Spring break trips are often difficult to plan. It is hard to get a group of friends together to decide on one place and figure out how much money everything will cost.
Quinnipiac University’s spring break is the week of March 12. Many students choose to travel from Saturday to Saturday and spend a week at a destination of their choosing.
There are many online services available from the comfort of an internet connection to get flight information. “I used expdia.com and orbitz.com to research flights,” senior public relations major Allyson Coughlin said. “Online sites are good, they offer pretty good deals and give you so many options.”
The most popular sites for finding flights for spring break travel are www.travelocity.com, www.expedia.com, www.orbitz.com and www.cheaptickets.com. Each site offers their own spin on the search process. “I prefer Orbitz over other sites because I have used it in the past and have never had trouble with it,” senior marketing major Laura Larrivee said.
“It’s convenient to see the way the flights are laid out right in front of you, it makes it easy to compare the prices of all the different airlines,” senior communications major Rob Ettman said.
Each site shows a breakdown of different airlines and the lowest prices for the flights. There are options for nonstop and one-stop flights at the top of the screen to make navigation easier. Flight descriptions also tell how long a layover would be and if it involves a plane change or not.
“I was looking into a trip to Florida with some of my friends and found some flights. They were clear on how long the layovers would be,” said Karen Uhl, a junior communications major. “It made it easier for me to compare them and the times of the flights departure and arrival.”
Most sites offer great pricing on trips to popular spring break destinations such as Florida, Cancun, California, Bahamas and Las Vegas. The customer can compare prices from different airlines and airports with the click of a button.
“I think it is great how these sites tell you how many seats are left for the flights. It makes it easier for me to know I have to make a decision fast or if I have time to wait to decide,” Uhl said.
When looking at flights departing Sat., March 10 and returning Sat., March 17, the cheapest flights arriving in Fort Lauderdale from different cities are as follows. From Bradley International Airport to Fort Lauderdale, Fla. is $366 using Travelocity.com, $370 on Cheaptickets.com, $408 on orbitz.com and $401 with Expedia.com. The cheapest flights from LaGuardia in New York City to Fort Lauderdale are $223 using Travelocity.com, $222 using cheaptickets.com, $224 on orbitz.com and $302 with expedia.com. The cheapest flights from Logan International in Boston to Fort Lauderdale are $328 on travelocity.com, $340 on cheaptickets.com, $331 with orbitz.com and $365 on expedia.com.
Keep in mind, some destinations prices alter slightly when changing the dates to Sundays or weekdays. “I had noticed on the Expedia Web site that there was an option to change the returning date to drop the price almost $75,” Coughlin said. “For me this is not an option because I already had a hotel booked, but if people didn’t book a hotel yet, it would be easier to see other alternatives to save some money.”
Another added bonus: choose the option to add a hotel and a flight; it is surprising how affordable packages can be at three to four star hotels.
