Airline Question - AA and US AIR

[Cands]

Just curious - when I check airfare on AA for July out of Chicago it lists all kinds of flights - arriving same day, arriving the next morning, and all times of the day. A lot of the flights are listed as being run by US AIR. They list flights that fit the times we would like to travel. When I check US AIR for the same dates the flights I'm interested in on AA (run by US AIR) aren't listed.

I know - just book through AA. My only problem is that I wonder why the flights aren't available on both airline websites. Probably just a stupid question/concern but it does have me wondering............I tend to make an art out of worrying and over analyzing everything!

One more question - is there any way possible to figure out what the final cost of a ticket will be after you add baggage, seats, possibly priority boarding? I can find baggage fees and sometimes starting fees the other stuff. Trying to figure out how close in price we would be flying coach vs. 1st class. (Really like 1st class - should probably get over it and just pay the extra!!)

Thanks!!!

[booger]

Pay the extra and fly first class. And I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that since they are merging and will be rebadged as AA, US Air is not updating their availability beyond a certain date. They sent me an email explaining all of the changes and I believe it was an April timeframe.

Now I cannot wait for my US Air miles to transfer over as US Air has the worst program IMHO.

[Cands]

Thanks booger! Had I known we would be going to Negril every year (after our first trip 8 years ago) I would probably have some of those air miles to contend with too!!!

[booger]

Thanks booger! Had I known we would be going to Negril every year (after our first trip 8 years ago) I would probably have some of those air miles to contend with too!!!

Hey Cands,
If disciplined the cards are great, some better than others with United offering the most flexibility. My first class tickets for my next trip cost $49 in taxes each way!!!

[Cands]

That's a sweet deal!! I am just not loyal to any one company enough to join any of the many programs that are out there. It's difficult to know what program/credit card would be the best. I also hate the yearly fees that come with a lot of them! I guess I need to look into it further.......You've got me thinking............We are looking at round trip for two in July $1400 coach or $1800 1st class. That's a good argument for just about any type of miles program!!!

[Sam I Am]

Now I cannot wait for my US Air miles to transfer over as US Air has the worst program IMHO.

I agree... once all my us air miles become aa miles I will have a free trip for sure!

[Sam I Am]

Cands... you are probably better off booking AA anyway. US Air charges for the 1st check bag, but AA is free 1st checked bag. Other than bag fees, I am not sure what other fees would apply that are not already rolled into the quoted cost.

[Mike_D]

Now I cannot wait for my US Air miles to transfer over as US Air has the worst program IMHO.

I wholeheartedly agree. Living in Philly, US Air is your only option if you want a direct flight to most destinations. I have a US Airways Mastercard and I struggle to accumulate enough miles for 1 free trip a year. For our Negril trip earlier this month, I did have enough miles to pay for my wife's ticket, however they charged me $150 in fees. And that's for coach class!

I'm seriously looking forward to the transition to AA.

[Flipadelphia26]

I got the USAir card too. I am sitting on 2 free RT worth of miles right now. Hoping that's even more when the transition happens. Since we moved SW of Philly, BWI is only about 15 miles further than PHL. South West just started non-stop flights out of BWI. I also have their card. Much cheaper, and much better mileage program.

We used our miles from SW on AirTran over Jan. Not as nice as USAir and you cant use the kiosk to check in at MoBay, but the price difference for the flights was about 100 each ticket.

[Mike_D]

Yeah, it seems US Air's ticket prices have gone up recently and they eliminated some of the early flights out of PHL. If you can find a sweet spot, you can get a RT ticket in the $400s, but most of the time it is now in the $500s. I wish BWI was a little closer to us, as I've noticed some good deals there. Heck, I would even drive to Atlantic City if they had non-stop flights (right now, you would have to transfer somewhere in Florida if you fly Spirit from ACY to MBJ).

I can take-or-leave the kiosks. We always check one bag, so we end-up going to the counter anyway.