Where do I start? US Airlines

[perthgirl]

Hi - planning a trip to the US from Australia and was thinking of booking internal flights direct with US airlines. We will have baggage (3 of us for 5 weeks equals luggage) and want to fly:

LA to New York
New York to Orlando
Daytona to Washington DC
Washington DC to Las Vegas
Las Vegas to LA

We aren't going until Dec but if the tickets are expensive then I'll use FF points on whichever airline Qantas points are valid on (I think it is American but need to check). If I am using points I'll have to book sooner rather than later.

Is there a website I can look at that has all airlines on it? I can't, for example, see Southwest on any sites other than their own and it is doing my head in trying to figure out routes and airlines. And are there hidden fees I need to keep in mind (other than luggage which appears to be the norm in the US). Thanks so much for your help

 

[ohiotodds12]

What about trying for kayak or expedia? That is where I typically look. That might give you an idea of flight times and prices to start and then you can go from there. I know there are tons of sites that you can go to, Priceline is another one that works for me. You don't have to bid to get on a flight but it can give you a good picture of times and prices. Good luck, that would be one long trip!

 

[Jestocost]

What about trying for kayak or expedia? That is where I typically look. That might give you an idea of flight times and prices to start and then you can go from there. I know there are tons of sites that you can go to, Priceline is another one that works for me. You don't have to bid to get on a flight but it can give you a good picture of times and prices. Good luck, that would be one long trip!

American Airlines won't show up on Expedia or Orbitz. They were on Travelocity as recently as a couple of weeks ago. I haven't used Kayak in forever so I don't know about AA on that site.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Try Kayak, Sidestep, or BookingBuddy. I did this itinerary on Kayak earlier today; Delta came out at $608.20 plus luggage. Then I did Southwest, which came to, I think, $718 and change. The OP asked this question in another thread, so the exact price is there - along with my calculation adding two suitcases on Delta. I can't see that AA would be much different than Delta or any other carrier - but the OP could surely open a third browser window

 

[MAH4546]

Go to AA.com, select the "multi-city" option and you can plug in your flights, though keep in mind American Airlines does not fly to Daytona Beach (which is right near Orlando in the first place, and expensive to fly out of). Flying AA will earn you Qantas miles, and if you have Qantas Silver, Gold or Platinum status, you will not have to pay baggage fees; further Qantas Gold or Platinum, and you will have free access to AA's lounges.

 

[kaytieeldr]

JetBlue is $718 for the four-city trip, including tax and one free checked bag. Only drawback is DCA-LAS requires a change in Boston.

 

[perthgirl]

Go to AA.com, select the "multi-city" option and you can plug in your flights, though keep in mind American Airlines does not fly to Daytona Beach (which is right near Orlando in the first place, and expensive to fly out of). Flying AA will earn you Qantas miles, and if you have Qantas Silver, Gold or Platinum status, you will not have to pay baggage fees; further Qantas Gold or Platinum, and you will have free access to AA's lounges.

Thanks everyone for the advice - I'll definitely check it out. Oh and thanks for the heads up on Qantas. I have silver status (maybe gold by then) but also Qantas club so AA is a good option - especially if I don't have to pay for baggage fees. There are so many airlines, it is good to know I have TA to go to for advice!

 

[kaytieeldr]

Not a TA or a search engine, but itasoftware.com will show the available routing - not based on airlines, but simply the best option. I haven't tried it in a while, so don't remember if it includes pricing; probably not because prices change.