Yellowstone in May, Scored FREE Exit Row Seats on United

[DandyDon]

There are a number of factors that go into determining the fare for a flight. By using Private Viewing, you eliminate the simple act of checking the fares as a variable in that calculation.

Thanks, but I always check fares on Matrix first.

So much for my free checked bag. The United Visa card came up for renewal for $95. I canceled that which canceled the free bag. Oh well. This and that.

 

[DandyDon]

I found roundtrip fares to Cody (60 miles from Yellowstone Lake) of $322.

I watch the fare changes after I buy a ticket to see how well I played the game, and sometimes I am dismayed.

And just like that, the same ticket is $261.

Today, my ticket would cost $659 except I wouldn't buy it. I'm glad that I grabbed the only 3 night cabin booking and the plane when I could. My dates are not flexible and the lowest price for those dates is $548 with an even longer layover going, so I am pleased.

I've also watched rental cars but they are staying outrageous. The real agencies are still charging $626 for four days in a new car. I'm happy with my $300 2014 Ford Escape, a younger car than I drive around Texas every day. I hope this Turo guy doesn't flake on me, but I am holding a $550 Budget reservation as a backup.

I take a lot of car and plane trips for a guy my age really, but I've really been looking forward to this one, revisiting the various wonders of this huge NP. It's a busy one, but I'm going before school lets out so hoping to beat the crowds somewhat. I'm taking my own breakfast provisions, coffee, sweet rolls, apple juice with plans to get earlier starts every morning than I did with the kids, and subways packed in zip locks that I'll keep chilled for lunch breaks wherever I stop around noon to watch a geyser that might blow while I wait.

My third angiogram went great last week, two more stints, and I awoke with the leg pains gone! Love it. I stayed on light duty as ordered for three days, then started yard work to try to get back in shape. It's a challenge as I am an old, fat, out-of-shape dude, but better than I was so I may get there. I am not turning in my handicapped parking tag as it will help so much at the park.

I started this thread to brag about scoring free exit row seat assignments with a ticket that does not allow seat assignments. I don't know if it works all across United or if I found a loophole. I recently booked an American ticket and there are no free seats for me.

 

[tridacna]

Now, about the flight costs. Sometimes, not always, but sometimes, some of the increases in the costs of flights can be mitigated if not eliminated by private browsing. Most Internet Browsers have some form of private browsing. This will delete any "cookies" that a website installs when you leave the website. (It does not allow you to surf anonymously. Your best bet for that is a VPN but that is a whole other discussion.) By surfing privately and deleting the cookies, it gives the (airline, hotel, car rental site etc) the impression that you have never been there before, since there are no cookies to tell it otherwise. If it detects cookies, it "sees" that you may be interested in a flight from Point A to Point B (as an example) by repeatedly checking the rates for that flight on specific dates, then the rates will tend to gradually increase for that flight.

There are a number of factors that go into determining the fare for a flight. By using Private Viewing, you eliminate the simple act of checking the fares as a variable in that calculation.

Sorry. That’s not true. I’m a veteran traveller approaching 3 million miles with United and almost 2 million on Delta. Fares are completely random - your search history has not a squadledoosh of effect on the price you find.

Travel Tips

Essential tips to help you travel smarter — from hotel openings to airline news and deals to expert advice.

www.travelandleisure.com

Stop Searching Incognito for Cheap Flights

You've heard it: Search incognito so airlines don't track your searches. There's just one problem: It's not true.

thriftytraveler.com

 

[DandyDon]

your search history has not a squadledoosh of effect on the price you find.

You know, I think that they used to. Everything has changed tho, especially since Covid hit.

 

[azstinger11]

I like Turo and have used them once or twice, but i'm always a bit leery. You in an insurance grey zone since you aren't borrowing a friends car, you aren't renting a car from a company, its that odd middle ground.

 

[DandyDon]

You in an insurance grey zone since you aren't borrowing a friends car, you are renting a car from a company, its that odd middle ground.

Well, you could opt for the insurance they sell, but I never do in the US. If my credit card doesn't cover any damages, Texas auto liability insurance does in full. I'd try my credit card first to avoid a real insurance claim, and it says that if I declined rental insurance then they will pay, but there might be a loophole for car share. Texas liability covered me in full even the time I borrowed my brother's pickup to help chase his cow and hit his pickup. You can't beat that.

 

[DandyDon]

I started this thread to brag about getting free selections on United's cheapest fare that doesn't allow advance seat selections, but I got them on two legs by selecting Exit row seats. The flights have changed some, but now I have reserved Exit row seats on all four legs. I've been fighting the urge to pack for weeks, but it's still too early.

I booked this trip way back in December as reservations for the cheapest Old Faithful cabins usually sell out early. I had actually tried earlier, but the cheapest rental cars I could find were $200/day, well above my interests, but then I found Turo car sharing for much less. My airfare to Cody was $343 which has changed a lot from the $200s to $700s, now available for $485. You just never know what those tickets will do these days.

My Turo car is reserved for $295, and I have a Budget car also reserved for $553 just in case, which I will cancel if my Turo car is waiting for me ok and they will easily rent to someone else for much more now. The cheapest Turo car is not $500 for four days, and Budgets is now $713.

The cabin reservation was the original challenge, but I'll spend one night in Cody resting from the flights and getting some shopping done, then get an early start this next morning. I found three nights together at $116/night, a little spartan and no bathrooms without a short walk to that building, but good enough for me. The lowest one could book for those dates now would be CANYON LODGE at $386/night.

My idea was to go as early in May as possible to avoid the crowds that pickup when school kids get out as well as watch for baby park critters. The road from Cody to Old Faithful is supposed to open this coming Saturday. It's still snowing there at times, but I don't arrive for another week. The weather is expected to dry out some for my days, highs in the 40s and lows in the 20s, so I'll be fine in longjohns, layers, and winter gloves I have not stowed yet.

My leg procedures have gone well for the most part, and the stints I got in both calves have fixed those problems. I got my miracle shot in my bad knee last Monday, and I am confident that it will stop hurting soon. My first Durolane shot didn't bother me at all and started helping right away, but results vary. I think I'll be fine in ten days when I leave.

Dining is challenging in the park these days as they claim that they are short on employees and encourage visitors to bring some food on visits. The Old Faithful Lodge cafeteria and nearby bakeshop are both still closed, but I'll have coffee, juice, and sweet rolls for breakfasts, subways & sodas for lunches wherever I stop, the nearby Snow Lodge seems to be open for dinners, and I have reserved a table at the Old Faithful Inn the last night. I could wear the same clothes for the first four days for all I care, but I'll be polite and take extra changes.

 

[lowwall]

Decent food is a challenge in the park even in normal times. Since you'll have a car, it might be worth getting a styrofoam cooler and stocking up on a few things in Cody. You can also pop out to Gardiner or West Yellowstone when you are making your way around the loops to restock or get a hot meal.

 

[DandyDon]

Since you'll have a car, it might be worth getting a styrofoam cooler and stocking up on a few things in Cody.

Oh, yeah, I'll place a curbside order at Walmart a couple of days before I arrive, and it'll include a LifeMade Envirocooler Biodegradable 28 qt Chest Cooler for $5 along with sodas, etc. Then I'll add a couple of 12" Subs packed as 6" with sauces packed separately, all those in ziplocks to keep them dry and enjoy one each day for lunch wherever I am at the time, maybe watching a geyser to see it'll blow. I'll leave it with the car owner when I leave. Sweetrolls will work for breakfasts. We enjoyed various cafeterias there on our 2017 trip, and I'd like to do so for suppers. I think the OF Snow Lodge and OF Inn will suffice for those.

You can also pop out to Gardiner or West Yellowstone when you are making your way around the loops to restock or get a hot meal.

Right.

Sorry I missed the earthquake this week as I've never experienced one. But they get several. I wouldn't want to be there for a bad one like they had once.

 

[pauldw]

So you're not diving the Spires? Huh.