Question about airfare for 2009 Road Trip

upnorthchick

upnorthchick

Cathlete
I found a ticket from Minneapolis to Philadelphia (PHL) for $313. Arriving PHL Thursday at 11am and leaving PHL Sunday at 2pm. I'm pretty sure I should buy it right now, but I don't want to "jump the gun" on anything.

These are good times, right? I don't think the price will go down...

Also, anyone ever fly Midwest Airlines?

This is my first road trip and I'm very excited, but a little nervous because I don't know anyone...:eek:

Thank for your help!

Lisa
 
upnorthchick said:
I found a ticket from Minneapolis to Philadelphia (PHL) for $313. Arriving PHL Thursday at 11am and leaving PHL Sunday at 2pm. I'm pretty sure I should buy it right now, but I don't want to "jump the gun" on anything.

These are good times, right? I don't think the price will go down...

Also, anyone ever fly Midwest Airlines?

This is my first road trip and I'm very excited, but a little nervous because I don't know anyone...:eek:

Thank for your help!

Lisa
Click to expand...

That's a good question! I have a question to add on, also...
I found a good price from Portland ~ $468. It arrives Thurs night at around 11:30pm, departs Sunday afternoon. Do you think that is too late to arrive in Philiadelphia? Getting a shuttle at that time is going to be hard, or even a ride from someone(I'd pay them). Probably a $50 taxi ride at that time of night. I bet i wouldn't get to the hotel until 1:00, into bed at 2:00, then maybe too tired for the Friday morning exercise class.
Would an experienced RT person arrive Wednesday night instead? i don't think there are middle of the day arrivals from PDX/Portland (but, I haven't researched it much!)

I'm also in the same boat as you (first time RT, excited, and nervous because I don't know anyone either...)

thanks!:D
 
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llp said:
That's a good question! I have a question to add on, also...
I found a good price from Portland ~ $468. It arrives Thurs night at around 11:30pm, departs Sunday afternoon. Do you think that is too late to arrive in Philiadelphia? Getting a shuttle at that time is going to be hard, or even a ride from someone(I'd pay them). Probably a $50 taxi ride at that time of night. I bet i wouldn't get to the hotel until 1:00, into bed at 2:00, then maybe too tired for the Friday morning exercise class.
Would an experienced RT person arrive Wednesday night instead? i don't think there are middle of the day arrivals from PDX/Portland (but, I haven't researched it much!)

thanks!:D
Click to expand...

That's a toughie, if the price is good, you may just want to do that and deal with being a little tired at the morning class. You will have plenty of time to take a nap afterwards. If you come up Wednesday night, you'll have to pay for another night at the hotel. I will be getting up at 3:00 a.m. and driving to Cathe's morning class. I've done it twice before and survived both times. I took a long nap afterwards though!

Oh, and there is a airport shuttle service that Cathe will recommend when they post the details for travel, hotels, etc... You schedule your pick-up with them ahead of time and I'm sure they will pick you up whenever you need them to.
 
that's good to hear that the shuttle will pick me up! Guess I will find out those details later from the coordinators. I flew into Philly 2 years ago later at night(about 11:30) with my son and our hotel did not have a shuttle that late, so we had to pay for a Taxi to Cherry Hill(I think) area. He was about to take the wrong exit(luckily I had directions printed out from google) and I got him going in the right direction! I didn't need more $$$ added to my taxi bill of $50. Aaaaand, they didn't take a credit card, plus it was a scuzzy, dirty cab inside! Another night might not be bad, then I could possibly site see, or rest up. Depends on the cost. Or, take a nap--I like that idea!! Do lots of people take naps? Geez, I have a lot of questions, don't I! :confused: You can tell this is my first time.

thanks for your answers!:D
 
Well, the official Cathe RT events do not start until Friday night, so for me Friday afternoon was nap time! :) Once the events get going though, there is no time for naps. In fact, I found there was barely enough time for showers during the day. You will find out ALL kind of tips from the coordinators soon. They will even give you a packing list. Those gals have this down to a science. Last year, we had a tip thread too where everyone posted good advice for the trip. The shuttle service is called "Rapid Rover". It's more of a "Limo/Sedan" company than a hotel shuttle, so they pick people up all hours of the day/night. :)
 
I think I'll buy the ticket since it seems like a very good price to me...it's hard to get a good deal flying out of Minneapolis...and the departure/arrival times seem really good.

Can't wait to meet you both!!

Lisa
 
I will try to respond to each of your questions.

Lisa, your times look perfect. I would book. Midway Airlines is a great airline where all seats are like first class seats; only 2 seats per side instead of 3. They even serve you a chocolate chip cookie (or they did a couple years ago). :)

Linda: I would seriously look for earlier arrival into Philly. Late night arrivals could mean cancellations in the event of weather or equipment failure. If this is the last flight of the day (which I'm guessing is the case), then you will won't arrive into Philly until some time on Thursday. Coming from Portland, I suggest you either look for an early morning departure with arrival around 4:00 in Philly). The other option is to take a red eye and arrive early Friday morning.

I DO WANT TO STRESS THAT WE ARE WORKING ON AN AGENDA. As soon as we have it completed, we will post this along with hotel, shuttle, travel, and packing suggestions.

Your 2009 Coordinators,
Kathy, Debbie, and Lorrayne
 
Thank you so much Lorrayne!! I will book the flight, enjoy the choc. chip cookies, then work them off during the Friday morning class :D

Lisa
 
thanks Lorrayne on the airline tip. I will see what I can find.
i do want to arrive wednesday or thursday(I think) to be there for Friday's activities. I don't mind getting there early for lounging around or site-seeing. I will start looking for early departure from PDX...

thanks again & I'm excited to meet you three who have posted on this thread!

;)
 
Lorrayne: What time can we safely book a flight on Sunday and not miss out on anything? Should we shoot for early afternoon? Thanks!
 
orphylea said:
Lorrayne: What time can we safely book a flight on Sunday and not miss out on anything? Should we shoot for early afternoon? Thanks!
Click to expand...

Hi Patti,

We are still working on the agenda, but I would suggest anything around 2:00 would work. I would try to depart Philly no later than 4:00 to avoid the afternoon thunderstorms. 4:00 is pushing it weather-wise, but I wouldn't go for anything later in the afternoon. 2:00-3:00 would be a good window. However, as last August trippers remember, thunderstorms rolled in the early afternoon and lasted until 5:00 or so.

With this in mind: try to schedule a nonstop flight to your destination if possible. I would also opt for a larger aircraft than a prop plane. Chances are greater that your flight won't be delayed in rainy conditions when you're in a larger aircraft. Smaller planes are always delayed in the rain.

Also, please be aware that during storms the airports only have a limited number of runways open for landing/take-off. This means that even if your plane pushes back from the gate on time, you may be taxiing for an hour or so due to the limited number of open runways.

All of this information will be posted later in an easy to find location.

Hope this helps and please feel free to post additional questions. We're here to help. :D
 
Patti!

Patti,

Ditto to all the good info that Lorrayne gave you.

The last RT event is brunch, and it's over by 11:30 - 11:45. Allow 45 minutes to an hour for airport transport (conservatively). You'd be safe with a flight anytime after 2:00.

We can't stress enough that afternoon thunderstorms are a big possibility in Philly at that time of year, so if you decide to book a late afternoon or early evening flight please be prepared for a potential airport delay.
 
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Road trip newbie

Hi everyone,
I'm coming from Canada and am so excited. Do you have to book the flight to Philli or New York and take a bus?

I am looking forward to meeting all of you

Connie
 
excersicenut said:
Hi everyone,
I'm coming from Canada and am so excited. Do you have to book the flight to Philli or New York and take a bus?

I am looking forward to meeting all of you

Connie
Click to expand...

Well, you can't walk! :eek: Everyone will be flying into Philly and then either getting a rental car, hooking up with someone with a rental car, or reserving a shuttle to take them to the hotel. It's about 30 - 45 minutes away. Luckily, I don't have to fly, so I've never used the Rapid Rover service that the coordinators will be giving you info. on soon, but I've never heard any complaints from anyone about their service. Once you are at the hotel, you can hitch a ride back and forth from the gym on the Cathe bus or with some of your new found friends who have cars. :D
 
Connie,

You will want to fly into Philly's airport. This is only a 30 minute drive to our hotels and Cathe's club. New York area airports are 2+ hours away.

Also, remember to bring your passport as this is now required to fly in/out of Canada to the US. I believe your passport must be valid for a minimum of 3 months beyond the date of travel. In other words, your passport must be valid to November 2009 to be allowed to travel to the US.

Please see http://www.consular.canada.usembassy.gov/passport_requirement.asp for details regarding travel from Canada to the US.
 
Hi Lorrayne

I clicked on your link to look up about a passport having to be valid for 3 months beyond the trip and I'm not seeing that anywhere. It does state that it just has to be valid for the duration of the trip.

I just thought that would be an odd criteria but you never know its the gov't:p:p
 
Anyone else coming from Utah?

I just booked my flight--the only non-stop out of Salt Lake for $269 round trip, coming on Thursday afternoon. I can't imagine the price would go down from there. I'm really excited but also thinking....what am I doing?! It will be my first RT. Can't wait to meet all you amazing women and would love to meet someone else coming from Utah. :D

Sandra
 
Thought I should post this info I found regarding the requirement for a valid passport for entry into the US. This info will be included in some of the documentation we will be providing to road trippers; but felt it was important to share now.
New Rules regarding entry into the United States

Border crossings (Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean and Bermuda) into the US by car, train, air, or ship now requires a valid passport. Your passport must be valid for a minimum of 6 months from the date on which the holder enters the United States. In other words, your passport must be valid to January 2010 to be allowed to travel to the US.

Please see http://www.worldtravelguide.net/country/292/passport_visa/North-America/United-States-of-America.html for passport requirements for entry into the US. You may also read about the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative that describes the requirements and reasons why Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean, and Bermuda travelers must provide a valid passport upon entry into the US: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/cbpmc_2223.html
 
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