Getting around in the States
 

Flightswise, are there any cheap airlines, like a UK equivalent of Ryanair? I've been googling and found Jetblue but for a 2-hour flight between Austin and Long Beach, it's still over £200...(ha, not USD). Nightmare.

Re: Getting around in the States
 

Air fares in the USA are generally pricier than Europe. You just need to shop around, be flexible and take advantage of as many promotions as you can.

Re: Getting around in the States
 

Thanks :) I'm not living there yet but should be this time next year all being well. Just checking how shut off from EVERYWHERE I will be in Austin!

Re: Getting around in the States
 

Austin isn't too bad really, although you will need a car to get out of the city. Transport to other cities such as Dallas or San Antonio is fairly easy along I-35, but likely to be an ordeal by train or bus. I think there is only one or two Amtrak trains a day.

Bergstrom airport is a hub for SouthWest Airlines and they're about as close to Ryanair as you'll get for a US carrier:

http://www.southwest.com/

Re: Getting around in the States
 

Buses are the cheap way to travel in the US. I don't know anything about Texas and other distant parts ;) but here in the northeast we have various Chinese bus routes etc. here's just one example http://www.fungwahbus.com/

Cheap buses more generally.. http://studenttravel.about.com/od/greyhoundstudenttravel/qt/cheap_buses.htm

Re: Getting around in the States
 

Stay the hell away from Chinese Bus Companies. most of them have atrocious safety records and for the most part have drivers who cannot speak English.

Look at the likes of;

Megabus - Owned by Scottish Transport Group, Stagecoach
Bolt Bus - A subsidiary of Greyhound and owned by Scottish Transport Group, Firstgroup
Greyhound - as above.

To check the safety record of a Truck or Bus operator, go to;

http://www.safersys.org

and enter the operator's name in the search engine.

For low airfare options, look up Kayak.com or Orbitz.com. Beware, some of these "low-cost" airlines are now charging $45 for carry-on items, in addition to the standard checked baggage fee.

Jim.

Re: Getting around in the States
 

Just going to say the same about the Chinese bus companies. No end of them are involved in accidents en route to Atlantic City.

Re: Getting around in the States
 

Prices vary A LOT for the same route! My husband flies every week to various places, currently its from Orlando (MCO) to New York (JFK) and he has paid $84-$500+ for the same flight!!! That is the one-way price btw. As someone suggested he quite often finds he can book the flight cheaper through Kayak.

I am hoping he has enough points saved up for free flights for us (2 adults, 3 kids) to go somewhere in the summer ;)

Vicki

Re: Getting around in the States
 

Man, that sounds awful, I will avoid those! BTW, I'm from Yorkshire too - Wakefield born and bred!!

Re: Getting around in the States
 

We lived in East Ardsley for 8 years ;)

Re: Getting around in the States
 

Sheffield. :thumbsup:

Re: Getting around in the States
 

Short flights are usually a problem getting a good price unless you are very flexible and search very hard but long flights generally have very good deals. For example, round trip flights from the west coast to the east coast can normally be found in the $200 range but either coast to the midwest would likely be in the $400 range and short flights (less than a 1,000 miles) would likely be in the $200-$300 range.

Re: Getting around in the States
 

Flight prices here suck. When I first came over I bought a return trip from the UK and so had to think months in advance about when my next trip to the UK would be. Eventually got fed up of doing it and bought a one way ticket so I could buy a return trip from the US. Was shocked when the price increased by more than 50% for exactly the same trip, just starting in the US rather than the UK!!! It's a shocker.

Re: Getting around in the States
 

It all depends on where you want to fly to and from. In some markets, you can get a good deal - in others.....you are well and truly up sh*t creek without a paddle.

Jim.

Re: Getting around in the States
 

Not just different due to starting in the US, though? Was it also for different dates?

Re: Getting around in the States
 

I think it's just a different way they play the game over here. All airlines - US and Europe - utlilize price buckets whereby the first to book seats on the flight pay the least. I'd bet that the person who books the last seat gets rotyally shafted whether they're on Easyjet, Ryanair, Southwest or Jet Blue.

The main difference is how the promotions work. In Europe it's done by cutting the prices in the lowest bucket(s) to the bone. In the US the airlines seem to prefer to perform more aggressive co-promotions, e.g. via credit card deals and the like (which cost them a lot of money, just like the cheap seats do in Europe).

By playing the "US game" I'm seriously not paying for any flights for at least the next few years, and that's with the miles that I've accumulated so far. It's impossible to do this to anywhere near the same extent in Europe.

The main problem from an expart perspective is that we automaticllay start with no credit rating, and so it can take a few years until we can start to 'play'.

Re: Getting around in the States
 

In effect, the US system is less democratic as it only favours those who have credit. Give me the EU version anyday.

Re: Getting around in the States
 

I cross checked it for the same dates. Although the prices from the UK have gone up in the last few years (I used to be able to get a return from LHR-IAH for less than 400 quid), they're still not comparable to the US-UK price.

Re: Getting around in the States
 

OMG I'm from East Ardsley...I grew up there!!

Re: Getting around in the States
 

:ohmy: :thumbsup: Actually I lived there for 4yrs! I lived in Leeds for the other 4yrs! Doh!

I lived there from March 99 to March 2003, then we moved to York. Hubby is from Leeds, I am originally from Sunderland....but we class York as home now as we loved it there so much.

Re: Getting around in the States
 

Lovely - ah I won't know you as I went to Uni in 2000 :) nothing ever changes there!

Re: Getting around in the States
 

Even if it's the same day it's difficult to perform a straight comparison, as the fare bucket the tickets price from will vary depending on loading, and I'd be surprised if the loading on two flights in opposite directions on the same day would have exactly equal loading at the time of the search.

I was just surprised to read your post, I suppose - not that I've done any scientific research at all. I fly 4 - 5 times each year from the US to the UK for work, and I also do at least a couple of bookings a year from the UK to the US on behalf of relatives that come to visit, and although the dates obviously don't tally, I'd always seen fares that I felt were comparable, at least with BA (which is who I almost always book with).

Re: Getting around in the States
 

I agree. The heavily promotion-focused market is a pain as it involves effort (by design) in order to get the best deals. Our dominant local supermarket chain basically overcharges for everything to fund insane "buy one get two free" deals, and suchlike. I'd much prefer it is you could simply pay a fair price for everything, whether it be airfare or artichoke, and feel you were not getting ripped off.

Re: Getting around in the States
 

:wave:Welcome from another Wakefield lass

Re: Getting around in the States
 

If you're able to fly out of a smaller airport, check to see if they have smaller carriers offering a service, they might be cheaper than Southwest or Jetblue...but the advantage of those better known carriers, they tend to offer more convenient locations and regular flights.

Re: Getting around in the States
 

From Austin, Southwest is the way to go. If you can plan ahead many fares are from $49 one way. Have to keep an eye on them though. All depends on destination. I prefer SW for many fights, very easy to deal with.

Concur with driving to SA, Dallas, Houston.

Re: Getting around in the States
 

Have you tried Spirit Airlines? JetBlue aren't as cheap as they used to be, although I've used them a few times flying between here and Florida. They're pretty decent for a budget airline too. I find their planes more comfortable than American Airlines.

Re: Getting around in the States
 

Thanks - I'm going to get on Southwest's mailing list - it's great they have a hub there...I got the Greyhound (argh!) to SA and Houston from there before too, not too bad so long as I have my headphones on and a good book!

I will look at Spirit. Thanks guys - there just seems to be a lot less of the 'budget' airlines that I guess I have been spoiled with, with their tax-only offers, and £10 flights!:thumbdown:

Re: Getting around in the States
 

In the US the lost cost airlines and fare wars were during the late 1970's and 1980's when the airlines were deregulated. At that time, pilots were the cream of the crop making in excess of $250,000 per annum when flying a 747. Today the maximum salary of a 747 pilot is less than $200,000 and 737 pilots are making less than $100,000. Since then most of the major carriers and low cost airlines have gone bankrupt. About the only low cost airlines left are Jet Blue and Southwest. One of the advantages of Southwest is that there isn't a cancellation fee and the ticket can be used for any future flight within one year.

Re: Getting around in the States
 

Airtran is another budget airline.

Try farecompare.com. You can track a flight and see if the price goes up or down too. Some airlines do not allow their prices on these sites, so you'll need to check them directly on their own websites.

Watch for additional fees too. They changed the rules recently so the flight prices must include all fees, but expect a checked bag fee (around $60-75, but no charge on SouthWest) and some are adding a carry-on fee of up to about $45 as mentioned above. You will almost certainly have to pay for food, drinks and entertainment on a domestic flight as well.

Re: Getting around in the States
 

It is now owned by Southwest. Expect Airtran to disappear soon.

Airtran has recently pulled out of several markets, due to the close proximity of Southwest Services.


Jim.

Re: Getting around in the States
 

www.hipmunk.com has been cheaper than kayak for me on some occasions.

Re: Getting around in the States
 

Overall I'd say:

If you have no credit rating or a poor credit rating - take the advice in this thread.

If you have a good credit rating, and it's in any way likely that you will apply for a major loan (e.g. a mortgage) in the next 2 years - take the advice in this thread.

If you have a good credit rating and do not intent to apply for a major loan in the next 2 years - you really shouldn't be paying much for flights at all. Seriously consider a systematic approach towards applying for the many credit card offers that provide an abundance of free airline miles and equivalent points. If things carry on as they have been doing in this market, within 12-24 months you will have a portfolio of miles across a number of schemes that will give you a lot of flexibility when making bookings for free (or almost free) travel domestically in the US (and good reductions in many circumstances internationally).

Re: Getting around in the States
 

Never travel by bus in the U.S.. Ever

Re: Getting around in the States
 

It depends on where you are and who you travel with.


Jim (Coach Driver for 26 Years).