Last-minute fares. I’ve used them a ton through the years: Weekend airfare special to Seattle? Let’s go! Need me in Toronto tomorrow for work? Fine, the company will pay for it.
But a family emergency wherein I need to get to a specific destination, across the country, as soon as possible, on my own dime? Last week, I faced that problem for the first time in my life…and spent precious hours weighing travel options, at a time when my brain was scrambled and every hour mattered.
Since I love to pass on my hard-earned travel lessons, I thought I’d share the choices I considered that day, the ones I didn’t, and what I learned along the way…so, unlike me, you can have a turmoil-free game plan well before that crisis-call comes in:
TRAVEL VOUCHERS: If you have a free/discounted travel voucher from an airline, check the fine print. I had one I thought I could use, but it required a 2-week advance purchase. Not gonna work!
CREDIT CARD MILES/POINTS: I had points. I had miles. But they were scattered among different cards, the redemption programs all worked differently, and nothing added up to a free flight. One credit card required more miles. One would take 10 days for me to transfer miles to an airline mileage program. The third had a per-point dollar value that I could apply toward the cost of airfare. Lesson learned? If you get/have a credit card just for the travel “miles/points,” know how your card’s program works well before you need to cash in--and use just one card for purchases, so your miles can actually add up to something usable.
AIRLINE “BUDDY PASSES”: With six degrees of separation, someone in your network just might know an airline employee who can spare a “buddy pass.” Although I passed on this option because you have to fly stand-by, it can be one of the cheapest alternatives out there.
BEREAVEMENT FARES: With a Bereavement Fare, an $800 ticket would have cost $600--still too steep. You can do better with a regular fare on a bargain airline...and you won’t have to prove that someone was actually sick or dead.
LAST-MINUTE FARES & LOW-COST AIRLINES: Check Kayak.com before wasting time on anything else. This site will pull-up 95% of the cheapest options out there and provide a comparison starting point. I found fares $200 lower than a Bereavement Fare here, but that still wasn’t cheap enough. I ultimately flew out using…
FREQUENT FLIER MILES: If you got ‘em, this is what they’re for: emergencies. If you don’t have enough miles for a free flight, your airline may allow you to buy more, for still less than a low-cost fare. Plus, since you probably can’t predict how long you’ll need to be gone, a miles-flight allows you to continually change your return date, for free. You might have been saving these miles for a dream trip to Belize, but Belize will still be there in a year--your sick grandfather might not.
About the Author: A former Hollywood producer and now 2nd-generation travel professional, Susan Michelle travels the planet as the “face” of the fashion-forward Compass travel lifestyle brand. For more articles, tips, and hot spots from Susan, and community with fellow Cosmopolitan Travelers, visit http://www.CompassTravel.info. Or write her directly at Susan-Column@CompassTravel.info.
