Flying to PAX - Now with 50% more shirt!

jonxp

If you can't catch the train, or living out of your car for three days doesn't have the same ring to it that it used to, you'll probably want to fly to PAX.


Airfare
Now, I'm no Uncle Moneybags (heck, I'm not even an uncle), so I want to make sure my travel is still as cheap as possible. So let's hear your airfare deals as you find them here in this thread. Please list the Departure city and airport code, the airline, the fare, as well as any time/date restrictions you may know about. The arrival airport is assumed to be SEA unless otherwise stated.

Atlanta - Hartsfield-Jackson (ATL)

• Airtran - $200 per person
  • Web Fare Only
  • Must purchase before March 8

Baltimore

• [strike]Virgin America - $139[/strike]

Charlotte

• One stop via Atlanta on Air Tran was $230

Arriving in Seattle
info provided by: liasa
At Seatac you can either catch the bus outside the far end of baggage claim. Or you can get a shuttle/taxi/etc. from an island that you have to get to in a somewhat more confusing way. You have to go up a floor from baggage claim to cross the road via. the sky bridge, and then go back down a level to get to the transportation. The map below makes it look less confusing.

This map shows you were all the transportation options pick you up, and how to get to them. http://www.portseattle.org/about/maps/ground.shtml

And this link tells you how much it'll usually cost you to go where you want to go. Just scroll down to Seattle-Downtown. http://www.portseattle.org/seatac/ground/groundrates.shtml

I'll add more to this such as travel tips, how to make reservations, and what to do at the airport. I fly a lot and know it can get confusing for first time travelers. People who have experience with the Seattle airport, please give me tips on where to catch a cab, airport shuttle services, and/or mass transit services at the airport.

Flights with Arcadians on Them
(So you can avoid those nerds)

Departures

Ordered by departure airport, destination, date, and time.

ATL
August 28th

Seattle
Delta #1053
9:30 am (eastern) to 11:43 am (pacific)

August 29th

Seattle
AirTran #15
9:45am (eastern) to 12:15pm (pacific)

CLT
August 27th

Seattle
United Airlines #2111
7:35 am (eastern) to 10:02 am (pacific)

SAV
August 27th

Charlotte
United Airlines #2972
5:25 am (est) to 6:25 am (est)

August 28th

Atlanta
Delta #1758
6:00 am (est) to 6:58 am (est)

Return Flights

Ordered by destination airport, departure airport, date, and time

ATL
September 1st

Seattle
AirTran #16
12:49 PM (pacific) to 8:46 PM (eastern)

CLT
September 1st

Seattle
US Airways #1548
US Airlines #2806
11:00 am (pacific) to 6:56 pm (eastern)

SAV
September 1st

Charlotte
US Airways #2248
US Airlines #3110
7:45 pm (est) to 8:45 pm (est)

Shirt!

Don't read the back, just buy it. Moe Fwacky said so.

http://www.zazzle.com/cross_country_flying_trip_airport_security_light_shirt-235981262568121760

Moe Fwacky

Hey man, it's only a two day drive.

DStalefish

The longer you take to actually travel to PAX, the more awesome you are?

Liger

jonxp wrote: »

If you can't catch the train, or living out of your car for three days doesn't have the same ring to it that it used to, you'll probably want to fly to PAX.

Another way to do it is move to Seattle. ;-)

VThornheart

Liger wrote: »

jonxp wrote: »

If you can't catch the train, or living out of your car for three days doesn't have the same ring to it that it used to, you'll probably want to fly to PAX.

Another way to do it is move to Seattle. ;-)

My wife actually brought that up earlier this week. I had a hard day at work, and she said "maybe we could move to Seattle when we go down there for PAX."

At first we both laughed. Then I realized that the cost of the travel expenses and hotels we're staying at for our PAX/Anniversary vacation is about what it'd cost to get a moving van, drive up to PAX, and put a security deposit and first months' rent down on an apartment.

Damn. Tempting.

jonxp

Wow, where are you coming from?

liasa

jonxp wrote: »

People who have experience with the Seattle airport, please give me tips on where to catch a cab, airport shuttle services, and/or mass transit services at the airport.

At Seatac you can either catch the bus outside the far end of baggage claim. Or you can get a shuttle/taxi/etc. from an island that you have to get to in a somewhat more confusing way. You have to go up a floor from baggage claim to cross the road via. the sky bridge, and then go back down a level to get to the transportation. The map below makes it look less confusing.

This map shows you were all the transportation options pick you up, and how to get to them. http://www.portseattle.org/about/maps/ground.shtml

And this link tells you how much it'll usually cost you to go where you want to go. Just scroll down to Seattle-Downtown. http://www.portseattle.org/seatac/ground/groundrates.shtml

jonxp

liasa wrote: »

jonxp wrote: »

People who have experience with the Seattle airport, please give me tips on where to catch a cab, airport shuttle services, and/or mass transit services at the airport.

At Seatac you can either catch the bus outside the far end of baggage claim. Or you can get a shuttle/taxi/etc. from an island that you have to get to in a somewhat more confusing way. You have to go up a floor from baggage claim to cross the road via. the sky bridge, and then go back down a level to get to the transportation. The map below makes it look less confusing.

This map shows you were all the transportation options pick you up, and how to get to them. http://www.portseattle.org/about/maps/ground.shtml

And this link tells you how much it'll usually cost you to go where you want to go. Just scroll down to Seattle-Downtown. http://www.portseattle.org/seatac/ground/groundrates.shtml

Thanks, info added to OP.

VThornheart

jonxp wrote: »

Wow, where are you coming from?

Oh, it's the staying for two weeks in a hotel thing that's the expensive part for us. We're turning our PAX trip into an extended vacation with PAX at the end... but I digress.

mare_imbrium

speaking of flying to PAX, we're planning on buying our tickets when we get our tax return (no, our real tax return) and haven't yet seen any tickets from the Orange County/Los Angeles area that are less than $300 (taxes included). People from a lot farther away have been saying that their tickets cost similarly, and I thought LAX was a pretty major airport so it would stand to reason that perhaps we could get it lower. If anybody has any leads on where I could find cheaper tickets I would appreciate it.

Dreamwriter

LAX might be *too* major. Try Burbank, you may be able to get a slightly cheaper flight from there.

DStalefish

Virgin America has a flight from LAX to SEA for slightly less than $200 through Orbitz or their website.

Including taxes and fees it comes out to $223 per person round trip.

To be honest, that's an awesome way to fly. Virgin has some really sweet shit on their planes. LCDs in the back of every chair with satellite tv and a shit-ton of mp3's to listen to.

You know what, now that I investigate, they have flights between LAX, San Fran, Seattle, and New York, and they're all just $200. That's pretty awesome.

Zine

I already have my flight booked through Air Canada and it's costing me 360 for myself round trip. Kinda expensive but I had the extra money and I thought I would get it out of the way before I didn't have the extra money.

So any one from Calgary area the standard Air Canada flight is at 129 + Tax right now for one way trip then the same for returning.

Thats YYC to SEA August 28th coming back Sept 1st SEA to YYC.

ASimPerson

General points about flying:

• Do not book through Orbitz or any of that crap without first checking to see if the same fare is available through the airline's website. The vast majority of the time it is, and in fact may end up being cheaper since you won't have to pay booking fees. This also makes it easier to sign up for frequent flier programs or make sure that your flight is counted towards your existing membership. I use this site, which displays in much the same format as Orbitz does only without the crap.
• Do not check your computer, unless you like it to not work when you get there.
• Do be aware of proper rules and regulations for what you can and cannot bring your checked and unchecked baggage. If you don't fly a lot, please avoid being stupid. For instance, when I was flying home for Christmas, I was in a fairly long line. There was a lady in front of me who got all the way to the checkpoint before being told that she needed to get her boarding pass before passing through security.
• While flying is expensive, do consider it may make up other costs and has the advantage of being significantly faster. If you play your cards correctly, you will only miss one day of work. Think about it this way: from where I live (around San Jose, CA) to PAX it is 838 miles one-way, or about 28 gallons of gas, or 56 gallons for the whole trip. Assuming gas costs $3.00/gallon (and it is, and will be, higher by August) that's $168 just for gas. Add in the fact that it's a 13.5-hour trip (probably more, if you count traffic), which means you need to take an extra day off just to drive, and then you have to park your car once you get there. This varies, of course - if you drive you can split this cost. There's also the train, which is $180 and is slower than driving. Or, I can fly from the San Jose airport (very convenient) and the flight takes 2.5 hours. And costs $250. Obviously, flying can be much more expensive where you are, but still, for this situation, it's about 12 times as fast as the train and 6 times as fast as driving. And you miss less work.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not hating on the SuperTrips. But flying may not be as out of reach as you think if you don't have as much time as you think you do.

Also, don't book just yet (unless you're jumping on that ATL sales fare), but don't wait too long either. It is a holiday weekend, and if you wait until July to book your tickets fares may be a lot higher.

nearlysober

Yeah... my airfare booking process usually goes something like this:

1. Check orbitz.com & expedia.com to find the cheapest flight.
2. Go directly to that airlines webpage and buy the flight there cheaper (no extra fees).

Nearly 99% of the time you'll find the exact same flight for a few bucks less on the official site. The only thing nice about those travel sites is they let you compare.

Also if you're waiting on booking check out www.farecast.com The site forcasts out a few months and predicts when the cheapest time to buy tickets is... it only forcasts out a few months so you can't use it for August yet.

And one more thing to keep in mind. Seattle is Alaska Airlines hub so in theory they should have good prices & with their partner Horizon that flies to small cities you can find lots of direct flights.

Flying, if done right... can be just as cheap as a train and cheaper than driving alone. BUT if I had to travel for PAX I'd try to go the long way... the train sounds like so much fun... but not everyone can spare the extra time those forms of travel require.

jonxp

Yeah, all this stuff will be in the OP after I get home tonight.

Pat McRotch

For me to get the cheapest and most reasonable flight I will have to drive to Tulsa (2 hours away). But it is ok, I have some family there. Free ride to the airport!

mentok1982

DStalefish wrote: »

Virgin America has a flight from LAX to SEA for slightly less than $200 through Orbitz or their website.

Including taxes and fees it comes out to $223 per person round trip.

To be honest, that's an awesome way to fly. Virgin has some really sweet shit on their planes. LCDs in the back of every chair with satellite tv and a shit-ton of mp3's to listen to.

You know what, now that I investigate, they have flights between LAX, San Fran, Seattle, and New York, and they're all just $200. That's pretty awesome.

I am using Virgin America from Baltimore to Seattle. $278 round trip without taxes.

mare_imbrium

Oh man, Virgin must have just started selling flights to Seattle recently. That's great. We'll probably go that way. Thanks!


edited to add: Just booked! Leaving Thursday, coming back Monday. There are only four flights each day to and from, so maybe we'll see other PAX goers on our flights!

jonxp

mare_imbrium wrote: »

Oh man, Virgin must have just started selling flights to Seattle recently. That's great. We'll probably go that way. Thanks!


edited to add: Just booked! Leaving Thursday, coming back Monday. There are only four flights each day to and from, so maybe we'll see other PAX goers on our flights!

Yeah, a Pax goer's flight list would be a good idea, so we know which flights have DSes going.

mare_imbrium

jonxp wrote: »

mare_imbrium wrote: »

Oh man, Virgin must have just started selling flights to Seattle recently. That's great. We'll probably go that way. Thanks!


edited to add: Just booked! Leaving Thursday, coming back Monday. There are only four flights each day to and from, so maybe we'll see other PAX goers on our flights!

Yeah, a Pax goer's flight list would be a good idea, so we know which flights have DSes going.

You sure that's a good idea?

ASimPerson

Yeah, WiFi on the flight is probably a no-no.

jonxp

It's a non-issue, really. Wifi is on the wrong frequencies to be harmful at all. The Mythbusters even did a whole thing on it.

DS gaming has been alive and well on flights that I've been on, anyway.

Moe Fwacky

Yeah, besides, you're only supposed to turn off electronic devices during takeoff and landing, not throughout the entire flight.

mare_imbrium

you know, I was really just kidding. I saw an opportunity to post a topical comic.

Also, I just realized that with this Virgin America deal flying from LAX is, when considering pre taxes and fees for both, only $7 more each way than taking the train.

TNTrooper

WiFi isn't the issue on making you turn off your DS for takeoff and landings by nature any electric device will create a magnetic field which can fuck with instruments. Plus the FAA has really shitty rules that they never get around to updating.

No person may operate, nor may any operator or pilot in command of an aircraft allow the operation of, any portable electronic device on any of the following U.S.-registered civil aircraft

So when you tell the flight attendant you will turn your DS off in a minute but never do, and it turns out the guy next to you is from the FAA you just got the airliner a fucking ridiculous ticket that will probably coming out of the flight attendant's paycheck for not making sure everyone turned off any electronic devices. They are nazi's over it cause it will probably cost them $1000+ and they FAA blames it on them cause you couldn't go 5 minutes without Mario Kart.

Seriously the FAA sucks and has the shittiest rules only things allowed are portable voice recorders, hearing aids, heart pacemakers and electric shavers. Everything else needs to get approved by the operator of the aircraft and no pilot is gonna let you play Mario Kart with your friends during takeoff to accurately prove if doesn't cause interference with the navigation or communication system.

Edit: Not trashing you guys just the FAA really sucks enough to make that post.

DStalefish

Funny thing is, MythBusters did an episode on whether or not cell phones could mess with the instruments on a plane, and every single thing they tried on even old prop planes didn't do anything.

TNTrooper

Unless they were in a cockpit of a 747 during a real takeoff and landing then they wouldn't have enough evidence to allow people to use cellphones.

jonxp

Also, I don't advocate use during takeoff or landing, only in the air and on the tarmac.

mythicknight

Whoah, Virgin flight really is cheap..

Caelesto

Well now I'm just confused...

I was going to take the train, but with the flights so cheap from Virgin, I can't decide. I tentatively want to take the 11:40 nonstop to SeaTac out of LAX, August 28th, arriving at 2:10pm. If anyone else is planning on flying out of LAX, and want a travel buddy, just let me know.

I might also be bringing friends, but the more the merrier!

JimJonesEsquire

I got my ticket through travelocity and delta with a stop at Heartsfeild(joy for indoor smoking rooms) for like 340.

TNTrooper

Caelesto wrote: »

Well now I'm just confused...

I was going to take the train, but with the flights so cheap from Virgin, I can't decide. I tentatively want to take the 11:40 nonstop to SeaTac out of LAX, August 28th, arriving at 2:10pm. If anyone else is planning on flying out of LAX, and want a travel buddy, just let me know.

I might also be bringing friends, but the more the merrier!

Flying might save you a day but you pay for by having to deal with airport security, planes getting delayed, and a bunch of other bullshit.

Meanwhile on the train we will be having a 2 day long party with plenty of games, movies, and alcohol.

ASimPerson

Flying sucks, but seriously, not everyone can take a week off to go to PAX.

Haterot

Charlotte to Seattle, Non Stop on Useless Air is (was) $430.
One stop via Atlanta on Air Tran was $230.

redfish27

If you haven't already, check out Kayak before buying flights. They pull the prices straight from the airlines and redirect you there for the purchasing. No stupid fees because they're not actually selling anything.

I'd love to take the train, but it's not really an option from NC. 4 days travel time each direction... I think the novelty would wear off pretty quickly.

nearlysober

TNTrooper wrote: »

Unless they were in a cockpit of a 747 during a real takeoff and landing then they wouldn't have enough evidence to allow people to use cellphones.

Regardless of wether or not cellphones interfere with the instruments... I'm glad they don't allow cellphone usage on flights. Imagine how much more your flight would suck if the fat guy spilling over the armrest into your seat was also jabbering away on the phone loudly the entire flight... but thats a topic for another thread.

mentok1982

jonxp wrote: »

Baltimore

• Virgin America - $139

It is $278 round trip and even though I live in Baltimore, I am driving to Washington DC (IAD) for my flight. Virgin America does not fly out of or into BWI yet.

jonxp

mentok1982 wrote: »

jonxp wrote: »

Baltimore

• Virgin America - $139

It is $278 round trip and even though I live in Baltimore, I am driving to Washington DC (IAD) for my flight. Virgin America does not fly out of or into BWI yet.

Thanks I was going off of what someone had posted earlier. I'll need you guys to let me know as things go off sale.

rakuenCallisto

I've never attended this event, and I'm about 75% sure I'd like to attend this, just would like to get some personal opinions from people who have attended before. I'm currently in Boston, so this would be quite the flight/accomadations and could potentially round me up about $800-1000. I'd love to go, but only know most of the TF2 community. Let me know what you think guys, PM me if you get a chance. Thanks!

jonxp

rakuenCallisto wrote: »

I've never attended this event, and I'm about 75% sure I'd like to attend this, just would like to get some personal opinions from people who have attended before. I'm currently in Boston, so this would be quite the flight/accomadations and could potentially round me up about $800-1000. I'd love to go, but only know most of the TF2 community. Let me know what you think guys, PM me if you get a chance. Thanks!

Watch your flights, starting in a month or two all the good deals will start popping up. So far my flights and (nice) accommodations for two people came out to just around $800 total. This is flying from Atlanta which is even farther away than Boston.

You've got some time to save up as well. Make a plan, budget it out, see if you think you can actually sock the money away to do it or not.

It'll be awesome if you makes it.