How do we find these deals? For a start, by spending too much time hanging around the Internet along with scanning a couple of dozen e-mail subscriptions a day from Travel Zoo, United Airlines, Smarter Travel, and a whole bunch of other places.
Sometimes it's as simple as checking out the Mileage Run Deals forum on FlyerTalk. Voila!
Kathy has already put a flight on book-and-hold, giving us a little time to examine it from all angles and make sure it doesn't conflict with something previously scheduled. The itinerary:
April 29 8:30 a.m. Vancouver to Portland to San Francisco to Kona, arriving at 6:12 p.m.
May 3 12:37 p.m. Kona to San Francisco for overnight
May 4 7:55 a.m. San Francisco to Vancouver, arriving at 10:08 a.m.
Result: more than 6000 EQMs (Elite Qualifying Miles) in our UA Mileage Plus accounts in the annual quest for status on UA (United) and our first visit to the Big Island.
Yet again, thank you FlyerTalk! It's our support group minus the 12-step program.
Follow up: This morning Kathy played around with flights, thought we'd lost the fare after canceling the held flight to book a better time, but retrieved some slightly better times and connections.
The final flight now looks like this:
April 29 7:50 a.m. Vancouver to Seattle to San Francisco to Kona, arriving at 6:12 p.m.
May 3 1:20 p.m. Kona to Los Angeles for overnight
May 4 9:04 a.m. Los Angeles to Vancouver, arriving at 12:00 p.m.
EQMS: 7118 Total cost (all-in) for two: $243 each
Kathy and Brian
Two retired educators alternating joyfully between seeing the world and enjoying our eight grandchildren (in order of birth), Jake, Avery, Taegan, Lily, Peyton, Riley, Blane, and Jace.
Kathy and Brian met in the clarinet section of the University of California (Santa Barbara) Symphony Orchestra several decades ago.
Brian's Western Canadian roots and Kathy's Colorado ties resulted in their making beautiful music together along with producing a cross-border crop of descendants.
Kathy spent a year studying in Vienna at the Institute for European Studies and the University of Vienna.
Brian started the school band program in Hope, British Columbia, and later became the high school's vice-principal for 6 years and subsequently principal for 15 years before retiring in 2001.
Kathy, in between raising our three children, taught kindergarten and first grade, middle school, and high school - mathematics, computer studies, ESL, and her first love, band, before retiring in 2001.
We enjoy sharing our travel experiences and providing the odd travel tip to friends, relatives, and visitors.