Fired Airline Ticket Agent Reveals Airline Secrets
Page 5
Getting the cheapest fares
Now, this is the real tricky one. This is the reason most people don’t travel—the airline ticket costs too much money. Well, there are many ways to get cheap tickets. I mentioned before that there is a website www.airtech.com, that offers customers standby tickets, but you must be flexible, and some of us don’t have that privilege. Here’s something passengers don’t know and that the airlines don’t want you to know. Let’s say you have a last minute trip you are planning. You didn’t know you would be able to get off of work, but then, you find out last minute that you have all of next week off. So, you decide you want to go somewhere. But, all the last minute fares are super expensive.
What do you do?
Fares vary. Everyone who has ever traveled knows how often fares change. They often can even change within a few minutes. If you call up a specific airline at 1:00 pm, and then you call them back at 1:05 pm, you may find that the fare has changed, and it has changed by hundreds of dollars. Here’s a trick to get the cheapest fare, and you will use this every time you travel. Everyone knows last minute fares tend to be the most expensive, but if you use this trick, they are the cheapest. This is a bit tedious, but it works every time.
Call up the airline’s toll free number and ask them what the cheapest fare is going to be from your departure city to your destination city. Don’t even bother giving them any travel dates. Just tell them that you are willing to go to your destination city at any time, but you want them to find you the cheapest fare in the computer. Here’s what I mean, using an easy example:
Call up the airline reservations number, and say you want to go from Los Angeles Int’l airport to Newark Int’l Airport anytime and on any date in the future. Tell the reservations agent that you want to go when it is cheapest. You are willing to travel any day.
The agent will find you a cheap fare, but the dates of travel are usually low season. Then, thank the agent, and ask for his or her name.
Write down the exact fare and the agent’s name. Make sure you write down the EXACT fare, in dollars and cents that the agent quoted you. And, don’t forget to write down his or her name. Then, you can go to the airport near you, with the paper in hand that has the information, with the name of the agent, and the fare, and travel dates that you want.
Once you go to the ticket counter, notify the ticket agent that you are paying for a ticket you purchased. The agent will ask you which reservation agent you spoke to on the phone, and whether or not they made the reservation for you. Tell the ticket agent that the reservations agent did make you a reservation, but you do not have the record locator or confirmation number handy. And then you tell them the fare, in dollars and cents that you were quoted. The airline is forced to honor that fare. If the agent refuses to honor the fare you have ask to speak to a supervisor. Once the supervisor has arrived at the ticket counter, tell them you made a reservation with XXXXXX on the phone earlier in the day, and that the representative quoted you at this fare, and show them the paper you have. Once the supervisor has seen that you have the fare written down, along with the representative’s name, they can store the fare in your reservation, and will honor that fare. The supervisor is allowed to bypass the fare in the computer because the fare you have written down will show up on his or her screen. There will be all sorts of rules and policies along with this low fare, but they will honor it. The supervisor will add a comment in the reservation, or PNR, noting that the fare was lowered because a quoted fare was honored. Many people try to make up a fare, and come up with this absurd number, and when that happens, even when a supervisor is present, the low fare isn’t honored because it is clearly a passenger trying to pull a fast one.
Traveling SUPER Cheap using Courier Travel
What is courier travel? Courier companies often find that shipping material in the luggage space of an aircraft passenger is more reliable, timely, and economical than sending the shipment unaccompanied. The courier company begins by purchasing a coach class airfare. They then resell the ticket to you and, in exchange for your luggage space, give you a discount on the airfare. The courier company uses your luggage space for the material it is shipping. Are there any other limitations to courier travel? Aside from having an adventurous spirit, you must also be at least 18 years of age to fly as a freelance courier. Because courier companies use only one courier per flight, you must also be willing to travel alone. Occasionally, if you are trying to travel with a companion, a courier company may be able to arrange for flights on consecutive days. Of course, you always have the option of buying one ticket at standard fare, or using some tricks I showed you before for last minute fares. How much will I save traveling as a courier agent? You will find that prices for courier flights change often. Typically you will pay between 25% and 50% of the standard, full fare ticket price. However, those who travel at a moment's notice have been known to get discounts up to 85% off standard fare! Courier airfares, as is the case will all airfares, fluctuate with the season and the demand for the particular destination. Where can I go as a courier? Couriers service many of the world’s major cities of commerce. To find out specifically what destinations are available from cities near you, I suggest that that you call up the various courier companies that I have listed below. Because freelance couriers are needed solely for the purpose of speeding the customs process, travel opportunities are available only on international flights. Courier flights are almost always round trip.
Here is a short list of destinations you can travel to with courier travel.
Boston departure-
Destinations available: London
New York City departure-
Destinations available: Amsterdam, Auckland, Bangkok, Bangkok, Beijing, Brussels, Buenos Aires, Capetown, Caracas, Copenhagen, Dublin, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, London, Madrid, Manila, Melbourne, Mexico City, Milan, Montevideo, New Delhi, Paris, Rio, Rio de Janeiro, Rome, Sao Paulo, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney, Taipei, Tel Aviv, Tokyo
Washington DC departure-
Destinations available: London
Miami departure-
Destinations available: Buenos Aires, Guatemala, Guayaquil, Lima, London, Quito, Rio de Janeiro, and Santiago
Chicago departure-
Destinations available: Bangkok, Brussels, Hong Kong, London
San Francisco departure-
Destinations available: Bangkok, London, Manila and Singapore
Los Angeles departure-
Destinations available: Auckland, Bangkok, Brisbane, Cairns, Hong Kong, London, Manila, Melbourne, Seoul, Singapore, and Sydney
Current Sample Airfares for these flights:
Europe from/to the East Coast $169 Each Way / Flexible Stay
Europe from/to the West Coast $249 Each Way / Flexible Stay
Europe from/to the Northwest $199 Each Way / Flexible Stay
Europe from/to the SE and Midwest $219 Each Way / Flexible Stay
Hawaii from/to the West Coast $119 Each Way / Flexible Stay
Hawaii from/to the Pacific Northwest $129 Each Way / Flexible Stay
Mexico/Caribbean from Northeast $159 Round Trip / 1 week stay
Mexico/Caribbean from/to Midwest $209 Round Trip / 1 week stay
Mexico from/to California $189 Round Trip / 1 week stay
Here are the names and contact information for the various courier companies:
Air Facility
153-40 Rockaway Boulevard
Jamaica, NY 11434
(718) 712-1769
Jupiter Air
460 S Hindry Avenue, Unit D
Inglewood, CA 90301
(310) 670-1197
Halbart Express
147-05 176th Street
Jamaica, NY 11434
(718) 656-5000
Micom America
220 Howard Avenue
Des Plaines, IL 60018
(847) 298-3850
Halbart Express
1000 W Hillcrest Boulevard
In
glewood, CA 90301
(310) 417-3048
Now Voyager
74 Varick Street, Suite 307
New York, NY 10013
(212) 431-1616
International Bonded Couriers
8401 NW 17th Street
Miami, FL 33126
(305) 597-5331
UTL Travel
320 Corey Way
South San Francisco, CA 94080
(650) 583-5074
Short list of useful websites:
www.airtech.com
www.airoutlet.com
www.hotwire.com
www.travelocity.com
www.bestfares.com
www.skyauction.com
www.lowestfare.com
www.perx.com
www.air-fare.com
www.flyertalk.com
www.itn.com
www.ubid.com/cat/9.asp
www.travelscape.com
www.lowairfare.com
www.bestlodgings.com
www.aircourier.org
Here are some more things I want to cover now:
• Get $72,000 in airline tickets for under $3,000
• Learn the booking secrets that noone knows about Priceline.com
• Fly around the world for almost no money as an AIR COURIER
• Get more frequent flyer miles that you EVER thought you could!
• Save megabucks in air travel using bucket shops and consolidators
• Get every single discount for which you are entitled
Like I mentioned earlier, fares change every second. A deal that’s available now, may not be available ten minutes from now. What’s going on with the airline fares?
Fares change quickly because of supply and demand for airline seats. If there is a group tour going from Newark to Orlando and that group books 15 seats, then BAM, just like that, the remaining seats on that flight become significantly more expensive. If that group cancels their plans, the fares go down again, allowing more people to buy.
As with everything, there are exceptions. An example is: it’s generally cheaper to book a roundtrip ticket 2 or 3 weeks before a flight. Why? It’s because airlines reserve their high-priced tickets for the last-minute business traveler. Here’s an Airline Secret you probably don’t know—one of the top reasons that U.S. airlines are able to stay in business is by having a small number of passengers (mainly those business passengers) pay full fare.
Does that mean that it is ALWAYS cheaper to buy an airline ticket way ahead of time?
NO NO NO NO NO. I can’t stress this enough. There are so many people who think that booking months or a year ahead of time will get them the lowest fare. This isn’t necessarily true!! There are numerous airlines that offer special weekend deals just a few days before the flight will be taking off. The airlines’ computers tell them which flights have too many empty seats. The airline then discounts these “city pairs” and sells them at a low price—with restrictions. The restriction is generally a Fri or Sat departure with a return by midnight on the following Tuesday. But, you’re still getting a REALLY good deal!
And we’ve all heard of airline consolidator tickets that allow you to fly overseas (and several domestic destinations). You can often buy these tickets a day or two before travel and pay the same fare, or less for what you would have paid if you had booked three or four weeks earlier. Why you ask? Because this is the way MAJOR domestic and international airlines quietly unload unsold tickets. And you can benefit from them!
Let’s talk about travel agents for a minute. How much do you think your travel agent makes? Take a guess? Well, on average, a travel agent used to make 10% of what your ticket costs. Then that average went down to 8%, and now to 5%. There is a maximum commission rate that allows the airline to cap how much your travel agent can make. In some cases, the airlines only pay the travel agent $10.00 for one flight booking. Why am I telling you this? Because as a result of the caps that are put on the travel agent’s commission, more and more agents are forced to impose a service fee to cover their costs. So, what should this tell you? There are some travel agents who will book airline tickets without imposing a fee. There are some who have declared that they will NEVER charge a fee. However, I think that eventually, the airlines will cut down the travel agent’s commissions to nothing, and the travel agents will not be able to offer their services without a fee.
So, if you know a good, knowledgeable travel agent, who does NOT impose a fee—consider yourself in luck! Remember a good relationship with a good agent is always something good to have! Why? Because once you are armed with the secrets I will tell you (codesharing, booking, bucket seats, etc) you will want a good travel agent to help you book your flight (even if there is one who imposes fees, you may still save $$).
Ok, first off, where do you live? I don’t mean what town you live in or even what state. What I mean to ask is which airlines fly from your local airport (or airports)? The first thing you need to do is find out who flies from your local airport. If you live nearby a number of different airports, find out who flies from all of them. Some of you may be from a small city, and may think you know all of the airlines. Next time you go to the airport, walk around and look behind the ticket counters on the walls. Look at the smaller airline names that you may never have even heard of. Next, you’ll want to find out where these airlines fly to. Stop at the ticket counter and ask for their flight schedule. Or find the airport website if they have one. If you see promotional items like for frequent flyer cards, take them. You can also ask the ticket agent for a copy of the latest “in-flight magazine.” This usually shows the airlines’ flight maps, which will prove extremely useful.
You might also want to try the airline’s website. Go to Google.com if you don’t know the website for the airline you want to fly, and type it into Google’s search bar. Then look for the search results to see what would probably be the official website name for the airline. Click the link and it should take you to the airlines’ website. Find the route map on the airline’s website, and keep it. Save it on your computer or print it out. You’ll want it for future reference. If you live in a larger market, you’ll have plenty of websites to visit and plenty of route maps to print and save. Trust me, this may sound dumb, or useless, but read on, and you’ll find out why you need these maps.
Next, let me ask you another question: do you live in a high-fare or a low-fare market? If you think you’re one of the residents of the high-fare market, you’re probably right.
Most markets generally have higher fares. But, what you want to be aware of is who has the best fares to where you want to fly. You’re in luck now—because there’s some really good information available on this topic, and it’s available free from the government. What is this info called? It’s a quarterly publication called the Domestic Airline Fares Consumer Report. The report is released by the DOT, or the Department of Transportation. Of course the report is never truly current, but hey, it’s free! Here’s the website where you can find this report:
http://ostpxweb.dot.gov/aviation/
Of course, websites change frequently. As of the date of this printing, the website worked, but if it does not work, call up and request the report (202) 366-1032.
When you get this report, you will be able to find the city pairs you’re interested in. For each city pair, the report tells you the average fare, and the airline with the biggest share of the market and its average fare, and the airline with the lowest average fare. You will rarely see that the airline with the biggest share of the market will have a good deal. Instead, you’ll notice that the best deal is usually offered by the airline with just 10% market share.