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(c) Elliott Publishing.

Low-Fare Strategy
Cheap Charlie · November 28, 2001

After my column about no longer being a Priceline virgin, and confessing that I enjoyed the experience, I received a collection of emails offering more suggestions about saving money using Priceline and matching its bid-generated prices against other Web sites.

In my "Virgin" column I noted that I wouldn't consider using Priceline for airline tickets. Wow! There are lots of you out there who disagree with me. Some emails suggested that Priceline.com is perfect when you know you have multiple connections to make whether flying for full fare or bidding for travel. Others suggested systems to get the most out of Priceline.

Here is the routine, by the numbers. A version of this system was suggested most often and makes the most sense to me. (NOTE: This system is good when the lowest price is your goal. It does not take into consideration frequent flier miles or convenience.)

1. Look up the price for your trip on your favorite airline Web site. Get the published price right from the horse's mouth so to speak.

2. Go to Orbitz and check for the lowest price offered through this Web site. Orbitz prices include many of the "Web only" fares offered by most airlines in special sections of their Web sites.

I expect that eventually, consumers will be able to check with Expedia, Travelocity and other online reservation systems* as well. I can't imagine that the government will allow the current collusion between Orbitz and its airline owners to continue much longer.

OK. Now you have the lowest available airline-provided price for your trip.

3. Click into Hotwire. Go through the reservation process. Hotwire will give you an "opaque fare" that only specifies the date of travel, not the time or the airline. This fare will remain active for one hour. In other words, you have one hour to make up your mind to take this fare.

These fares are often lower than any airline-provided fare, even the Internet fares. But not always.

4. Now, finally, go to Priceline and make your bid for a flight between the same airports on the same dates. Bid lower than the offered Hotwire fare. According to some Web experts and experience gleaned from email I received over the past ten days, a lower Priceline bid - about 10 to 15 percent lower than the Hotwire fare - will normally be accepted.

If you get your price, you win. If your bid in not accepted, you still have the Hotwire fare to fall back on.

There it is. Seems simple. But remember this system is only for those with "lowest-fare" as their goal.

*Note: Expedia from time to time has special deals with airlines that provide exceptional bargains that can't be found through Orbitz or airline Web sites. Travelocity has similar deals plus offers its own version of "opaque fares" right along with the normal fares. OneTravel, the granddaddy of "opaque fares" still offers these fares for many destinations.


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 leocha@aol.com or access his Web site.