I found an NWA flight to Vegas from Detroit last night from Northwest for 4th of July for $272 pp. So I went to book it today and ...GONE! Now on thier website all they have is more expensive and doesnt come in until after 11pm which stinks!
However, I did find an NWA flight on Orbitz that was only $290 and came in the afternoon which is MUCH better. But the problem is I have a $200 NWA gift card I wanted to use and I dont think I can on a 3rd party website?
Question is- does anyone know of site (ex. expedia) that you can use another company%26#39;s gift cards? Or what can I do? Call NWA??? Grrr!
Flight Frustration!
Just wait a day or two or three. They go up and down all day long. Next time you see it the price you want book it then.
What has happened to you has happened to me in the past and they usual go down again.
You will probably have to wait again till mid week next week becaue the weekend is coming and the prices always go up on the weekend. People have free time to check prices and they know that.
Check late at night and after midnight sometimes you can find the best deals then.
Good luck
Flight Frustration!
That flight was around a few days and now gone, and now all the flights I can find arrive to late. Do they add new flights frequwntly? Because now Im nervous I wont find any with that good of departure/arrival times. And wont they get more expensive with each day?
No they dont add flights. But the prices do go up and down. Some flights have 5 seats at the price you saw then when they are sold that price is no longer available for that flight. Then if the airline thinks they havent sold enogh seats for a particular flight they will make 6 seats at another low price available to get people to buy. By waiting you do risk that the price will only go up, but you also are banking on the fact that they may go down. For lack of a better work its a gamble.
you cant find it on the nwa site at all now? What dates was it?
When you find it again and pretend you are booking at look at the seat map. If there are alot of seats still open it will probably go on sale again.
Hi lexi222,
Speaking of seats, check this out:
British Airways issued an apology to a first class passenger who awoke to find himself next to a dead body during a flight to London. The cabin crew had used an unoccupied seat in his row for the body of an elderly woman who had died in the crowded economy section about three hours after takeoff.
The passenger woke up at 30,000 feet to discover the flight crew strapping the body into the seat next to him. The woman%26#39;s daughter was also moved up to first class,grieving and weeping until the plane touched down 5 hours later.
OK...this is a rare occurrence but there ARE times when you seat choice can make or break a flight. You want to avoid situations that make you feel like you booked the seat from hell.
I%26#39;m gonna show you how to avoid those situations, situations that cause pain and add stress to flying. So...buckle up.
Do your research
Get familiar with sites like www.seatguru.com, www.seatexpert.com and www.seatscorecard.com
These websites have a lot to offer, like:
--- seat maps of various planes
--- a seat rating system in each plane
--- showing window seats with no windows (those next to lavatories, galleys, row 11 on some 707s).
When you book your ticket online, note the airline and the specific type of plane to be provided.
Rating systems are quite elaborate. For example, on www.seatguru.com green indicates a good seat, yellow a possible problematic seat, and red a bad seat.
Www.seatscorecard.com goes a step further by indicating the location of laptop ports, including the kinds of adaptors needed for your laptop.
These seat maps also show the locations of galleys and lavatories, areas you want to avoid.
Seat assignments
Some airlines don%26#39;t allow seat choices until after you have purchased a ticket. For example, US Airways and JetBlue require you to buy your ticket before you can see the seats that are available.
On Continental, Delta, and American, you are offered seat maps earlier in the search stage.
Family seating
If you%26#39;re a family and want to sit together, go online and check availability for the number of people traveling. If you have 2 kids, it%26#39;s helpful to book 2 %26amp; 2 (you in front with one child; hubby behind with one child).
Book at least30 days in advance in order to get a great seat assignment upon purchase. Otherwise, you%26#39;ll get a “to be assigned” seat. Not good.
Some airlines allow you to call the morning of the flight to check in, a definite advantage. At the very least, show up early at the airport. If you have a bad seat, request a re-assignment. Take a seat map with you for a reference.
Work with a travel agent
A savvy travel agent can arrange seat assignments for you, including necessary connecting flights. That way, you are taken care of throughout your whole itinerary.
Check in early
Exit row seats (highly desirable) can be given out only in person at the airport, so check in early.
Avoid lavatories
When you are sitting by a bathroom, you are forced to contend with stench every time the door opens. Then there%26#39;s the sound of flushing,especially annoying if you are trying to sleep.
In addition, while waiting to get in, passengers have the habit of leaning their butts against your seat. Unless the passenger is Halle Berry, who wants to look at asses for 5 hours?
Avoid peak hours
Especially avoid peak business travel times, 9AM to 5PM weekdays. Planes are less crowded during off-peak hours, allowing you the possibility of more seat choices.
Want more leg room?
Even if you%26#39;re not Wilt Chamberlin, the more leg room you have, the more comfortable you will be. Online research helps. For example, you%26#39;ll learn that Economy Plus on United, JetBlue (rows 11-26), Frontier, Song, and Southwest offer more leg room. All the rest offer less.
But check this out: $15-20 can get you more leg room in coach than you%26#39;d get in first class. United%26#39;s Economy Plus has 5inches more leg room, for a small fee.
Better yet, becoming an “Elite frequent flier” can get you more leg room without costing you a penny extra.
Front vs Back of the plane
Ask for seats closest to the front of the cabin. If you%26#39;re hungry, you%26#39;ll be served first. If you are in a hurry to make a connection, you%26#39;ll exit the plane first.
If you are sensitive to motion, avoid the back of the plane which is prone to more movement.
Avoid the galley
Sit near a food station and you%26#39;ll be subjected to clanking and banging of trays and utensils and constant stewardess traffic, not to mention the occasional disagreeable odor.
Sensitive to cold?
Consider avoiding bulkhead seats (near partitions that divide cabins) which can be cold at times.
Bulkhead seating
That row of seats where your legs extend into the cabin divider wall, the row where you don%26#39;t have any seats directly in front of you. If you have an infant and request an on-board bassinet, you will be assigned a bulkhead seat, because that is where the wall brackets that hold the bassinet are located.
This can be bad ...and good.
Bad: You sometimes have less leg room in bulkhead seats. Depending on the plane, you might have just an open space in front of you (good) or a wall divider (not as good). You also cannot always see the movie. Your tray tables will pop up out of the arm rests instead of folding down from the seat in front of you. These tables can act like a mean scissors and hurt your child%26#39;s fingers if she gets her hand in the wrong place. Also, you%26#39;re not allowed to put anything in front of you (There%26#39;s no seat to stash things under). Which means everything will have to go into the overhead bins.
Good: Since there is no row in front of you, your child%26#39;s continuous kicking of the seat back annoys only you. The tired businessman in the row ahead of you cannot recline his seat suddenly and dump a Happy Meal all over your child.
What about business and first class?
Research online to find the planes that offer “lie-flat” seats, especially on transatlantic and international flights. Go to www.flatseats.com for information.
Laptop adaptors
Laptop power ports may be scattered throughout the plane. But the adaptors for them are not all the same. Www.seatguru will let you know the requirements on each plane.
Child safety
The best place for your child is in a child-approved restraint system NOT on your lap. My recommendations:
For children less than 20 pounds, use a rear-facing seat.
For children 2-40 pounds, use a forward facing seat.
For children more than 40 pounds, it%26#39;s OK to use the plane seat belt.
Reclining
When checking on your seat assignment, be sure to ask if your seat reclines. Avoid rows just in front of emergency exit rows and last rows of the cabin (non-recliners).
Lock your seat
You%26#39;re all set up with your laptop and the guy in front of you decides to take a nap. He reclines back and knocks your laptop off the tray. The coffee you were drinking spills all over your new slacks.
The government dictates how much room a caged animal must have in the cargo hold, but there are no rules about seat “pitch,” the space between seats.
To keep the passenger in front of you from leaning back so far you can count his hair follicles,lower your tray, then stick a magazine between the tray and the back of the chair. At least you will be able to work without having to scrunch up like Mr. Magoo.
Middle seats
Hate middle seats? Hate the thought of being stuck between an overweight passenger and a colicky infant? Here are some ways to avoid being victimized:
--- Book early and request a non-middle seat
--- Use the Internet for a seat map of your plane
--- Join a frequent flier program. Many seat preferences are set aside for frequent flier members.
--- Try to change your seat at the airport. This is possible thanks to “no-shows.”
--- Flying alone? Choose a window or aisle seat, using a seat map.
--- Flying as a couple? Ask for A %26amp; C, or D %26amp; F seats, giving you and open middle seat. If you are lucky, the plane will not fill up and you can have some room between you. Or...consider aisle seats, across from each other.
Overweight?
Here are the planes that are worse for width:
--- 737s
--- 747s
--- 757s
--- most older regional jets.
For wider seats, prefer Midwest, 777s, Embracer 190s, most Airbus models, MD 11s, MD 80s, 767s and 717s
Need to get some sleep?
--- Avoid the last row
--- Avoid seats just in front of the exit row
--- Avoid aisle seat. (You%26#39;ll be hopping up and down to let others go to the bathroom)
--- Opt for a window seat near the front of the plane
--- Skip the coffee
--- Avoid a flashing movie screen
--- Seats in front of the engines are quieter
--- Use earplugs
A little love note to the jerks out there who go out of their way to make life miserable for everyone (You know who you are):
--- Leave your shoes and socks on. You may be used to the smell; I%26#39;m not
--- It wouldn%26#39;t hurt if you bathed every other month
--- Check in back of you before you recline your seat and invade my space
--- When you stand up, it is not necessary to grab the head rest of the seat in front of you, possibly waking a stressed out flier
--- It%26#39;s OK not to hog the arm rest
--- The guy in the seat 10 rows down does not need to hear you when you are talking
--- Picking your zits or nose don%26#39;t appeal to me
--- Keep your eyes off my laptop. If I wanted you to see it,I%26#39;d offer to share
--- Keep your legs out of the aisle. After the 14th person tripped over you, I thought you%26#39;d get the idea
--- Why are you flying when you are sick? I guess to make sure everyone else shares your agony.
--- I don%26#39;t relish the idea of climbing over you when I want to get up. Move out into the aisle
--- Stop kicking my seat from behind. I got enough bruises getting to the airport
--- So you got a new fragrance? What%26#39;s it called? Eau de skunk?
--- If I wanted to hear the movie, I would have put on head phones. Wish you would do the same
--- Just because your kid thinks he%26#39;s Art Blakey is no reason for him to practice his drumming on the tray for 3 hours
OK...you%26#39;re sitting comfortably with your eyes closed. The plane door is closed. You did everything right. You researched online. You used a seat map. You checked in early. You%26#39;ve got an aisle seat with nobody on the window or middle seat. Ah, bliss. You%26#39;re thinking that Bill Peeler is really smart. Must send him a thank you email.
Uh oh! They%26#39;re opening the door of the plane. Here come 2 more passengers. They%26#39;re heading right toward you. You can%26#39;t believe your eyes. What the....? One of the passengers is in handcuffs! Did he rob a bank? Murder someone?
Now he%26#39;s leering at you. You shouldn%26#39;t have worn that low cut blouse. You can%26#39;t believe it. All the extra seats in the plane and they have to sit next to you.
Hey! I never said my system was perfect.
Happy travels,
Bill Peeler
I dont know the reason, but airfares are supposed to be cheapest on Wednesdays. At least they used to be. Keep checking the fare daily, there%26#39;s a good chance it will come back down. Good luck!
';Exit row seats (highly desirable) can be given out only in person at the airport, so check in early';
Not true on all airlines - many now assign the exit row to higher tier members of the frequent flyer clubs
Call them, they may have it you just can%26#39;t find it but they will know
The price of oil continues to rise daily. Unless the price goes down in the near future you will most likely not find that fare again.
The flight you saw that no longer exists may now be full. It is not uncommon for flights to be booked solid months in advance. Also,only so many seats per flight are designated for cheaper, low fare prices. The rest are first class, business class, etc.
