domestic flights within the USA

[bigjobs]

I need to book a US domestic flight for myself and wife. We need to get from Las Vegas or Los Angeles to New York.

Good websites for making the booking or any hot tips on which airline to fly would be good. don't really care about freq flyer etc, just after a good deal.

Cheers in advance.

 

[munitalP]

I have recently gone down this path to book wife LAX/LAS

After all the good advice given, the easiest and safest option was expedia.com

munitalP

 

[bigjobs]

I have recently gone down this path to book wife LAX/LAS

After all the good advice given, the easiest and safest option was expedia.com

munitalP

thanks. looking there now.

 

[neon_crossing]

I havent actually flown them but I was researching the same route and I would say have a serious look at Virgin America. Wifi on the flight etc, looks like it is a quality airline.

When I book domestic US flights I usually use expedia or matrix to search the flights and then book directly with the airline. Remember baggage is generally never included so you may want to look at adding it on the booking online or calling up after you have booked the flight to avoid having to swipe your credit card at check in and pay for it then.

-NC

 

[Fifa]

Don't forget to try Southwest.
They have good specials, their fares are changeable on-line and they allow 2 checked bags each.

 

[Fifa]

Also, be aware that a lot of US airlines charge extra for checked bags unless you have status.

 

[TimB]

For those who are used to economy class travel in Australia, coach class (i.e. economy) in the US on a legacy carrier (AA, United, Delta, US Airways) or LCC (Spirit, Frontier, etc.) can be a bit of a shock. The planes are often very old, they're cramped, the amount of stuff people carry on is beyond a joke, the service is often poor, and you'll usually pay for baggage, meals, and anything else they can think of. In my opinion, they're to be avoided if possible.

On the other hand, airlines like Virgin America and JetBlue are very good, or at least of a similar standard to what you'd expect from Virgin Australia or Qantas domestically in Australia. If you're at all worried about space, JetBlue has a 34" seat pitch as standard, which is 2-3" more than others. They even have an Even More Space option which costs extra (from about $30 I think) depending on how long the flight is; that gives you 38" seat pitch. Virgin America have a Main Cabin Select option, which is a quasi premium economy. As well as providing more leg room, they also bundle in meals, entertainment and baggage, that you'd otherwise pay for separately. However, the extra cost for MCS is significantly more than the upgrade on JetBlue.

While Virgin America and JetBlue both have fairly limited route maps, they both fly from LAX and LAS to JFK, which is lucky for you.

I'd use something like ITA (matrix.itasoftware.com) or Expedia to look for and compare flights, but then would book directly with the airline's website. There shouldn't be much if any difference in price, and if there are any problems, you'll end up dealing directly with the airline, rather than having to go through a middleman.

 

[pshepvic]

Virgin America are great - probably the best domestic carrier I've flown, and if you can, lash out on a First Class ticket!

Be aware that if you are looking at flying AA at all, their flights no longer appear on Expedia (due to Expedia's ridiculous billing policy where they charge the airline for every search result they appear in). Always check the individual airlines websites as well as sites like Expedia, because you'll often find it's cheaper direct with the airline, or in the case of AA, theyre not on Expedia at all.

 

[ozmille]

Only ever flow economy AA, American Eagle and Delta in the US, not one of them I would fly out of choice again (kup run maybe excluded as that would be in firtst). If I need to go to the US I will always try to get as close as I can to my destination using any other carrier and then preferably rent a car and enjoy the scenary


Sent from my iPad using Aust Freq Fly app

 

[dfcatch]

Agree with the comments regarding legacy carriers such as UA/AA/Delta.

That said - I have to give AA "most improved" recognition lately.

In 12 or so years of flying them, this last year they actually managed to impress me on several occasions. Maybe it's my low expectations, but the fleet upgrade amongst other things seems to have improved their overall service IMHO.

 

[SighMN]

I would as other say use programs like KVS availability tool or expertflyer.com to find the fares that are available for your dates (the advantages to these is that you can look at loads pretty easily via seat maps). I would then find out which airline I want to fly with and then book directly with the airline. It is very infrequent nowadays for websites like expedia to offer lower fares than the airlines themselves, and a lot of US airlines have a "low fare guarantee" which means if you find a lower fare on another website on the same day you purchase the ticket you can actually get the lower fare, plus a 20% off voucher for your next flight (this is for united but other us airlines have similar policies).

So even if you find a lower fare on another website you can still book on the airline's website and basically get that fare + the 20% off voucher. I'd always try to book with the individual airline. It makes life a lot easier as you can purchase the extras right away like extra baggage, food items, and even on some airlines cheap first class upgrades, or economy + type seating. On most airlines other than Southwest, it costs $25 to check-in a bag if you are in economy class.

I'd really say the airline you choose would be dependent on who your main FF carrier is and what agreements they have with USA airlines. That is usually what determines what US airlines I choose, but sometimes if the connections are horrible or the fares are horrible I'll use a different carrier. For example I'm using Delta for my JFK-MSP trip later this year as American (the airline that has a FF agreement with Etihad) had really coughpy connections. I'm travelling in first so the service difference is negligible. Although I have to say one time when the first class cabin was full and I needed to get from New York to Chicago in a hurry I flew American in economy last year and I was actually really pleasantly surprised. It was an MD-80 so it seemed a bit more spacious, but the flight attendants were really friendly and the seats were quite new and comfortable.

 

[RB]

JetBlue even more space was great when we used them on several flights in 2010-from the OP requirements, I believe they will do the job.

 

[nate89]

I flew AA LA-NY earlier this year and another return flight. It wasn't too bad as long as you ensure you get your seats sorted asap. I was stuck at the back near the loo on my return from JFK-LAX. Not fun. Having said that, while I am not short I am quite skinny so perhaps didn't find the seats as cramped as others would.

Sometimes the first class fare actually isn't too much more than what is available so keep an eye out for it. I was helping book a trip for a colleague and the difference between a standard rate fare and first class was $20 USD (SFO to SEA)!

 

[Baysider]

I'll add another vote for JetBlue - very pleased with them compared to other carriers. See JetBlue | Airline Tickets, Flights, and Airfare

If you want to search and book US domestic flights in AUD, I think we found Zuji good for this: Cheap Flights, Discount Hotels and Package Holiday Deals on ZUJI.com.au They're affiliated with Travelocity. Even managed to book JetBlue through them from memory.

 

[renzwiers]

Although I have flown Virgin America from Ft Lauderdale to LAX recently and can recommend them as a good quality domestic carrier (similar to Virgin Australia), I always check Southwest Airlines' prices on their website first as they offer good direct internet deals, have an extensive network, check-in baggage is included and at many airports you can check your luggage at a counter before entering the terminal even! Although they don't have reserved seating, the boarding process is quite painless.

 

[gwilli1]

I have travelled quite a bit domestic US & you cant go past Virgin America , a close 2nd would be Jetblue & if your looking for free luggage , it pains me to say , but Southwest are great in that department.

 

[Black Bart]

I need to book a US domestic flight for myself and wife. We need to get from Las Vegas or Los Angeles to New York.

Good websites for making the booking or any hot tips on which airline to fly would be good. don't really care about freq flyer etc, just after a good deal.

Cheers in advance.

Expedia works well for me, a couple of years ago I booked 4 flights with Expedia via the web spread over several weeks with breaks in between, LA to Vegas, Vegas to LA, LA to Vancouver and Vancouver to New York without a hitch and inexpensive. Cheers

 

[Onepoppa]

I will just add to what others have already pointed out. Look at one of the proprietary websites like Expedia, Travelocity, or a specific airline search website like Kayak to see a schedule and costing and then log on to the website of whatever airline you choose and look at the fare - it will generally be a little cheaper. Not sheep stations but worthwhile savings and you are dealing with the airline direct if there are schedule changes and the like you will get direct notification.

From my experience ALL US airlines are like a bus. Even so called full service airlines will only feed the cattle on flights over 3 hours. Anyone used to a QF breakfast domestically or any international meal will gag at the "danish" and coffee in a styrofoam cup that you are likely to get in the US.

 

[Blackadder]

If FF points/sc's are not a concern, personally would look at SouthWest for the 2 free bags, plus free Soft drinks etc.