Any ideas for flights from PHL

Connie · Post by **Connie** » Wed Nov 11, 2015 10:38 am

We're trying to book flights for June. Flying from PHL is crazy. There are no direct flights. We have a free ticket on AA, but the layover in PR would be 4 hours going down and 3 hours coming back. The farefor one person is right around 550, which is a deal, but do we go with that because of the airfare and spend 4 hours in PR airport? We could take Delta, which would stop at JFK and then go direct to STT. That would cost over 1200 pp.

Where are the deals and direct flights?

watergirl · Post by **watergirl** » Wed Nov 11, 2015 11:27 am

Hi, I live in the PHL area and I never fly out of Philly. Too expensive and way too inconvenient. We've gotten some good deals out of Newark (which for us is equidistant from Philly), done Spirit out of AC a couple of time (ugh). At one time that was the cheapest way to go but no more.
Last couple of times we've taken AA out of JFK. It's a long haul to that airport but you get the best deals with miles and price. Also they're direct flights. We've taken the first flight to STT which I think leaves around 8am. Having to be there by 6am means we leave out house at 4:30. - No Traffic! Park the car off site at one of several cheap parking places, and we're in STT by 1:00.
Hope this is helpful.

watergirl · Post by **watergirl** » Wed Nov 11, 2015 11:28 am

BTW, $550.00 per person is way more than what I would spend. I troll all the cheap airfare sites and usually pay around $250-350.

Ed S · Post by **Ed S** » Wed Nov 11, 2015 11:40 am

We only fly out of Newark (~1 hr. from our home) direct on United. Not sure how far that is from where you live outside of Phila? Paid $453 each round trip for our upcoming trip Sun-Sun Dec. 6-13. Last trip in 2014 Sat-Sun (5/31-6/8) was $572 each round trip. Ususally spend ~$450-$550. Good luck.

Exit Zero · Post by **Exit Zero** » Wed Nov 11, 2015 11:52 am

I found AA flight #867 is a direct flight

cjroyer · Post by **cjroyer** » Wed Nov 11, 2015 12:05 pm

I'm not sure when your going but I booked our flight last month for next April and got a better rate out of Allentown. We stop in Phila but Allentown is actually closer for us and a small, convenient airport. Prices from Phila right now are crazy!

mahojim · Post by **mahojim** » Wed Nov 11, 2015 12:43 pm

Hey, Connie.
Nothing to say different from what watergirl mentioned, across the board.
I totally agree with everything she said, from leaving out of all of the surrounding airports.
Let me know what you find, and good luck.
Smiles -
Jimmy

PatrickMcc · Post by **PatrickMcc** » Wed Nov 11, 2015 1:50 pm

Try Travelocity. We got two one one way non stop tickets down and two one way one stop tickets back onJet Blue and AA for under $300 total round trip. Dates were Feb. 22 thru Mar.3. From Boston.

PatrickMcc · Post by **PatrickMcc** » Wed Nov 11, 2015 1:53 pm

jUst to clarify my last post. We each paid just under $300.Total was just under $600 for two tickets.

PA Girl · Post by **PA Girl** » Wed Nov 11, 2015 6:14 pm

One of our employees flies out of Wilkes barre Scranton a couple of times a year because he finds the price worth it. Would going up the NE extension of the turnpike be worth it for you? Have you looked at Allentown? My aunt used to fly into Allentown on USAirwyas but I don't know if they still service it. It was crazy but she often found it to have the lowest price.

Look into Harrisburg, AA via CLT to STT. Lots of flights between Harrisburg and CLT daily. Last summer there was at least one flight between CLT-STT daily. I don't know where you are in philly but we can get from the east shore of Harrisburg to PHL in 90 minutes.

Connie · Post by **Connie** » Wed Nov 11, 2015 7:53 pm

We can get to the Philly airport and be inside within 20 minutes, so it's really close.

Exit Zero, husband called about that flight and it was a U.S. Air flight, that has since been cancelled since the merge.

We're still pushing on with all these suggestions. We would love to use our miles on AA, but right now it doesn't look like that will happen.

Will check all these different airports.

Exit Zero · Post by **Exit Zero** » Wed Nov 11, 2015 8:51 pm

That flight AA867 landed here today and is scheduled to continue.

http://www.flightstats.com/go/FlightSta ... Airport.do

I looked on the AA site and could book it .

equineannie · Post by **equineannie** » Thu Nov 12, 2015 7:02 am

How about AA to San Juan and then Seaborne?

shoosh · Post by **shoosh** » Thu Nov 12, 2015 8:42 am

The only non stops out of Philly to STT are on Saturday or Sunday on AA.
Like other posters replied, Newark or JFK may be better options for times and price. You may want to try to get to Miami and then catch an AA flight to STT non stop. Good Luck.

jmq · Post by **jmq** » Thu Nov 12, 2015 10:43 am

We are actually looking at using the "hidden city ticketing" maneuver where you do a walk away at the connecting airport. See
http://www.economist.com/blogs/gulliver ... -ticketing
or
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/08/magaz ... ion-t.html

As noted in the links, this is technically against the rules but hard to get caught if you don't do it regularly and best with carry on only, although this notes a way around that.
http://www.fodors.com/community/air-tra ... flight.cfm

We live in central NJ so can get to EWR in 30 min, JFK or PHL in 1 hr. What I am looking at now is not only a few hundred dollars less per ticket than the straight up non-stops, but its also about about more optimal times than the cheaper flights with connections have.

Booking one ways, we can Uber to EWR for <$40 for a NS to STT that lands before noon. Then there is a return flight 2:45pm STT to BOS that stops in PHL with 4hr layover - we don't get on that connecting flight to BOS, and have a south Jersey friend willing to pick us up in PHL after we land around 6:45pm.

The other risk with this approach is if you have a cancellation due to bad weather or other reason, the airline may re-book you back to BOS on a flight that doesn't stop in PHL.

Not sure if I want to roll the dice, but it is quite tempting to be on STJ before 2pm on arrival day and to have a leisurely departure day, and save a few hundred dollars per ticket.

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