One way to get air-tickets

[corp]

The only thing that is constant is CHANGE.

Over the years of buying Airline tickets, each time I find a good source for
low price fare, by the next time I need a flight that site is no longer low or even in business.

For the last year or so I have been on the email list of Lufthansa and US Air.
Every week they send me great offers to places I don't plan to go,... no actually I have use the weekend fare saver a few times but I almost never see specials to Russia or Ukraine any more.

I recently got a special offer to germany for 195.00. I don't need to go to germany but what if I could .... fly to germany on the special deal, then get a connector on to Russia? So I called up Lufthansa and sure enough the lady gave me a price that was 150.00 cheaper than I could find any where else.
(Lately I have not seen any of those "fly to moscow for $499".)

After buying the ticket, I ran my exact dates through their search engine and it came up 200 more than I paid, apparently not factoring in the discount offer.
So the moral of this little thread is.... get on those E-saver type email lists and next time you want to fly over, even if they do not have a flight going to kiev or where ever, the special might get you a good deal to Europe and your connector shouldnt be too much more.... but you need to call them and have them set up the connector.

I should mention I tried it with "United" and the lady gave me a "way high price", perhaps if I had called and talked to someone else it might have been lower, who knows?

Well any how, thought I would throw it out there.

[Shadow]

Checking the internet for offers and using such lists can save a lot.
However when you are going to connect using two different price offers also beware of the pitfalls.
With the cheapest offers tickets can not be changed and become void when not being on the flight.
And if you construct your trip of two separate offers, you will not be protected in case of missing a connecting flight due to delays.

[corp]

Good Point shadow, that is exactly why I call Lufthansa, tell the reservations
lady about the special they are offering and let her set up the connection flight.
I would not try to do it myself.

Yes on the bargain flights you are stuck with the dates you choose but I have (last Christmas) missed my flight (my fault) and they still gave me another flight at no cost.
I think that was US Air.

[Son of Clyde]

I get those offers too.
I also check Expedia.com but the so called "good rates" do not seem much better than what the airlines offer.
In the last three years I have seen a large price hike.

[Jet]

Do your research and you can usually find deals.
Right now Aeroflot is offering $525 R/T between JFK and SVO taxes and fees included.
*Tix must be purchased before Feb 28
*Travel must commence before April 1st (or price jumps to $808)
*Return must be complete by last Day in April

Also don't forget to check the FSU specific travel agents on the net!
We've used Russian / American consulting for about 5 years now and they are CONSISTANTLY at least 25% lower for Lufthansa tickets than Lufthansa is.
There are other good agencies as well: east-west tours, russiahouse, etc...

Now and again, airlines you may not be familiar with offer killer deals through European gateways as well. A few years back, FinnAir was offering $484 R/T tax incl. Miami>Helsinki>Moscow with no advance purchase required if you were willing to fly on a Thursday or Sunday. MartinAir has offered similar deals through Amsterdam. These rates were NOT published on the net.

[Wist]

Also don't forget to check the FSU specific travel agents on the net!
We've used Russian / American consulting for about 5 years now and they are CONSISTANTLY at least 25% lower for Lufthansa tickets than Lufthansa is.
There are other good agencies as well: east-west tours, russiahouse, etc...

Hi Jet What is the web address for this Russian/American consulting company?

[Jet]

Wist,
http://www.russianconsulting.com/
They have a shiny new higher tech website now, but my suggestion would be to call and talk to a person as they can find you something better than published fare rates usually. Liliya and I have always dealt with Natasha, but friends of ours have had equal success with Alex and Lana. The phone #s are on the website.

And no, I don't benefit in any way by pushing business toward them 


P.S. Lil's dad just purchased the Aeroflot tickets at the N. Novgorod Aeroflot office 2 days ago for the quoted $525.00 so for sure, that fare is genuine. He'll be arriving at JFK on March 31 and returning to Moscow on April 21.

[Wist]

Thank you!

[corp]

Jet as always you have some great input!
I see from time to time some pretty good deals being offered from the "regular sites"
but usually they are leaving out of NY or some other city which then requires me to buy a ticket from my city to that one.

The one I took advantage of was like 195. RT to germany (from my city) and then I added a connector to get me the rest of the way there.

But think about that 195.00 to fly to germany, heck that sounds like a deal if just to go there and bum around on a long weekend.

I am very fortunate in that I can travel on whatever days I want when I am able to go so that saves me.

Jet now you have me wishing I had called "russianconsulting", might have beat my price.

One thing for guys to watch is total "travel time". On my last trip I had a 12 or more hour layover in Berlin.
I talked to some guys working in the baggage room and they told me I could catch a bus to a little town nearby. I did and when I go there it looked like something out of 1940. I went to this old hotel, knocked on the old wooden doors and this lady came out on the balcony above, I told her I needed a room and she came let me in and got me settled.
 Next morning, I hiked around the little snow covered town and then caught the bus back to the airport for my afternoon flight.
What started out as a real drag, turned into a interesting few hours in Germany.

[corp]

It is the german town.

[Jet]

On my last trip I had a 12 or more hour layover in Berlin.
I talked to some guys working in the baggage room and they told me I could catch a bus to a little town nearby. I did and when I go there it looked like something out of 1940. I went to this old hotel, knocked on the old wooden doors and this lady came out on the balcony above, I told her I needed a room and she came let me in and got me settled.
 Next morning, I hiked around the little snow covered town and then caught the bus back to the airport for my afternoon flight.
What started out as a real drag, turned into a interesting few hours in Germany.

Hehe,
I have an old internet buddy who lives in Bonn (he had come to stay with us in the US previously). On one of my trips back from visiting Liliya I had a 20hr layover in Frankfurt, and he was nice enough to meet me at the airport, take me on a tour of the area, including a fantastic WWII museum, out to dinner at a very nice little restaurant and back to his place to crash for the evening. A fascinating little side trip, I wish I could have stayed on, a few more days. I was really shocked by the impeccable cleanliness of Germany as well  .