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I Need Airfare Help!!!!

Started by MV/Liberace!, April 26, 2011, 10:29:13 PM

MV/Liberace!

I'm hoping someone here has experience with international airfare.  I need to book a flight from St. Louis, MO to Casablanca, Morocco... departing on/about June 29 and returning on/about September 21.  The cheapest round trip ticket I found today was around $1,770 after all taxes and fees.  Just a couple of days ago, I was finding tickets for around $1,650. 


I've even tried booking a one way ticket from St. Louis to the east coast and then a separate round trip ticket from there to Casablanca and back... with one more one way ticket back to St. Louis.  The savings are minimal by doing this... and it's also going to force a DOUBLE checking of bags, obviously... and a DOUBLE payment of fees associated with checked baggage since the bags won't be checked to the end of the trip in either direction.  No thank you.


I am going nuts with all of this.  The last time I bought international plane tickets was in 2008, and this time around, I'm finding it more difficult to sort through the noise.  I just CAN'T believe $1,770 is the best I can do here.  Can any of you help me out?  Any tips?

Usagi

I feel your pain.  A couple of weeks ago I had the same trouble trying to find tickets from Seattle to Vienna for next month that didn't kick me in the proverbial groin.  It's those taxes and fees that kill you... and then you feel like you need to jump on the first "decent" rates you see, because it might go up in 7 minutes (which it often does).

There's a few bmi flights for your specifications on cheaptickets.com for $1672 inc. crap.  Not that $200 makes a big ass difference when your dealing with the thousands of dollars... but I thought I'd try since I just went through it. :)

On a side note... I really recommend www.airfarewatchdog.com - you put in your hometown, and they email you alerts when random cheap rates come up (for instance, today, I could have grabbed a flight from Seattle to Las Vegas for $69).



George sucks

Just went looking to see what I could find... the same. You sound like you want a direct from U.S. at least, preferably STL to Casablanca. The only leads I've seen on getting to Morocco on the cheap is to book thru Europe.

If the price of oil takes another dive, flights might get cheaper. They sure have people over a barrel right now though... that is a small fortune to fly. 

slipstream

  Michael,


I am not sure about the North African market, however, I do regularly search fares for another region of the world.  It is summer so prices will be higher than most any other time of the year.  My best advice is to keep searching.  I've seen prices really high one day, and then, bam, the next day they'll drop the price 400 bucks.  International airfares are very difficult to predict. 


  Okay, so I have done several searches with different dates within the summer time frame.  All of them come out at about the same (1700).  I did find one fare on Iberia for 1530.  Looks like that market is pretty tight.    What have you paid previously?

MV/Liberace!

hi, slipstream.  i've taken this trip 3 times in the past, and i've paid anywhere from $840 to as much as $1100 or $1200.


that ticket on iberia... did you get that directly from iberia's website?  and on what dates?


by the way... that fare from st. louis to casablanca for $840 was KILLER.  and get this:  when i got on board the transatlantic flight from boston to madrid, it was one of those huge, new airbus planes.  and it gets better:  there were like 15 people on the plane.  that's right.  15.  i felt like i was in led zeppelin or something.

slipstream

   Michael,
I just searched again, and was not able to get that price for the dates I had searched previously.  I was searching from 06/29 till  08/17.   I use www.kayak.com to do a lot of searching. 


I did some searching after the summer period.  I found a short duration ticket for 1260, and then found a longer term (58 days) from 10/12 till 12/17 for 1327. Still a little higher than what you had in mind. 


Perhaps the airlines are waiting to find out how many people are willing to pay $1700 for a ticket before they reprice.  I hope this has been helpful.

MV/Liberace!

Quote from: slipstream on May 01, 2011, 08:42:02 AM
   Michael,
I just searched again, and was not able to get that price for the dates I had searched previously.  I was searching from 06/29 till  08/17.   I use www.kayak.com to do a lot of searching. 


I did some searching after the summer period.  I found a short duration ticket for 1260, and then found a longer term (58 days) from 10/12 till 12/17 for 1327. Still a little higher than what you had in mind. 


Perhaps the airlines are waiting to find out how many people are willing to pay $1700 for a ticket before they reprice.  I hope this has been helpful.
thanks for poking around for me.  i'm not sure what to do.  i'll probably wait another week or so and then just book the ticket, regardless of what it costs.  damn it.

MV/Liberace!

guess i'll add this to this thread.


we're flying my wife's mom here from morocco because the baby is coming soon.  she'll depart morocco on august 15th.  her mom doesn't speak a word of english and is illiterate (not uncommon for moroccan housewives of her age).


i booked the ticket as "handicapped but able to walk on stairs."  i'm hoping this will get her more help in finding her flights.  have any of you had experience with similar situations?  i could use some advice on how to make her flight easier.  i'm going to call air france and see what they have to say, too.

pate

Quote from: Liberace! on August 05, 2012, 01:42:48 AM
guess i'll add this to this thread.


we're flying my wife's mom here from morocco because the baby is coming soon.  she'll depart morocco on august 15th.  her mom doesn't speak a word of english and is illiterate (not uncommon for moroccan housewives of her age).


i booked the ticket as "handicapped but able to walk on stairs."  i'm hoping this will get her more help in finding her flights.  have any of you had experience with similar situations?  i could use some advice on how to make her flight easier.  i'm going to call air france and see what they have to say, too.

No help hear!

Eye tried "Water BGirf" but his wisdom over-ruled myne...

Shameful.

-p

MV/Liberace!

By the way, we always book my wife's mom as a wheelchair case. Heh heh. In fact, she's here now and it continues to work wonderfully. She gets through the lines in zero time and doesn't have to figure out where she's going. The person pushing the chair figures it out for her. I recommend it for anyone who might have trouble finding their way around an airport.

Quote from: Liberace! on November 07, 2019, 10:33:45 PM
By the way, we always book my wife's mom as a wheelchair case. Heh heh. In fact, she's here now and it continues to work wonderfully. She gets through the lines in zero time and doesn't have to figure out where she's going. The person pushing the chair figures it out for her. I recommend it for anyone who might have trouble finding their way around an airport.

I see asshoies doing that on my trips from the Philippines to the USA and back all the time.  They seem to think that they are more important than everyone else.  It's selfish and shameful behaviour.

Dr. MD MD

Quote from: DigitalPigSnuggler on November 07, 2019, 11:14:44 PM
I see asshoies doing that on my trips from the Philippines to the USA and back all the time.  They seem to think that they are more important than everyone else.  It's selfish and shameful behaviour.

Philippines? Heh heh. You really seem to gravitate to where the highest concentration of assholes are. :D

MV/Liberace!

Quote from: DigitalPigSnuggler on November 07, 2019, 11:14:44 PM
I see asshoies doing that on my trips from the Philippines to the USA and back all the time.  They seem to think that they are more important than everyone else.  It's selfish and shameful behaviour.

Since her mom is 72, doesn't speak a word of English, and is illiterate in her own language, how should we manage that? As BellGab's newfound beacon of morality and virtue, I'm sure you'll set us straight.

Jojo

Quote from: Liberace! on April 26, 2011, 10:29:13 PM
I'm hoping someone here has experience with international airfare.  I need to book a flight from St. Louis, MO to Casablanca, Morocco... departing on/about June 29 and returning on/about September 21.  The cheapest round trip ticket I found today was around $1,770 after all taxes and fees.  Just a couple of days ago, I was finding tickets for around $1,650. 


I've even tried booking a one way ticket from St. Louis to the east coast and then a separate round trip ticket from there to Casablanca and back... with one more one way ticket back to St. Louis.  The savings are minimal by doing this... and it's also going to force a DOUBLE checking of bags, obviously... and a DOUBLE payment of fees associated with checked baggage since the bags won't be checked to the end of the trip in either direction.  No thank you.


I am going nuts with all of this.  The last time I bought international plane tickets was in 2008, and this time around, I'm finding it more difficult to sort through the noise.  I just CAN'T believe $1,770 is the best I can do here.  Can any of you help me out?  Any tips?
Travel agents are free.


MV/Liberace!

Quote from: Jojo on November 08, 2019, 04:22:07 AM
Travel agents are free.

A few years ago I tried a couple and they were worthless, so I see why they're free.

Quote from: Jackstar on November 08, 2019, 04:24:33 AM
And, worth every penny.

Pretty much.

ItsOver

Quote from: Dr. MD MD on November 07, 2019, 11:31:00 PM
Philippines? Heh heh. You really seem to gravitate to where the highest concentration of assholes are. :D
The Filipino Pig Porker.  ;)  ;D

Quote from: Liberace! on November 08, 2019, 12:41:07 AM
Since her mom is 72, doesn't speak a word of English, and is illiterate in her own language, how should we manage that?

My mistake.  All of this information was in your original post, but I misread it as you "heh-heh"ing about being able to cut through lines.  I need to improve my reading skills.  Not my post reading skills, but my mind reading skills.

An alternative way to manage it would be to contact the airline ahead of time and explain your situation.  They will provide a concierge (someone fluent in the language, usually) who will accompany the passenger all the way to the gate, in much the manner that you describe.  Elderly or infirm passengers would be hauled around the terminal in one of those large capacity golf carts, which is actually faster and easier than a bogus wheelchair ride.  No knowledge about whether this will still allow the passenger to cut into lines, but that was never your objective in the first place, right?

Filipinos are notorious for demanding wheelchair service simply for the sake of cutting through lines and getting preferred boarding.  I've heard them openly brag about doing it.  How many people do you think might be truly in need of a chair for those going on a trans-Pacific flight?  Three?  On my last trip on Philippine Airlines, who indulge this behaviour, I counted 26 wheelchairs lined up in the boarding area.  That's about 10% of the flight.  And each one of them believing that their little deception doesn't make any difference.

Quote from: Liberace! on November 08, 2019, 12:41:07 AM
As BellGab's newfound beacon of morality and virtue, I'm sure you'll set us straight.

I am not particularly moral by most people's standards, and I am certainly not virtuous.  But I am curious: why do you support a president who wants to rip your mother-in-law out of that wheelchair and throw her in a cage?  Also, you might want to post about your situation over in the trump thread.  The sentiment there is that immigrants -- like your wife -- are leeching off the national purse and are driving long-term residents to flee to other states, thus tipping the electoral balance towards those goddamn liberals.  They really have a very low opinion of immigrants there, even the legal ones.  Any commentary to  the contrary is considered "fake news."  Perhaps you can offer a different perspective.  Let me know if you need a wheelchair to take you there.


Quote from: Liberace! on April 26, 2011, 10:29:13 PM
I'm hoping someone here has experience with international airfare.  I need to book a flight from St. Louis, MO to Casablanca, Morocco... departing on/about June 29 and returning on/about September 21.  The cheapest round trip ticket I found today was around $1,770 after all taxes and fees.  Just a couple of days ago, I was finding tickets for around $1,650. 


I've even tried booking a one way ticket from St. Louis to the east coast and then a separate round trip ticket from there to Casablanca and back... with one more one way ticket back to St. Louis.  The savings are minimal by doing this... and it's also going to force a DOUBLE checking of bags, obviously... and a DOUBLE payment of fees associated with checked baggage since the bags won't be checked to the end of the trip in either direction.  No thank you.


I am going nuts with all of this.  The last time I bought international plane tickets was in 2008, and this time around, I'm finding it more difficult to sort through the noise.  I just CAN'T believe $1,770 is the best I can do here.  Can any of you help me out?  Any tips?

This is missing some information that I would need to give you a full answer, and maybe it doesn't matter since your post is eight years old, but I am a regular international traveler and can offer this: I've found that there's a "sweet spot" for ticket prices that happens around three months prior to the actual flight.  This applies to trips between the USA and the Philippines, so I am not sure if that's the right number for Africa, or even if the effect exists at all for that region.  From that time until takeoff, ticket prices go steadily upward.  If this is a trip that you book regularly, it is worth looking into.  You might find some discussion about it on Internet boards related to travel in the region.

WOTR

Thread necromancy... It's a real thing.  ;)

I'm going to become "wheel chair bound" next time I'm destined for an unfamiliar airport. Seems like a great way to see the terminal without having to navigate it myself.

Quote from: WOTR on November 08, 2019, 10:03:59 PM
Thread necromancy... It's a real thing.  ;)

I'm going to become "wheel chair bound" next time I'm destined for an unfamiliar airport. Seems like a great way to see the terminal without having to navigate it myself.
It helps if you wear giant red shorts and record the whole thing on an iPad with monkey grip handles

WOTR

Quote from: Chocolate coated jackboot on November 09, 2019, 10:02:45 AM
It helps if you wear giant red shorts and record the whole thing on an iPad with monkey grip handles
I wish to appear physically disabled- not mentally disturbed.  ;)

*I could see George claiming to require a wheelchair. If he pretends to be both blind and lame he might get a sweet discount on airfare for sweet Kathy...

Jojo

Quote from: Liberace! on November 08, 2019, 07:42:01 AM
A few years ago I tried a couple and they were worthless, so I see why they're free.

Pretty much.
Sorry to hear.

Those of you who fake the need for a wheelchair...well, if you had any sense of shame or morality, you wouldn't be doing it in the first place.  But it seems that your little deception doesn't fool the stews, who have vocabulary to describe it:


Dr. MD MD

Quote from: DigitalPigSnuggler on November 10, 2019, 05:45:53 PM
Those of you who fake the need for a wheelchair...well, if you had any sense of shame or morality, you wouldn't be doing it in the first place.  But it seems that your little deception doesn't fool the stews, who have vocabulary to describe it:



Are you really trying to shame Lee for getting his mother in-law a wheelchair at the airport?!

BTW, how’s your filipino “stepdaughter” doing?

Quote from: Dr. MD MD on November 10, 2019, 05:55:14 PM
Are you really trying to shame Lee for getting his mother in-law a wheelchair at the airport?!

Sorry, but your voice is muffled when your nose is buried in his ass crack like that and I can't understand you.

Actually I don't understand you most of the time anyway.  Maybe it was those paint chips you ate as a child.

Dr. MD MD

Quote from: DigitalPigSnuggler on November 10, 2019, 05:58:15 PM
Sorry, but your voice is muffled when your nose is buried in his ass crack like that and I can't understand you.

Actually I don't understand you most of the time anyway.  Maybe it was those paint chips you ate as a child.

Quote from: Dr. MD MD on November 10, 2019, 05:55:14 PM
Are you really trying to shame Lee for getting his mother in-law a wheelchair at the airport?!

BTW, how’s your filipino “stepdaughter” doing?


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