Seek and You shall find
Apr 05 '07
The Bottom Line It's great knowing you scored a ticket for less than the major websites want. Going with a small company can really save you some money.
I was looking for airfares to go to Israel this summer and finally found the webstie www.airvalues.com.
Research:
Whenever I am looking for the best airfares I first go to the airline websites and look for the times that are suitable as well as the prices. Since I am going in May for 6 weeks I put in my dates and the airfare from San Francisco to Tel Aviv ranged anywhere from $1,300-$1,800 with taxes and fees.
Base Fare:
You need to look at the basefare and then you see wow what a great fare not! Some airlines like British Airways add taxes and other fees. This can add up to 400 dollars to your airfare.
Then it's time to look for consolidators. So I typed in Cheap Airfares+student. I came upon Airvalues.com and booked a ticket.
First things first:
Check to see if the website is part of the BBB and how long the company has been in business. Secondly have your dates in mind as well as a rough schedule of what time you would like to depart. Remember consolidator airfares are non-refundable like Priceline. So if you make a mistake in the name or dates then your out of luck.
Airvalues.com
This is a consolidator based out of Texas. Now you might not have heard of them until today because finding the best airfare can be with a small company. I entered my dates and came up with an airfare for $1,1280 with taxes. I could not believe my eyes because other websties adds fees and more fees. I got United Airlines and Lufthansa(a well-rated airline). The booking code is S which is a restricted non-refundable airfare. In my case I can get United Air Miles which was one of my requirements.
Flexibility:
In order to get this airfare I leave SFO at 6:55PM and arrive at Frankfurt the next day around 3. I then depart around 10:30 PM and arrive TLV at 3 AM. This is a great time to arrive since there are not many flights arriving and clearing customs will not be too bad.
On the return I had to stay in Frankfurt for one night. In my opinion I see it as a free stopover and I can do some serious shopping and enjoying a beer or two at the airport since it's open 24 hours. All my bags will be checked through.
Important Considerations:
The good thing about arivalues is that they tell you their terms and you have to click a box that you understand that you cannot change your ticket etc.
After I booked the trip I called United for my seat although it was airport check-in due to the number of seats United has released to the airport I was still able to add my Milage Plus(R) number. I then called Lufthansa and they got my seats and everything was squared away.
E-Ticket:
My E-ticket was completed the next day and I was confirmed. In a rare case airvalues would not accept the fare because they hold the reservation and it could change the next day.
Booking through airvalues proved to be a good move since I am flexible and I have nowhere to go except to my destination and home. So I was able to save money and I will be using the money saved for shopping. Also I'm flying on a respected air carrier and not some Aeroflot airline.
So all in all seek and you shall find and don't let the airlines steal your money. Remember the passenger sitting next to you could have paid $600 more for his or her seat when you got it for less. Remember the 14 and 21 day rule for the best fares.
Happy Travels.
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