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For flights, there is nothing better - as with so many other things - than Google these days:

http://www.google.com/flights/

They bought the wonderful but more complicated back-end for many airlines (ITA software) years ago and polished it up into Google Flights. You can track prices and do multi-airline/destination/date searches. Then click the price at the end and you're instantly transferred directly to the airline to book at the lowest fare.

I travel 100-150K miles per year and it's what I use...

(02-22-2017 01:40 PM)stdatwmu Wrote:  For flights, there is nothing better - as with so many other things - than Google these days:

http://www.google.com/flights/

They bought the wonderful but more complicated back-end for many airlines (ITA software) years ago and polished it up into Google Flights. You can track prices and do multi-airline/destination/date searches. Then click the price at the end and you're instantly transferred directly to the airline to book at the lowest fare.

I travel 100-150K miles per year and it's what I use...

Just gave it a test-drive. Flying from Kalamazoo to San Diego on August 29, and then from LAX to Kalamazoo on September 3.... 2 adults, 2 children, 1 infant... $1,800.

How much better could I find? What should my target price be?

StD can better verify, but I've found that you get the lowest fares when you book between 2 and 3 months before the trip. Booking out 6 months in advance or less than one month in advance does not yield as good a fare. But maybe he can verify that.

I am not okay with a moral victory.

Tim Lester will coach them up. And we will whoop USC's ass!

Where is the confidence?

USC will be a Top 5 team. While I'm never "happy" with losing, if it's a competitive game down to the wire, I'll be optimistic for the season.

Idaho would be an entirely different story.

(02-22-2017 03:11 PM)texasbronco1 Wrote:  StD can better verify, but I've found that you get the lowest fares when you book between 2 and 3 months before the trip. Booking out 6 months in advance or less than one month in advance does not yield as good a fare. But maybe he can verify that.

So I should probably set a calendar alert to start working on this in late May.

(02-22-2017 03:08 PM)Hiller4Hyz09 Wrote:  

(02-22-2017 01:40 PM)stdatwmu Wrote:  For flights, there is nothing better - as with so many other things - than Google these days:

http://www.google.com/flights/

They bought the wonderful but more complicated back-end for many airlines (ITA software) years ago and polished it up into Google Flights. You can track prices and do multi-airline/destination/date searches. Then click the price at the end and you're instantly transferred directly to the airline to book at the lowest fare.

I travel 100-150K miles per year and it's what I use...

Just gave it a test-drive. Flying from Kalamazoo to San Diego on August 29, and then from LAX to Kalamazoo on September 3.... 2 adults, 2 children, 1 infant... $1,800.

How much better could I find? What should my target price be?

That honestly doesn't sound terrible. I'd consider anything in the $400 range to be pretty good to the left coast from the non-hub Midwest (though when you're hub-captive, fares may end up higher anyway).

Also, you can quickly search multiple options on there to get a better feel for pricing. For example, departing "AZO, GRR, SBN, LAN, DTW" and arriving "LAX, LGB, BUR, SNA, ONT" will throw together a ton of combinations. I will say, however, that it's searching so many routes at that point that it doesn't always find the best fares; I generally do a final point-to-point (e.g. AZO-LGB) search to double-check the pricing before booking.

(02-22-2017 03:11 PM)texasbronco1 Wrote:  StD can better verify, but I've found that you get the lowest fares when you book between 2 and 3 months before the trip. Booking out 6 months in advance or less than one month in advance does not yield as good a fare. But maybe he can verify that.

It is a bit of a crapshoot, but you also have to be aware that airline schedules change, especially >2-3 months out.

I've booked at least a few trips 4+ months out in the past year or two and I'm pretty sure there's been a post-booking schedule change every single time. Depends on the airline but generally you can rebook for free (or even cancel for free) if it affects your departure/arrival by >2 hours.

As far as pricing goes, anything >21 days from departure tends to be the cheapest. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays are the least-busy days to fly, so if you can fit those into the schedule you'll often save a few bucks.

(02-23-2017 10:52 AM)Hiller4Hyz09 Wrote:  

(02-22-2017 03:11 PM)texasbronco1 Wrote:  StD can better verify, but I've found that you get the lowest fares when you book between 2 and 3 months before the trip. Booking out 6 months in advance or less than one month in advance does not yield as good a fare. But maybe he can verify that.

So I should probably set a calendar alert to start working on this in late May.

If you're using Google Flights and you have time (which you do for next Labor Day) I'd definitely click the Track Price button and watch it for a bit.

What that'll do is email you with price changes (if you tell it to) and give you this very handy little graph on the website that tracks the price over time.

For example, here is one for 3 different routings for the same trip I've been tracking for next month:




Depending on the popularity of the routing (basically, if Google has enough data) it'll also sometimes pop up helpful tips as you search:

detroit to lax delta roundtrip nonstop fri 09/01/17- mon 09/04/17 for $328.

Quote:I am not okay with a moral victory.

A mild moral victory, I wouldn't be OK but I wouldn't think negatively a few weeks later. A Strong moral victory (down to the wire)? Frustrated and "ARGH!!" for a while, but many games later, I'll be mildly happy with it (maybe mixed emotions if we'd happen to be Real Good?).

Quote:Tim Lester will coach them up. And we will whoop USC's ass!

Where is the confidence?

I like the hopefulness and positive energy -- but at the same time, where's the realism? :)

After us, USC plays Texas and at Notre Dame. At the moment, we could play with both those squads, but from a pedigree standpoint, this is as much a trap game as an opening game can be from a USC perspective.

https://athlonsports.com/college-footbal...dules-2017

If we can get some first downs with our strong suits being OL and RB, we can chew enough clock as to prevent the score from getting out of hand. Whether we hit paydirt in the endzone enough is a different question, but hope we can at least move the chains between the 20s to give the defense rest.

With an entirely new passing game, might as well assume we're going to have to swallow a couple INTs. That is, unless Lester employs running plays by like a 90/10% margin over passing plays, 2000s Ohio Bobcats style.

(02-26-2017 11:45 AM)Boca Rocket Wrote:  detroit to lax delta roundtrip nonstop fri 09/01/17- mon 09/04/17 for $328.

Unfortunately I couldn't make it to the Cotton Bowl :( :( :( :( :( :(

Might as well consider USC.

Michigan St for sure.

If my kids start school before Labor Day, this is all probably moot.

Offensive linemen Damien Mama (30), Chad Wheeler (38) and Zach Banner (45) combined for 113 starts during their USC careers. The Trojans have a lot of size and experience to replace on the offensive line, and that's not great news for quarterback Sam Darnold, who enters the 2017 season as a Heisman frontrunner. -- Chantel Jennings

Wouldn't mind seeing a couple bill knapps sacks in that game.

USC isn't going to know what hit em. Kenny Finley has a party in the USC backfield all day long. We pick Darnold 3 times, and our stable of backs grinds them down.

Quote:USC isn't going to know what hit em. Kenny Finley has a party in the USC backfield all day long. We pick Darnold 3 times, and our stable of backs grinds them down.

Sounds like a wet dream! I just hope we go down swinging and a 55-3 blowout doesn't occur... but more like a 38-17 game.

c

(04-15-2017 07:24 PM)Motown Bronco Wrote:  Wouldn't mind seeing a couple bill knapps sacks in that game.

I remember Bill Knapp! Those were the days.

And now we have Spartan Paper Sacks!

(04-20-2017 01:13 PM)toddjnsn Wrote:  

Quote:USC isn't going to know what hit em. Kenny Finley has a party in the USC backfield all day long. We pick Darnold 3 times, and our stable of backs grinds them down.

Sounds like a wet dream! I just hope we go down swinging and a 55-3 blowout doesn't occur... but more like a 38-17 game.

I wouldn't' have a problem with beating them 55-3

(04-21-2017 07:33 AM)Bronc33 Wrote:  

(04-20-2017 01:13 PM)toddjnsn Wrote:  

Quote:USC isn't going to know what hit em. Kenny Finley has a party in the USC backfield all day long. We pick Darnold 3 times, and our stable of backs grinds them down.

Sounds like a wet dream! I just hope we go down swinging and a 55-3 blowout doesn't occur... but more like a 38-17 game.

I wouldn't' have a problem with beating them 55-3

Lester and staff will have the team prepared. No worries here.