www.Bestfares.com

You have to join. I think it is $45. But a big but- I was able to get a flight out of LA in July for $550. You call a number to book and they give you the airline and the flight times. I've been aquite impressed with this site.

Good Luck

IcePick

[ 01-15-2002: Message edited by: MadridMan ]

Icepick : The fare you got from BestFares for travel to Madrid during the peak summer travel period is quite amazing. What airline are you booked on?

That is a good price! Usually airfares are VERY high when bought too far in advance like this. Into what Spanish city are you flying? I'm guessing either Barcelona or Madrid -- probably Madrid since they typically have lower fares than to BCN.

I'm tempted but still reluctant to join the BestFares game membership. I haven't been able to find anything less than $900 R/T from Columbus, Ohio, USA to Madrid for/around Semana Santa (Holy Week).

And what's with these "Super Spring Sales" where all travel must be completed by March 20th, which is the FIRST day of spring!? Isn't this more like a "Super WINTER Sale"???

Sorry. I'm a little ticked because I was ALL ready to used my $#%"&@! Delta Frequent Flier miles for a FREE R/T to Madrid (leaving CHM March 22, returning April 7) and these dates aren't available for Frequent Flier Award redemption, nor any dates AROUND these dates. GRRRRRRRR!!!!! And this is more than TWO MONTHS in advance!!!!

Whew! I feel better after venting. NOT!

[ 01-17-2002: Message edited by: MadridMan ]

IcePick and others,

Did you actually purchase this fare or did you just see it advertised on the site? Because, alot of times, the advertisements aren't true. For example, Travelocity is advertising a fare from Washington DC to Madrid for $300. But when you try to book, you have to select departure dates from a calendar, and most of them are sold out.

So basically what I am asking is did you buy the ticket, and if so, did you have to become a member first. If anyone else has used this service, please let me know how it works. I was sure I could find the lowest prices with all of the airfare sites and some special software I have, but these prices are ALOT lower. Just want to see if they are legit.

Thanks
Ben
pbchamp@intercom.net

MM,

I have found some fares from Colombus Ohio to Madrid around the dates you
were looking for using my special software. You know, if you fly out/in on
a Tuesday or Thursday, the rates are much cheaper.

CMH to MAD (3/22-4/7) $999.98
CMH to MAD (3/21-4/7) $699.92
CMH tp MAD (3/21-4/9) $674.92

Let me know if you do decide to join Bestfares.com. I am planning a trip to
Spain and it is crucial that I find the lowest price since I don't have alot
of money to work with.

Thanks
Ben
pbchamp@intercom.net

zero262quick, thanks A LOT for checking that for me! I've been checking all the usual sources myself: Orbitz, Expedia, Delta, etc.. As it turns out, I decided to use my frequent flier miles, but... GET THIS, to use them on NEAR the dates I want, I have to go from Columbus (Ohio) to Cincinnati (Oh) to San Francisco to Paris (France! ) to Madrid. UGH! My head spins just thinking about it That's like 15 hours on the plane! ARGH!! Oh well. It'll be free at least. And I won't likely to run into any MadridMan'ers either since I won't be flying direct out of any USA city.

Those fares you quoted for BestFares.com are about $300-$500 better than I'd found ANYWHERE for those dates. Now watch, all the airlines will come out with their LATE SPRING sales and I could have gone for $400. ARGH!

Saludos, MadridMan

MM,

First of all, those quotes are not from BestFares, they are ones I found using some special software I have. Anyway, I am still confused about the fares.

When do you usually buy tickets, I mean how far in advance? The absolute lowest I can find from Washington DC to Madrid in June/July are close to $800! They have to go down before then. I am just not sure when to buy the tickets so that I will get the lowest price. I may just wait until March, hopefully they will be lower by then. Or I may just join the BestFares.com website and try to get some cheaper tickets there. What I want is to hear when everyone else buys their tickets (how far in advance) and what you usually pay for a summer fare.

The BestFares.com deal sounds good, assuming two things. First, the prices do not include taxes. Taxes can add over $100 additional charge to each ticket. I found that out on Travelocity when my $300 ticket turned into $390 just like that. Second, there is a wide range of dates available to choose from. Again, this brings back memories of the Travelocity fare finder where you have to select dates from a calendar; 99% of the time, there are no seats available. Maybe I will contact them to find out these details.

Maybe I should start a new thread with this topic. I would like to hear from those experienced travelers what they pay and how they go about getting the lowest price.

Thanks
Ben
pbchamp@intercom.net

When do the late spring fares come out? I would love to go to Spain/Portugal, maybe at the end of May. Don't have a lot of money this year, so the price of the plane tickets will determine if we can go! I fly out of Boston (can also do Providence or Hartford, but these airports are usually more expensive for transcontintental flights). If anyone hears of any sales, I'd love to know about them!

Thanks!

Just wanted to bring up another way to save $ on fares. I bought an Entertainment book for $32. It has 2 for 1 coupons on dining but also has $ off for flights on Continental and Northwest, depending on the total price of the ticket. There are the usual blackout dates and no travel on Sat/Sun but the restrictions aren't too bad. Two years ago, I received $175 off a RT ticket to Rome. Continental flys to Madrid from Newark daily.

ladybugsea,

Here are some prices for flights around the time you requested. I don't know how long you plan to stay for, though.

Taxes are included.

BOS to MAD (May 28-Jun 6) $677
BOS to MAD (May 21-May 30) $706.82
BOS to MAD (May 14-May 23) $670.60

I am also currently looking into a new travel service, BestFares.com. If anyone has any information on this service, please let me know. The fares seem alot cheaper, but I'm not sure if there is a catch or not.

Ben
pbchamp@intercom.net