fee recap?

Hotwire wants $328 with or without the off peak option. Unbelievable!!


The cheapest trip to orlando I have found is for $223 for my dates. I am probably going ot bid right at $100 for two tickets. Let me know if you have questions. I have found PL worth it in our market.

 

[lexis53]

Wanted to add, I have only gotten US Airways and United on PL. NW is usally the cheapest rate on the internet but has worse times than the others at MEM.