Your Air Travel Survival Guide

Flying used to be fun and, not too long ago, cheap. Adios to all that. With summer travel just around the corner, flying to see the cousins requires saving up for six months and even the best airlines, like our favorite (hello individual TVs!), are cutting back and socking passengers with their skyrocketing fuel costs. USA Today recently put forth an alarming forecast for the summer and my own research into routes we normally take to visit family and friends show prices that have nearly doubled since last year. Note to self: Buy ‘Oma’ Doris a computer and webcam for the same price as two round trip tickets from JFK to Detroit.

If you need to fly this summer, plan as much as possible for the cost. Save ahead of time and book your flight as early as possible. I like using multiple sites for comparison-shopping like Orbitz, Expedia and cFares, but my single friends with more flexible schedules like Priceline and HotWire for last-minute deals, co-workers suggest Kayak.com and AirFareWatchDog. Some of these sites tend to not list flights and prices from low-cost carriers like Southwest and Spirit, so make sure to check their Web sites as well. And for detailed travel info on your airline, seating diagrams and in-flight amenities, head to the very fun and resourceful SeatGuru.com.

Have you canceled or changed any travel plans this summer due to pricey flights? What’s your favorite low-cost airline or travel-shopping site? What are we going to do if this keeps going until Christmas?


I was booked on a business trip returning from Las Vegas on the Redeye on American Airlines and decided to check on my seat assignment online (at SeatGuru.com (great site)). I went to the AA website and looked up my reservation and noticed they'd changed my return to an A.M. flight the next day. Didn't tell me, my company or anyone and the trip was less than 30 days to go. Luckily, I was able to re-book almost identical times using Delta so they will get my business from now on. Say goodbye AA to this customer. If I had not decided to check my seat (to ensure a window seat) I would have been completely at a loss and had to use the Redeye to make it home in time for my daughter's ballet performance.  --Ralph, FL

Posted on: 09 Jun 2008 4:09 P.M.