aksarben1

I managed to save about $50 with a HotWire fare!!! All of the mainstream websites (Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity and NWA) all had fares from $280 and up. Since Grand Forks (GFK) is primarily serviced by NWA, my selection was rather limited, but I used that limited selection to my advantage. Friday, March 5th, 2004 NWA 5655 11:02am to 12:17pm OMA to MSP Canadair Regional Jet NWA 449 2:40pm to 3:45pm MSP to GFK DC-9 ------------------------------------- Sunday, March 7th, 2004 NWA 2468 4:30pm to 5:34pm GFK to MSP Canadair Regional Jet NWA 1991 6:51pm to 8:00pm MSP to OMA Airbus A320 Cost: $224 + $5 fee $229 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- There is an interesting tip I would like to pass along. If you're going into a "secondary", smaller airport and you know it's schedule of turboprop and jet planes, then HotWire becomes a very powerful choice. In my case, I scanned the Grand Forks (GFK) and Omaha (OMA) airport websites for their inbound/outbound flights and discovered which flights are jet and propeller driven. With this info, I then had a resonable (no perfect) estimate on which flights I would receive if I clicked the "jet only" option. Sure enough, I got a time that was very reasonable. I will come into GFK several hours before my event. Has anyone noticed this before???

I've read a lot of reviews from various airlines and United seems to get the lowest ratings and most ticked off customer reports (www.untied.com). What happened to United? Where and when did it all go wrong? My parents were bigtime United customers, but no longer. When I asked why they no longer fly United, they just shruged their shoulders and said "That damn company lost its soul and direction". What is the story on this airline???

These perks are nice, but I'm a cheap SOB so I end up in the 1-2 star hotels/motels. Translation...no perks, but I'm just there for a decent/clean room and not much else. I guess it depends on what your needs are...

Just to confirm, I used Orbitz... :)

I discovered this site and got a chuckle out of it. Sleeping In Airports

I've been scanning the travel websites and decided it was time to reserve my trip now (before the Thanksgiving rush hits). I'm glad I did because the pricies jumped two days after my reservation. I could not use Priceline or Hotwire because I had some strict time/date parameters, so I switched my search to NWA, Travelocity, Expedia and Orbitz. Dates: November 26th to December 1st, 2003 Time: Must reach Thunder Bay no latter than 4pm NWA $311.00 Travelocity $316.00 Expedia $316.00 Orbitz $295.00 --------------------------------------------------- OMA to MSP November 26 9:15am to 10:29 am MESBA flight 3580 AVRO RU-85 MSP to YQT November 26 1:15 pm to 3:45 pm MESABA flight 2790 Saab SF-340A ------------------------------------------------- YQT to MSP December 1st 4:30pm to 5:10pm MESABA flight 2791 Saab SF-340A MSP to OMA December 1st 6:40pm to 7:42 pm NWA 792 Airbus A320 --------------------------------------------------

Howard Johnson, Winnipeg 1740 Ellice Avenue Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada R3H 0B3 Hotel Description Travelocity.com/hotsdetail.ctl?ht_rr_key=CHKSAB|||||25518|Y|25518||HJ||Aug|24|Aug|26|2|1|&ht_sabre_rr_key=&ht_misc_key=27|2|Y||YWG|HJ|25518|CHKSAB&ht_pt_key=&ht_info_key=HOWARD%20JOHNSON%20ARPT%20WINNIPEG|1740%20ELLICE%20AVE%20|Winnipeg%20MB%20B3H0B3|ht_hjlogo.gif|HJ||YWG|1.9%20mi%20%2f%203.0%20km&ht_pl_key=&search_name=Winnipeg,%20MB&geo_cd=-97.2044,49.8943&last_pgd_page=hotslist.pgd&item_number=12&SEQ=105995258906330208032003&LANG=EN&last_pgd_page=hotslist.pgd"]http://dps1.Travelocity.com/hotsdetail.ctl...ge=hotslist.pgd Dates: April 4-14, 2003 Cost: 51$ per night Bar/Lounge; Coffee Maker in Room; 24 hour Front Desk; Handicapped Rooms/Facilities; Free Parking; Hairdryer in Room; Meeting/Banquet Facilities; No Smoking Rooms; Pets Allowed; Pool; RV or Truck Parking; Restaurant; Room Service; Shops/Commercial Services nearby; Television with Cable; Laundry/Valet Services; 5 minutes from the airport; Free airport shuttle service; Free parking For a Howard Johnson property, this was a subpar facility. GRADES: Bar: ("B") If you're into kareokee, you're in luck. The bar serves food (cafe menu) and has slot machines in the corner. The staff was friendly....it's only redeeming feature. Cafe: ("D") Slow, understaffed and kind of grummy. If you want cheap that's what you get. Front Desk: ("C") Resembles a Star Trek Convention. The lifeforms behind the counter are truely out of the mainstream. At times, I was treated as though I was bothering them. Trying to get my American currency exchanged there was like pulling teeth and the exchange rate was horrible (ended up going to a bank across the street). During my stay, I'd witnessed several incidents where outsiders were escorted out of the building. The hotel is next to a night club and often attrats scummy people. Room: ("C") So-So. Looks like a Motel 6, only a bit bigger. I had a double-bed standard room with TV, desk, and sofa. The bathrom looked like it came from a cookie cutter factory. Overall: ("C-") If you want a cheap hotel near the airport zone, this is it. But the place overall looks runned down. Travelocity.com/hotsdetail.ctl?ht_rr_key=CHKSAB|||||25518|Y|25518||HJ||Aug|24|Aug|26|2|1|&ht_sabre_rr_key=&ht_misc_key=27|2|Y||YWG|HJ|25518|CHKSAB&ht_pt_key=&ht_info_key=HOWARD%20JOHNSON%20ARPT%20WINNIPEG|1740%20ELLICE%20AVE%20|Winnipeg%20MB%20B3H0B3|ht_hjlogo.gif|HJ||YWG|1.9%20mi%20%2f%203.0%20km&ht_pl_key=&search_name=Winnipeg,%20MB&geo_cd=-97.2044,49.8943&last_pgd_page=hotslist.pgd&item_number=12&SEQ=105995258906330208032003&LANG=EN&last_pgd_page=hotslist.pgd"]HOJO Winnipeg

You're right....if any Canadian business charges a 1=1 rate that's highway robbery!!! My advice is to use a credit card whenever possible (credit cards give a good exchange rate plus you can always dispute the charges if problems arise). If you need physical Canadian currency, I recommend exchanging money either at the airport or at a Canadian bank. You can also exchange money at most Canadian hotels (call ahead first) but their rates vary. Some of the larger hotel chains offer competitive rates while others can really stiff you. As always, ATMs are always a good backup but do your research to find out if your Credit/ATM/Debit cards are compatible with the Canadian ATM netowrks. Most American cards are. Winnipeg is a fun city and the people are very friendly. I was there recently at the 2003 World Curling Championships and had a great time. If you're planning on flying, the only US airlines that go to Winnipeg are Northwest (Minneapolis), United Express (Denver), and a codeshare with United/Air Canada (Chicago).