Getting A Last Minute Deal

You can submit your own question to us at askgeorge@airfarewatchdog.com. We will try to answer as many as possible. If we use your question in a future newsletter, we will send you a free Airfarewatchdog T-shirt. We do not print your name or other details in our newsletters.

To post a comment to one of our Q&A's please click on "read more" and then "post a comment."

Q. Are there REALLY any last minute deals for travel? I have tried numerous sites and all of the costs are enormous. My wife and I were just looking for someplace warm for two days. Any suggestions would be appreciated. By the way do you always need to purchase at least 7 days in advance?

A. Other than the airlines' weekend fares, which typically only require a one day or no advance purchase(such as United's E-Fares or the Midwest fares in the blog), your best bet for last minute travel is the "Name Your Own Price" feature on Priceline. In our experience, their last minute fares simply can't be beat. True, you won't know your exact departure and arrival times or the airline you'll be flying, and there might be a connection involved. But the savings are typically up to 60% off what you'd pay otherwise. If you can live with a little suspense and mystery, this is the way to go. We use it quite a bit, and just last May managed to book a last minute (as in, before bed, night before) weekend from NYC to San Fran for just $160 round-trip, taxes and all. Not bad!

Post a Comment

I want to take a trip around the world!

by Kenecia on Sunday, May 06, 2012

Please send me emails about flights and pricing

by Janeth12 on Tuesday, May 01, 2012

Need cheap flight from Jax to Ceb Jul 17 - 28

by Bogs on Wednesday, April 18, 2012

I need a cheap flight from apr 4-11

by Alcatem on Saturday, March 31, 2012

new orleans,la to chatoonga ,tenn.

by bentleys2 on Tuesday, March 20, 2012

lax to jfk

by donnavg on Friday, March 16, 2012

I have heard so much about Airfarewatchdog so I hope I get a deal.

by nunu16 on Tuesday, March 13, 2012

bought a ticket to Burbank,Ca. Thurs.1/28 from Chicago/ORD departed early Friday Returned Tue.2/2 Great connections(PHX) great times as if i paid weeks in advance. 255.00 including taxs.US Air.

by sbord on Thursday, February 11, 2010

I have used Priceline to get some amazing deals on hotels but flights can be a problem due to their system. You can only bid round trip and you pick the days you want to travel. If they find a flight any time between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. you are a successful bidder but are locked into those flights. If I wanted to fly to Florida on a Saturday and come back on Sunday I might get stuck with a 10 p.m. flight on Saturday and a 6 a.m. flight on Sunday. That is not a chance I would take. If I wanted to fly south after work on Friday I could get stuck with a 6 a.m. flight on Friday, again this is unworkable. Flight bidding on Priceline only works if you can accept flights at any time of the day, including red eye flights if you are travelling coast to coast.

by Occasional Traveller on Thursday, February 11, 2010

I am always looking for good deals as a solo traveler, and thought one of my best bets would be last minute deals. I often run into increased prices due to single supplement charges. I am open to pre-planning a trip and flexible for last minute. Any suggestions on good deals for solo travlers?

by basil on Saturday, March 07, 2009

Be advised when using PRICELINE, although you will save money, they WILL NOT BUDGE on a refund of any kind for any reason....if your plans change, too bad.

by Scuba Gal on Saturday, February 21, 2009

Although I haven't checked often, I haven't found too many good deals on site59.com/lastminute.com. Personally, I never pay retail for car/hotel, and if airfare is high at retail, I Priceline it as well.
So, I decided to see what I could find on Lastminute vs. Priceline, and for Fri Feb 27 - Mon Mar 2, hotel plus air from ORD-LAX came up at $910 on Lastminute and $840 on Priceline. Although Lastminute does allow you to choose the airline flights/times, Priceline does offer a playtime guarantee for flights booked with a hotel vacation package. However, even more savings would achieved if the hotel was purchased separately using the bidding system for the area/star level.
Although this is only one example, I'm interested in what kind of deals people have found using site59/lastminute and what other sites they used to compare. Specifics would be great [i.e. flight numbers/times, hotel name, etc].
I noticed that Lastminute looked a lot like Travelocity, so I decided to check Travelocity as well, and interestingly enough, Travelocity had the same hotel for $841. However, it didn't have as convenient flight times as Lastminute. When I tried to book on Lastminute, it said the hotel was sold out, so who knows.
I guess when it comes down to it, check multiple web sites to see what you need. If you only need a flight at a last minute, Priceline is the best. If you need a hotel too, I would bid on it separately using Name Your Own Price on Priceline, but check other sites as well and set a maximum price of savings you want to achieve. I would say the same for a rental car too. Research, research, research.
@Matthew

by matthewsoft on Saturday, February 21, 2009

Another vote for Priceline. When my oldest son told us that he had decided, at the last minute, to participate in graduation--in TX, right before Christmas--we were determined to attend, but frustrated at the thought of paying $1200 just for airfare. I went to Priceline and looked at the packages already put together. For a total of just under $750, we got airfare for two, a rental car AND three nights in a mini-apartment hotel. Couldn't be beat!
My suggestion is to pick a destination first, then go to Priceline and see what they have to offer for that place. You may be happily amazed.

by mickisue on Friday, February 20, 2009

To search, try go-today.com. To watch, try www.travelzoo.com.

by sendme2maui on Friday, February 20, 2009

I also recommend lastminute.com, though their parent company has announced plans to close it down. Still operating now, so take advantage of it while you can. Another viable option is last minute charter space if there are charter operators in your area. Last minute charters to Vegas, Cancun, some Caribbean islands are often very cheap. www.worryfreevacations.com has last-minute deals weekly from four US cities.

by playaguy on Friday, February 20, 2009

The priceline website is great for American's but do you have any advise if you live in Canada and what to find the best last minute deals - I am thinking all-inclusive vacations to the Carribbean

by True North on Friday, February 20, 2009

lastminute.com has GREAT deals! very cheap! you are only able to book up to about 2 weeks out, so their trips are truly last minute. and it's true what wacchampions says. complete trips can be had for less than the airfare alone!

by cruzanisfun on Friday, February 20, 2009

I have actually found the best last minute fares on lastminute.com formerly site59. You are able to select the Air, Hotel and Rental car (If needed). I have often found ths the package price for these trips is usually much cheaper than just booking the airfare alone. You should give it a try...

by wacchampions on Friday, February 20, 2009

Popular Destinations

Popular Routes

Getting A Last Minute Deal

Travel Q&A