ncgrrl

I have a frequent flyer ticket on Delta that I want to get the best $ value. I'm thinking about Rapid City, SD. However, that will require 2 changes to get there (either Atlanta or Cincinnati along with Salt Lake City).

So is there any web site you can recommend that has airline tickets by price where I don't have to keep plugging in destinations first to determine price.

I think the ticket is lower-48 USA only otherwise I'd see you in Hawaii.

TIA for your suggestions.

Jocelyn_P

Do you WANT to go to Rapid City, SD? Why not just go where you really want to go?

ncgrrl

I've always wanted to visit Mt. Rushmore and I'm not willing to pay $490 for a ticket there.

Could also sing Bruce Springsteen's "Badlands" at the top of my lungs in the Badlands.

Also, if I want to visit all 50 state, a trip to South Dakota is necessary. I could use the trip to visit North Dakota too.

MikeT

Isn't the basic rule of thumb that FF tickets are best used for flights over $400. So if the trip to Rapid City is more than $400, and you really want to go there, then that seems like it is the best choice.

Choosing a place just because it is the best bang for the free buck is idiotic.

ncgrrl

I don't think I'm an idiot (at least most of the time).

There are a whole bunch of wonderful areas in the US I've never visited. Some places I can get a chaep airline ticket too so I wouldn't want to use ff points for the ticket. Some places are expensive to visit, like Rapid City, and that would be a good value for a ff ticket. So I would like to find an easy way to determine price and then I can determine the destination. And I would prefer a destination that would have one change instead of two (Rapid City require two changes).

If this isn't possible, I'll go the Delta website and pick destinations and then get price, but I would <i>prefer</i> to star with price, <i>then&lt;i/&gt; pick destination.</i>

clevelandbrown

You might look at Alaska. I believe Continental lumps that in with the 48 states they consider domestic flights.

rkkwan

25,000 DL Skymiles will cover the 48 continental states, Canada, as well as Alaska.

Besides DL, you can use CO and NW. So, with one-stop service, you can go anywhere that DL/CO/NW flies from Atlanta, Boston, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Minneapolis and Newark/New York. Possibilites are virtually unlimited.

NW serves Rapid City from both MSP and DTW, so you can get there easily with just one-stop on NW.

However, if you already claimed a DL &quot;Award Certificate&quot;, then I don't know if you can fly NW. I have always claimed my Skymiles directly, so I don't know the rules and procedures for that.

ncgrrl

Thaks for all the help. I was on the Delta website and there is an advertisement for a trip to Milan from $419 (JFK). Only $479 from DC and $499 from Charlotte (closest to my home). Have to buy and travel soon and my ff ticket isn't eligible for that location. Prices to Milan in fall are around the price of places I'm looking to fly domestic in the spring. Ah, price structuring.

I'm still thinking of where to go. I love national parks and many are difficult to get to. Have also priced out tickets to Jackson Hole, WY (Yellowstone) and Fresno, CA (Yosemite). Both of those flights are expensive and require two transfers. Also priced Anchorage, AK (many national parks nearby), but not thrilled with the idea of a plane leaving at 12:35 am and also has two stops.

If I could figure out a better way to get to Big Bend NP in Texas than fly and drive a long way I would add it to the list of places to visit.

I think I have spent more time on where to use a free ticket than I have for places I've paid for. Of course, I am assuming I can us ff miles for the time I want to go.

mrwunrfl

There aren't any US national parks in Milan.