Best Air Ticket Prices? - Page 3

ZenGum · 11-23-2009, 03:42 PM

Good trains in Australia?

I was thinking fondly of Japan.
Walk to subway. Train within 7 minutes. Transfer to different line. Train within 5 minutes. Transfer at bullet-train station; buy ticket from machine (maybe $50 or $100, can reserve a seat. No searches, scanners, milling about in departure lounges. Whoosh off to Tokyo or wherever at 270kph. Arrive on time about 99% of the time. And by on time I mean to the bloody minute. And the subway is right there. Door to door there is no way a plane could beat that.

casimendocina · 11-23-2009, 04:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clodfobble

But maybe they have good trains in Australia.

It's all relative. The trains in Australia are good compared to say.....hmmmm....am going to have to think about this...suggestions anyone? In the meantime, I'll talk about what I can be sure of.

Chile-they're ok. They do the job, but in a fairly non-spectacular way from what I remember. The Santiago Metro is pretty good though, apart from at peak-hour (being short, I dislike being squashed in small spaces with strangers as I just get a view of everyone's chest and shoulders and can't breathe).

China-trains between cities aren't that salubrious (specially in cattle class and hard sleeper), but they're cheap and they get there in more safety than a Chinese aeroplane + you get to see the scenery.

Japanese trains are definitely great though. No argument with that.

ZenGum · 11-23-2009, 07:19 PM

Interstate trains in Australia used to have peculiar problems.

We started as six independent colonies which all built their own railways. Each made their own decisions about, for example, the guage (how far apart the two rails are). As a result, when the country federated in 1901, no state had rail lines that matched the guage of any state it shared a border with.

And it was up to the state governments to fix the problem, and no-one wanted to be the one to spend the money on changing. It took until 1992 (!!) for the federal government to force through a standardisation.
In the meantime, we used to take a train to the border and then change trains. And then we invented a machine that could remove the wheel bogeys from a railcar and replace them with different guage wheel bogeys - while the train was still moving. I went over such a machine in 1988.
Smegging bureaucracy.

glatt · 11-24-2009, 08:52 AM

Buses between NYC and Washington DC are very popular. I don't have any ridership statistics to give you, but at any time, I can walk out the front door of my office building and see a bus being loaded to go to NYC in the parking lot across the street . It's around $20-30 for the ticket, and the buses look really nice. They all offer wifi. Many of them are double decker. The sides of the buses advertise fares of only $1, but when I've gone to the website, I have never been able to find that rate.

This is amazing to me, because my experiences with buses a couple decades ago was that they suck very badly.

Shawnee123 · 11-24-2009, 09:04 AM

Around here, riding the Amtrak seems like something you'd do more for fun, than as a way to get from Point A to Point B. There just aren't that many routes that will get you where you want to go. A shame, I would love to ride the Amtrak.

monster · 11-26-2009, 09:10 AM

Cincinatti to Ann Arbor $111 each way. takes 16 hours

(It's a 3-hour $30 gas cost drive, folks)

Cicero · 11-26-2009, 04:19 PM

Ok I have another airfare ticket challenge...Santa Fe to New Orleans Dec. 21 coming back roundtrip, 4-5 days after....

Under $400.00.

monster · 11-26-2009, 07:28 PM

did you try priceline?

monster · 11-26-2009, 07:28 PM

are you willing to fly late on Dec 25?

Cicero · 11-26-2009, 08:52 PM

Nope....

I'll try priceline....I am willing to expand dates too..

So far just travelocity, but the stay would be 2 weeks long @ 349.00....

monster · 11-27-2009, 09:00 PM

yeah, you really have to stay over a saturday to get most cheap rates.

monster · 08-01-2010, 08:15 PM

So, we need to get to the UK sometime in the next year or two. But we need not to pay $1200/ticket. Are there any sites/services that will watch the prices for you and alert you when a deal comes up?

classicman · 08-01-2010, 08:57 PM

I've had the best luck with southwest. Taking in to account that they fly where I am going, of course.

jinx · 08-01-2010, 08:58 PM

Holy crap. Just swim it.

monster · 08-01-2010, 09:01 PM

I just found 750 in Feb if we go to Manchester. Much better, but still a shitload when there's 5 of us...

yeah, I should have the kids swim and we can cheer from the plane. I knew they weren't getting those ribbons for nothin'.....

11-23-2009, 03:42 PM	#31
ZenGum Doctor Wtf Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Badelaide, Baustralia Posts: 12,861	Good trains in Australia? I was thinking fondly of Japan. Walk to subway. Train within 7 minutes. Transfer to different line. Train within 5 minutes. Transfer at bullet-train station; buy ticket from machine (maybe $50 or $100, can reserve a seat. No searches, scanners, milling about in departure lounges. Whoosh off to Tokyo or wherever at 270kph. Arrive on time about 99% of the time. And by on time I mean to the bloody minute. And the subway is right there. Door to door there is no way a plane could beat that. __________________ Shut up and hug. MoreThanPretty, Nov 5, 2008. Just because I'm nominally polite, does not make me a pussy. Sundae Girl.

11-23-2009, 07:19 PM	#33
ZenGum Doctor Wtf Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Badelaide, Baustralia Posts: 12,861	Interstate trains in Australia used to have peculiar problems. We started as six independent colonies which all built their own railways. Each made their own decisions about, for example, the guage (how far apart the two rails are). As a result, when the country federated in 1901, no state had rail lines that matched the guage of any state it shared a border with. And it was up to the state governments to fix the problem, and no-one wanted to be the one to spend the money on changing. It took until 1992 (!!) for the federal government to force through a standardisation. In the meantime, we used to take a train to the border and then change trains. And then we invented a machine that could remove the wheel bogeys from a railcar and replace them with different guage wheel bogeys - while the train was still moving. I went over such a machine in 1988. Smegging bureaucracy. __________________ Shut up and hug. MoreThanPretty, Nov 5, 2008. Just because I'm nominally polite, does not make me a pussy. Sundae Girl.

11-24-2009, 09:04 AM	#35
Shawnee123 Why, you're a regular Alfred E Einstein, ain't ya? Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 21,206	Around here, riding the Amtrak seems like something you'd do more for fun, than as a way to get from Point A to Point B. There just aren't that many routes that will get you where you want to go. A shame, I would love to ride the Amtrak. __________________ A word to the wise ain't necessary - it's the stupid ones who need the advice. --Bill Cosby

11-26-2009, 09:10 AM	#36
monster I hear them call the tide Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Perpetual Chaos Posts: 30,852	Cincinatti to Ann Arbor $111 each way. takes 16 hours (It's a 3-hour $30 gas cost drive, folks) __________________ The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity Amelia Earhart

11-26-2009, 04:19 PM	#37
Cicero Looking forward to open mic night. Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: New Mexico Posts: 5,148	Ok I have another airfare ticket challenge...Santa Fe to New Orleans Dec. 21 coming back roundtrip, 4-5 days after.... Under $400.00. __________________ Show me a sane man, and I will cure him for you.- Carl Jung

11-24-2009, 08:52 AM	#34
glatt ™ Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Arlington, VA Posts: 27,717	Buses between NYC and Washington DC are very popular. I don't have any ridership statistics to give you, but at any time, I can walk out the front door of my office building and see a bus being loaded to go to NYC in the parking lot across the street . It's around $20-30 for the ticket, and the buses look really nice. They all offer wifi. Many of them are double decker. The sides of the buses advertise fares of only $1, but when I've gone to the website, I have never been able to find that rate. This is amazing to me, because my experiences with buses a couple decades ago was that they suck very badly.

11-26-2009, 07:28 PM	#38
monster I hear them call the tide Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Perpetual Chaos Posts: 30,852	did you try priceline? __________________ The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity Amelia Earhart

11-26-2009, 07:28 PM	#39
monster I hear them call the tide Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Perpetual Chaos Posts: 30,852	are you willing to fly late on Dec 25? __________________ The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity Amelia Earhart

11-26-2009, 08:52 PM	#40
Cicero Looking forward to open mic night. Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: New Mexico Posts: 5,148	Nope.... I'll try priceline....I am willing to expand dates too.. So far just travelocity, but the stay would be 2 weeks long @ 349.00.... __________________ Show me a sane man, and I will cure him for you.- Carl Jung

11-27-2009, 09:00 PM	#41
monster I hear them call the tide Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Perpetual Chaos Posts: 30,852	yeah, you really have to stay over a saturday to get most cheap rates. __________________ The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity Amelia Earhart

08-01-2010, 08:15 PM	#42
monster I hear them call the tide Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Perpetual Chaos Posts: 30,852	So, we need to get to the UK sometime in the next year or two. But we need not to pay $1200/ticket. Are there any sites/services that will watch the prices for you and alert you when a deal comes up? __________________ The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity Amelia Earhart

08-01-2010, 08:57 PM	#43
classicman barely disguised asshole, keeper of all that is holy. Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 23,401	I've had the best luck with southwest. Taking in to account that they fly where I am going, of course. __________________ "like strapping a pillow on a bull in a china shop" Bullitt

08-01-2010, 08:58 PM	#44
jinx Come on, cat. Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: general vicinity of Philadelphia area Posts: 7,013	Holy crap. Just swim it. __________________ Crying won't help you, praying won't do you no good.

08-01-2010, 09:01 PM	#45
monster I hear them call the tide Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Perpetual Chaos Posts: 30,852	I just found 750 in Feb if we go to Manchester. Much better, but still a shitload when there's 5 of us... yeah, I should have the kids swim and we can cheer from the plane. I knew they weren't getting those ribbons for nothin'..... __________________ The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity Amelia Earhart

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