Peggy glad you got it all booked. You must have done it at just the right time. I have until tomorrow to finalize our flights and looked again after I read this and found the flights again back up to $449 one way for the FLL to DFW route on 11/19.

Maybe I should not have openly admitted to this.... I hope nobody in the airlines is "listening" in :D !

Maria: Hopefully they have more important issues :cool: :cool: :cool:

You bring up some interesting questions, Maria.

Would you have to pay the deviation fee to choose your own flight itineraries using Regent air?

Don, you have a watchful eye and it was good that you were overseeing your flights and fares. Fares can change, literally, in the blink of an eye. It's all in the timing.

I just booked a trip on American r/t LAX to FLL with travel on Monday and Thurs in April - in season for $238. I took the non-stop but there were options to change planes at DFW.

Have you all consider flying back out of West Palm? It's not that far from FLL and there is a commuter train between the 2 cities. What I don't know is if the train stops at the West Palm Airport. Just a thought. The Monday before Thanksgiving is going to be difficult no matter what.

Priscilla, my ticket price was less than the total Regent air, which for us would have included a deviation fee since we want to go in a couple days early. We did have to pay extra for the upgrade, but I knew that before I called. If you consider the transfers, though, and you don't do a deviation fee--Regent Air is a better deal.
Don't worry about the airline calling you at your home regarding the return flight. Why would they do that when you're not there? And Maria's right-they have no-shows all the time for every one of their flights-they'd have to have an army of people to call if they tried to call everyone that didn't show up. Also, when you buy the ticket, they ask for a phone number in Nice, or wherever you are in case they want to contact you about the return flight--so in the rare circumstance that they would actually try to call you it would be at the number in Nice, not at your home. Make your return date on the date that the ticket is least expensive--believe me, they aren't going to try to call you.
Don--here's what's interesting about the one way ticket from FLL. If you are going from FLL to DFW (which is what we want to do) the price is $149 (it still is--I just checked). But if you're going one way the other way --from DFW to FLL--the price is $449. Go figure!!!

Thanks, everyone, for the info and suggestions. I guess you are right -- the airline wouldn't have time to call every no-show! We never have "thrown away" a ticket, so I was worrying about something that happens every day.

Peggy, you confirm what I thought might be the case, that without deviation fee and taking into account transfers, Regent air is the better deal from Dallas, at least right now. Seventeen nights is quite a while for us to be away, so we were hoping to be able to come into Nice on embarkation day and go directly to the ship. Regent air would provide some comfort for that situation.

Olivia, I was trying to find a good "deal" price-wise. Usually we have such good options from Dallas, but for this itinerary the two-airport situation in London really confounds the scheduling with either American or British Airways, our best choices.

Denise, you asked about deviation fee for Regent air if you want specific flights. My understanding is that Regent has the right to assign flights as works best for Regent under its contracts with the airlines UNLESS you pay the deviation fee. If you pay the $100 deviation fee per person, you can select your own flights.

I have to say that the Regent deviation plan is very good. If you pay it, they allow you to see what flights are available in their system so you can choose your flight. A big plus. Oceania will let you pick flights for the deviation fee but you also must pay fare differences for the same flight per the TA working on our O cruise. A big plus to Regent on this aspect of air travel. We have ALWAYS been happy taking Regent's air packages.

Betty, the fares from PBI were actually the same as from FLL on the 19th. It was a good suggestion though.

Peggy, I don't know what is going on, but everytime I check the fare from FLL to DFW it still shows $449, but it also shows the fare as being first class on all the nonstops, even though economy was what was selected. The multiple stops all showed the economy fare and I went in and checked the seats on the nonstop flights and there are plenty of seats available in economy, but none that you can get with airmiles or to select.

Doesn't make sense to me, but at this point it doesn't really matter. We have already committed to using the airmiles and we are all booked. DFW to Paris nonstop where we will stay for a couple of days, and then Paris to Funchal by way of London. Then we have a nonstop flight out of FLL at 5:37pm on the 19th. Our friends are going to come down from West Palm to pick us up and we are going to go to lunch before heading to the airport, so it will all work out anyways. Cost us 40K miles each using airmiles all the way through.

Hmmm, this gets curiouser and curiouser--I just looked at AA.com again and the fare for a one-way ticket from FLL-DFW at 11:00 or at 12:30 on Nov. 19 is still $149. Surely, surely, it doesn't change with who's looking up the information?????? Regardless, I'm glad I got the tickets when I did. And Don, I'm glad you're all set with tickets as well. Just this little issue explains why making air arrangements is the hardest part of taking a trip. I'm always been a little reluctant to buy tickets for fear the price will go down in an hour or so. So now I just decide on a good price for what I want to do, and if the fare goes below that price, I buy and quit worrying about it.

I was curious and checked. Not seeing that fare Peggy. It's coming up $449 PP!!!

Your computer must be logged into an "AA Special Pricing Pipeline!"

We always knew that airline pricing was weird with little or no explanation for why things were priced the way they were! Now, it looks as if airfares are cheaper for those residing in Tarrant County! I knew we shouldn't have moved! LOL

You guys even have me looking at that route! LOL!!!

Peggy, I want access to that "Special Pricing Pipeline" Denise mentions..... I only get $449 here! ;)


Also, If somebody can find a One-way between Funchal and Lisbon for less than $200 , please let me know!

Air Portugalia $187 www.flypga.com

Flight Information – Mon 12 Nov 2007
Portugalia Co
Flight 204 Departs: 10:25a Madeira (FNC) Arrives: 12:05p Lisboa (LIS)

Hi Maria,

Go onto www.kayak.com. I saw flights from Funchal to Lisbon for as little as $187.

Too funny, Don!!!! We both posted that info at the very same time!

Editing to add - $206 on TAP Portugal Airlines.

Thanks, I had seen that one (sorry, I was rounding the $187 up to $200! :( )


At least you confirmed that there doesn't seem to be anything lower than that. It's s short flight of only 1.5 hr!
Editing to ask:

Denise, was that fare on TAP for the R/T or one-way? I was getting like $260 one-way. Thanks,

That was O/W, Maria. Sorry, they quoted fares in Euros.

Funchal to Lisbon


Flights displayed with best fare available




Select departure flight *
Tue, Nov 20


Price Date Departure Arrival Flight
€206 Tue
20/11 06:00
Funchal 07:35
Lisbon TP1602


€206 Tue
20/11 07:30
Funchal 09:05
Lisbon TP1604


€206 Tue
20/11 11:25
Funchal 13:00
Lisbon TP588


€206 Tue
20/11 15:15
Funchal 16:55
Lisbon TP724


€206 Tue
20/11 17:15
Funchal 18:50
Lisbon TP752


€206 Tue
20/11 19:40
Funchal 21:15
Lisbon TP1674


€206 Tue
20/11 20:55
Funchal 22:30
Lisbon TP1684


€206 Tue
20/11 10:00
Funchal 11:35
Lisbon TP6506
(Codeshare)


€206 Tue
20/11 21:45
Funchal 23:20
Lisbon TP6524
(Codeshare

Thanks Denise,

I guess I'll have to bite the bullet!

Maria,

You can get TAP air on Orbitz for slightly less than on the TAP website. Converting their Euro fares comes out to approx. $270. Orbitz has tix on TAP for about $265 USD.

Aha--I've solved the mystery on AA.com!!! Since we're getting sort of long in the tooth, I always say 2 Seniors in the place where it asks for # of passengers. When I designate the passengers as "seniors", the fare is $149. When I change the designation to "adults", the fare is $449. So the secret fare pipeline is thinking of yourself as a senior. Who knew!! Anyway, I didn't think American or any other airline had senior fares anymore, but I guess they do, or it's a software glitch--one or the other. Anyway, in the future, I'll check the fares for both adults and seniors --you never know, it may be the other way for some destinations.

I'm so glad you posted this, Peggy. It would have kept me awake all night long! :D

Another very substantial perk for being a senior!

Whew! Peggy, I couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong not to get the same fare as you were seeing. Thanks for solving the mystery.

Peggy, sure glad to know about this little money saving perk. Thanks.
Priscilla - John & I only have 1 year to go until we qualify. Wonder,if you buy ticket at that price on internet, how you prove your age.

Do YOU want to remind John of that little fact, Betty? :D

Editing to add: You look about 25 in your photo, Betty. No one would believe you!

Denise,

Thanks. I think I'll probably go with Portugalia as it is lower than TAP. But I'll wait as it doesn't seem that their price structure benefits people that book ahead of time. The prices are the same whereas you book 1 month before or 8 months before! No incentive to book early.

Peggy,

I am glad you discovered the mistery!

Betty,

Good point! Hmmmmm... I could always say I punched the wrong key and I meant "adult" not "senior" ;)

Frank is a senior and we've done that a few times. They ask for ID when you check in and they do check to see if you qualify. United even had a book you could buy coupons for travel for a few hundred dollars and you had so many flights in fare zones with the coupon paying your fare. When Frank's mother was still in Denver we bought the book and his fare was fixed. We went to Denver every other month until we moved her here.

You've seen me. I don't look like that anymore. <img border="0" alt="[bang]" title="" src="graemlins/banghead.gif" /> If anyone can give John a hard time about our age, it's me.
For those that don't know, Priscilla's husband & I graduated from the same college, the same year.

They don't ask your age when you buy the ticket, so you can certainly buy it at any age. I've never noticed that they check our age when we check in either--they pretty much look at the picture ID and that's it. The website says age 65 to qualify as a senior, but I've been buying tickets as seniors since we were 60 or so and nobody has ever questioned us. Another mystery, I guess. We do qualify now, but I've never looked at how they define senior before--I just made the assumption that 60 is old enough, and apparently it is.

I would be the one to get caught. But if I had noticed that box before I would have probably assumed 60 or 62 to qualify. I think the rule should be - if you're old enough to belong to AARP, you're old enough to quaify for a senior discunt. :D

Bravo to that suggestion, Betty!

Betty,

That's so funny, I was about to post that (the AARP comment). I think it's very plausible!

Editing to add: My DH Bob is member of AARP. I'll say it was his fault we "misinterpreted" the rule! :D
I wonder if European airlines have something similar...

I just tried an experiment. I searched AA using our flight info and plugged in two seniors, rather than two adults.

BUSTED - $308PP, rather than the fare of $141PP we got as "Adults."

Someone on AA is watching us :eek:

Denise, I noticed when booking special fares on Continental the same thing happens when I put in 2 people - but if I book us one at a time, the cheaper fare always works.

AHA, back to the experiment.......

Can you tell I find this all quite amusing? Things to do on a quiet Friday night!

Just went on again and a screen popped up and said "AA is wise to you LCTER's! Knock it off!"

Why you are the best "experimenter" Denise

That's wild!

Another "quirk" in Continental is that they give you bonus miles for booking online and checking-in online. But if you book the 2 of you ( or more family members) on the same reservation code they will only give bonus miles to one of the FF passengers. So , since all of us have a FF account I book us one at a time to get the bonus miles for each account.

It was just matter of time ...busted