Do You Fly Direct or Have Stops and/or Drive Elsewhere to Save?

My Mother and Brother have finally moved to where I can have direct and non-stop flights. Before last year I could never get from a to b without changing somewhere along the line.

Wichita KS and Boise ID and to get from NYC you have to change somewhere even with 6 airports (JFK/LGA/EWR/ISP/TEB/SWF).

And with AA pulling out of Boise (where I had my miles) Alaska was the alternative and that was a Turboprop from LAX or SEA with a another stop.

When USAir got in the picture I was now flying south to the Valley of the Sun (PHX) to get to Treasure Valley (Boise). Flying south to go north with a layover.

Now with the Fam living with the closest airport PBI, I've flown from all three local airports close to me (JFK/LGA/EWR) and gone to PBI and FLL and have considered even Miami if the price is right.

Of course miles still on AA they don't go direct flying thru DFW to go to Florida is just as fun as going to PHX. USAir does have one flight I can change in CLT which only adds an hour plus the time between flights.

But lately its my home airport JFK and JetBlue!! Wow 3 hour flight and same time zone :cool:

Sorry had to rave about not losing an entire day on both ends to visit my Mom!!

DL has been doing this for a few years. Turnaround flights from/to ATL or DTW with the same flight number. I think that with the proliferation of codeshares combined with market consolidation, they are approaching the finite use of the 9999 available flight numbers. But then, what do I know?

DL was probably the pioneer of this, even before the NW merger, but definitely since.

With more mergers, I think the bigger airlines like DL and AA will need to re-assess how they assign numbers. Even WN has gone in to 3xxx and 4xxx flight numbers.

DL was probably the pioneer of this, even before the NW merger, but definitely since.

Up until the 80's, DL flight numbers were based on the aircraft type. IIRC, 2xx were 727's, 9xx= DC-9, etc.

With more mergers, I think the bigger airlines like DL and AA will need to re-assess how they assign numbers. Even WN has gone in to 3xxx and 4xxx flight numbers.

It's common for AA flights here at SNA, since most are out-and-back from DFW or ORD. It caused a moment of panic when AA started doing this. I entered my flight number to check seat status. It showed up DFW-SNA instead of SNA-DFW. I thought I had screwed up the initial purchase...reversing to/from, or entering the departure date for the homeward flight.

From Charleston SC my only nonstop option for a cruise out of Florida is American Airlines into Miami, but they only offer 1 CHS-MIA nonstop per day and I don't care to buy a ticket on a flight that has no back up plan so to speak. Thus, I will continue to fly Delta with a stop at ATL.

I could drive 3 hours to Charlotte for a nonstop on AA/USAir, but since all my other travel is on Delta, I'd rather earn ALL my frequent flyer miles with them. Plus I hate driving and my total travel time would be about the same anyway, so even if I saved a good chunk of money I'd still bypass the Charlotte option.

I think American Airlines is trying some sort of number saving scheme. On our trip to/from St. Maarten in January (via Miami) the segments between Miami and St.Maarten carried the same flight numbers each way. Hard to see the logic.

It's called a turnaround flight. It's really no different than using the same flight number for any other two-segment flight, only in this case instead of hitting 3 different cities the flight returns to the original departure point. Delta does this all the time.

Zach1213, :D

 

 

 

Well, that's normal, it allows the airlines to claim they have direct service between YVR and MCO.

 

This is the first time I've seen an airline operate flights in opposite directions between the same airports using the same flight number.

We fly AA JFK-STT every winter. The same flight number for both segments started last winter. Of course I panicked when I saw it and called AA and was assured it was not a mistake. From JFK it's an early a.m. nonstop and the plane turns around and flies back to JFK in the afternoon, except of course when there's a snow storm in NY and everyone gets an extra day's vacation in STT.

I expect that this fad will last until something goes wrong, and then everyone will suddenly see that it was a silly idea!

We fly AA JFK-STT every winter. The same flight number for both segments started last winter. Of course I panicked when I saw it and called AA and was assured it was not a mistake. From JFK it's an early a.m. nonstop and the plane turns around and flies back to JFK in the afternoon, except of course when there's a snow storm in NY and everyone gets an extra day's vacation in STT.

I'm actually starting in JFK but connecting through MIA each way because the aircraft on the MIA-JFK legs have proper international seating as opposed to the shorthaul domestic seats on the non-stop.

I'm actually starting in JFK but connecting through MIA each way because the aircraft on the MIA-JFK legs have proper international seating as opposed to the shorthaul domestic seats on the non-stop.

Well played!!

From Charleston SC my only nonstop option for a cruise out of Florida is American Airlines into Miami, but they only offer 1 CHS-MIA nonstop per day and I don't care to buy a ticket on a flight that has no back up plan so to speak. Thus, I will continue to fly Delta with a stop at ATL.

 

I could drive 3 hours to Charlotte for a nonstop on AA/USAir, but since all my other travel is on Delta, I'd rather earn ALL my frequent flyer miles with them. Plus I hate driving and my total travel time would be about the same anyway, so even if I saved a good chunk of money I'd still bypass the Charlotte option.

G4/Allegiant fly from Concord/Charlotte to FLL

If the cruise you are planning for is RCCL, then have you tried Cruise Air? We are taking a cruise on RCCL leaving from England in September. Every place I looked the cheapest fare was >$600. with the average $800. I was able to get a non-stop flight on Cruise Air for <$400.00. Give it a try.

It's called a turnaround flight. It's really no different than using the same flight number for any other two-segment flight, only in this case instead of hitting 3 different cities the flight returns to the original departure point. Delta does this all the time.

The airline I worked for the longest period of time called it "triangle flights". The aircraft originated in Amsterdam, stopped at several smaller airports on the way, with people getting on and off at all airports before flying back to Amsterdam. For example: the market to fly to Barbados or San Juan was too small from Europe to fill a whole plane. So the aircraft would fly AMS-BGI-SJU-AMS once or twice a week. Because the aircraft was never empty, the flight number was never changed. And yes, it is hell for the operations department, the check-in, dispatch, etc. The most fun was in the summer when we flew to tiny Greek islands where they did not have the sophisticated computer systems we had.

G4/Allegiant fly from Concord/Charlotte to FLL

But as I said, that would mean driving 3 hours, which I'm not willing to do.

I should add that Silver has just this month added non-stops from my home airport (CHS) to Tampa and Orlando, so I suppose technically I have more nonstop options for Florida cruises. But, as with the single AA nonstop to MIA, I'm not inclined to book an airline's only flight of the day. If it has to be canceled, then what?! And I'm not inclined to fly a different airline just for cruises and lose out on the frequent flyer points that add both miles and status, not to mention that I believe the Silver flights are on prop planes. :eek:

The original question was about who would pay more or drive to a different airport for a non-stop and/or a cheaper flight. I guess I'm the odd bird that would rather stick to my home airport and preferred airline, even if it means a connecting a flight and/or perhaps paying a bit more.

I'm actually starting in JFK but connecting through MIA each way because the aircraft on the MIA-JFK legs have proper international seating as opposed to the shorthaul domestic seats on the non-stop.

Good work.

Whenever I fly down to Australia (MCI-DFW-LAX-MEL), I always time it to take a 763 from DFW-LAX with the international business class. Better than the 757, 738 or Mad Dog.

There's so many variables for us. We like to fly direct if possible but have noticed that for us, to fly from the airport we want that's really not possible unless we want to fly southwest. Sometimes we fly southwest and sometimes we don't. Sometimes I find a really good rate with Delta and I end up booking it before Southwest's flights go on sale.

I always fly out of Midway because my sister lives about a 10 minute drive from the airport and I can park at her house for the trip and she will drop me off at the airport in the morning. But it's like a 90 minute drive without traffic from where I live. So it requires an overnight stay at her house the night before.

I always check if flying into FLL or MIA is cheaper and this time for once MIA was cheaper. Otherwise we would do a shared shuttle to Miami after the flight.

On our way home since we aren't taking an early flight I can play with any combination of MIA, FLL, Midway, or Ohare. I like the options. Having options saves a lot of money, and I'm willing to drive to those airports. This time I even got a first class upgrade deal!!

I'm on a 'direct' flight from Nashville to San Juan, PR, and we have the same flight number, but it has a stop in Orlando before heading to San Juan.

So those who were questioning - a non-stop is a direct flight, but not all direct flights are non-stop.

Trust me, I don't like to fly and if there had been a non-stop, I'd be on it! :D

Where we live in the San Francisco Bay Area we are blessed with three airports. I live closer to San Jose(20 minutes away) SFO is 45 minutes and Oakland is about 55 minutes away.

From SFO I can get nonstop flights to Europe and from San Jose I usually get non-stop or one stop flights to my destination.

For my next upcoming cruise I got a flight from San Jose-Fort Lauderdale via Phoenix with a 50 minute layover and arrive at 4:05 PM this was the best flight and the best connection for the price and last minute booking.

What I find is that San Jose comes out roughly the same but I would go up to San Francisco for a Nonstop JFK flight to New York as San Jose at the moment has no nonstop flights but they are planning to get nonstop flights to New York, Europe and other destinations abroad.

There is no need to drive 3 hours to an airport. So we are really lucky. For 99 percent of my trips we have only 1 stop where we change planes so that is fine to be able to stretch during the layover.

MIA to FLL is 30 minutes and a $75 cab ride each way. If you can save more than that by flying into MIA, I'd certainly do so.

Just remember its $75 each way. I would be willing to spend $200 more not to take a cab and transit through a large airport such as Miami if I don't have to.

I'm on a 'direct' flight from Nashville to San Juan, PR, and we have the same flight number, but it has a stop in Orlando before heading to San Juan.

So those who were questioning - a non-stop is a direct flight, but not all direct flights are non-stop.

Trust me, I don't like to fly and if there had been a non-stop, I'd be on it! :D

The bad news is that your flight, even with the same flight number, might still involve a change of planes.

Example USAir 734:

US734 LAS 1110 - 1900 PHL (on an A321)

US734 PHL 2100 - 0850+1 MAN on an (A330-200)

For my past two cruises, I've taken a nonstop flight from CLT to MIA. I am only 10 miles south of Charlotte, so it was quick and easy. However, with the fares going up, up, up...I decided to look at alternatives this go around.

CLT to MIA was $450...not including a checked bag, which is $25 each way, for a total of $500.

Found a nonstop flight on JetBlue for $230...that includes a checked bag.

The only hitch? I have to drive 2-3 hours up to Raleigh, NC and then fly into FLL (meaning I'll take a shuttle from FLL to MIA). The shuttle is only $30 roundtrip, which brings my trip total to $260.

In the past, there was only about a $75 difference between the two options. This time, the difference is significantly more ($240), so I decided to go with the RDU>FLL choice. lol

Depending on how this goes, I'll either do this again next time or I'll go back to flying out of CLT. We'll see. For now, though, I just couldn't justify paying twice as much for my flight. lol

With 30 minutes to Westchester County, 45 to LaGuardia, 60 to JFK, 75 to Newark and 90 to Hartford/Springfield, I have a lot of choices and weigh price differential against convenience. There seems very little logic in pricing - on an upcoming R/T to Jackson Hole, I'm looking at over $1600 from Westchester, $1100 from JFK and $750 from LaGuardia - each involving one change each way and about 6-8 hours travel time. On one occasion, there was such different pricing that the 4 hour drive each way to/from Boston was justified by price differential on a T/A RT.

Going on a river cruise in Europe next year and it's an open jaw flight (start in Prague and end in Budapest).

Using this year's flights as a test, I determined that we could fly the open jaw on our airline of choice from IAD in economy for $8300! Yet, if we fly round trip to Budapest from IAD on the same airline, we could fly business class for $8500! That option would mean taking a 7 hour train ride from Budapest to Prague for about $50 total. DH says that sounds good to him.

Now, I just stopped to check other airports and if I fly out of JFK round trip to Budapest, we could fly business class for $6400. That would mean a train ride to NYC, around $300.

So, yes, I am going to take one of those longer options that mean a more comfortable overnight plane trip, some extra time with the trains, and saves me money, too.

Going on a river cruise in Europe next year and it's an open jaw flight (start in Prague and end in Budapest).

 

Using this year's flights as a test, I determined that we could fly the open jaw on our airline of choice from IAD in economy for $8300! Yet, if we fly round trip to Budapest from IAD on the same airline, we could fly business class for $8500! That option would mean taking a 7 hour train ride from Budapest to Prague for about $50 total. DH says that sounds good to him.

 

Now, I just stopped to check other airports and if I fly out of JFK round trip to Budapest, we could fly business class for $6400. That would mean a train ride to NYC, around $300.

 

So, yes, I am going to take one of those longer options that mean a more comfortable overnight plane trip, some extra time with the trains, and saves me money, too.

I am going to hypothesize that either a) somewhere you made an error in putting in data into your reservation request or b) you are using dates that are so very soon, thus resulting in no discount tickets in inventory. Since you don't mention "airline of choice" or actual dates, I'm going to just pick some for a test.

Trying a departure of Sept 17 2015 and a return of Sept 29 2015, I'm getting a price as low as $858. This also has the side benefit of having an almost 23 hour connection in Istanbul, so you can take advantage of the Turkish Airlines free hotel offer. Or you can fly UA/LH for around $1100. So I really don't know where that $8300 number came from.

More details, as always, are appreciated because....the devil IS in the details.

Going on a river cruise in Europe next year and it's an open jaw flight (start in Prague and end in Budapest).

 

Using this year's flights as a test, I determined that we could fly the open jaw on our airline of choice from IAD in economy for $8300! Yet, if we fly round trip to Budapest from IAD on the same airline, we could fly business class for $8500!

If you'd like some help and advice, there's plenty on offer here.

Going on a river cruise in Europe next year and it's an open jaw flight (start in Prague and end in Budapest).

 

Using this year's flights as a test, I determined that we could fly the open jaw on our airline of choice from IAD in economy for $8300! Yet, if we fly round trip to Budapest from IAD on the same airline, we could fly business class for $8500! That option would mean taking a 7 hour train ride from Budapest to Prague for about $50 total. DH says that sounds good to him.

 

Now, I just stopped to check other airports and if I fly out of JFK round trip to Budapest, we could fly business class for $6400. That would mean a train ride to NYC, around $300.

 

So, yes, I am going to take one of those longer options that.

I agree. Something's wrong with your numbers. You're on an 11 day trip which starts 03 November, 2016.

Looking at prices for this year for these dates, IAD-PRG depart 02 Nov, and return 13 Nov BUD-IAD, there are many RT in economy for around $950 a ticket. Even changing the dates a few days before or after shows this pricing. Premium economy (BA) is pricing at around $1700 RT per ticket, and business at $4300.

Where in the world are you seeing a price of $8300 for what I assume are two economy tickets?