OT: Last Minute Flights?

[JackB1]

I need to book a flight on a moment's notice and I would like to know if there is any way of doing it without paying through the nose? What about "standby"? I don't even know how that works. My Dad is very ill and I anticipate having to fly home at any moment. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

[pk500]

Sorry to hear about your father, Jack.

[sportdan30]

Sorry to hear the bad news Jack. Hope everything turns out well.

[JackB1]

Sorry to hear about your father, Jack.

Thanks Paul. He had a stroke in his mid 40's and is now 82.
We have been preparing for this for about a year now and he's
very close to the end of the line now. Even though you know it's
coming, it's still not easy.

I was hoping somebody might have some tips on getting last minute plane tickets, as I
will have to fly from Atlanta to Newark, NJ or Laguardia NY at a moments notice. I have
been checking online and they have been averaging $400 each way! There must be a
way to get seats that are still open right before the plane is due to depart?

[sportdan30]

There are no bereavement deals? Might have to ask the airlines about that.

[JackB1]

There are no bereavement deals? Might have to ask the airlines about that.

The airlines really cut down on those in the past few years. You get a % off, but that may be off of a really high price already.
I will try that as a last resort.

I found some real cheap rates at Spirit Air. Anyone know anything about them?

[Teal]

Sorry about your dad, Jack. Hope all is well.

I had a prepared line for one thing you said, though: "without paying through the nose".

Maybe, but be prepared to pay through the junk.

[Rodster]

Sorry to hear about your dad Jack. Have you tried Expedia.com and the other one had William Shatner as a spokesman. I forget the name but they offer good prices.

Also don't forget to take a look at Craigslist in your area. You'd be surprise at the deals you can find there.

[LAking]

There are no bereavement deals? Might have to ask the airlines about that.

The airlines really cut down on those in the past few years. You get a % off, but that may be off of a really high price already.
I will try that as a last resort.

I found some real cheap rates at Spirit Air. Anyone know anything about them?

I think they are owned by Delta. A friend of mine always uses them when flying from Los Angeles to Detroit for the holidays. She likes them, basically because they are cheap.

[JackB1]

Sorry to hear about your dad Jack. Have you tried Expedia.com and the other one had William Shatner as a spokesman. I forget the name but they offer good prices.

Also don't forget to take a look at Craigslist in your area. You'd be surprise at the deals you can find there.

I thought about Craigslist, but doesn't the name on the ticket have to match my name on my ID? People used to sell airline tickets they wouldn't be able to use and anyone
could take them and use them, but didn't all that change after 9/11?

[Danimal]

Flights are really high priced right now. I was looking for flights for April and it's a trip I take every year and the cost of tickets is more then double of what I normally pay.

[JackB1]

I checked Craigslist and there are some people selling " Delta travel vouchers" that say they are good for "roundtrip anywhere in the US".
Does anyone know anything about "travel vouchers"? Are these transferable?

[Jared]

Yeah, flights are pricey right now. Do you have frequent flier miles? Often those are good deals when flights are really expensive and you have to fly last minute.

[JackB1]

Yeah, flights are pricey right now. Do you have frequent flier miles? Often those are good deals when flights are really expensive and you have to fly last minute.

I don't have enough ff miles yet to make a dent in the price. I checked all the major airlines for "bereavement" rates and the only worthwhile one was Delta, which is 50% off the "going rate", which would end up costing me $480 right now. So that's my max if I need it. I will keep looking but I am running out of time.

[F308GTB]

See if this link works, and if not, go to kayak.com.

http://www.kayak.com/h/buzz/view?ac=&ac ... byAP=false