DU please Help! VivaMom is sick and I need to get home..

[Viva_La_Revolution]

I have the funds, but I need to figure out the cheapest fares from PDX to DIA to small hometown. The flights I can figure out, but how to get to McCook or North Platte from there?

okay, I admit I know not the first thing about this. I need to leave in a week (or less).

should I just call a travel agent?

help!

[Sedona]

1. try this

travelocity.com

[DURHAM D]

2. Try Expedia or Travelocity.

ETA: What airport is DIA?

[Viva_La_Revolution]

6. Denver

Little brother said maybe Amtrak from there, or fly to North Dakota and take a hopper flight to Nebraska (where it would be easier to pick me up)

my brain is just a scramble right now.

[DURHAM D]

7. Check Southwest

[DURHAM D]

9. What area in Nebraska

United and Delta fly into Lincoln.


ETA: Sorry, I see that you are going to North Platte. Check the bus also.

[smirkymonkey]

29. Kayak is a great website. It searches all of them.

Good luck and I hope your wife gets well soon!

[IdaBriggs]

3. Try Southwest - but I don't know which airport is DIA?

www.southwest.com

[Travelman]

11. Denver

A lot of people call it DIA for "Denver International Airport," even though that's not the airport code.

[Xipe Totec]

4. Priceline.com

If you don't have a priceline card, and sign up for it now, you'll probably get an extra discount.

Try it.

http://www.priceline.com/

[Tom Rinaldo]

5. There are some online fares only

It's been awhile since I did this so I', rusty, but there are web sites that compare best fares. I believe Kayak is one. Travelocity and Expedia are other options. Make sure you include surrounding airports in your search - sometimes an airport 60 miles away from where you want to fly has a fare much lower, making it worthwhile to take a bus or rent a car from there to you final destination. Do a Search for "Travel" and you will get more hits than the ones I mention.

[ellie]

8. I travel extensively for work and use Kayak

It searches the all of the travel sites. These sites also have deals on rental cars.

Are you flying from Denver to North Platte or driving?
If flying, here is a North Platte airport that flies daily to Denver via Great Lakes Airlines:

http://www.northplatteairport.com/

[Travelman]

10. "should I just call a travel agent?"

Fortunately, you have one right here.


There is air service into McCook and and into North Platte. You don't want to buy a ticket to Denver and then a separate ticket to Nebraska. It doesn't work that way. You want a "through fare," which means that the airline agrees to take you all the way to McCook or North Platte for a particular price.

If you can leave early next Wednesday morning, Frontier can get you to North Platte or McCook for $281 one way. All of the fares between Portland and those two cities are one-way fares, so you may as well just get there and then deal with the coming back when the time comes.



Holler if you need some help.

[DURHAM D]

17. Well, you learn something everyday...

I used to live in Denver and flew on Frontier all of the time back in the late 60s, early 70s. I knew they had gone out of business and until your post I did not realize they started up again. Thanks.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

18. Oh, thank you!

I had planned on Denver, then bus or train to get me closer to home.

I love you! I'll pm you if I need anymore help, but you may have just fixed it for me.

[Travelman]

20. No problem. Happy to help.

If you need them, the city codes for McCook and North Platte are MCK and LBF, respectively.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

24. I'm not finding as good a price as you did

and it looks like I'll have to leave earlier than tues, so I know it will cost more. Can I pm you tonight after I know how soon I can leave if I have any more questions?
You've helped so much already, thank you.

[Travelman]

26. No sweat.

That $281 is a 7-day advance fare, so if you have to leave earlier than Wednesday, the fare is going to be higher.

Shoot me a PM when you get the chance. I'm about to leave the office and I'll be home in about an hour, but I can see everything I need to see from home as far as the reservations system goes. There's bound to be a way to work something out.

[Sissyk]

30. Wow!

That is so nice of you, Travelman! Thank you for helping a fellow DUer.

[Travelman]

31. What good is anything if we don't help each other out?

Call it what you will: karma bank, Christian duty, just trying to be a decent and nice guy, whatever.

I'm here, I'm spending the time posting anyway, and there's someone who could use a hand. Just seems like the right thing to do.

[Sissyk]

32. Awesome!

[pinto]

19. +1

Nice input.

[dixiegrrrrl]

27. Can I call on you in July?

Mr. Dixie has to go to San Diego for a wedding.
He jsut got back from the first wedding in Ca.
and he went a bit nutz trying to figure out all the flying stuff, since the last time he had been airborne was 1999.
Before the TSA and all that....

[Travelman]

28. Sure, if you'd like

Just PM me sometime with the where and when on the wedding and I'll see what I can find. I can't do much about the TSA, though....


Disclaimer: I'm not here to drum up business. I'm just offering my knowledge to help someone out in a jam. Just so everyone understands.

[suffragette]

12. Here's a link for Trip Advisor with North Platte entered

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Flights-g45737-North_Platte_Nebraska-Cheap_Discount_Airfares.html

It searches different sites and also lists airlines that fly the route.

Travelocity and Kayak are fine, too.

Here's the FAQ link for North Platte airport. It lists the airline that flies there.
http://www.northplatteairport.com/travel_faqs.php#air_service

Here's the FAQ for McCook with phone number listed:
http://www.cityofmccook.com/FAQ.aspx?QID=74

Looks like Travelman has the best info in post above mine.

[uppityperson]

13. California Zephyr amtrak goes from Denver across Nebraska and stops at McCook. Here's the link.

http://www.amtrak.com/california-zephyr-train

For flights, try hipmunk.com


Sorry about your mom,

[Horse with no Name]

14. Amtrack

You can fly to Denver and take the train to McCook. It costs about $40 and 3 hours.
http://tickets.amtrak.com/itd/amtrak

[joeybee12]

15. Sounds like you're getting good advice...here's good vibes for you and your mom

[4Q2u2]

16. kayak

Kayak searches all those site at once and then gives you the best price. You can also filter it for dates and times.
Do not forget to call airlines directly after that and see if they have a sick or bereavement rate.

[Tace]

21. I Use Kayak, Too

It's a good service.

[dembotoz]

22. hey take care of vivamom and give her our collective love

good vibes to you and her

[pnwmom]

23. All good thoughts to you and your mom! Have a safe trip! n/t

[renate]

25. I wonder whether it would be useful to go incognito when you use kayak, priceline, etc

For example, with Chrome you can choose whether to open a regular window or an incognito one. I think I've read about how different people get different prices depending on their past purchasing history. Maybe you could try both ways and see whether you get a better price on one than on the other.

I could be completely wrong, of course--does anybody else who understands computers think this is a useful idea?

Edited to add: needless to say, best wishes to you and your mom.