i was wondering if commercial airlines offer cheaper military fares... i know about space a but im trying to get back and forth between flight school and los angeles, so space a really doesn't work...or does it? any ideas?
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airfare?
- Thread starter incubus852
- Start date
Space-A only works if you're not on a schedule, or have enough cash to buy a short-notice ticket when you get bumped or the flight gets CANXed. Not viable for quick trips. And anyway, the odds of you getting a reliable schedule Space-A flight between P'cola and anywhere near LA (maybe Travis or North Island...maybe) are pretty damn small.
Some airlines offer military rates, but they're not that big a discount (10%-15%). Not that I've seen, anyway.
Regular runs home to Cali are not in the cards for you, my friend. Your nights and weekends are not your own until you get to the Fleet.
Some airlines offer military rates, but they're not that big a discount (10%-15%). Not that I've seen, anyway.
Regular runs home to Cali are not in the cards for you, my friend. Your nights and weekends are not your own until you get to the Fleet.
Seriously, the internet is your friend. Try your hand at any of the big ticket broker websites. Occasionally you can score big on short-notice flights, esp on Priceline. Remember than while you're training your flight O is probably going to look askance on excessive numbers of out-of-bounds chits, and getting stuck on the wrong side of the country when your Sunday flight gets cancelled and you're scheduled to train on Monday is bad juju.
The "military rate" does exist if you call the airline directly or are at the counter at the airport. Some airlines require government orders, some don't. However the ticket rate at the counter is usually the anal-rape fare, and the savings will not beat the internet price.
The "military rate" does exist if you call the airline directly or are at the counter at the airport. Some airlines require government orders, some don't. However the ticket rate at the counter is usually the anal-rape fare, and the savings will not beat the internet price.
I think most of the majors military fares are a sham. Anytime I call they say there are no more military fares available. WTF?!?
The one airline I swear by though is Southwest. Everytime I call them and ask for a military fare they come through. It won't be as cheap as the cheapest online prices, but if you are short notice and the only fares are full price you will save. The only bad part is you can't check in online because they need to see your military ID, so you will most likely end up in the 'C' boarding group.
Another reason I love Southwest: their cancellation policy. Even if you have a non-refundable ticket they will at least give you full credit for the price you paid if you have to cancel. Yeah it's not as good as cash, but any other airline charges at least a $50 cancellation fee per ticket. I have cancelled many times with Southwest and they always give me full credits, and that's not just military.
The one airline I swear by though is Southwest. Everytime I call them and ask for a military fare they come through. It won't be as cheap as the cheapest online prices, but if you are short notice and the only fares are full price you will save. The only bad part is you can't check in online because they need to see your military ID, so you will most likely end up in the 'C' boarding group.
Another reason I love Southwest: their cancellation policy. Even if you have a non-refundable ticket they will at least give you full credit for the price you paid if you have to cancel. Yeah it's not as good as cash, but any other airline charges at least a $50 cancellation fee per ticket. I have cancelled many times with Southwest and they always give me full credits, and that's not just military.
They don't do the boarding group thing anymore... But I am told some Jack-ass still stand and wait in line...
Weird, they did it on the 2nd when I flew from MDW...
Military fare usually isn't the way to go. The only advantage I've ever seen is that they are cancellable for a cash refund with almost all airlines. That's supposed to be the good deal.
My favorite is kayak.com. It searches every broker site and every airline site all at one time. It's like dogpile.com for travel. After that it's onto Hotwire and the William Shatner site.
My favorite is kayak.com. It searches every broker site and every airline site all at one time. It's like dogpile.com for travel. After that it's onto Hotwire and the William Shatner site.
FormerRecruitingGuru
Making Recruiting Great Again
But does Southwest operate in Pensacola? I was going to say ExpressJet but they don't operate either. American is probably your best bet.
I swear by Kayak as well but I believe it does not cover all airlines, notably Southwest and JetBlue. I have not seen either one on the site.
Still a great resource and very useful.
Good point. Not when I was there.
Negative. New Orleans is the closest SWA hub.
Big fan of Kayak, unless you're going to tolerate the 3 hr drive to MSY.
~D
Do yourself a damn favor...tell mom and dad you love them and will spend more time AFTER you get winged. Just my thought as ASSOPS in a training squadron...
~D
I've had good success using flypensacola.com. They have a military rate button and I've gotten round trips to SOCAL for under $250. It's rare, but it happens. You will NOT be able to print the boarding pass at home thought because they need to see your Mil ID to give you the military fare, so plan your airport trip accordingly