Weekend Specials, great Last Minute FaresJan 19 '01 Write an essay on this topic.The Bottom Line Most airlines have them. Finding last minute airfares has become much easier over the past few years with the inception of the internet. Of course, as more folks learn the secrets to getting low cost round trips for weekend getaways, more folks use them which ultimately makes them a bit more difficult to obtain at times. The information about these special fares is readily available to the public. However, the supply of cheap seats is limited. Below, I share some of my experiences, and how I work the system to get the best fares, when I want a weekend getaway. Weekend Specials Continental was among the first airlines to provide online specials. They are my hometown airline and the first place I turn to look for specials. Other airlines do at times offer Houston as a destination or embarkation city. These last minute airfare specials are not good to all destinations. These are for those folks who want to run away for a weekend. It helps the airline sell up seats that they otherwise would expect to remain empty on flights. Because they have fixed costs for each flight, it is sensible to try to sell the seats cheap rather than fly the plane empty or nearly empty. That is how these last minute specials are created. There are other methods for finding last minute airfares to the destination you must get to quickly, but this is not the main way. This review is aimed at those who are adventurous or willing to wait a while for a select destination to come up. Since Continental began offering weekend special, it has been hit or miss trying to get to destinations I want when I want. It has happened several times, which has added to the pleasure of traveling on weekend. When I want to go away without using vacation time, I must head East. Many of the flight offered by Continental from Houston do go East. By going East, I am able to get back late on Monday mornings, missing only a few hours from the normal work day. When New York City is one of the destinations and it is a weekend I can get away for the weekend, I am happy. Other cities I look for include Boston, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Seattle. Of course their international deals are sometimes hard to beat also. Tokyo, London, and Paris would be great weekend getaways from Houston. So far, I have gone to Boston, New York, San Francisco, Kansas City, and Tampa using these specials. They are great for saving money. However, it is sometimes not as much savings as you may want. I have been tempted to go to other cities but time constraints did not allow it. COOL Travel specials are really pretty good and the discounts are helpful for those who can travel on short notice. The prices are usually below the best-advertised advance purchase price also so if you want to go and can, it is usually cheaper than going later. It is easy to sign up for and to use COOL Travel Specials. Each week you receive e-mail with details of what is on special. Then you go to Continental.com and follow the links to the COOL Travel Specials and buy them as E-Tickets online and save an additional $20 over what would be paid if you order your tickets by phone. To sign up, go to their web site (www.continental.com). Final Thoughts Also check out the specials offered at American, United, Northwest, US Air, TWA, American West, Southwest Airlines, and Delta. I am sure that some of the regional airlines offer the same deals, I am just not using them so they are not listed here. Some international carriers offer specials if you sign up at their web sites. These airlines include, Virgin Atlantic, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Air Canada, and AeroMexico. (I will only vouch for Air Canada as being good.) Overall these last minute weekend specials can be a great deal. To a large extent it is all how you look at the deal. Have a fun weekend on the road.  |
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