quote:

Originally posted by SR:

Join the frequent flyer program. You might get lucky and get TSA pre check.

Or, you can open your wallet and let the moths out and pay $85.00 for 5 years of TSA Precheck. It's well worth every cent.

Which airport are you flying out of? NEVER fly through Charlotte, unless you're willing to be late.

Mondays are always behind, and the "late night" flights to MYR, has a 50% or so chance of making it. About half the time, they'll delay to the next morning, and its a hard airport to get a hotel in.

Nonstops, Delta and American are both fine. Some of the Delta flights have gotten cramped/just awkward even in first class. ("Big Seats" on Spirit, are more comfortable.)

TSA PreCheck is well worth it, but I fly every few weeks.

Go ahead and fill out all the membership info on the car rental, and go with whomever has the fastest process.

The nicest folks I ever rented a car from, was Enterprise, in Amherst MA - but it was winter in Wester MA, and Western MA seems to be full of nice people.

How far are you from Charlotte, Columbia to Charlotte is 90 minutes, American has a non stop from Charlotte to Bangor, 2 hr 30 min flight and zero lay overs.

I'd prefer the 90 minute drive and a non-stop to any layover connection in NY/NJ.

quote:

Originally posted by 4MUL8R:
1. I have found Expedia, the travel service app, to find the lowest prices. I was very surprised, as I normally use the airline sites. Expedia has found combinations of airlines that work hundreds of dollars lower. They offer car rental packages at discounted rates also. Again, I am surprised by their savings.

Word of caution, booking travel thru platforms such as Expedia, Travelocity, Kayak, Momondo, Justfly, etc..your recourse will be limited should there be any problems, as your transaction was with the website NOT the hotel, airline or car rental. By booking directly, those companies are obligated to accommodate you as per the legal fine print, versus, if you purchased through an aggregator/third-party; your priority will be below those of direct paying customers. In this era of less flights and over-booked flights, I'm not rolling the dice. I had booked a hotel room via Expedia, only to arrive and find out that the location was not accommodating Expedia bookings since Expedia had not paid the hotel for 60+ days. Perhaps things have changed but, that provided some insight into the relationship between Expedia and hoteliers.

One small exception is the use of Google Flights. Should you find what you like, you will be routed directly to the airline's website to continue the purchase, thus you're booking directly. I like Google Flights as their search features are a bit more robust along with being able to see pricing history and track its change.

quote:

Originally posted by corsair:
Word of caution, booking travel thru platforms such as Expedia, Travelocity, Kayak, Momondo, Justfly, etc..your recourse will be limited should there be any problems, as your transaction was with the website NOT the hotel, airline or car rental. By booking directly, those companies are obligated to accommodate you as per the legal fine print, versus, if you purchased through an aggregator/third-party; your priority will be below those of direct paying customers. Calling a website at 1am at O'Hare airport is no fun.

Precisely why I quit using travel platforms over 20 years ago and go directly to the Airline's website or hotel's website or rent a car's website.

I've had occasional problems and when you've booked direct, they get handled immediately and correctly.

quote:

Originally posted by Flash-LB:
Precisely why I quit using travel platforms over 20 years ago and go directly to the Airline's website or hotel's website or rent a car's website.

I've had occasional problems and when you've booked direct, they get handled immediately and correctly.

Same.
I ceased using outside sites after a few less than positive experiences. By constantly chasing the absolute lowest fare/price, I was setting myself up for disappointment. I'll occasionally roll the dice on Priceline for a premium hotel stay but, if the trip is business or, I'm overseas, I'm booking directly.

quote:

Originally posted by AUTiger89:
Also, which rental car service would you recommend?

Any of the majors. Avoid Payless, Dollar, Thrifty, Fox etc.

Once you decide on the rental car service, join their rewards program (ahead of time) to get a member number and create your profile (state DL, insurance, credit card). Then when you go to pick it up, make sure you utilize any of there "skip the line" options.

Lines at the counter happen when the agent has to enter all your details (DL, insurance options, CC, etc). No point in wasting the day standing in line.

Fly Thursday and return Tuesday.

Just remember, United Breaks Guitars!

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:
How far are you from Charlotte, Columbia to Charlotte is 90 minutes, American has a non stop from Charlotte to Bangor, 2 hr 30 min flight and zero lay overs.

I'd prefer the 90 minute drive and a non-stop to any layover connection in NY/NJ.

THIS!

We are flying to NH next month and even though Raleigh is closer to us we’ll be driving the extra hour to CLT for a direct flight to MHT. The overall time door to door is faster and there is fewer chance of delays.

Thanks for all the great suggestions, all!

However you do it, pay with AMEX. Any problems, they take care of it. I believe you get automatic flight insurance...check into it.

quote:

Originally posted by Flash-LB:

quote:

Originally posted by SR:

Join the frequent flyer program. You might get lucky and get TSA pre check.

Or, you can open your wallet and let the moths out and pay $85.00 for 5 years of TSA Precheck. It's well worth every cent.

I didn't mention because it sounds like they don't travel that often and they have a small airport where things tend to move pretty quickly. Granted, there might be TSA delays/lines on return trips.

At the risk of thread drift - before spending money on TSA precheck, one should really look at Global Entry. Not much more and it covers TSA pre-check as well as international.

Delta

quote:

Originally posted by SR:

At the risk of thread drift - before spending money on TSA precheck, one should really look at Global Entry. Not much more and it covers TSA pre-check as well as international.

A little more drift, Global Entry definitely the way to go and if you pay the $100 fee with an Amex Gold Card they will give you a $100 account credit.

quote:

Originally posted by Blackmore:
Delta

quote:

Originally posted by SR:

At the risk of thread drift - before spending money on TSA precheck, one should really look at Global Entry. Not much more and it covers TSA pre-check as well as international.

A little more drift, Global Entry definitely the way to go and if you pay the $100 fee with an Amex Gold Card they will give you a $100 account credit.

For an additional $15 above TSA PreCheck ($85), Global Entry ($100) provides you the benefits of TSA Precheck, along with a more expedited movement through US Customs when returning back into the US. GE requires an interview (mine was comically short)(and renewal was merely updating my online profile) with a Customs Agent, if you're traveling through an international airport, you can complete the interview at the airport you're traveling through. Just make sure you start the online application process beforehand and check that your airport's Customs office can accommodate.

Most full-featured travel credit cards will comp your charge for either TSA Pre and Global Entry, there's many but, familiar examples:
Amex Platinum and Gold
Chase Sapphire Reserve and Preferred
Citi Prestige
Capitol One Venture
most hotel top-tier cards
most top-tier airline cards

Enterprise owns National and Alamo
Avis owns Budget and Payless
Hertz owns Dollar and Thrifty

I have used Hertz as a Gold member to skip the lines--pre register with CC and DL. Don't get suckered into the Gold Member option on their website for a rental--always more expensive. ALWAYS go to the drop down area DEALS--either AAA or Destination Deals offer a better price. Search as a guest until you find a better price--then login as Hertz member to book.
My BIL has me book his rental car for him--I can always get him a better deal. (CDP or PC codes in AAA or over 50...)

quote:

Originally posted by 4MUL8R:
1. I have found Expedia, the travel service app, to find the lowest prices.

I'll say, use caution whenever using any third party booking sites and always double check everything with the actual carriers after booking.

I was in PHX in December at the Hertz counter and the guy in front of me was trying to pick up a rental that he got through either Expedia or Travelocity and the rep at Hertz couldn't find the reservation. Turns out it was for a local branch a half hour away from the airport, that was closed when he landed. That's how it found him a cheaper fare since it didn't have the airport fees.

Another option if you have the time…fly into Boston, rent a car and drive. It’s a beautiful drive.