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Need Advice Travel to San Antonio

Discussion in 'General Chat Forum' started by prasads, Jul 30, 2010.

  1. prasads

    prasads New Member

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    I have not been a frequent business traveler before but am going to travel to San Antonio (Mon-Thu) on a regular basis starting in September... unfortunately, I will be picking up the tab as well :)

    I had a few questions that I was hoping someone could advise me on:
    1. I don't see many (just 1 per day) direct flights from here to San Antonio - anyone have experience on this route? Would Austin be a better choice?

    2. If I book a ticket 3-4 weeks out through a site like kayak.com and change my plans, will there be a big penalty for pushing that ticket out to a later date? I usually see tickets being tagged "non-refundable" when I purchase from these sites but is that different from "postponing"?

    3. If I approach an airline directly, do they have the concept of a discount since I will be purchasing in "bulk"?

    Any other advice on preparing for frequent travel is welcome too.

    Thanks.
     
    prasads, Jul 30, 2010
    #1
  2. Zeratul

    Zeratul Well-Known Member

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    Make sure you check all three airports so you can compare schedules and options. Dulles is one of the most expensive airports in the country... BWI is much cheaper to San Antonio usually... and even when you consider transportation. Make sure you join or use the frequent flyer benefits too... you should be able to get some free upgrades flying that often.

    Go to Southwest's web site directly... they do not show up on most other web sites. Changing tickets will usually occur a fee of like $50-$150 depending upon the airline but that is where your frequent flyer status might help.

    Good luck... and yea, look into Austin as well, and rent a car perhaps. I have done this before and found it to be fun to have a car in that area for sight seeing. The rental car prices are not bad.
     
    Zeratul, Jul 30, 2010
    #2
  3. flynnibus

    flynnibus Well-Known Member Forum Staff

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    No one gives you discounts for buying recurring tickets. They'll try to thank you as a recurring customer with perks - not $$. But you might try calling their special services and see if they do anything... haven't heard of it though.

    Most discount sites operate on a 'ticket it now..' basis which means your ticket is issued and any changes are subject to the airline's cancelation/change policy. Traditionally with a travel agent you would 'book' your flight, but not issue the ticket until later. There was a time window between those actions.. think 'reservation' vs 'buying'. That isn't as common anymore, especially with any online site.

    Canceling or changing dates is all the same typically. The difference is only in how airlines will give you credit... some will give you a airline credit vs refund for certain actions.

    For flights don't forget you can leave from National too as a search option.
     
    flynnibus, Jul 30, 2010
    #3
  4. Villager

    Villager Ashburn Village Resident

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    The San Antonio airport isn't a big one. You'll probably need to make a connection through another city first. DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth) Airport is your best bet. If you fly Southwest they probably connect through Dallas Love Field instead but that may have changed in the 10 years since I've lived there. If you get a cheap flight from here to Austin, TX, San Antoinio is about an hour drive from Austin.
     
    Villager, Jul 30, 2010
    #4
  5. hometheaterguy

    hometheaterguy New Member

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    Southwest, BWI to San Antonio.
     
    hometheaterguy, Jul 30, 2010
    #5
  6. 1grtchr

    1grtchr Member

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    We have family in San Antonio and Dulles doesn't seem to have any direct flights into San Antonio. Southwest just opened up direct routes to SanAntonio out of BWI. A pain to get to, but might be worth the hassle to get a direct flight. I've been bugging my brother in law at Jet Blue to push for a direct route out of Dulles. The military bases near San Antonio are growing and great for the DC metro area to get more direct flights there.
     
    1grtchr, Jul 31, 2010
    #6
  7. prasads

    prasads New Member

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    Thanks so much for the responses...

    I am noticing quite a few direct flights from BWI to SAT which is a big relief; will keep that as the first choice... and oh, if we can get Jet Blue to fly direct, that would be awesome!
     
    prasads, Aug 2, 2010
    #7

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