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(c) Elliott Publishing.

Cheap Air
Cheap Charlie · August 14, 2000

One of the cheapest ways to get across the Atlantic to Europe short of swimming can be found on the Web or through a toll-free number for those who haven't mastered the intricacies of the Internet.

This service is not for those who are afraid of missing a flight, or those with only a very limited vacation window. This is for savvy travelers who want to save money and who have some time to spare.

The Web URL is Airtech.com and the toll-free number is 1-800-575-TECH. They also have flights to Mexico and Hawaii and specialize in courier flights for those interested in that mode of travel.

Air Tech, a New York City based consolidator of sorts, has launched a service that provides fares as low as $169 one-way to Europe at the moment and what will surely be one of the lowest fares during the high vacation season.

Here is how it works: Travelers contact Air Tech in New York and give them a window of three days when they want to travel. Travelers also list their preferred destination.

Air Tech will contact them and let them know the best day and flight to take to reach Europe standby. Air Tech does the homework to find out which flights have empty seats, then they let you know the flight that has space available.

You purchase an Air Tech flight pass for that flight and them trade it in for a ticket on the airline with standby seats available.

This is not a guaranteed seat. There may be a cancellation on another flight and your scheduled standby seat may be filled, but it is as close as you can get to guaranteed standby fares to Europe.

Air Tech maintains an office in Paris during the busy summer months to help with standby flights back to the USA or offers a phone number in New York for return flights when the Paris office is closed.

You just follow the same type of system when returning from Europe that you followed when heading in that direction.

They have been in business for almost seven years now and are approaching five million dollars in revenue.

Log into their Web site and sign up for their regular e-mail of specials for flights to Europe, Mexico and Hawaii. You'll be amazed. It might not be for your tastes, however it sure is a money-saver for those bon vivants strapped for cash hankering for an affordable vacation in Europe.

Charlie Leocha is the Boston-based author of Travel Rights: Know the Rules of the Road and the Air Before You Go. Cheap Charlie appears every Monday on this site. E-mail him at charlie@ticked.com or access his Web site.