Conrad Stanley’s on the move again.
He leaves tonight for Chicago. On Monday he flies to New Orleans. On Friday (July 17), he’s off to Atlanta. Two days later, it’s on to Dallas and two days after that (Tuesday July 21), he flies home to Vegas. Of these five one-way segments, three cost him $25.19 each and two cost $17.10, for a five-city round-trip grand total of $109.77.
With a red-eye to Chicago and a couple of early-morning flights after staying up all night, he’ll pay for eight nights of accommodations over the 11-night trip.
Conrad flies the ultra-low-cost carriers (ULCCs): Spirit, Frontier, and Allegiant. All three fly in and out of McCarran. This “Capers” post introduces how he books these rock-bottom fares — and he tells us that they aren’t just temporary because of coronavirus. He gets them all the time.
“I’ve been taking advantage of these fares for many many years. Remember,” he says, “I went to Super Bowl 2020 in Miami pre-COVID, Thursday through Monday, for $28.64 round trip.”
Conrad’s basic strategy consists of five plays.
1) He buys his tickets at the airport to avoid online- or phone-booking “convenience fees.”
2) He optimizes the timing of his airfare purchases.
3) He never pays for seats.
4) He doesn’t fall into the trap of printing boarding passes at the airports ($10).
5) He packs light, using luggage customized to qualify for his one “personal item,” which avoids an extra charge for additional carry-ons. He also works the carry-on exceptions — outerwear, reading material, and food, for example — in order to bring with him on the airplanes as much as permitted for free.
This current trip is a progression of short hops, so the flights are all non-stop. “But,” he says, “I almost always fly non-stop on the wildcat airlines. My flight to Chicago is direct. I fly frequently from Vegas to Miami and Fort Lauderdale, always non-stop. It’s a myth that you have three layovers to get anywhere on Spirit, Frontier, Allegiant, or the other ULCCs — as long as you know what you’re doing.”
In Part 2 of this series, we’ll delve more deeply into the details of these five strategies, as worked out by Conrad Stanley, for paying the lowest possible airfare for domestic travel.
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Be very careful, if Chuck Connors was alive today he might film this for Thrillseekers, flying around in a raging pandemic is an act of bravery or something else…
Mike’s comment jolted me out of my reverie, enjoying this refreshingly un-pandemic, un-fly = die piece. Looking forward to more tips.
Chicago has an order requiring anyone coming from Nevada (or 14 other states) to quarantine for 14 days. Hopefully you don’t leave your hotel room. We’re trying to avoid the surge that the SW has had.
Naw southwest is still better and safer
I too travel like Conrad, except after one flight in a regular Spirit seat that left my backside hurting for 2 days I said never again and now always upgrade my seat to either exit row or a big front seat and pay the extra cost since my flights to and from Las Vegas are only 2 hours and 20 mins long at the most.
On occasion I have paid a bag fee when I need to bring more heavy winter clothing. but my next trip I plan on doing 10 days with only a Spirit personal Item since its summer and I can wear dresses. lot which pack easy. And yes I bring 1 outfit per day, no laundry while on vacation is my own rule.
I look forward to reading your articles!
One could write a book on how to do these things well. This summer would get a long chapter for itself, some airfares we’ll never see again have been available. Lots of $22-48 round trips on Frontier are around if you just wait for their midweek sales, just don’t buy on the weekend and you don’t need to go to the airport to get them. I have been flying some, but I am not a fan of the weather in most of the places Conrad is going. The same low prices, maybe even lower, will be available later in the fall when I think Dallas, New Orleans and Florida will be much more appealing.
Another thing for Shari and anyone else who struggles with the harsh seats on the LCCs, buy a self-inflating pad/seat cushion. I paid $18 for one on Amazon and its a godsend. When not in use it rolls down to about the size of a small water bottle and can just clip on the outside of your bag. I get jealous looks from other passengers and quite a few why didn’t I think of that comments.
He doesn’t fall into the trap of printing boarding passes at the airports ($10).
I believe his boarding pass will be on his phone then.
Yes, I will check in online on my phone and download the boarding pass to my phone. Now if you need spirit to print your boarding pass for you because you dont have it downloaded to your phone or you havent checked in yet, at the counter they will charge you $10.00. A lot of times even though i have my boarding pass downloaded to my phone as I am walking by a self service kiosk i can very quickly stop and enter either my confirmation number or last name and get a free paper re-print. (If you hadnt already checked in I believe that there is a charge at the kiosk to do so). This way I can tuck my phone in bag to go thru security screen process and hand my I.D and paper board pass to TSA agent and not have to pull up download and then put phone away.
Plus if possible you want to check in several hours in advance to get better seat selection locked in. And later is merely a free reprint of that check in. Also there doesnt have to be a phone involved at all as you could check in hours in advance from a home computer or any computer and print out your boarding pass. Then you dont have to worry about keeping phone out as you are going thru and no need to stop at kiosk on way unless you lost or misplaced the boarding pass you had already printed. (If you have a computer but no printer you can check in so your boarding pass is assigned and thhen gget that print at kiosk no charge. This may sound like overkill but i have it completely wired. Before i even approach security everything is out of my pockets: wallet,change,keys,phone and anything else and its in a gallon ziploc bag inside my bag. I have also already taken my belt off an in bag as well. That way after tsa check i just kick off shoes as i walk to conveyor belt and place them and bag on it done. So im not that guy taking forever to unload all his junk, take off his belt, rifle through bag e.t.c, e.t.c.