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djessop
06-18-2009, 18:44
Hello there my hiking friends...

A thought has come up recently and that is to hike the Colorado Trail this summer, from early August to early September. So I've been starting to think about logistics and wondering, even in the remotest of chances, that someone here could help me with an answer to the following question:

In looking at Expedia.com, it appears that one can get a flight from Denver to NYC and / or NYC to Denver for around $125 with taxes (pretty good, no?). Now I would be flying in from NYC (Madrid to NYC then to Denver) and then flying back to NYC to go back to Spain. What I would prefer is not to have my schedule controlled by an airline. When I choose a flight that is just 5 days from now or one that is 3 months from now, the same $125 price comes up. Any clue if this is standard? What I'm asking is, will I be able to book my flight from Denver to NYC when I am close to finishing the Colorado Trail, 5-10 days in advance?

Any thoughts on this??

Thanks and happy hiking!!

David / The Wandering Bull
FT + AT 2005
Camino de Santiago (Spain) 2008
(CT 2009?!?!?!?)

modiyooch
06-18-2009, 20:05
Which airline? I think that I would book it now and be conservative with the date. Research the fee to change an airline ticket. Research standby options. The only airline that I would trust in getting a ticket within days is airtran.com They seem to have the market on standard low fares without advance notice. And with that, I would still call Airtran to see if it was a fair accessment. I think that the airline industry can be very volatile at times and that short notice ticket could be $$$$$

Mags
06-18-2009, 23:40
That's a damn good price! When I fly to Boston or Providence to visit the family from DEN, it usually ~$250 r/t (w/ tax, fees and such) (Granted, NYC is more of hub than BOS and certainly PVD). My friends often fly back to NYC so to see their family, and it is ~$200-50 FWIW.

Just realized, is that trip one way or r/t? If one-way, about normal for what I pay going back East.

I had to buy a last minute ticket to PVD for my grandmother's funeral last month (less than one week notice), and I paid $220 total r/t on Delta.

Ox97GaMe
06-19-2009, 08:46
Most of the US airlines have blackout window on fares like this, or they run specials for certain periods of time. Check the restrictions for this booking fare. You may not be able to get this good of a deal if you go online in a couple weeks to try to book the flight.

Also, most airlines allow you to make a flight change on your return for a $50 fee. But, this does not always apply for special discounted fares, and sometimes doesnt apply for last minute (or within 48 hrs) of actual flight time. See the fare rules about that as well.

Ox97GaMe
06-19-2009, 08:51
I have also noticed that fares are different depending on which day of the week you are flying. You may have some flexibility for your return flight at this fare, but you may not. It might be that you are flying on a low volume day and they are trying to fill a usually empty seat. Flying out the next day might put you in a usually overbooked flight slot.

I have noticed over my years of flying that you want to try to avoid flying into a major city (NYC, LA, Chicago, Denver, Atlanta) on a Fri afternoon or a Mon morning. These tend to be the busiest flight schedules due to business travelers. Sunday nights also tend to have heavy traffic during the summer. These tend to be folks returning from a summer vacation.

freefall
06-25-2009, 13:57
I agree that is a good rate.

You might want to check with the airline but I know, for example, Frontier Airlines only charges a $150 change fee (for the cheapest ticket class) if you want to move your flight and sometimes they waive it (I was lucky enough last week to have that happen.)

And flying early in the day, mid-week is usually the cheapest flights. My last flight was from Nashville, TN to Denver and the price dropped over $100 when I changed it to Tuesday from Monday, but then of course you have to consider what to do for that night. I shared a room with someone else that wasn't flying out until Tuesday and the motel only cost $30 each plus I was able to do laundry and have a hot shower prior to boarding which I am certain my seatmates appreciated.:D

Manwich
06-25-2009, 14:11
had to remark, in both threads, the unfortunate placement of these threads...

http://imgur.com/kU1Jc.png

freefall
06-25-2009, 15:48
see other thread

modiyooch
06-26-2009, 12:03
headline news: Two successful fare increases in a month (american and United)

US Air has raised their prices twice in two weeks.

I hope that you locked into that ticket.