bigpurn01 Posted March 8, 2007 Report Share Posted March 8, 2007 I'm new to the site... great, insightful tips! I'm loving it...I've never bid on Priceline or Hotwire so I'm new to bidding as well. In September (16-22), I'll be flying out of CVG to HNL (hotel is already taken care of). I would like to get as good a deal as possible but have no idea where to start, how much to bid, when to bid or how to rebid. Please offer some starting tips... Link to comment
powerplantop Posted March 8, 2007 Report Share Posted March 8, 2007 Step one is to find out what the current market price is for your flight. One way is to use the airfare checker. http://www.betterbidding.com/airfarechecker/ Keep in mind you need to know the price with and without taxes. AA has a fare all in for $704.10 But lets break it down. If you shop around you may be able to find a better price.Fare (A1): AA CVGHNL G14E3QN fare (rules) $313.50 Tax: US Transportation Tax $11.00 Fare (A2): AA HNLCVG G14E3QN fare (rules) $313.50 Tax: US Transportation Tax $11.00 Tax: US Alaska/Hawaii Departure Tax $15.00 Tax: US September 11th Security Fee $10.00 Tax: US Passenger Facility Charge $16.50 Tax: US Flight Segment Tax $13.60 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------Total for 1 adult passenger: $704.10 total without taxes is $627. HOTWIRE has a flight including taxes and fees for $584. Savings taking this flight 704.10 - 584= $120.10. Is this enought to give up your choice of flight times? By giving up your choice of flight times you could lose half a day on each end of your vacation. For bidding on Priceline you bid the fare not the total. Priceline will give you a total of fees before you bid but you have to input a base fare. Just for fun I put in a bid of $500 the fees came out to $46.05. So PL fees are low. The question come back how much of a savings are you looking for. Keep in mind you may lose a day of vacation. Link to comment
djs Posted March 11, 2007 Report Share Posted March 11, 2007 I think PL and HW can be a great option if you're going to a "secondary" airport; something that's not open 24/7. As an example, a few years back I booked my Mom a flight from Portland, ME to Louisville KY. The flight coming up on HW was significantly cheaper than any option from Delta's site (which is the airline I suspected the flight would be on). Portland isn't open late and neither is Louisville. Turned out to be a good way to go.I'd be less apt to book flights to/from Vegas, LA or Hawaii as I suspect there are many more opportunities to find yourself on an overnight flight.Bottom line, you have to decide how much of a savings it will take in order for you to lose all flexibility on your flights. Link to comment
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