Purchasing airfare (within the US)

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sarg

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#470424 18-May-2011 10:50

I booked from Alaska to Canada using expedia.co.nz without any issue using NZ credit card a few months ago for travel in July this year.

that would be an ecumenical matter

miamiheatfan

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#470449 18-May-2011 12:14

Alrighty, seems like expedia is the way to go :D

Thx y'all. :)

Technofreak

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#470727 18-May-2011 19:36

I know about 4 years ago I couldn't book a flight from within the US using my credit card but was able to get it done by getting my wife who was home in NZ to do it from here. I cannot remember now whether or not she did it on line or via a toll free number.

The Yanks can be funny people to business with, they won't always take your money.

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miamiheatfan

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#470751 18-May-2011 20:25

Yea they're really picky.

I don't know why they require a US billing address to book from outside the US.
There's a reason we're booking from outside anyway.......cuz most of us don't live there ! lolz.

Satch

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#471048 19-May-2011 12:25

I'm off to LA and Vegas in a little over 3 weeks time with a good mate of mine.

I booked all my own travel online as it often works out cheaper, plus a few of my ex's have been associated with the travel industry, so I've always been involved in organising my own holidays.

Plus to somewhere like the US, it isn't really that hard to do stuff for yourself. If I was going somewhere more exotic, I would probably use a professional...

Anywho, I booked LA - Vegas return flights directly online with AA and Delta, using a NZ credit card with no hassles whatsoever. Maybe other airlines are more strick than these two, but they didn't present any issues for me.

On a side note, my Auck - LA return flights (Vegas - LA - Auck on the return leg because they are back to back flights) are all funded from my Qantas Frequent Flyer points stash. But these "free" flights still ended up costing me almost NZD$400 in taxes and other surcharges. I can't really complain too much given the alternative of actually paying for the flights as well, but still...

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#471106 19-May-2011 14:10

I was in the US over Christmas and had to travel to Vegas from SF and my wife from SF to New York. I did all the bookings used www.travelocity.com since it gave me all the best fares and I used my NZ CC.

Just to show the difference in prices, UA from SF to LV was $440(US) while I flew Jet Blue (via Long Beach) for $240.

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miamiheatfan

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#471225 19-May-2011 17:53

Satch: I'm off to LA and Vegas in a little over 3 weeks time with a good mate of mine.

I booked all my own travel online as it often works out cheaper, plus a few of my ex's have been associated with the travel industry, so I've always been involved in organising my own holidays.

Plus to somewhere like the US, it isn't really that hard to do stuff for yourself. If I was going somewhere more exotic, I would probably use a professional...

Anywho, I booked LA - Vegas return flights directly online with AA and Delta, using a NZ credit card with no hassles whatsoever. Maybe other airlines are more strick than these two, but they didn't present any issues for me.

On a side note, my Auck - LA return flights (Vegas - LA - Auck on the return leg because they are back to back flights) are all funded from my Qantas Frequent Flyer points stash. But these "free" flights still ended up costing me almost NZD$400 in taxes and other surcharges. I can't really complain too much given the alternative of actually paying for the flights as well, but still...

Just with AA alone, did it not require you to have a US Billing address for your CC ?
I did a mock booking and when i came to the payment page that's what it says. (both on the international and US site)

Haven't tried jetblue tho. That's a massive bargain what lchiu7 found.

oxnsox

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#471241 19-May-2011 18:22

Starplay:
l43a2: whats wrong with using a travel agent ? less stress ;)

Usually much more expensive... Ive never found a travel agent that could meake a better deal than what I could find online.

True, but if you use an agent and miss a connection due to delays (customs/immigration/terminal changes) then you won't loose your seat.... they have a responsibility for you to make the connection.

And the other reason I don't mind paying more than the lowest fare is poor connections. I'd rather pay a few$$ more to get better connections than save $80 but have a 5hr wait for the next flight

lchiu7

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#471308 19-May-2011 21:11

Haven't tried jetblue tho. That's a massive bargain what lchiu7 found.

A friend and I were travelling from SF to Vegas for CES. He had to fly UA because the company was paying for it. I wanted to travel with him but it was way too expensive and Travelocity gave me the Jet Blue option.

Despite having to go through Long Beach, the flight was way better than his UA flight. JB claim the most leg room in coach and I can attest to that. Plus they had free drinks, nibbles, 10 channels of satellite TV and 100 channels of radio free. And the Airbus 320(?) was new and comfortable.

My friend got some nuts and that was all!

Staying in Wellington. Check out my AirBnB in the Wellington CBD. https://www.airbnb.co.nz/h/wellycbd PM me and mention GZ to get a 15% discount and no AirBnB charges.

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#471311 19-May-2011 21:16

miamiheatfan:
Haven't tried jetblue tho. That's a massive bargain what lchiu7 found.

$USD 240 from SF to LV is a bargain?

When I was there I saw tickets for $USD60 each way from three different airlines.

I suggest having a look at Southwest. Their prices don't come up on any of the comparison websites, but they're often the cheapest. They also allow you to cancel your flight and apply the credit to any other flight within 12 months, even on the cheapest tickets.

Satch

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#471535 20-May-2011 12:45

miamiheatfan:Just with AA alone, did it not require you to have a US Billing address for your CC ?
I did a mock booking and when i came to the payment page that's what it says. (both on the international and US site)

Haven't tried jetblue tho. That's a massive bargain what lchiu7 found.

Yep, direct on their website. I used one of the airfare comparison sites to find the best deals and then went direct to the airline's website to book.

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Satch

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#471536 20-May-2011 12:46

oxnsox: And the other reason I don't mind paying more than the lowest fare is poor connections. I'd rather pay a few$$ more to get better connections than save $80 but have a 5hr wait for the next flight

Say what? If the lowest fare is not at a suitable time then choose the next lowest(s) until you find a time that suits. Still doesn't require a travel agent to do this for you.

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