Group Flights

[TexOle]

Has anyone ever done any group air travel? What airlines have been helpful with giving good deals? What kind of deal should I look at getting? Was it worth the cost? Any other information would be nice.

[scooter]

Try this thread:

http://forums.collegelax.us/viewtopic.php?t=6520

If that doesn't help, I'm sure A.J wouldn't mind answering a few questions for you

[Campbell]

I don't know anything about this travel agency, but Brian Despain started this a couple of years ago and he is a former lacrosse player at Texas A&M. It might be worth it to give him a call and see what he can offer.

http://www.glomad.com/

[cjwilhelmi]

When I was coaching a select HS team last summer we used Airtran.

[John Paul]

You came to the right place. There are MCLA teams that fly 3 or 4 times every year, some even more.

If your flight is direct, there and back, avoid travel agents. You'll pay much more because of their service fees. Every airline has a group travel number you can call to book airfare for team-sized groups. We've been doing this a long time, and we've tried several agents, and we've never found it to be a good investment.

First step, do some research on kayaker or orbitz or other travel sites to see who flies between the cities you need and to get an idea of general ticket prices for individual tickets. Don't forget to check out other nearby airports as it may be cheaper to fly into an airport that is an hour or two distant of your destination and bus from there. Check out discount airlines if they are not listed on general sites. Airlines like Southwest, AirTran and others often set the market price.

Call the airline group desks directly to get quotes. They'll usually block the seats and give you a few days to confirm with a passenger list and payment before they release them.

The days of better deals for group travel are gone. Flights are all full now, so they have no incentive to sell cheaper to groups. It's very rare to get a better deal than what you see online in a search for individual tickets. Usually group tickets are at least that price, often slightly higher. Airlines reserve certain numbers of seats on every flight at different price levels. If you have a group of 50, and there are 32 seats left at $225 and the next price point is $275, more often than not you'll get 32 at $225 and the rest at the next price point. Some airlines do throw in a free ticket for every 30 or 40 seats booked, but that's rare.

Another thing to keep in mind is to try to arrange when you are booking to waive the baggage allowance. I know we always travel with way more bags than are technically allowed, but we've been able to work a deal with our main airline to not charge us for extras or overweight bags.

Also, ensure you'll have group check-in, not general check-in. Group check-in means you'll have your own check-in station and agents, and if they are on the ball they will have pre-printed your boarding passes and baggage claim tags before you arrive.

Hope that helps. Good luck.

[Danny Hogan]

and as always, remove all heads and carry them on, you can put all the shafts in 1 big bag and all the d poles can be taped together.

[DanGenck]

I echo the group check-in. We used that feature at Minneapolis Airport and it was amazing. We were never in line at the main concourse, instead our team bus dropped us off in a parking garage, we went downstairs to a private area, checked in, and walked to the security area in the main terminal. Well worth it.

[Rob Graff]

Group check in is the ONLY way to go.

Accept no substitute.

Also, we tell our players to pack one set of uniforms and their stick heads in their carry on - We can replace pads/helmets/cleats/poles if a bag is lost. Uniforms are different.

Rob

[TexOle]

This was for an FCA Mission trip to Juarez, Mexico. It looks like we are going to be able drive down for less. It is not a bad drive, but it will be a little long. Thanks for the help.