How Are You Dealing With Air Fares Before Cruises

[YourWorldWithBill]

1 minute ago, LHT28 said:

Never had that happen must be new

Did you request specific flights/days    deviation??

Yes, that might be why. If I go through them I pay the fee for choosing my flights, of course. In addition to that fee, I pay anything over $1,100. If I allow them to choose, they will probably find something under $1,100. I was so shocked by the ticket prices for my round-trip tickets to Amsterdam next month that I guess I assumed the fare to Barcelona returning from Istanbul would be over $1,100.

[LHT28]

5 minutes ago, YourWorldWithBill said:

Yes, that might be why. If I go through them I pay the fee for choosing my flights, of course. In addition to that fee, I pay anything over $1,100. If I allow them to choose, they will probably find something under $1,100. I was so shocked by the ticket prices for my round-trip tickets to Amsterdam next month that I guess I assumed the fare to Barcelona returning from Istanbul would be over $1,100.

Interesting

[YourWorldWithBill]

6 minutes ago, FlyerTalker said:

And I will bet dollars to donuts you were just paying directly, without first transferring and then using the new points for the purchase.  Credit cards WANT you to use their points for a direct booking, usually at a rate of around a penny apiece.  Which is less value than you would get elseways by a transfer.

 

There is a difference with AA and American Express, because they do not have a partnership. So I can use points to pay, as if I'm using $, at a pretty good rate, unlike the credit card airline deals where your use credit card points as if they are airline points. It's really the hotel bookings that are frustrating, but as you said, "Hotel elite benefits come about when you book through their sales channels." Maybe my memory is just fuzzy. won't be the first time.

[FlyerTalker]

15 minutes ago, YourWorldWithBill said:

There is a difference with AA and American Express, because they do not have a partnership. So I can use points to pay, as if I'm using $, at a pretty good rate, unlike the credit card airline deals where your use credit card points as if they are airline points.

 

Amex Travel lets me use Membership Rewards points on American at the rate of a penny a point.  A $500 tickets costs 50,000 MR points.

 

If you think that's a good rate, there's not much reason to continue this discussion.

 

 

[YourWorldWithBill]

2 minutes ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

Amex Travel lets me use Membership Rewards points on American at the rate of a penny a point.  A $500 tickets costs 50,000 MR points.

 

If you think that's a good rate, there's not much reason to continue this discussion.

 

It's just frustrating using any points in any way that makes sense.

[FlyerTalker]

15 minutes ago, YourWorldWithBill said:

It's just frustrating using any points in any way that makes sense.

 

Simplest action that uses points in a way that makes sense:

 

Don't redeem them for miniscule value.  (aka: Only use them when you receive full value for your currency.)  Don't take the path of least resistance - which is what they want you to do.

 

And there are plenty of ways to use them to get value beyond a penny.

Edited April 15, 2023 by FlyerTalker

[YourWorldWithBill]

11 minutes ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

Simplest action that uses points in a way that makes sense:

 

Don't redeem them for miniscule value.  (aka: Only use them when you receive full value for your currency.)  Don't take the path of least resistance - which is what they want you to do.

 

And there are plenty of ways to use them to get value beyond a penny.

Yeah, I liked your point: "Personally, I use Marriott to get points into programs that have some sweet spot awards, but that I wouldn't be earning points in directly, such as ANA, JAL and Turkish.  Same concept with Amex, Citi, Chase and CapitalOne points.  Don't use the points directly."

 

I've always tried to do that, even though It takes a lot of effort, but it just seems that they're making it more complicated every day. AA has really gone over the edge, and I'm almost stuck with them.

[FlyerTalker]

1 minute ago, YourWorldWithBill said:

 AA has really gone over the edge, and I'm almost stuck with them.

 

You are only stuck with them if:

 

A) You are under a corporate contract that requires flying AA, or

 

B) You chose to be stuck with them because you prefer the convenience of flying non-stops and one-connects on AA from DFW.

 

 

[ilovesalchows]

Thanks, @FlyerTalker I really enjoy your posts.  I am learning a ton.

[Zach1213]

On 4/14/2023 at 5:42 PM, aliaschief said:

Flew 50,000 miles last year. A couple of minor delays but no cancellations. Fares have increased. Whether we have no control over.  Booking travel on a Tuesday sometimes helps but like everything else we either pay or don’t go.

I’m sure if one Google’s how to fly cheaper a multitude of sites will appear.

I flew 150,000 miles last year and have for pretty much all of the last 16 years. I have yet to see any actual, real world proof that booking on a Tuesday saves any money. Sometimes it's cheaper on Tuesday. Sometimes it's cheaper on Saturday. It's just a matter of supply and demand for that route at that time. 

[FlyerTalker]

1 hour ago, Zach1213 said:

I flew 150,000 miles last year and have for pretty much all of the last 16 years. I have yet to see any actual, real world proof that booking on a Tuesday saves any money. Sometimes it's cheaper on Tuesday. Sometimes it's cheaper on Saturday. It's just a matter of supply and demand for that route at that time. 

 

There is some conflation that happens here.  It has been shown that prices are a bit lower for flights that are FLOWN on Tuesday (and Wednesday to a smaller extent).  But there is no evidence for flights BOUGHT on Tuesday.  Big difference.

 

Reason why Tuesday flights tend to be cheaper -- our old friend supply & demand.  Less demand on that day yields lower pricing.  Higher demand on Fridays?  Yep, and up go the costs to the consumer.

 

So we need to be clear what we are talking about.

 

But the urban legends keep rolling along.

 

 

Edited April 18, 2023 by FlyerTalker