I have got to start replying to such posts with only
Can you provide possible dates, airports and other needs...??
It looks like Continental/United has raised their prices quite a bit from last year and now have stopped service from Los Angeles on Monday, tuesday, and Thursday.
I need to find a decent price, (less than $600 would work), without a long layover, like 16 hours.
Willing to try other airlines but don't want the 40 minute switch between planes/terminals.
Don't want to do the bag drag from Cancun, the wife would not like that at all.
Any suggestions out there.
Well,
when can be almost as important as where in shopping for fares, along with how many nights, specific departure airports you'd consider, and any other flexible or inflexible points.
Kayak and
Matrix - ITA Software both have excellent searching tools for spanning weeks and limiting specifics, but it's become a real price gouging market for the airlines.
Continental no longer competes with United so we have one less big player in the big game, whether the latter went to CZM or not - I dunno. The flow of oil has not decreased in these newsworthy times and the price of oil is down, but speculators, mostly uneducated gamblers maybe playing with spare money based on what they heard at a bar or some other questions sources, are running up Oil Futures overall. The airlines do have to plan long range activities with planes, crews, support, gates, etc. based on Futures so they are cool to bump prices based on that kind of news - just not eager to come back down when Futures drop. Making money is the game; planes are just some of the tools.
Shopping around for my own possible options, I looked at costs of getting as far as Houston - and Continental is charging over $500 RT from Amarillo to IAH on most dates in late August for example. That is absurd for a 90 minute flight! The only cheaper alternative seems to be American,
Wednesdays only? 
I am amazed. Continental will do it for under $400 only if I return on Sunday, regardless of when I want to go. I wonder if they really have any idea what they are doing in this merger?
A few adventurous souls do drive around the Gulf, mostly to transport house goods I think, but that probly wouldn't work for you either. 1633 miles to Brownsville TX, then maybe another 1,000 around to PDC - Mapquest doesn't plan that part, then the car ferry over to save parking fees in PDC. :silly: Up for adventure? Only cops, soldiers and banditos are allowed to carry guns.
Now that Delta and Northwest have more or less completed their merger, they're not doing me much good, but they may be your best bet: Midnight flight over the US, 4 hour breakfast in Atlanta, arrive CZM for a late lunch; a week later, early lunch to catch the 1:37pm out of CZM, over 3 hours for I&C and dinner in Atlanta, then non-stop over much of the US again, back into LAX at 10:30pm all for $509 including all taxes and fees.
Any of that help your thinking any? Maybe we need to start a Facebook page about
Oil speculators are going to lose everything the way they are playing!
) 
Well, Cont has flights but not leaving late; have to leave the next day and arrive on the 18th, over 21 hours travel time. 
