negotiating plane tickets

[drbilldc 0]

Hi Everybody!!

so over the past almost 2 years i have "taken what i could" as far as plane fares, i never thought you could negotiate, pretty happy with the deals i have gotten, but always assumed as far as price.... what you see is what you get. NOT necessarily true!!!

last Sunday, 6/22/08 i called Northwest to simply ask questions. to see if i could use more than 1 credit card, availability of flights to ensure we were all on the same return flights, etcetera. i got talking to the representative and he mentioned he was also married to a Russian girl, so what he did was 1. lower the frequent flyer requirements and 2. apply an additional discount for a child under the age of 12.

previously, when i checked they were asking 100,000 frequent flyer miles per roundtrip...i had 152,000 total, and each ticket had been coming in at around $1600 per person X 3 tickets, when i searched online or called previous reps. so the rep said " here is what i am going to do....i will give you and your wife's tickets for 150,000 miles and i will take 25 percent off for your step son" so i got around $4800 worth of plane tickets for $998.!!!!!!!

moral to the story is, when you are trying to purchase tickets to visit or be with your loved ones. those reps CAN NEGOTIATE!!!!!!!!

i seriously hope this helps someone that is getting ready to purchase tickets out there!!!!!!!

Dr. Bill

[Sassy1natl 0]

Wow!! I am truly impressed.

[Skeeter211 2]

You certainly got a great deal. My guess is that with 152k miles you do a lot of flying so the airline is banking on you doing a lot more in the future. They like to keep their better customers happy so they will return, so they give them better deals. I rarely fly NWA, so I doubt I could get the same deals as you because you have an established flying relationship with them. Still, kudos to you!

[MaxOnline 0]

yes, thanks a lot

[drbilldc 0]

You certainly got a great deal. My guess is that with 152k miles you do a lot of flying so the airline is banking on you doing a lot more in the future. They like to keep their better customers happy so they will return, so they give them better deals. I rarely fly NWA, so I doubt I could get the same deals as you because you have an established flying relationship with them. Still, kudos to you!

yes, Skeeter i had thought this also. HOWEVER, this was roughly my third call to the "silver Elite" phone number, with essentially the same questions. my point is they CAN negotiate, they just never tell you.

as a side note: Being Silver Elite on Northwest has only gotten me 2 perks. 1. i was able to jump the line in Amsterdam twice and board early and 2. i got to sit next to Richard Simmons in first class. which i still haven't decided was a perk or a punishment :):)

Dr. Bill

[Chris e Jessica 0]

I found www.sidestep.com a great place to find low price tickets. at least traveling from the USA to another country.

[Brad and Vika 129]

Congrats to you, and I think good luck to the rest of us trying to strike that kind of connection with a rep. Does any one have any secrets for upgrades that use points but don't keep one waiting until the last minute? Or better yet, a way around the baggage, fuel, airport, etc. surcharges?

Edited June 30, 2008 by Travelforever