Our cruise to Alaska on board the Celebrity Mercury is approaching fast. The cruise is in mid June of this year. Unfortunately, we still don’t have our air arrangements for the cruise. The cruise is round trip out of Vancouver.
Air travel these days is unpleasant at best. I remember the days when air travel was fun and convenient. Today, the airlines have so drastically reduced the number of flights that it is hard to get travel on your schedule. The cost has significantly risen too. I guess the pressures to make a buck have scrimped them so hard, that it is us, the traveler, paying the piper.
When we booked the cruise, we started looking for low air fares to get us to Vancouver. The travel agent/cruise line wanted $500 a person for air fare in addition to the cruise cost. We thought that was high and said we would try to beat it. That was many, many months ago and we still cant really find a decent flight that beats that cost. Sure, with two stops or driving to a further away departure city, we can lower it a bit, but that’s not worth it. I would just as soon pay the high cost than those options.
Currently, you can find tickets for several hundred dollars cheaper than that price. However, the tickets must be used by like the end of March of April. In fact, I can get tickets for next week cheaper than in June. In the old days, purchasing early usually got you a good deal. Now, purchasing last minute is the best way to get a deal. For the last six months, the end date of the cheap tickets has moved to the right. Currently at March/April, I am hoping it will keep moving right with time. Only problem is that I am not sure I want to wait that close to the departure date to get my airline tickets. I just might get screwed even worse. Of course, there are a whole bunch of $500 tickets available today.
I tend to fly on American Airlines for business and it is my preferred airline. I think I currently have two frequent flier tickets available to Vancouver via mileage. We may just pull the trigger this weekend and get two $500 tickets and the two free ones. The frequent flier ones will disappear soon if we don’t act. I am not likely to find tickets for $250, so I would still be ahead of the game to get them now.
We have done some research on our next cruise too. Its really strange for but for three or four of our candidate options, the airfare will end up costing as much or more than a 10 – 16 day cruise. That doesn’t make any sense at all. Where is the Star Trek transporter room when you need it…
You and me both, brother! I might even be able to take a trip once in a while.