Best airlines to use

[Erick and Marj 11]

My fiancee was approved for her visa today. Now I need to book her flight to the U.S. I have to get her to Minnesota. What airlines is the most reliable. I was suggested to check out St. Raphael Travel and Tours to book the flight on a discount. I am not familiar with the airlines available and I am pretty sure I have read some scary stories about flights before. What advice and feedback does anyone have for me to get her hear safely and on time with all of her luggage, while also being able to be somewhat conscious of a tight budget?

[tyler007 26]

Following you on FB as well. Congrats.

start www.travelocity.com

Not sure if Korean Air will get you to Minnesota but try them. I use them all the time and ZERO problems.

Check out the St. Raphael travel as well and let us know. I guess that is something she might have to look into on her end.The whole first time immigrant fare or whatever they were promoting sounds interesting.

Another decent airline is EVA out of Taipei I'm flying them to PI next month and used them previously as well but only because KOR was so much that time.

Not sure if it is still the case but it used to be there are departure tax that your fiancee has to pay at the airport BEFORE they will let her leave.

Departure tax is different from Terminal Fee.

I think the departure tax is just one more way for the PI Government to soak what they can out of their countrymen.

I believe if ticket purchased in US then the fee is not required. There have been changes so maybe Greenbaum is up to date.

Tyler

Edited January 28, 2016 by tyler007

[SennaBrigante 92]

I use Hipmunk to search for flights. I'm not sure how discounted those travel agents really are. My friend's husband is the president of one of the big travel agencies back home but when I ask for flight quotes they're not really that much cheaper than what I can find online. I would avoid China Southern and the other budget Chinese airlines though.

[JRF 117]

I always use Hipmunk, online, and have never found a better deal. The UI is easy to understand. Do note that you likely will have to provide your fiancé a letter that states it was your credit card that was used to purchase the ticket (she may be asked to provide the credit card used to purchase the ticket, at check in).

Flying into Minneapolis - I have to guess Delta has the best fares (using the old Northwest routes) but check out Hipmunk (and enjoy the dancing chipmunk)!

And not to be preachy, but watch the meat, fruits and vegetables. Those are toast when she gets to customs in the US.

Edited January 28, 2016 by JRF

[SennaBrigante 92]

Following you on FB as well. Congrats.

start www.travelocity.com

Not sure if Korean Air will get you to Minnesota but try them. I use them all the time and ZERO problems.

Check out the St. Raphael travel as well and let us know. I guess that is something she might have to look into on her end.

Another decent airline is EVA out of Taipei I'm flying them to PI next month and used them previously as well but only because KOR was so much that time.

Not sure if it is still the case but it used to be there are departure tax that your fiancee has to pay at the airport BEFORE they will let her leave.

I think if ticket purchased in US then the fee is not required. There have been changes so maybe Greenbaum is up to date.

Tyler

I think the tax is mandatory, some airlines just include it in their fares. It's usually written in the breakdown if it was included or not. Such a load of bull. So many fees just to leave the country. Goodness.

[tyler007 26]

Erik on a side note and maybe you mentioned this before but why a 3 month hole in your timeline?

[F & J 21]

I remember having the best experience with Cathay Pacific - the Economy class seats (not Premium Economy, just regular Economy) were surprisingly roomier compared to other airlines - this was back in 2011 flying on a Boeing 777-300.

All other times we have flown Delta or American Airlines and they were so-so. Although I've always enjoyed layovers at the Nagoya airport when flying Delta.

[Erick and Marj 11]

Erik on a side note and maybe you mentioned this before but why a 3 month hole in your timeline?

After our petition arrived in Manila, I did not have the money saved up to afford her interview and medical exam. I sunk it all into tuition. While I was home for a month, I was able to get full time hours in and I made enough to pay for all of that, plus my tuition is lower 2nd semester, I got a bunch of financial aid, and I will be working a 3rd job so I can put more money away in the bank since my tuition is covered completely for the semester now. As for the gap to when we get married, also because of school. Better to get married in the summer when I can spend more time and focus on her without studies so we scheduled a July wedding. The summer weather will be more comfortable for her to start out in. In the grand scheme of things, it's hard to wait longer, but it is the best thing to do in the interest of starting out our marriage and her life here in the U.S.

[NikLR 13,227]

Personally after having issues with travel websites, I tend to book directly with the airlines. My mother used cheap-o-air and only had 2 hours in which to change a flight after she'd booked the wrong day by accident. Even expedia gives you 24 hours! Read the fine print no matter who you book with. Often booking directly with airlines is the same price as going through the travel websites too.

Edited January 28, 2016 by NLR

[SennaBrigante 92]

Definitely pay attention to layover times. I always use 2 hours as a minimum for connecting flights (if not passing through immigration).

[F & J 21]

Personally after having issues with travel websites, I tend to book directly with the airlines. My mother used cheap-o-air and only had 2 hours in which to change a flight after she'd booked the wrong day by accident. Even expedia gives you 24 hours! Read the fine print no matter who you book with. Often booking directly with airlines is the same price as going through the travel websites too.

Sometimes booking directly can be cheaper too And sometimes I've seen available flights pop up that don't show up on the travel websites

We've only ever booked using Expedia as far as travel websites and never had problems with those flights but we usually book directly with the airline.

Edited January 28, 2016 by F & J

[tyler007 26]

After our petition arrived in Manila, I did not have the money saved up to afford her interview and medical exam. I sunk it all into tuition. While I was home for a month, I was able to get full time hours in and I made enough to pay for all of that, plus my tuition is lower 2nd semester, I got a bunch of financial aid, and I will be working a 3rd job so I can put more money away in the bank since my tuition is covered completely for the semester now. As for the gap to when we get married, also because of school. Better to get married in the summer when I can spend more time and focus on her without studies so we scheduled a July wedding. The summer weather will be more comfortable for her to start out in. In the grand scheme of things, it's hard to wait longer, but it is the best thing to do in the interest of starting out our marriage and her life here in the U.S.

Ok Just curious because of the hole. Yes there are lots of other couples in your shoes. Well bottom line it all worked out. Congratulations.

[tyler007 26]

http://www.santraphael.com/

Wow this is a deal if it's true. Hopefully not another $200-$500 in Fees added on or something...LOL

I'll have to research this more.

Edited January 28, 2016 by tyler007

[Bebe Love 4]

Try using Cheap O Air web site. It usually gives the lowest quotes, of multiple airlines. $950 just searched one to Mineapolis.

[Greenbaum 12,259]

Try asaptickets.com. They are a ticket consolidator and many times they can save you a lot of money. Use them to compare from other ticketing sites you have visited.

Ask for Sage (A nice guy to deal with & delightful):
Travel Agent | International Travel Network
Direct Phone: 855-975-9223 | General Line: 800-677-2943 Ext #22776
Fax: 800-677-1449 | Email: sage.t@airconcierge.com mailto:sage.t@airconcierge.com
Customer Support Hotline: 800-750-2238

Through data combed by Kayak, they have found that if you book 5 months ahead and travel on a Wednesday you will find the best prices for travel to Asia. Of course you can't use that bit of information when you don't know when you are getting your visa, but just for thought.

Other sites to check for fares:

https://www.google.com/flights/

http://www.kayak.com/

http://www.skyscanner.com/

http://www.seatguru.com/

https://www.hipmunk.com/

www.airfarewatchdog.com

From <http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/561614-cheapest-yet-reliable-airline/>

These are the people who write the software for most major air carriers that use for their reservation systems.

http://matrix.itasoftware.com/

I often use the ITA Software Matrix, which is one of the most useful tools to search for available flights and low fares. ITA Matrix is awesome, in that you can type in all kinds of commands like which airline you want to fly, certain dates, specific airports and whether you will change airports to get a better price. After you click “Search” you will be taken to a calendar displaying the lowest fare departing each day. Clicking on a particular date will bring up the lowest prices departing on that date.

Unfortunately the ITA Matrix is only for finding airfares. You don’t have the ability to book directly through this site. Write down the dates and flight numbers that work for you, and book directly through the airline site or online travel agency you prefer. I hope this helps.

For advance instructions in using ITA go here for a great article: http://travelcodex.com/2012/01/advanced-routing-language-in-ita/

From <http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?app=forums&module=post&section=post&do=edit_post&f=129&t=546482&p=7595641&page=>

Edited January 28, 2016 by Greenbaum