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?
Lv 7
? asked in TravelAir Travel · 8 years ago

Need serious airfare tips, advice.. PLEASE!?

I need serious help finding round trip AFFORDABLE airline tickets. From FSM (or) XNA flying to RNO. Dates MUST BE July 12 or 13, 2013....returning the 19th or 20th. For reasons beyond our control, and due to the procrastination of others..we are in a jam. Our budget is NO MORE than $400 PER PASSENGER and total roundtrip. I need expert tips, tricks, or help. My husband is required to take this trip, and he wasn't given an adequate allowance to cover airfare, hotel, and per diem to eat on...so, accounting for the hotel and only his meals, $400 is his limit to spend.

We don't have time to drive it, we don't have credit cards to buy two $900+ airfares, bus tickets are even $500 round trip and over 38 hrs ride... I have searched ALL of the well-known travel sites: Orbitz, Expedia, CheapO Air, Kayak, etc, etc, etc... Been doing this daily for almost 2 weeks PRAYING to catch a break. We can't leave from any other airports, they are too far away, and will add to the cost of airfare...thru parking, gas, and/or car rental. It's a desperate situation.. I have honestly checked trains, bus lines, and every way I can think of to just get there. (sigh)... Nobody we know can help us with 'airline miles', rewards, or financially. So, if ANYONE has any truly helpful or practical tips or advice.. it would be GREATLY APPRECIATED.

I have to work a hospitality room for two days, and meet my mom (whom I haven't seen in 4 years.. she has counted on this trip for 2 yrs now). I am laid off (only bringing in a measly $180/wk unemployment at the moment which is less than 1/2 of my previous wages), and our finances are already strapped...

Please, no hateful comments, sarcasm, or mindless remarks. I have cried many hours trying to get SOMEWHERE with this.. and am frankly to the point I want to strangle those responsible for delaying us to the last possible moment AND shorting my husband's allowance he is entitled to for this. We will have to 'wait for a reimbursement', with no guar

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  • MS
    Lv 7
    8 years ago
    Favourite answer

    There really aren't any tips or tricks that are going to help you out in this situation. With the trip being so close, you are likely to see that the fares get more expensive. I would also suggest speaking to whomever is providing the allowance for this trip; if it is required, they should be willing to cover more. Perhaps they didn't anticipate the cost.

  • ?
    Lv 6
    8 years ago

    Hi J,

    My heart really goes out to you. As your flight leaves in a week it is extremely unlikely that you will be able to find tickets on your budget. The cheapest tickets for those flights were sold almost six months ago. Since then, the price has been steadily rising, and all the best deals would have been sold out 2-3 months ago. The sad truth is that if you continue to delay buying your tickets, they're likely to be even more expensive as you get nearer to the date of travel.

    If your husband is required to take the trip, it's surprising that he is not given an adequate allowance to do so. It may be worthwhile to speak to whoever is requiring him to go on the trip and explain that he needs more money to cover air fare.

    The other alternative is to postpone the trip to later in the year. That way you will be able to get a much better deal on plane tickets, provided of course that you book them now. Just keep in mind that cheap tickets are usually non-refundable and often non-amendable, so you should consider travel insurance as you won't get a refund from the airline if you can't go for any reason.

    I really wish I could give you some better news.

    Source(s): Ex flight purser
  • 8 years ago

    Since you are buying a last minute ticket and flying during the summer months, it is hard to get a cheap ticket. Another option is to check out http://www.priceline.com/ and use the Name Your Price feature. However you have to be careful because once your bid is accepted, you cannot cancel or change your itinerary. These are deeply discounted tickets and if you cannot make the trip, you lose out on whatever you paid. Also you may be subject to long connections and inconvenient flight times.

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