Be Canny, Be Careful
Written: Oct 27 '00
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All of my family lives on the other side of the continent, and I am an opera singer, so air travel is an issue of great importance to me, and has been for some time. More specifically, budgeting for travel has been quite a challenge, particularly during the holiday season.
Priceline.com is a good way to get good prices on air fare, but the user should be aware that there are some limitations to just how great a deal you are going to get. These limitations are listed in the fine print, but in case you don't want to read all of that, here's a summary of the points that have impacted my experience. Provided that nothing has changed since my last Priceline.com purchase:
There are a number of fees and taxes attached to the price you bid that will increase your fare, perhaps significantly. The last ticket I purchased was based on a bid of $198 round trip, which I thought was a very good price. The actual final price came to $236, which was still reasonable, but no longer such a fabulous deal, in my book. Next time I will bid $169 for the same ticket and see if I am lucky.
They will choose the airline and the times of your flights. Priceline.com does not show you the airline itineraries. You don't get to choose from a list of options. You don't get to see what else was available. If you cannot be flexible in this area, don't use this service. My last several tickets have been the latest possible flights without being labeled "red eyes." VERY late arrivals, too!
You must buy the ticket once you have bid and your bid has been accepted, so make sure you want the ticket!
Once you have bid on a particular itinerary and have NOT had your bid accepted, you cannot submit another bid on the same itinerary. It's a one-time shot.
If you have any difficulty on your trip and need to change flights for any reason (you miss a connection or you decide to stay later or leave earlier), it is more difficult to do with an e-ticket than with a regular ticket. I ended up stranded in England due to a missed connection, and the customer service representative had quite a time finding me a spot on another flight.
You will not get frequent flyer credit when you use an e-ticket.
With all these points in mind, I believe a canny traveler can find a good deal at Priceline.com. Without this information, you won't get such a great deal, and perhaps will end up with a worse situation than if you had used another service.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
mlkunz
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Location: Virginia
Reviews written: 9
Trusted by: 0 members
About Me:
I am an opera singer and a serious shopper of sales.
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