# "Save on Airfare Secrets" for $24.95...anyone have it? Worth it?



## jlwquilter (Oct 23, 2007)

I came across an ad for this e-book on the Smart Traveler website (it's an ad, not an endorsement). Book is by a guy names Morrison who worked in airline travel for 6 years, got fired, decided to fight back with this book on how to work the system to get best airfares.

I am new at the game of trying to get great airfares and frankly, don't want to spend several months learning/keeping up with the tricks for the 3 fligths a year we'll take (to timeshares), but sure do need the savings or those trips won't be happening at all 

Anyone have this "book" or know of it? I'd sure like to hear if it's worth the $25 or not.


----------



## Carolinian (Oct 23, 2007)

I suspect that you could probably learn more by regularly reading www.flyertalk.com


----------



## jlwquilter (Oct 23, 2007)

Carolinian said:


> I suspect that you could probably learn more by regularly reading www.flyertalk.com



That may very well be true but I've read here that FT can be pretty mean-spirited to newbies and if Camachinist's posts here are indicitive, then they are way to techinical for the casual user (a couple of flights a year) to understand. I was hoping for a "Dummies Guide" kind of help book.


----------



## Jimster (Oct 23, 2007)

*book*

I never get books like that.  I just go to the libary and get them on interlibrary loan for free.  I also suspect that the book was out of date the minute it was published.  That is why flyertalk is a good option.  People often just lurk and learn at flyertalk.


----------



## short (Oct 23, 2007)

*I second flyertalk.*

I read flyertalk all the time.  Most of it is junk so over time you have to learn enough to be selective.

Posters there can be nasty if you ask a question that could be answered by using the search function.  Reading is free.  I would read for a while.  When you have a question use the search function.  When it still seems unclear then ask a question.   I don't post often but when I do I have gotten some good advise.

You need to become selective.  If you never fly to asia then there is no point to reading about the asia airlines.

If you primarily fly one airline, then start by concentrating on reading that forum only.

Airfares are much like searching for that perfect exchange.  Prices and inventory change moment by moment.  If you are looking for the lowest fares then read the mileage run forum.

My personal focus is flights and airlines that fly out of LAX.  I don't do mileage runs and continually am refining my strategy to find First and Business class fares for the least amount of money.

As noted above, the book is likely out of date already.  I read a book by someone a few year ago Green? and although I got nothing that I could not have gotten out of flyertalk, some of his approaches to frequent flyer miles and airfares shifted my though process on the subject in a way that flyertalk would not.

Flyertalk is populated by mostly corporate flyers chasing elite status.  Their thought process is different from mine and probobly many leisure flyers so you have to consider that also.

Good luck.

Short


----------



## jlwquilter (Oct 24, 2007)

Thanks for the input. I'll try FlyerTalk. I did do a look-see yesterday but didn't even know where to start. I will start with the Mileage Run area then as cheap flights is what I am interested in. Thanks for that pointer!


----------



## Steamboat Bill (Oct 24, 2007)

All those milage runs on FlyerTalk amaze me...I still don't see the point of traveling 24 hours across the globe just to run up miles. I would rather focus on getting good prices on routes I travel. 

I have flown first class dozens of times and quite honestly, it is overrated (unless it is more than a 4 hour flight). I was Delta crown room member for a while, but many times the crown room was more crowded than the general waiting area.


----------



## Dave M (Oct 24, 2007)

There isn't a lot of magic to getting low fares - certainly not $25 worth of writing. Some basics:
Use multi-airline search sites, such as Orbitz or Travelocity to start your search. If you find a good fare, try to find the same fare on the airline's website, since you'll avoid paying the markup fee to Orbitz or Travelocity or some other search site.
Search for fares from and to alternate airports (such as FLL and MIA for where you live) for both your departure and destination cities. Most search engines have a feature allowing you to search multiple nearby airports at the same time.
Find out which low-cost airlines (e.g., Southwest, Spirit and JetBlue) serve the airports near you. Check local airport websites for a list of airlines if you aren't sure. Then search those airlines' websites for fares that fit your travel plans. The major search sites like Orbitz and Travelocity generally don't include fares for most of the low-cost airlines.
Plan your trips as far ahead as possible - as far as 330 days in advance. As an article in yesterday's Wall Street Journal stated, the best fares for Thanksgiving and Christmas were those available this past summer. Now they are typically 10% or more higher than last year at this time.
Be as flexible as possible with your travel plans. Use the flexible-date travel options when searching on Orbitz and similar sites. Returning home on a Saturday or a Tuesday might well save considerably over fares for returning on a Sunday. Departing early in the morning (e.g., 5:30 - 6:00) or late at night, including overnight flights, can pare many dollars of your ticket cost. Taking connecting flights instead of non-stop flights is often the cheapest way to go.
If you own a timeshare that has multiple check-in days, consider reserving a Thursday check-in date so that you can travel on dates (with likely lower fares) less favored by other vacationers.
Consider using Priceline for tickets, especially if you have significant flexibility as to time of day that you are willing to fly. Or try Hotwire.
Give up any obsession with getting FF miles from a particular airline. I prefer to fly on United, but I pay a huge premium for doing so, because UA rarely has the lowest fares for where and when I want to fly.
Speaking of FF miles, _use_ some of those precious FF miles (if you can find award seats) when you have to take a plane trip that will be expensive!
If you need accommodations at your destination, consider an airline's (or travel agency's) air-hotel travel packages. For some ideas, take a look at some of the travel package ads in the Sunday Travel section of major-city newspapers. Some huge savings are often available with such packages.
Find out what your airline's policy is if you find a lower fare after purchasing. If the airline will issue a voucher good for future travel for the fare difference, that makes it easier to bite the bullet and purchase tickets far in advance.
Visit and get familiar with farecast.com, which has a good section that forecasts the peaks and valleys of fares. Keep in mind, however, that such forecasts are based mostly on a historical perspective and might not be accurate.
Keep firmly in mind that fares in general are much more likely to go up than down - at least for the foreseeable future. Inflation won't go away – airline costs will continue to go up. The current surge in oil prices to almost $90 a barrel hasn't hit jet costs yet, but when it does, watch out! The airlines have cut back significantly on the number of flights, intensifying the competition for snagging seats on planes and making it easier for airlines to increase fares. As the government puts added pressure on airlines to reduce flights further if they can't solve chronic late arrivals (see today’s news), expect further contraction.
Bottom line: When trying to save money on flights, a $25 book won't do it. But taking the time to plan carefully and search diligently _will_ do it!


----------



## Hoc (Oct 24, 2007)

jlwquilter said:


> That may very well be true but I've read here that FT can be pretty mean-spirited to newbies and if Camachinist's posts here are indicitive, then they are way to techinical for the casual user (a couple of flights a year) to understand. I was hoping for a "Dummies Guide" kind of help book.




You're right on both counts there.  Depending on your airline of choice, Flyertalk can be downright hostile to newbies.  I have found the American Airlines board to contain some of the nastiest, most intolerant posters of most of the boards.  However, the mileage run board, which can teach you a lot about getting good airfares just by reading, is a bit friendlier.  However, you should probably understand the posting structure and rules before you start posting, even there.


----------



## Parkplace (Oct 24, 2007)

Thank you Dave M for your generous advice.  I have saved your suggestions to a document, and will refer to them from time to time as needed.

Would still like to hear a response from anyone who bought that book though.  I saw it advertised for the first time yesterday on Craigslist.  It would be interesting to know what the fellow has to say and if he really does have good inside information.  Lord knows we could all use a little savy.


----------



## Dave M (Oct 24, 2007)

My guess is that he has no useful secrets. If he did, this book should have hit mainstream sales by now. Yet, neither Amazon or Barnes & Noble, both of which list just about any current book, offer it. That suggests to me that no publisher thought it worthy of publishing and that the author paid to have it published and is selling it via free secondary sources - such as Craig's List.

The only hype on this book appears to be on the author's website!


----------



## camachinist (Oct 24, 2007)

Interesting all the PM's I get asking for help regarding airlines. Maybe there's just a few FT'ers who aren't "hostile". 

Just like on TUG, FT members respect those who take the time and make the effort to learn as much as possible on their own from the vast database of knowledge available there. Without exception, every FT'er I've ever met in person is extremely intelligent (most of them I've met are doctors or engineers) and very generous people in real life.

Just want to add some balance here since my name got mentioned.

Pat


----------



## nygiants11991 (Oct 24, 2007)

Dave this is great advise.

Thanks


----------



## PerryM (Oct 25, 2007)

*Up a creek with a paddle....*

I like Kayak - I check it many times during the day.  My new Sprint Mogul cell phone let's me surf the site while away from my laptop.

Kayak lets you save searches and just a single click allows you to submit an existing search.

I wish a site existed where I could enter the EXACT day we want to travel and send alerts during the day - haven't found one yet.

The one thing I can say about the airline companies - they are just insane.  I've watched for flights to Vegas over Thanksgiving for 6 months now - each day has the same flights going up and down $100 - $200.  I'd guess that just about everyone on our flight to Vegas will have paid a different price.

We opted to just go with SouthWest and if I see a discount I can rebook and keep the difference in my account to be applied to later flights.  Zero cost to rebook.


----------



## mlsmn (Oct 25, 2007)

Perry,

What web address do you use for mobile version of Kayak?

thanks,
Rich


----------



## PerryM (Oct 25, 2007)

mlsmn said:


> Perry,
> 
> What web address do you use for mobile version of Kayak?
> 
> ...



I use the Opera 8.65 for MS Mobile Windows 6 on my Sprint Mogul.  I run the full version of Kayak, just like on my PC.  Everything works the same.


----------



## camachinist (Oct 25, 2007)

A real-time query of the GDS cost someone money, which is often why you'll see online TA's "change" the price during the shopping process when proceeding to ticketing. Certain information is cached and other must be retreived from the GDS to make the reservation and ticket it. 

I personally doubt, at least in the near future, there will be real-time (meaning ticketable) specific date/flight alerts available to people for free. Even semi-real-time data from the GDS costs money (everything from subscription services like ExpertFlyer and KVS to full-on TA interfaces) so it'll take a quantum leap in the business to bring everything the airline knows to us instantaneously on-demand for free.

One can hope, though 

Pat


----------



## Hoc (Oct 25, 2007)

camachinist said:


> Interesting all the PM's I get asking for help regarding airlines. Maybe there's just a few FT'ers who aren't "hostile".



Pat--

There are certainly a lot there who are not hostile, but the really nasty ones tend to go unchecked on the AA board and some others.  And, yes, most of the ones I've met in person are very personable.  Something to do with the Ego overcoming the Id in person, but not when anonymous behind a computer keyboard, I suspect.  Just how many Southern Californians are pretty nice in an in-person situation.  But get them in their cars. . . .


----------



## auntdef (Oct 25, 2007)

*I wish a site existed where I could enter the EXACT day we want to travel and send alerts during the day - haven't found one yet.*

Perry, 
Have you tried Yapta, not exactly what you are looking for but,...... will send alerts whenever the fare goes up and/or down from your original search.


----------



## Jimster (Oct 25, 2007)

*flyertalk*

I too am intimidated by flyertalk, but I still participate.  Yes, there are some who are a bit hostile.  But most are very helpful. The more I work at it the better I feel about participating.

I will say this in defense of the people on FT-and it applies here as well as on flyertalk.  I can understand why some of the people are hostile.  The reason is way too many people post their questions without searching first.  Whether its a question like how many miles does it take to get a saver award or is Orange Lake a large resort, after you hear that question 100 times and it is so easy to search and find the answer, it does become annoying.  If people would put a little effort into finding their own answers first, then maybe others would be willing to help them.  As a former teacher, I used to cringe the first time we went to the library because so many students seemed to feel the book they needed ought to fly off the shelf and hit them in the head.  I soon disspelled that perception, but it was annoying.


----------



## PerryM (Oct 25, 2007)

auntdef said:


> *I wish a site existed where I could enter the EXACT day we want to travel and send alerts during the day - haven't found one yet.*
> 
> Perry,
> Have you tried Yapta, not exactly what you are looking for but,...... will send alerts whenever the fare goes up and/or down from your original search.



Wow! Thanks much.

All signed up and tracking all our non-SouthWest flights.  Current prices are about double what we paid for them!


----------



## jlwquilter (Oct 25, 2007)

camachinist said:


> Interesting all the PM's I get asking for help regarding airlines. Maybe there's just a few FT'ers who aren't "hostile".
> 
> Just like on TUG, FT members respect those who take the time and make the effort to learn as much as possible on their own from the vast database of knowledge available there. Without exception, every FT'er I've ever met in person is extremely intelligent (most of them I've met are doctors or engineers) and very generous people in real life.
> 
> ...



Pat, I never, ever meant or thought that you were hostile or not helpful! In fact, you answered a PM I sent you way back when. What I said is that you are very knowlegable about all the airfare stuff and it's all Greek to a newbie like me 

I've been on several boards and they each have their own "personality", just the way it is.

Can you tell me this...is there a thread on FT that can help me get a grip on the abbreviations used? I did read over there and it did give me several new airlines to check out (very helpful) but there was alot I didn't understand (something to do with Y and Z and I don't know what).

Thanks!


----------



## auntdef (Oct 25, 2007)

My pleasure  

 I might have discovered that site thru flyertalk, yes they can be very indimidating (they believe there *is *such a thing as a 'stupid question'). That being said, they are incredibly knowledgeable.....and you don't have to participate to learn lots and lots, just remember to do a search first before jumping in with a question or a comment!!


----------



## Egret1986 (Oct 26, 2007)

*I don't understand.  Can anyone enlighten me, please?*

I'll try to be brief.  Made an exchange for BVI Tradewinds cruise for next May for 25th anniversary.  Found great flight thru AA.  Purchased one ticket and got the other with my RCI Points.  One month later, RCI notified me to contact their Points Partner because flight times had significantly changed.  The change was that the second segment of flight was leaving before first segment.  My non-refundable tickets became refundable both through AA and RCI Points Partner.  Got an immediate refund for purchased ticket.  RCI indicated it could take up to 90 days for refund of Points.  I really need to use these Points for this second ticket.  It's been 45 days and still no refund, which basically puts me in limbo.

What I don't understand is I am still looking for flights.  I've found a great flight schedule on United (ORF to STT 5/10/08; STT to ORF 5/17/08).  This flight is seen through KAYAK, VAYAMA, AIRFARE & Travelocity; however this flight does not show up through United on their website at any price.  Can anyone enlighten me?  I've never experienced this before?  Thanks for any input.


----------



## camachinist (Oct 26, 2007)

```
Total price: USD 1,161.20
	View price breakdown
View fare rules 	  	 
Sat, May 10, 2008 - ORF to CLT
United 2542
Operated by: Us Airways
	Depart: ORF 7:00
Arrive: CLT 8:10 	Non-stop
1h 10m
733
289 miles traveled 	Fare basis code:
ME14NQ
Booking class: M
Economy
500 Award miles
No Meal Service
	
	N/A
	Select seats
Flight details
--% On-time
289 miles traveled
[No Meal Service]
Economy
500 Award miles
Availability
Sat, May 10, 2008 - CLT to STT
United 2468
Operated by: Us Airways
	Depart: CLT 9:38
Arrive: STT 13:21 	Non-stop
3h 43m
757
1,520 miles traveled 	Fare basis code:
ME14NQ
Booking class: M
Economy
1,520 Award miles
Food for Purchase
	
	N/A
	Select seats
Flight details
--% On-time
1520 miles traveled
[Food for Purchase]
Economy
1520 Award miles
Availability
Sat, May 17, 2008 - STT to CLT
United 2471
Operated by: Us Airways
	Depart: STT 14:25
Arrive: CLT 18:02 	Non-stop
3h 37m
757
1,520 miles traveled 	Fare basis code:
ME14NQ
Booking class: M
Economy
1,520 Award miles
Food for Purchase
	
	N/A
	Select seats
Flight details
--% On-time
1520 miles traveled
[Food for Purchase]
Economy
1520 Award miles
Availability
Sat, May 17, 2008 - CLT to ORF
United 1806
Operated by: Us Airways
	Depart: CLT 19:50
Arrive: ORF 21:01 	Non-stop
1h 11m
733
289 miles traveled 	Fare basis code:
ME14NQ
Booking class: M
Economy
500 Award miles
No Meal Service
	
	N/A
	Select seats
Flight details
--% On-time
289 miles traveled
[No Meal Service]
Economy
500 Award miles
Availability

PenaltyCXL BY FLT DATE OR NOVALUE
NONREF/CHG100PLUSFAREDIF/
```

Best results for alternative routings (I did not pursue this) are gained by using "multi city" and selecting "include Star Alliance flights". 

United won't generally show flights on airlines other than *A or its partners.

Hope that helps!

Pat


----------



## Egret1986 (Oct 26, 2007)

*Thank you for your response!*

I just checked my RCI Points account and my points were refunded today!  Amazing.  I'll see what they're offering.  This will greatly help me make some decisions on a flight.


----------

