Looking to get back in the plane ticket game after 3 years out

[dan1984]

Hi all,

 

Over the October 1st Chinese National Week my lady and I will hopefully be making a visit back to my home in Milwaukee. It will be my first time back since June 2010.

 

In the past, whenever I bought plane tickets, I usually searched on www.flychina.com, www.uschinatrip.com, and elong.net.

 

Does anybody have any good websites or other suggestions for where you've been finding cheap plane tickets over the last few months?

 

I'd ideally like to fly directly back to Milwaukee (most likely via Chicago), but if a good option with Chicago as a final destination were to present itself, I'd be open to that as well.

 

My lady and I will be visiting friends in Vienna and Stockholm in late July. Already have plane tickets booked for that, and just this afternoon she received her Schengen visa.

 

Now it's time to start thinking about plane tickets and a U.S. travel visa for the fall - I'm getting a headache just thinking about it.

 

Thanks all!

 

Dan~

[Fu Lai]

I always check www.cheapoair.com

[dan1984]

I always check www.cheapoair.com

 

Thanks! I'll check it out!

[tsap seui]

Dan, I used to use many websites looking for plane tickets but got tired of the many sites who say something like $895 to fly roundtrip IAD to PEK round trip then you click on the plane you want and when you get through the price is $1,140, because at the end they add up all the fees and taxes after their low balled "come on" price.

 

I just go to Travelocity anymore. You get a firm price there and a starting point to find a better deal, if it is to be had, and work from there..

 

What I found in China is you often get the best deals with a travel agent in your city. So, when in China, like when my wife and son got their visas and I didn't have a return to the states plane lined up I went and looked on Travelocity to get a starting point of what the ticket was most likely gonna be priced close to and then my wife would call Chinese travel agencies to see if we could get a better deal.

 

Another thing I did when I was flying often was find the general idea of what the trip was going to cost, say, 6 weeks or whatever in advance. I'd keep looking at how the plane was loading up and wait to buy my tickets, always knowing what I could pay that day if I felt jumpy about losing it. Generally, and it is a crap shoot, I'd find the tickets for $300 to $400 cheaper about 2 to 3 weeks out from lift off date. Ya really have to keep tabs on how the plane is loading up and Travelocity generally is really good about showing that info.

 

Also, I'd try the website of the carrier, for me it was United and Air China that I liked best and who had direct flights from PEK in my case....sometimes....not often, they'd have the best deal.

 

Best thing is to try all the websites you can. You will quickly see whose way of doing business you like best.

 

My wife and son are leaving the 28th to go home for the first time and my wife wanted to get the flights confirmed quickly so I bought them tickets in December. I didn't want to stay in China 3 months like they are so I didn't buy any for me. Now I started looking for possibly going over to see the in laws, or home there, and some friends in August for 2 or 3 weeks and my tickets would actually be a $100 cheaper than theirs, and, I can get on the same direct flight home that they are on still, in September....lol

 

Luckily you are looking for flights "out of season" so you won't get popped too bad at that time. Look at all of the sites you can think of, find something you like and call travel agencies around you. Them thar Chinese somehow get some good deals...sometimes.

 

I saved hundreds and hundreds of dollars with my little trick of finding a price I was okay with then waiting it out. Sometimes I'd look at a site a couple of weeks away from the date I was looking for and in the middle of the night they may drop the price $400, It's all a game.

 

Good luck and have a great time.

 

tsap seui

[Dennis143]

Give Sarah and Henry a call at:

 

Travel Depot

Monterey Park, CA

(626) 280-2198

 

This is a Chinese travel agency that many of us at CFL have used. The owners, husband and wife, Henry and Sarah, buy blocks of tickets from the airlines and are able to sell at a discount. This is where the Chinese go to buy their tickets.

 

Typically, they send you your itinerary along with an electronic ticket code that you enter at the airport to get your printed tickets. They're very good at keeping track and notifying you well in advance of any changes.

 

At least compare their prices to what else you find.

[dan1984]

Dan, I used to use many websites looking for plane tickets but got tired of the many sites who say something like $895 to fly roundtrip IAD to PEK round trip then you click on the plane you want and when you get through the price is $1,140, because at the end they add up all the fees and taxes after their low balled "come on" price.

 

I just go to Travelocity anymore. You get a firm price there and a starting point to find a better deal, if it is to be had, and work from there..

 

What I found in China is you often get the best deals with a travel agent in your city. So, when in China, like when my wife and son got their visas and I didn't have a return to the states plane lined up I went and looked on Travelocity to get a starting point of what the ticket was most likely gonna be priced close to and then my wife would call Chinese travel agencies to see if we could get a better deal.

 

Another thing I did when I was flying often was find the general idea of what the trip was going to cost, say, 6 weeks or whatever in advance. I'd keep looking at how the plane was loading up and wait to buy my tickets, always knowing what I could pay that day if I felt jumpy about losing it. Generally, and it is a crap shoot, I'd find the tickets for $300 to $400 cheaper about 2 to 3 weeks out from lift off date. Ya really have to keep tabs on how the plane is loading up and Travelocity generally is really good about showing that info.

 

Also, I'd try the website of the carrier, for me it was United and Air China that I liked best and who had direct flights from PEK in my case....sometimes....not often, they'd have the best deal.

 

Best thing is to try all the websites you can. You will quickly see whose way of doing business you like best.

 

My wife and son are leaving the 28th to go home for the first time and my wife wanted to get the flights confirmed quickly so I bought them tickets in December. I didn't want to stay in China 3 months like they are so I didn't buy any for me. Now I started looking for possibly going over to see the in laws, or home there, and some friends in August for 2 or 3 weeks and my tickets would actually be a $100 cheaper than theirs, and, I can get on the same direct flight home that they are on still, in September....lol

 

Luckily you are looking for flights "out of season" so you won't get popped too bad at that time. Look at all of the sites you can think of, find something you like and call travel agencies around you. Them thar Chinese somehow get some good deals...sometimes.

 

I saved hundreds and hundreds of dollars with my little trick of finding a price I was okay with then waiting it out. Sometimes I'd look at a site a couple of weeks away from the date I was looking for and in the middle of the night they may drop the price $400, It's all a game.

 

Good luck and have a great time.

 

tsap seui

 

Thanks for all the info and tips/tricks Tsapper!

 

I think you're right, it's all a game. I'd like to get the tickets booked in the short-term, but, might be best to hold out and see what happens.

 

The cheapest flight I can find now is about 8,300 RMB on American Airlines. I was looking at tickets already a couple months ago, and at that time we could have booked tickets for 6,100 RMB on Hainan Airlines. Should have booked then!! Oh well, here's to holding tight for another $300-400 swing in our favor.

 

Thanks again, and, definitely look forward to hearing your reports when you make it back come August!

 

All the best!

 

Dan~

[dan1984]

Give Sarah and Henry a call at:

 

Travel Depot

Monterey Park, CA

(626) 280-2198

 

This is a Chinese travel agency that many of us at CFL have used. The owners, husband and wife, Henry and Sarah, buy blocks of tickets from the airlines and are able to sell at a discount. This is where the Chinese go to buy their tickets.

 

Typically, they send you your itinerary along with an electronic ticket code that you enter at the airport to get your printed tickets. They're very good at keeping track and notifying you well in advance of any changes.

 

At least compare their prices to what else you find.

 

Hey Dennis, thanks a bunch!

 

I will definitely give them a call!!

 

[Dennis143]

 

Give Sarah and Henry a call at:

 

Travel Depot

Monterey Park, CA

(626) 280-2198

 

This is a Chinese travel agency that many of us at CFL have used. The owners, husband and wife, Henry and Sarah, buy blocks of tickets from the airlines and are able to sell at a discount. This is where the Chinese go to buy their tickets.

 

Typically, they send you your itinerary along with an electronic ticket code that you enter at the airport to get your printed tickets. They're very good at keeping track and notifying you well in advance of any changes.

 

At least compare their prices to what else you find.

 

Hey Dennis, thanks a bunch!

 

I will definitely give them a call!!

 

 

Let us know how Travel Depot stacks up against other quotes... be curious to know.

 

Thanks