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We are doing a TA that ends in Amsterdam in April, then want to spend about a week in Germany. The lowest one-way return to our desired US airport is 6 times the round trip fare for the same route. ( $3700 vs $666 )

Is there any way around this? I know I can just toss the tickets for the return flights to Frankfurt, but the flight from Frankfurt to US shows as only $430 when booked on a round trip US - FRA - US. Therefore $236 x 2 = $472 lost, compared to what the flight should cost. Any suggestions?

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We are doing a TA that ends in Amsterdam in April, then want to spend about a week in Germany. The lowest one-way return to our desired US airport is 6 times the round trip fare for the same route. ( $3700 vs $666 )

Is there any way around this? I know I can just toss the tickets for the return flights to Frankfurt, but the flight from Frankfurt to US shows as only $430 when booked on a round trip US - FRA - US. Therefore $236 x 2 = $472 lost, compared to what the flight should cost. Any suggestions?

 

AerLingus has one way flights from JFK. You would have to get to JFK (that should be relatively easy). And a connection in Dublin-very easy.

 

MaxJet (business class) also flies one way to Stanstead (London suburb). The one way tickets are usually about the price of a coach RT. You would have to make your way to Gatwick, then fly business class to Amsterdam to have enough luggage allowance for cruise luggage. Intra Europe flights on European carriers generally allow only one checked bag (40 pounds) in coach class. But business class generally allows 2 bags, 50 pounds each.

 

I priced something similar out for someone else a couple weeks ago-IIRC, the price was about $1000 from LAX to Rome, using MaxJet from LAX, transfer to London, and BA business class to Rome.

 

Or you could buy the RT and book the return about a year away (as late as booking allows). Who knows-you may find another TA in the opposite direction that would allow you to use the return, even if you have to pay the change fee.

 

If you are doing throw away ticketing, make sure when you price it out, you price out leaving FROM Europe. And I sure don't understand your logic about what you are going to loose-$666 divided by 2 is $333.00. So your one way ticket is going to cost you $660.00 (so essentially you "loose" $333.00). Although you do have the option of using the return at some point in the future.

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I also suggest Aer Lingus. I have a flight ORD to DUB for Dec. 1 for $225 (plus some taxes). GREAT DEAL! (short flights in Europe are usually really cheap - under $50). It cost me more to fly to Puerto Rico one way!

 

Good luck!

Nancy

 

But those cheapie intra Europe flights come with some VERY stringent luggage restrictions. You usually can't even get your "American" sized carryon on flights like RyanAir and EasyJet (although EasyJet is by far better).

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Yes Ryanair (while been dirt cheap) are very strict on baggage:

 

 

RYANAIR CHECKED AND CABIN BAGGAGE POLICY:

Each passenger is permitted to check in up to a maximum of 3 bags with a

combined weight of 15kgs subject to the payment of the applicable checked

baggage fees.

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Hi There - Im new to this site and was looking for a few answers to my questions. I have a cruise booked on RCC in Dec leaving out of FortLauderdale to the Bahamas. Im coming from Maryland and trying to findout whens the best time to fly out to your cruise during the december months? is it best to fly out the morning of or a day before? my husband and I were trying to save some money an dnot book a hotel for one night for the cruise but to avoid any major possible storms in the NorthEast I just wanted to be safe. If anyone has some tips on this I would appreciate it. I want to book flights but not sure if I should book a day in advance or the morning of my cruise :-(. Help if you can - thanks so much ...Newbie

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Hi There - Im new to this site and was looking for a few answers to my questions. I have a cruise booked on RCC in Dec leaving out of FortLauderdale to the Bahamas. Im coming from Maryland and trying to findout whens the best time to fly out to your cruise during the december months? is it best to fly out the morning of or a day before? my husband and I were trying to save some money an dnot book a hotel for one night for the cruise but to avoid any major possible storms in the NorthEast I just wanted to be safe. If anyone has some tips on this I would appreciate it. I want to book flights but not sure if I should book a day in advance or the morning of my cruise :-(. Help if you can - thanks so much ...Newbie

 

Weather in the northeast US can always by a wildcard in December.

 

In terms of saving money, you can get a hotel room for around $100 via Priceline or Hotwire. This might be money well spent if it guarantees you making your ship in case there are any travel delays (in addition to weather, a flight can be cancelled for a whole host of reasons).

 

One other thing is that if your flight is cancelled for any reason, it might be a while until you can get on another flight to Florida. The reson for this is that flights are fuller this year so that there are fewer available seats out there to accommodate displaced passengers whose flights were cancelled. It's not uncommon, unfortunately, to take a couple of days to get on the "next available flight" due to availability of seats.

 

Flying in day-of can be a risky proposition. Only you can weigh the value (and cost) of coming in a day early vs. flying in day-of.

 

If it was me, I'd fly in a day early, get settled, and then be one of the first ones on board the following day, almost getting a "bonus" day on your cruise.

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  • 1 month later...

I have not been on a plane since the early 90's. I have never used an e-ticket before. If someone could please answer a question for me, that would be great.

 

Do you have to confirm before you get the airport or do you just bring a printout of your flight infomation that the cruiseline provided?

 

 

Everything that I read says to check before you get to the airport to make sure fight is on time and so on. But nothing about checking in. I dont' want to get to the airport and have them say you should have checked in 24 hours ago, you didn't so we gave your seat away.

 

Thanks in advance!!

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If you want, you can check in at the airport in the same way that you've been used to. If you bring the printout then you will have all the information that the airport check-in agent will need. Your allocated seat is unlikely to be given to someone else if you are checked-in by the deadline that the airline gives you, but seat allocations are never guaranteed by any airline, even after check-in.

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This is set up for question and answers.

Hi Mike. I have a ? We purchased the flight with our cruise and we live in the middle of two airports. Hour and half from Balt and 45 minutes from Philly. My problem is that they have us leaving from Balt RT. But coming back we arive in Philly at 715pm with a 4hour 45 minute layover before leaving for Balt and arrive there and have to drive hour and half home. MY ? IS Will the airport let us tag our luggage to be taken off at Philly so we can come on home????? I have called US Air and they said I had to ask when we check our luggage coming home. ????? I need to know because it makes the difference between my driving and long term parking or ending my trip in Philly and getting a ride to the airport in Balt leaving and a ride in Philly coming home/Just thougt maybe someone out there has done this or not. The darn Airlines was not very helpful other than telling me to contact the cruise line and the pvp TELLING ME TO CALL THE AIRLINES....???? Thanks. I cruise in 4 days.....

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I am curious to find out how to upgrade from coach to business class using FF miles............can it be done? If so, do you have to be booked in a certain fare class in order to upgrade? I'm referring specifically to Delta.

 

Yes, certain fare class unless you hold elite status with SkyMiles. Most of the lower fare classes with Delta are NON upgradable. Check the Delta website for the fare classes.

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Hi Mike. I have a ? We purchased the flight with our cruise and we live in the middle of two airports. Hour and half from Balt and 45 minutes from Philly. My problem is that they have us leaving from Balt RT. But coming back we arive in Philly at 715pm with a 4hour 45 minute layover before leaving for Balt and arrive there and have to drive hour and half home. MY ? IS Will the airport let us tag our luggage to be taken off at Philly so we can come on home????? I have called US Air and they said I had to ask when we check our luggage coming home. ????? I need to know because it makes the difference between my driving and long term parking or ending my trip in Philly and getting a ride to the airport in Balt leaving and a ride in Philly coming home/Just thougt maybe someone out there has done this or not. The darn Airlines was not very helpful other than telling me to contact the cruise line and the pvp TELLING ME TO CALL THE AIRLINES....???? Thanks. I cruise in 4 days.....

 

Spend the extra $2-5.00 and use curbside checkin. You have a MUCH greater chance of having the luggage only tagged to PHL than taking it inside and arguing with the agents. Tip GENEROUSLY and you will likely get what you want. You will have to explain CAREFULLY what you want to do-in fact, a small white lie-"I need to get stuff (presents, maybe???) out of my luggage on my almost 5 hour layover-PLEASE only tag it to PHL so I can retrieve my luggage. I will recheck it at PHL" may be the BEST approach. This is really against airline rules and regs (getting off the plane in PHL) but can be accomplished with the proper schmootz and dollars.

 

Since this is obviously a cruise air booking, you are caught in the classic Catch 22. The airlines really have no information and are NOT going to be overly helpful (your tickets are most likely consolidator class and the airline really has NO obligation to you other than provide you a seat. You bought your tickets through the cruiseline). And the cruiseline could care less. They got your money and fulfilled their obligation to you by getting you a flight. Sorry, but just another downside of cruise air.

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Thanks Mike. As I said this is my first rodeo....so to speak. I guess I learned my lesson. I am sorry I ever got the FlyAway deal. I guess I will try what you said. I Asked PVP if he could change my end point coming home. He said they couldn't do it call the airline and they told me the same thing. I know i am repeating myself. Just very frustrated with this. Thanks for getting back to me so quick.

Connie

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But coming back we arive in Philly at 715pm with a 4hour 45 minute layover before leaving for Balt and arrive there and have to drive hour and half home. MY ? IS Will the airport let us tag our luggage to be taken off at Philly so we can come on home?????
To present the other side of greatam's advice: The airline rules say no. Officially, you should have been given the answer no. So whatever you manage to accomplish, remember that you are accomplishing it by bribing the curbside check-in agents to break the airline's rules. It may still be possible to do this in the US, but please don't be surprised if you end up not being able to do it. Over here, quite a lot of time (and sometimes money) is spent by people-in-the-know when flying on similar itineraries, to prevent luggage being through-checked to the final destination so that the last sector can be skipped.
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To present the other side of greatam's advice: The airline rules say no. Officially, you should have been given the answer no. So whatever you manage to accomplish, remember that you are accomplishing it by bribing the curbside check-in agents to break the airline's rules. It may still be possible to do this in the US, but please don't be surprised if you end up not being able to do it. Over here, quite a lot of time (and sometimes money) is spent by people-in-the-know when flying on similar itineraries, to prevent luggage being through-checked to the final destination so that the last sector can be skipped.

 

I did point out that this is an airline NO NO. But since most of the curbside check in guys are now "contract" employees working for a private security company, they are usually "bribable" for the right amount of money and schmooze.

 

Wasn't there a very long thread on FT about 6 months ago from someone with almost the same exact problem. Boss had booked the flight and the end destination left him 2 hours further from home than the intermediate stop? I will have to go search and find out how he handled it.

 

I just use the money and schmooze method. A ten or twenty right at the start of the check in process has always worked for me. And of course, the shiny little cards.

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Hi Mike. I have a ? We purchased the flight with our cruise and we live in the middle of two airports. Hour and half from Balt and 45 minutes from Philly. My problem is that they have us leaving from Balt RT. But coming back we arive in Philly at 715pm with a 4hour 45 minute layover before leaving for Balt and arrive there and have to drive hour and half home. MY ? IS Will the airport let us tag our luggage to be taken off at Philly so we can come on home????? I have called US Air and they said I had to ask when we check our luggage coming home. ????? I need to know because it makes the difference between my driving and long term parking or ending my trip in Philly and getting a ride to the airport in Balt leaving and a ride in Philly coming home/Just thougt maybe someone out there has done this or not. The darn Airlines was not very helpful other than telling me to contact the cruise line and the pvp TELLING ME TO CALL THE AIRLINES....???? Thanks. I cruise in 4 days.....

 

 

Though I respect those who have posted their views, this is actually a very easy case. Since your first point of entry into the US is Philadelphia, even though your luggage might be tagged to Baltimore, you are REQUIRED to pick up your luggage in Philadelphia and go through customs.

 

So after customs, just go through the door to "exit" and not "connecting flights." No need to bribe anyone at check in. Just have your luggage checked to your final destination, pick up your luggage upon arrival in PHL, and leave the airport. Simple. No one ever questioned me when I did that. This only works when your want to ditch your flights after your first arrival into the US. If you were continuing say Philly to Atlanta to Orlando and wanted to get off in Atlanta, then it would be a problem.

 

John

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Since your first point of entry into the US is Philadelphia, even though your luggage might be tagged to Baltimore, you are REQUIRED to pick up your luggage in Philadelphia and go through customs.
Sorry, I've read and re-read this post many times and can't see where it says that conweb is travelling outside the US. Am I missing something? :confused:
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Sorry, I've read and re-read this post many times and can't see where it says that conweb is travelling outside the US. Am I missing something? :confused:

 

No, I think I am. I was reading too many posts and confusing them. Sorry.

 

I think the only hope the poster has is to say they have a layover longer than 4 hours and therefore don't want their bags checked (some airlines won't check them through with such a long layover but if the same airline, most will).

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It's been a while since we've done this and I don't remember how it works. We are scheduled to fly to LAX on United and then transfer to Air Tahiti Nui. Do we need to collect our luggage from United and take it to the international terminal in LA or will we be able to check the luggage all the way through to Tahiti in Chicago?

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It's been a while since we've done this and I don't remember how it works. We are scheduled to fly to LAX on United and then transfer to Air Tahiti Nui. Do we need to collect our luggage from United and take it to the international terminal in LA or will we be able to check the luggage all the way through to Tahiti in Chicago?

 

Even with two separate tickets, you should be able to get United to check your luggage to Air Tahiti Nui. Be sure to have your itinerary and ticket/e-ticket for the Air Tahiti Nui flight when checking in with United. If they balk, be firm but polite and ask for a supervisor. My experience is that some check in agents don't like to "interline" the luggage, especially in the days of check in kiosks, etc since it takes a bit more time and a few more keystrokes. In any case, don't check in curbside - go inside.

 

It will make your life much easier once you get to LA, where you will have to change terminals and go through security again.

 

John

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We are not international travel air savy, and my wife is worried there might be some airline or European restrictions on what we want to do:

The plan is to book round trip on AA from DFW to Paris with dates from one/two days (time change is confusing) ahead of our cruise and the return from Paris to DFW a few days after. After we arrive in Paris on the inbound flight, we want to get our luggage and then take it to the gate/checkin for the first part of a second Round Trip (RT) flight we are going to book. This will be from Paris to Barcelona (where our cruise leaves). This would be on a mid to major European airline. We plan to arrive in Barcelona the day before our cruise (already have hotel picked). Then on the backend of the cruise we would get on the plane for the return trip to Paris. We will then stay there a few days before completing thereturn trip from Paris to DFW.

The concerns are these:

  1. Are there any restrictions about us taking our luggage off of the first inbound flight ourselves and putting them on the the second flight (paris to barcelona) since these will be booked completely seperate and on airlines that have nothing to do with each other (don't have any alliance relationship) and would not be a 'continuation' of the original (first) flight?
  2. If we do the luggage self-transfer thing (with it not being a continuation of the original flight) do we face stricter luggage requirements (smaller bags, weight limits, number of checked or carry ons, types of items you can pack, etc)? This is a 12 day cruise!

I know these questions sound a bit stupid/paranoid, but we don't want something we take for granted in the U.S. to derail our trip because we were ignorant about international travel!

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The concerns are these:
  1. Are there any restrictions about us taking our luggage off of the first inbound flight ourselves and putting them on the the second flight (paris to barcelona) since these will be booked completely seperate and on airlines that have nothing to do with each other (don't have any alliance relationship) and would not be a 'continuation' of the original (first) flight?
  2. If we do the luggage self-transfer thing (with it not being a continuation of the original flight) do we face stricter luggage requirements (smaller bags, weight limits, number of checked or carry ons, types of items you can pack, etc)? This is a 12 day cruise!

 

You don't mention the second airline and that would be really helpful in answering your questions. But suffice it to say that 99% sure the Paris to Barcelona flight will have a luggage allowance of 20 kilos (44 pounds) per person. The AA flight will have a luggage allowance of 50 pounds per piece and two pieces per person. You can expect to pay about 1% of the first class fare for each kilo of luggage that it weighs over the 20 kilos.

 

So there is a real benefit if you can check your luggage in Dallas all the way through to Barcelona. That way, when you show up in Paris, you have a greater chance of the connecting airline not charging you for excess baggage. Of course they still might charge you but first they would have to figure out how heavy your luggage is (AA may or may not record it where you can find it). Also, you would need probably 2-3 hour layover in Paris in order to claim and recheck your luggage. Even without having to claim your luggage, it can be a mess in Paris.

 

Note that airlines do not need to be alliance partners in order for them to check luggage from one to the other. They just need to have "interline" agreements, which most of the major airlines have.

 

John

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