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As I have privately noted to one or two around here, and since it is not any kind of rail trip, I am going to Miami for Saturday night only (Beethoven's Ninth/Cleveland Orchestra); suffice to say, I'm flying.
I bring this to the attention of smart shoppers around here; definitely airline, but maybe even Amtrak. There seems to be, or so I thought, a "Golden Rule" of demand pricing that the closer you get to departure the more it will cost you. Can't be sure about Amtrak, but not so with airlines.
About a week ago (when my surgeon cleared me to fly), I booked KORD-KMIA-KORD on UA leaving tomorrow and returning Sunday - just a one night stand to hear both an orchestra and work I love.
Well, I wasn't too worried about bargains; I just wanted to go. So I booked with United and the fare was $856. OK, I knew this was last minute and to travel last minute during high season to a vacation destination, you pay.
But guess what, I checked back out of curiosity a few moments ago, and the fare for same itinerary and flights was $556 - $300 LOWER. OK, so I'm locked in at the higher fare, but if I really were a smart shopper, I'd cancel that trip and rebook again at the lesser rate. OK, I'd take a $150 exchange fee, but since I like to go out and see my Sister in Greenwich, that means I will fly KORD-KHPN (can't drive because she worries; have "given up on" the Lake Shore and its absurd - from a traveler's perspective - EB schedule), and three guesses which is the only carrier with non-stops on that route. That means I'd be $150 ahead as $650 is about what KORD-KHPN prices out at.
But I'm not a smart shopper, so I just let it stand. Also, not sure what TSA thinks of someone who cancels a flight and immediately rebooks it; that is potential grief I can do without.
Moral; if airlines are not above such pricing tactics, who says Amtrak is not; I guess it all comes down to do you want to spin the roulette wheel or do you just want to wrap it up and move on.
Posts: 9975 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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Too bad they don't do what Vegas hotels do. You can book your hotel and get whatever rate is happening that day, but if you keep checking back before your trip and you find a lower price, all you do is call them and they'll switch it around for you. This is not published---it's just something I know (because I've done it many, many times at various properties along the Strip). Vegas hotel prices are outstanding anyway....for $450/night in Vegas, I get a room that would go for $5,000/night in a place like Chicago or NY. It's really a great place to stretch your dollar, and Vegas is a GREAT travel destination. You don't have to be a gambler at all. World class cuisine, world class fast food, incredible shows, lots of desert touring, museums, etc...I will never tire of that town (I have visited 75+ times in the last 6 years).
Posts: 2355 | From: Pleasanton, CA | Registered: Apr 2007
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"World-class fast food"? Could you please explain?
Posts: 2236 | From: Evanston, Ill. and Ontonagon, Mich. | Registered: Feb 2007
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GBN, When I search for the best sleeper fare days on Amtrak, I start a few weeks ahead of time and put all possible days on a spreadsheet (our mutual friend Lotus 123), and track it over time. That way I can see how fares change by the day of the week, and as it fills up (Amtrak will display a message when only a few rooms are left). Seems like a roomette for an overnight can range from under $200 to over $800 a night even on nights adjacent to each other.
Then I tend to pay for fares under $250 and use AGR points for higher fares.
Posts: 1572 | From: St. Paul, MN | Registered: Dec 2002
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I have always been a fan of Southwest Airlines. They do not charge to make a change in your reservation. On many occasions, I have booked a flight on Southwest, and when they later dropped the price, I just used the Change Reservation feature on their website to rebook the same flight at the lower price. Of course, the amount saved is not refundable, but is held as a credit for future travel.
Posts: 133 | From: Canaan, CT | Registered: Dec 2004
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quote:Originally posted by Henry Kisor: "World-class fast food"? Could you please explain?
That's my own term for it, but basically it describes all of the mini-restaurants that have popped up in Hotel/Casino malls that serve fast-food type of foods (hamburgers, hot dogs, pizza, tacos, etc), however, the restaurant is owned by a celebrity chef. For example, at Mandalay Bay there is a fantastic hamburger joint owned by a celebrity chef (whose name escapes me at the moment) but the food is incredibly good. You pay through the nose for it, but boy oh boy is it delicious!! There is the Carnegie Deli at Mirage, the new hot dog place (Pinks?), the gourmet burrito place in the Miracle Mile Shops, and one of my favorites, the hidden pizza place at Cosmopolitan that has no name! Literally---there is no name. It is not advertised, there are no signs, and you have to know to walk down a dark hallway in order to find it. All they serve is gourmet pizza, and their tricky advertising tactic (which is to NOT advertise) seems to be working. Lots of people hear about it, then try to find it and ask employees, "Where is the hidden pizza place?".
I don't know of anywhere else where you can get fancy-schmancy gourmet fast food except in Vegas! (Let me try to find that hamburger place I'm talking about---I ate there recently and it was extremely good!!).
Posts: 2355 | From: Pleasanton, CA | Registered: Apr 2007
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Thanks, Smitty. Now we know where to find you when you're not at the green baize tables.
Posts: 2236 | From: Evanston, Ill. and Ontonagon, Mich. | Registered: Feb 2007
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Smitty -- concerning "cheap" hotel rates in Vegas, don't they assume that you're going there to gamble? And if they catch on that you go to a particular hotel numerous times and never gamble, won't the room price tend to suddenly go up when they realize that you are not a gambler?
P.S. The only gambling I ever do is play the lottery once a week, and now and then, I may actually win $5 for "3 out of 6."
Posts: 2428 | From: Grayling, MI | Registered: Mar 2002
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