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Week Around the Ists
A lot of us over here have friends that we miss terribly over in the U.S., but our repeated pleas to have them come and visit are usually met with a sad shrug and something along the lines of, “We're in the middle of an economic crisis over here. I ain't got funds, man.”
So when we see a deal like this, we gleefully forward it to everyone we know, just hoping someone will bite: To celebrate their new nonstop route, Continental Airlines is flying people between New York (and other U.S. locations) and Shanghai for $315 each way from March 25 to May 31.
Sure, that's $315 before they add excise tax, passenger facility charges, September 11th security fees and anything else they can come up with before you hit the pay button... and since it's a U.S. airlines flying out of Newark, you can probably expect to be twiddling your thumbs on the tarmac for half your trip and then arrive here to find your luggage lost... but have you ever seen a base fare so low? That's cheaper than flying to Mexico!
Please come on over, guys? We've got a really comfy couch prepared all nicened up for you.
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If everyone could hold off on buying their tickets until I have chance to buy mine that would be great thanks.
Hey everyone, as a former travel agent in the States, I feel I should warn you about some caveats to fares like this one:
1. Keep in mind that this fare is each way, but that you can't get this fare if you want a one-way/single ticket. One-way international tickets that are offered directly by the airline are usually priced very differently from one-way domestic tickets, which are a lot less than the roundtrip fare. So the true cost of the round-trip ticket is actually $315 x 2 = $630, and this is before taxes. I've been out of the industry for almost 2 years now, but in my day taxes on an international flight like this are at least another $200, and possibly as high as $300. So your out-the-door cost will be something like $900, give or take about $50. This is much different from the $315 that the airlines use to pique your interest.
2. This fare is usually available on certain days (i.e. Monday-Thursday) or within a certain window of time, and it's definitely a low-season fare (i.e. not a summer fare, since low season usually ends around the end of April, depending on the airline). If you are very flexible on when you can depart and return, you give yourself the best shot at getting this fare. But if you absolutely must fly on one or two specific days, this fare is probably not available for you. Furthermore, since this is their lowest fare on this route, it will sell out faster than other, more expensive fares (airlines will only sell a certain # of seats on a given plane at this price before retracting the offer). So if you want this ticket, book as far in advance as you can.
3. The easiest thing to do is go on Continental's website, since airline website usually offer the best deal anyways (travel agents will usually charge you a booking fee or steer you towards the airline that gives them the greatest commission). Or you can go to a comparison-shopping website like Kayak.com or Mobissimo.com and have them search multiple websites (including the airline websites) for you.
Sorry to be a Debbie Downer everyone. It's just I saw too many people walk into our store expecting to pay $315 for a roundtrip ticket, including everything, and then suffer sticker shock and leave in a bad mood. Don't want that to happen to anyone if it doesn't have to. But hey, it never hurts to ask if it's available- just expect to pay more, and then if a lower fare is available you can be pleasantly surprised.
Happy travels everyone, if you're going to NYC I'm jealous!
A few weeks ago I bought a R/T ticket for my son on American Airlines website from Boston to Shanghai for $640 USD. Taxes were $72 USD. The deals are out there as airlines try to weather the storm. Best bet is to go directly to their website. He is traveling here mid April. Verry happy he is making his first visit and that he picked the right time as Dad is picking up the tab. Cheers
I agree with Rick Thomas. $315 for one way trip before taxes is an ok deal at best. Just 3 weeks ago, I was able to book a RT ticket to Hong Kong for $725 with taxes and I could've gotten it for $700 if I left on Thursday instead of Friday. And it cost more to than to fly to Mexico as my co-worker brought a round trip ticket to Mexico City from NYC for $420 with taxes.
Again, Continental's actual offer is NOT $315 + taxes for a one-way ticket. It's actually $630 + taxes for a roundtrip ticket. The airlines quote the price for each leg of the flight in order to make it sound cheaper, but they require you to purchase both legs for $630. I know, it's shady, right?
I just checked CO's one-way prices on a Shanghai Pudong - Newark flight for several dates (April 15, 16 and 17) and their lowest fare for these dates was CNY 4,950 plus taxes, or CNY 6,221 including taxes. If my math is right, this is USD $722 plus taxes, or USD $909 after taxes. I also checked their roundtrip fares . The base fare was slightly less than I thought they would be, but the taxes were slightly more than I thought they'd be, so it cancelled out- CNY 3,880 plus taxes, or 6,260 inc. taxes (USD $567 before, USD $915 after taxes). The dates I used were April 17 outbound PVG-EWR, and April 29 inbound EWR-PVG, and those were the new nonstop flights.