Can you tell me how to get, how to get to San Francisco?

January 31, 2005 11:45 AM

What's the best way to find cheap flights (Harrisburg, PA to San Jose or San Francisco, CA) for this weekend? I know about Priceline, but would prefer to at least have some say in what times my flights are. Orbitz, Expedia, etc. are all showing really expensive fares.
posted by rorycberger to Travel & Transportation around San Francisco, CA (15 answers total)

Some airlines are not listed in Expedia, like JetBlue and Southwest. You can look at their web sites individually. Aside from that, it's cheaper if you travel in the middle of the week if your schedule can manage it.
posted by Daddio at 11:51 AM on January 31, 2005

I grew up outside of Philly. We always flew from Philly and DC for domestic, but Allentown occasionally had a decent rate. BWI (Baltimore Washington) is only an hour and 15 minutes from Harrisburg, (maybe a little less if you drive quickly). I'm in Pittsburgh now and the rates here are outrageous in comparison. I still fly out of Philly for that reason (obviously I fly much less now because of the commute to the airport). If it's possible, be flexible with your airport.
posted by BlueTrain at 11:51 AM on January 31, 2005

Hotwire is aimed at the "at least have some say in what times my flights are" market. Priceline supports that too, to stay competitive.
posted by smackfu at 11:54 AM on January 31, 2005

try Site 59
posted by darsh at 12:02 PM on January 31, 2005

sidestep.com isn't bad. it lists jetblue.
posted by ruwan at 12:35 PM on January 31, 2005

You might want to consider Oakland too if you're flying into the bay area. I think that's the only airport around here that Jetblue serves.
posted by mileena at 12:41 PM on January 31, 2005

I usually have good luck with Travelocity. Right now leaving from Baltimore (on this Friday, return Sunday) to San Fran is listed as starting at $391, and to San Jose starting at $396. You can search nearby airports and choose times, too.
posted by Melinika at 1:56 PM on January 31, 2005

Oakland airport should definitely be considered - Southwest flies into there, but not to San Francisco, for example. And since it's near a BART (mass transit) line (with a shuttle from the airport), it's easy to get into the city of San Francisco from there. To points north (Berkeley, wine county), it's definitely a better airport. (Although the rental cars are a bizarrely long free bus - shuttle - ride away and will be until a new parking garage is built.)
posted by WestCoaster at 2:33 PM on January 31, 2005

I've found good fares with mobissimo.com.
posted by funkbrain at 2:54 PM on January 31, 2005

try kayak.com--it searches almost all airlines as well as other travel sites
posted by rmhsinc at 3:08 PM on January 31, 2005

I've recently been turned on to fareprice.net. You say where you are and when you want to go, and it then spits out the places you could go and for how much. Clever!
posted by arielmeadow at 6:34 PM on January 31, 2005

smarterliving.com too.
posted by amberglow at 9:06 PM on January 31, 2005

See this thread for some discussion on travel aggregators.
posted by yankeefog at 7:13 AM on February 1, 2005

Have you tried ITA Software?
posted by fabesfaves at 7:52 AM on February 1, 2005

Hey guys - wouldn't post this if it wasn't relevant - I've just put a software application into public beta called the TripStalker. The idea is that using a downloadable application you put in your travel criteria just ONCE and the TripStalker will constantly query the online reservation networks keeping you updated on the best price. You can set a notify price and/or optionally a price to automatically book. We have a host of features we want to add - right now it is pretty basic - but it does the job. If you like stop by and check it out - http://www.tripstalker.com - we'd love your feedback! Keep in mind that it works best when you give it some time to stalk. Imagine a graph over time of prices to/from your destination, the idea is to give the TripStalker time to pinpoint that low point on the graph. I hope you find this of use in your quest for the best priced trip that meets your exact travel crteria!
posted by JpMaxMan at 8:46 AM on February 1, 2005