Booking flights
- Thread starter lga
- Start date
In order to obtain a military discount with the airlines, you must call them directly to book the flight.
It has been my experience that the military fare is usually higher than what you can get the cheapest airfare for on expedia or even the airlines website. However, the military fare is usually refundable or can be changed without penalty.
It has been my experience that the military fare is usually higher than what you can get the cheapest airfare for on expedia or even the airlines website. However, the military fare is usually refundable or can be changed without penalty.
- Joined
- Jul 20, 2006
- Messages
- 3,948
I agree with bandit that fares on the discount sites are usually less that the military discount.
Here is our system for booking flights with our cadet, and it has worked very well for us:
We have an Orbitz account that both our son and we can access. Our cadet goes online when he knows his schedule and books his own flights. That way there is no miscommunication about the whens and wheres of his flights. The Orbitz system allows you to have several credit card profiles on the account. We have an agreement that we pay for three trips home per year, so when he books one of those trips he uses our credit card. We can look on the account and get the flight numbers and times without having to bug him about it. He also has his own card on file, so when he makes an extra trip home or flies to see his girlfriend, he pays for those flights. This system has been great for us because it gives him the responsibility of booking flights that work for him, and also lets us pay for some of his trips home. It's just a suggestion, but it has worked well for three years for this family.
Stealth_81
Here is our system for booking flights with our cadet, and it has worked very well for us:
We have an Orbitz account that both our son and we can access. Our cadet goes online when he knows his schedule and books his own flights. That way there is no miscommunication about the whens and wheres of his flights. The Orbitz system allows you to have several credit card profiles on the account. We have an agreement that we pay for three trips home per year, so when he books one of those trips he uses our credit card. We can look on the account and get the flight numbers and times without having to bug him about it. He also has his own card on file, so when he makes an extra trip home or flies to see his girlfriend, he pays for those flights. This system has been great for us because it gives him the responsibility of booking flights that work for him, and also lets us pay for some of his trips home. It's just a suggestion, but it has worked well for three years for this family.
Stealth_81
I would add to what Stealth said in that some airlines don't show up on Orbitz. Southwest and Frontier are just too examples. So don't just shop at one place.
We found that Southwest has a direct flight from Denver to our home airport that is convenient timewise and usually cheaper than most of the other airlines. Plus with southwest, you can change or cancel the flight without repercussions. A hint on Southwest too. Book two one way flights instead of a roundtrip flight. The cost is exactly the same. The difference is if later you find you need to change only one leg of the flight, you don't have to cancel and rebook the entire flight at the current rates, just the one leg.
We found that Southwest has a direct flight from Denver to our home airport that is convenient timewise and usually cheaper than most of the other airlines. Plus with southwest, you can change or cancel the flight without repercussions. A hint on Southwest too. Book two one way flights instead of a roundtrip flight. The cost is exactly the same. The difference is if later you find you need to change only one leg of the flight, you don't have to cancel and rebook the entire flight at the current rates, just the one leg.