I've been watching airfares from Providence, RI, to Savannah since early May when we registered. They seem to be hovering in the $400+ per person range. I did find a few cheaper ones at one point around $350 but they involved travelling anywhere from seven to nine hours with either two stops along the way or very long layovers!!!
I did also find a few slightly cheaper fares flying into Jacksonville or Charleston; however, once a rental car/drive was factored in, they really didn't make much sense either.
At some point I may just give up and pay whatever we need to in order to get a decent schedule.
What kind of fares are others finding from other parts of the country??
(Title of post changed by kaydee-- with Suzanne's permission-- to reflect the nature of the ongoing discussion)
This message has been edited. Last edited by: kaydee,
Suzanne, I paid RT from Boston $363.00, (unfortunately) on US Airways, but I'll hope for the best! I bought my tickets early June. (Bos-charlotte-Sav).
From the West Coast, they're still high, hovering around $500. So, we're waiting to see what the fall sales might bring. Right now, on AA, LAX-ATL-SAV, it's $508, a little less from Ontario, and this is for flights at 6 am.
I'm waiting to see when AirTran extends their schedule to those dates; it might be six months in advance. It will also be interesting to see if AirTran succeeds in taking over Midwest Airlines and how Midwest Miles will be converted.
Well, it's a long road from here to there for me...almost 8 hours from Edmonton-Chicago-Savannah. That's the most direct route I can find, so I'm looking at that very seriously. Now, at $930.44, I'm going to wait for a better price later on. I only wish I'd find the flight for $500, Marcia!
I just found the same Air Canada flight to Atlanta instead of Savannah for cheap-cheap-cheap! $172 each way! Mind you, that's travelling before December 15th, so I'd be there and no one else would be with me...not a good idea, I guess.
"When you think about flying, it's nuts really. Here you are at about 40,000 feet, screaming along at 700 miles an hour and you're sitting there drinking Diet Pepsi and eating peanuts. It just doesn't make any sense." ~ David Letterman Brenda
I've just discovered that Southwest flies from Providence to Jacksonville (1 stop). Of course, they are only taking reservations through January right now, so I'll check back later and see if their fares + car rental make any sense.
Unless, of course, I find some other fantastic deal first.
I just found the same Air Canada flight to Atlanta instead of Savannah for cheap-cheap-cheap! $172 each way!
Brenda, Might it not be worth it to fly into Atlanta and then rent a car from there? For the difference in fares, I think I would. A chart I just found lists the distance between the two cities at 226 miles, I agree a bit much. (Of course, we're driving from NC, so I haven't been concerned about airfares.)
And, Nancy, the same chart lists the distance between Jacksonville and Savannnah at 121 miles, all-in-all not too bad.
I looked at flying into Jacksonville, but with the connection times, it seemed like it would take a lot longer than I wanted from our coast, plus we would arrive in J'ville very late at night, then have to drive to Savannah.
Just did a airfare comparison and here is what I found for Savannah fares so far. Still hoping for the usual Fall/Winter Sales from airlines.
Los Angeles-Savannah- Fares are averaging $545.10 with tax and one stop.
Providence-Savannah- Fares are averaging $406.60 with taxes and one-stop.
Edmonton-Savannah-Fares average $892.00 with taxes and one stop.
As everyone knows, there are many variables with fare searches. I was only looking at the dates for an April 4th departure and April 6th return. You could find less expensive fares if you leave earlier and return later.
Best bet is to do a couple of searches a day (which is what I do) to find the best fares.
"Give www.mobissimo.com a look. It compares hundreds of other websites and displays the flights by price from the lowest to the hightest and then redirects you to the website of the company that you select.
Sometimes the airline's website is listed and sometimes it is not, but you can find the lowest price and then go to the airline website for comparison."
I found this on another travel site and noticed you can put in U.S. or Canadian currency. ie: Edmonton to Savannah.
Thank you so much for your help, June, Ann and Leslie! It's wonderful to have such experienced travellers looking out for me!
quote:
Brenda, Might it not be worth it to fly into Atlanta and then rent a car from there? For the difference in fares, I think I would. A chart I just found lists the distance between the two cities at 226 miles, I agree a bit much. (Of course, we're driving from NC, so I haven't been concerned about airfare
Ann, I thought seriously about doing this, however I'm at the end of a long travel day by then and all I'll want to do is take a cab to my apartment in Savannah, unpack and have something to eat. My travel day will start with a 3.5 hour drive to Edmonton, either that morning or the afternoon before the flight with an overnighter in an airport hotel. Then, I will have a 7 - 8 hour flight with connections and that's about it for me! So, I've let that idea go, because it'd be way too much for me.
Currently, the best flight I've found so far is Air Canada from Edmonton - Chicago - Savannah & return is $879.09. That's a departure at 1:00 P.M., which allows me to drive to the airport that morning, rather than staying overnight at a hotel. I find a better price flying to Savannah on a Thursday and back on a Monday. Interesting!
I'm just waiting and watching to see what schedules the airlines create in the next few months! I'm so happy that I'm actually able to be in Savannah for a week and a day or two. Can you imagine how well I'll be able to lead y'all to every one of those great eating/shopping/drinking/people watching places???
"If God had really intended men to fly, he'd make it easier to get to the airport." ~ George Winters Brenda
I don't know what your schedule is, but couldn't you come a day early, fly into Atlanta, spend the night and then leave for Savannah first thing in the morning?
Ooooooooh, yes, I like that idea, Ginger! I'd get the cheaper fare, a shorter travel day and an overnighter in Atlanta...and get to meet some fantastic people for a luscious drive between Atlanta and Savannah! I have lots of time before booking my flight, so if anyone else wants to meet me in Atlanta and drive with me, let me know!
Thank you, Ginger that is a stellar idea! That's also a perfect example of my own tunnel vision...not seeing anything beyond my own nose, but the long travel day. Never thought to break it up!
"Just get on any major highway, and eventually it will dead-end in a Disney parking area large enough to have its own climate, populated by large nomadic families who have been trying to find their cars since the Carter administration." ~ Dave Barry Brenda
Hmmmm, une petite boo-boo of mine, pointed out by Janie. (Thanks, Janie!) I am arriving a week early, so likely no one will be there to ride with me from Atlanta! I never thought of that, but, Janie's sharp eye caught it! So, back to Plan A...Edmonton - Savannah via Chicago, I guess.
"The saying "Getting there is half the fun" became obsolete with the advent of commercial airlines." ~ Henry Tillman Brenda
I reiterate that when AirTran opens its schedule to these dates, there should be a drop in fares including on other airlines. I don't know if AirTran does interline ticketing--I'm thinking not--so I note that they have fares between Atlanta and Savannah starting at $54 each way, plus taxes and fees, and Delta matches it for dates that AirTran's schedule is open. People coming from Canada in particular might see how it works to fly whatever's available to Atlanta, and add a separate ticket to Savannah (allowing lots of time to connect).
Thanks, Andrew... Because I'm already into the trip for over 7 hours with 2 plane changes, I would much rather fly direct to Savannah and eliminate the 3rd plane change, Atlanta to Savannah.
I was considering flying into Atlanta and staying overnight, then driving to Savannah the next day with any ST'ers that might be going there from Atlanta. However, because I'm arrving a week earlier than most others, that won't work for me.
Looks like it will be Edmonton-Chicago-Savannah for me! Thanks for the info, though.
Laws of Flight: 1. The strength of the turbulence is directly proportional to the temperature of your coffee.~ Gunther's Laws of Flight Brenda
Well Jen, you're making me reply from Portugal! I've heard that AirTran generally opens schedules about six months early, now it's open to the daylight saving time change mid-March so it might happen soon. If I'm not alert to it, you can subscribe to alerts from Orbitz as to when fares on the route for those dates go below a certain amount.
I'm back from Portugal now, and AirTran has extended its schedule. They have fares from Kansas City April 4-7 starting at $254, but no one else is matching that yet. Since the AirTran takeover of Midwest isn't happening, a trip with them would be useless to me from a frequent flyer standpoint and I'd rather go with someone else. Southwest (SWA) plans to extend its schedule to these dates on Nov. 8; that could influence other airlines to set sales even though SWA doesn't go to Savannah. Taking SWA to Jacksonville is something I'd consider; if so, it would be nice to get into a car pool.
On the one hand, I was uncertain about booking the trip this early, while paying off a trip to Europe; on the other, I was obsessing and checking fares daily. When a fare from Kansas City turned up at under $300 on an airline where the miles earned are useful to me, I took the plunge and booked.
It's not great that it's on not-very comfortable ERJ planes and an indirect route through Cleveland, but I'll make the best of it. Continental is inaugurating its Cleveland-Savannah flights a month before this, and it's part of an introductory fare sale on this route; the sale ends Sept. 28.
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