The Priceline.com Ekspert Travel Blog

Priceline Lists Best Days To Fly For The Holidays

2009-11-12T18:54:41Z

Still looking for an airline ticket home for the holidays? Allow me to help.

Airfares have started to creep up. Two reasons for that - there are fewer seats flying this year and holiday demand is starting to peak. The average fare for Thanksgiving as of last week was $387 - that's 12% higher than what you would have paid a year ago.

Same thing for the December holidays. The average airfare is $435, which is a 10% increase over a year ago. So, if you know you're flying home for the holidays, book now and don't get caught by rising holiday airfares.

Thanksgiving

For the lowest fares, try to travel on November 23, 26 (Thanksgiving Day), 27 and 30.
For average-priced fares, try to travel on November 21, 22, 24 and 28.
You'll pay the highest fares if you travel on November 20, 25 and 29.

December Holidays

For the lowest fares, try to travel on December 22, 24, 26, 28, 29, 31 and January 5.
For average-priced fares, try to travel on December 16, 20, 21, 23, 27, 30 and January 1.
You'll pay the highest fares if you travel on December 17, 18, 19 and January 2, 3 and 4.

Holiday airfares remain stable for week of November 2

2009-11-02T19:57:46Z

Let's start with the good news. The national average airfare for Thanksgiving and December holiday travel stablized going into this week. The average Thanksgiving airfare this week is $389 compared to $384 a week ago. For the December holidays, the average airfare is now $427 compared to $430 a week ago.

On an itinerary-specific basis, some routes saw pretty hefty fare increases, while others dropped a bit. Worth noting is that the 15 biggest fare increases were all double-digit. I'm still expecting airfares to continue their climb as we head closer to the holidays and seats start to get sold out.

Thanksgiving Holiday Travel
Route	Price	Change
Newark to Chicago	$331	-14%
Houston to Newark	$451	-13%
Newark to Denver	$435	-13%
Minneapolis to Newark	$388	-12%
Los Angeles to San Francisco	$146	-11%
Dallas to Baltimore	$430	-11%
Denver to Boston	$400	-9%
Chicago to Newark	$374	-8%
San Juan to Orlando	$295	-8%
Washington, DC to Dallas	$482	-8%
Dallas to New York City	$479	-8%
Boston to Orlando	$413	-7%
Fort Lauderdale to New York City	$248	-6%
Detroit to Orlando	$281	-6%
New York City to Fort Lauderdale	$348	-5%
Atlanta to Baltimore	$280	15%
New York City to Milwaukee	$371	15%
New York City to New Orleans	$514	15%
Charlotte to Newark	$315	16%
Miami to Baltimore	$295	17%
Seattle to Newark	$543	18%
New York City to Detroit	$427	18%
Newark to San Diego	$566	18%
Baltimore to Dallas	$637	19%
Newark to New Orleans	$554	20%
Newark to Nashville	$509	21%
New York City to Minneapolis	$403	22%
Seattle to Chicago	$591	22%
Newark to Minneapolis	$460	26%
San Diego to Chicago	$593	34%

Winter Holiday Travel
Route	Price	Change
Sacramento to Tampa	$380	-28%
Washington, DC to Dallas	$294	-15%
Tampa to Newark	$285	-14%
Washington, DC to Chicago	$262	-14%
Chicago to Fort Lauderdale	$354	-13%
San Juan to Orlando	$280	-12%
Philadelphia to Las Vegas	$316	-11%
Charlotte to New York City	$237	-10%
New York City to West Palm Beach	$475	-9%
Seattle to San Francisco	$202	-9%
Washington, DC to Denver	$384	-9%
Chicago to Los Angeles	$408	-9%
Newark to Fort Myers	$418	-8%
New York City to Fort Myers	$420	-7%
Seattle to Honolulu	$767	-7%
Los Angeles to Miami	$579	12%
Minneapolis to Fresno	$409	12%
New York City to Detroit	$316	13%
Los Angeles to Chicago	$525	13%
Seattle to Newark	$427	13%
Seattle to Baltimore	$529	13%
Los Angeles to Houston	$524	13%
Washington, DC to Phoenix	$539	14%
Houston to Los Angeles	$497	14%
Seattle to Tampa	$579	15%
San Diego to Newark	$615	16%
Seattle to Detroit	$563	16%
Seattle to Boston	$524	17%
Charlotte to Sacramento	$505	18%
Seattle to Minneapolis	$471	18%

Priceline iPhone App (Video)

2009-10-29T17:59:13Z

Free Hotel Negotiator iPhone App now available

2009-10-28T15:08:06Z

Here's something that's fun and money-saving. The new Hotel Negotiator App is now available for free from the App Store on iPhone and iPod touch or at www.itunes.com/appstore/. The new Priceline app is already one of the top 5 free travel downloads at the App Store.

The Hotel Negotiator App lets you quickly find and book last-minute hotel rooms using priceline.com’s Name Your Own Price® hotel service and save up to 50% over published hotel rates. Rooms can be negotiated and booked right up until 11:00 p.m. ET on the night you need the room. This makes the app perfect for travelers who are on the road or at an airport and need a room for the night.

Priceline.com’s Hotel Negotiator App includes the following unique features:

Winning Bids recommendations. Choose a city and the Hotel Negotiator App displays multiple recent winning bids made by other priceline.com customers for hotels in different parts of the city at different star levels.

Shake-Down geo-locator-triggered hotel search. Shaking the device establishes your location using location-based features and then performs a Winning Bids search for hotels in the surrounding areas.

One-Page checkout. A specially designed one-page checkout screen speeds you through the bidding process.

Instant Bid Results. You'll know instantly whether your bid is accepted. If it is, you'll receive all the details on your hotel and its location.

Native iPhone navigation. You'll instantly recognize the slides and wheels that help navigate through the Hotel Negotiator shopping and booking experience.

Not in the mood to negotiate? The Hotel Negotiator App also contains an option for browsing priceline.com’s broad assortment of published-price hotels for a particular city or town. Browsing can be initiated by choosing a city or by shaking the device which will bring up a selection of hotels within that specific area.

Hotel listings can be sorted by star level, price, proximity and popularity. Hotel listings include address, star level, customer reviews and satisfaction scores, zoomable maps, pictures and descriptions. All of the hotels on the list can be booked either online or by automatically calling priceline.com’s hotel booking specialists.

If you need help with other trip arrangements, you can select the option on the Hotel Negotiator app that takes you to a priceline.com website configured for iPhone and iPod touch. There, you can check flight status and browse and book airline tickets and rental cars on a published-price or Name Your Own Price® basis.

Thanksgiving & Christmas airfares continue to climb

2009-10-27T20:48:40Z

Airfares for Thanksgiving and the December holidays continue to inch upward as the holidays come more into focus.

The average Thanksgiving airfare, based on bookings made by priceline.com customers, increased this week to $384, from $372 a week ago.

Meanwhile, the average airfare for the December holidays, which dropped last week, reversed direction and climbed from $421 to $430.

Here is a summary of holiday itineraries where consumers will see the most significant airfare changes, both up and down:

Thanksgiving Holiday Travel
Route	Price	Change
Washington, DC to Denver	$417	-19%
Newark to San Diego	$478	-14%
Chicago to San Diego	$416	-13%
Newark to Los Angeles	$488	-11%
Denver to Chicago	$283	-10%
Newark to Seattle	$426	-9%
Los Angeles to Dallas	$463	-8%
Los Angeles to Denver	$261	-8%
Newark to Las Vegas	$441	-8%
Phoenix to Chicago	$335	-8%
New York City to Orlando	$368	-7%
Baltimore to Denver	$413	-7%
Seattle to Newark	$460	-7%
San Francisco to Las Vegas	$232	-7%
Denver to Washington, DC	$427	-6%
New York City to Houston	$654	17%
New York City to Detroit	$361	18%
Washington, DC to Newark	$228	18%
New York City to Pittsburgh	$281	18%
Indianapolis to Newark	$423	19%
Chicago to Dallas	$445	19%
Dallas to Chicago	$441	20%
Boston to Denver	$503	20%
Newark to Cincinnati	$401	20%
Minneapolis to Newark	$441	22%
New York City to Nashville	$451	22%
Washington, DC to Minneapolis	$438	22%
Kansas City to New York City	$368	24%
Newark to Pittsburgh	$276	27%
Detroit to New York City	$370	28%

Winter Holiday Travel
Route	Price	Change
Boston to Seattle	$376	-14%
San Francisco to Minneapolis	$392	-9%
Chicago to Denver	$272	-7%
Charlotte to Sacramento	$430	-7%
Seattle to Los Angeles	$224	-6%
Washington, DC to San Juan	$526	-6%
New York City to San Juan	$579	-6%
Honolulu to Los Angeles	$601	-6%
Seattle to Newark	$379	-5%
Phoenix to Chicago	$376	-5%
Newark to Seattle	$358	-4%
Chicago to Orlando	$337	-4%
Detroit to Tampa	$286	-4%
Miami to New York City	$287	-4%
San Juan to Orlando	$318	-4%
New York City to Miami	$440	13%
San Diego to Newark	$532	14%
Newark to San Diego	$496	14%
New York City to Santa Ana	$510	14%
Detroit to New York City	$277	15%
New York City to Detroit	$280	15%
Newark to West Palm Beach	$503	15%
Newark to Santa Ana	$534	15%
Fort Lauderdale to Newark	$345	16%
Seattle to Denver	$323	16%
Seattle to Chicago	$466	19%
Detroit to Orlando	$281	20%
Seattle to Charlotte	$486	30%
Seattle to Minneapolis	$398	32%
Seattle to Detroit	$484	34%

Thanksgiving airfares inch up while Christmas fares drop

2009-10-20T19:04:06Z

Last week, The Travel Ekspert reported that holiday airfares for Thanksgiving and the end-of-year holidays were running about 10% less than last year. At the time, the average Thanksgiving airfare was $361 and the average December holiday airfare was $440.

I've decided to run a weekly spot check to see what's happening with holiday fares in general, and report what holiday routes are seeing the biggest week-over-week price moves, up and down.

At the macro level, Thanksgiving airfares increased to an average $372, while December holiday airfares dropped to an average $421. Thanksgiving is still the better deal, but Christmas is looking better.

On a route by route basis, there were some pretty big week-over-week fare swings, with fare increases some Thanksgiving routes ramping up by up to 42%.

I still think it's a good idea to lock in your holiday tickets now while prices are still relatively low compared to last year.

The retail fares below reflect this week's prices compared to last week.

Thanksgiving Holiday Travel
Route	Price	Change
Boston to Los Angeles	$407	-15%
Denver to Baltimore	$368	-15%
Baltimore to Fort Lauderdale	$348	-12%
Orlando to Newark	$239	-10%
Chicago to Denver	$286	-10%
Chicago to Phoenix	$400	-10%
Washington, DC to Fort Lauderdale	$354	-10%
Seattle to Los Angeles	$269	-9%
Los Angeles to Washington, DC	$435	-8%
New York City to Milwaukee	$298	-8%
San Francisco to Newark	$505	-8%
San Francisco to Washington, DC	$445	-8%
Los Angeles to Seattle	$252	-7%
Washington, DC to Los Angeles	$437	-7%
Newark to Orlando	$358	-7%
New York City to Miami	$420	18%
Chicago to Dallas	$375	19%
Newark to Raleigh	$347	20%
Los Angeles to Chicago	$467	20%
Chicago to San Diego	$478	22%
Buffalo to Newark	$246	23%
New York City to Houston	$557	23%
Dallas to Philadelphia	$454	24%
Baltimore to Dallas	$523	25%
Boston to Cleveland	$510	28%
Columbus to New York City	$351	29%
Washington, DC to Kansas City	$410	30%
New York City to Cleveland	$413	30%
Baltimore to Detroit	$263	33%
Boston to Newark	$355	42%

Winter Holiday Travel
Route	Price	Change
Seattle to Newark	$399	-11%
Seattle to Chicago	$393	-11%
Fort Lauderdale to New York City	$285	-11%
Los Angeles to Chicago	$464	-9%
San Francisco to Newark	$470	-9%
Denver to Orlando	$379	-9%
Orlando to Newark	$286	-8%
Boston to San Juan	$504	-7%
San Francisco to Tampa	$458	-7%
Seattle to Detroit	$362	-6%
Orlando to New York City	$288	-6%
Chicago to Tampa	$340	-6%
New York City to Orlando	$370	-6%
New York City to Tampa	$339	-6%
Seattle to Los Angeles	$240	-5%
San Francisco to New York City	$489	11%
New York City to Miami	$387	11%
Boston to Phoenix	$414	11%
New York City to Phoenix	$441	11%
Los Angeles to New York City	$449	12%
Los Angeles to Orlando	$522	12%
Newark to Houston	$427	13%
Boston to Fort Lauderdale	$396	13%
New York City to Houston	$418	13%
Washington, DC to Chicago	$296	14%
San Diego to Newark	$469	14%
Buffalo to Orlando	$356	14%
Los Angeles to Tampa	$468	14%
New York City to Los Angeles	$447	15%
Newark to Chicago	$273	18%

Q&A with Richard Sasso, CEO of MSC Cruises

2009-10-15T14:05:04Z

How does a cruise stack up, value-wise, to other vacations? How is the cruise industry adapting to today's vacationing consumer? And what can we look forward to in the cruise industry for the coming year?

The Travel Ekspert had the opportunity to pose these and other questions to Richard E. Sasso, President and Chief Executive Officer of MSC Cruises USA), Inc. I chose Mr. Sasso because he is a 36-year cruise industry veteran and his tenure also includes key management positions at Costa Cruises, Chandris Cruises and Celebrity Cruises, where he was President from 1995 to 2001. He was named President & CEO of MSC Cruises in 2004.

MSC is the fastest growing cruise line in the world and specializes in offering a "European-style" cruise experience. You can browse and book an MSC Cruise through Priceline Cruises.

Q: WHAT DO YOU SEE AS THE “ESSENCE” OF CRUISING? PUT ANOTHER WAY, WHAT MAKES CRUISING A COMPELLING VACATION EXPERIENCE?

We used to say that a cruise was a “floating hotel,” but today’s cruise is truly more than that; it is a floating city. A cruise offers a unique vacation experience – a destination within a destination. While enjoying all the amenities and activities found on today’s magnificent cruise ships, guests also can experience the different cultures and environments at the various ports of call the ship visits.

In order to keep the cruise experience “fresh” – particularly for repeat cruisers – the cruise industry keeps re-inventing itself, with new, beautiful and better ships, new amenities, a bigger variety of activities, and new itineraries. Plus, in today’s economy, cruising continues to be the best vacation value, which is definitely attractive to today’s travelers. A cruise continues to offer the unique freedom for people to do what they like and enjoy their vacations without worry because everything is taken care of and there is literally a world of choices open to them.

Q: HOW ARE CRUISE PRICES SHAPING UP FOR 2010 COMPARED TO 2009?

Pricing is tied to demand and we’re already seeing rates begin to move up simply because the demand is growing as consumers begin to regain confidence in the economy.

Q: CRUISE LINES STILL SEEM TO BE TORN BETWEEN OFFERING A “CLASSIC” CRUISE EXPERIENCE (SET DINING, FORMAL NIGHTS, ETC.) AND THE LESS TRADITIONAL ATMOSPHERE. MSC, FOR EXAMPLE, OFFERS BOTH. IS ONE BETTER FOR BUSINESS AND DO YOU SEE ANY TRENDS FOR THE FUTURE?

That, again, is one of the advantages of a cruise vacation – there is something for everyone, even when it comes to “style” (classic vs. informal). Recognizing that people have different expectations and preferences, the industry offers guests a wide variety of cruising styles – sometimes even on the same ship. MSC Fantasia and MSC Splendida, for example, offer the exclusive MSC Yacht Club accommodtions – a “ship within a ship.”

Q: ARE YOU SEEING ANY CHANGES IN AVERAGE CRUISE LENGTHS AND SPECIFIC ITINERARIES THAT ARE BECOMING MORE POPULAR WITH CRUISERS?

Cruisers like variety and the industry offers that diversity with a variety of cruise lengths and itineraries and departure points. That helps expand the market opportunities for the entire industry.

While the 7-night sailing has long been -- and continues to be – the most common and most popular cruise experience, today’s cruisers have more options. The 3- to 4-night itineraries are ideal for those who want a quick getaway or who have limited time available as well as for first-time cruisers who want to get a taste of this remarkable experience before committing to a longer sailing.

Cruises of 10 or 11 nights and more enable guests to travel to more distant ports and perhaps even spend more days at sea. Those with plenty of time will find more choices, too, with the possibility of combining two different shorter itineraries back-to-back on the same ship or embarking on transatlantic and repositioning cruises that feature unique ports of calls not found on more traditional itineraries.

Q: IN 2009, CRUISE PASSENGERS GENERALLY SAW LOWER CRUISE PRICES, BUT MORE EXTRAS BEING OFFERED ONCE ONBOARD IN THE FORM OF FEE RESTAURANTS, EXCURSIONS, SPA TREATMENTS AND SO ON. GOING FORWARD, DO YOU SEE A TREND CONTINUING TOWARD LOWER PRICES AND MORE EXTRAS, OR WILL THE PENDULUM EVENTUALLY SWING BACK IN THE OTHER DIRECTION?

Yes. The cruise industry has always managed to sustain itself during tough economic times; unlike other travel alternatives, such as hotels, cruise line ships sail full. As the economy settles, there’ve been signs of a boost in ticket prices. As demand returns to normal, the pricing typically does as well. We’re already seeing positive signs that the demand is increasing, so it’s likely that some of the incentives offered to stimulate cruise purchases will decrease as the economy continues to recover.

Cruising is still and will always be the best value in travel with or without the extra perks.

Q: AS THE HEAD OF A RELATIVELY NEW CRUISE LINE, HOW DO YOU DIFFERENTIATE YOURSELF IN A PRETTY CROWDED CRUISE MARKET?

By comparison to some of the other lines, MSC Cruises is still a relatively young cruise line. MSC has the financial strength and passion of a family-owned company behind us. We have a focus on quality and high standards in everything from design, food and entertainment to service, as well as very attractive pricing.

MSC Cruises began its activities in 1988 and since 2001 has experienced incredible growth, making it one of the major players in the cruise industry. The line combines a deep heritage at sea with an enthusiastic, young, motivated management team to present a company philosophy of innovation equals tradition.

MSC Cruises uniquely blends maritime traditions, culture and famous Mediterranean cuisine to deliver the ultimate cruise experience while displaying a real commitment to the finest hospitality afloat. In essence, MSC Cruises has made true Italian service the heart of its business and one of its key points of differentiation in the cruise industry.

Thanksgiving airfares $80 cheaper than Christmas

2009-10-13T13:26:13Z

Yes, indeed, the turkey definitely trumps Santa this holiday season.

If your budget won't let you fly home for Thanksgiving and Christmas this year, then you're better off spending Turkey Day with the folks. Based on holiday airfares booked by priceline.com customers between July 1 and October 1, 2009, we found that the average Thanksgiving airfare this year is $361 – almost $80 less than the average December holidays airfare of $440.

Priceline's air team also found that average airfares for the 2009 Thanksgiving and December holidays are about 10% lower than last year.

I chatted with Mark Koehler, the head of Priceline's airline ticketing service, and he made a pretty compelling case for booking holiday tickets now. Last year, I also recommended buying tickets early, but then something happened before we could hit that "book now" key.

The bottom fell out of the economy and people stopped spending. Airlines were faced with the rare event of running fare sales right into the holidays to fill up their seats. Koehler says that' s not likely to happen this year. Prices may even go up as the holidays approach, because available seat capacity is lower this year than last year. So the early bird gets the cheapest ticket.

Here are some other tips for getting a holiday air ticket deal on Priceline:

Use Priceline’s Inside Track to find the holiday travel days and airfare that are right for you. It’s all there at http://www.priceline.com/insidetrack/. The Best Days To Fly Calendar lets travelers plug in cities and see airfares by departure and return date. A scrolling list shows what’s happening to airfares from a designated city to other destinations around the world. Priceline’s Price Drop feature will send an email when fares drop for a desired trip. And travelers can get tips on how to bid using priceline.com’s Name Your Own Price® airline tickets service and what kind of itinerary they’re most likely to get.

Pick times of the day that are normally less busy. Time of day is important. You'll find the most affordable seats departing early in the morning (5-7 a.m.) or late evening (after 8 p.m.). Mid-day (11 a.m. – 4 p.m.) is a bit more expensive, but still reasonable. Most expensive are the peak business travel hours (8-10 a.m. and 5-7 p.m.).

Consider using priceline.com’s Name Your Own Price® airline tickets service. Visit www.priceline.com/flights and click on the link to use priceline.com’s Name Your Own Price® airline tickets service. Depending on your itinerary, you may be successful making a bid that's 40% below published fares.

Need a rental car or hotel room with that ticket? Don’t make the relatives drive into that airport madhouse. Customers using priceline.com’s published-price and Name Your Own Price airline tickets service can now add a rental car with a few mouse clicks http://www.priceline.com/rentalcars/. And here’s another tip – customers may find they can get a Name Your Own Price® airfare/rental car combo for less than the price of a published-price airline ticket.

If Thanksgiving sleeping arrangements include the couch, then get a comfy hotel room using priceline.com’s published-price or Name Your Own Price® hotel service www.priceline.com/hotels. Be sure to try Priceline’s new hotel Price Maps, that help travelers find their perfect hotel by scrolling over interactive city maps that locate and display hotels and published prices or, for Name Your Own Price® hotel fans, recent winning bids for specific neighborhoods throughout a city. Check out http://travela.priceline.com/travelguides/HotelPriceMap/.

Hiking The Grand Canyon from rim to rim

2009-10-12T17:32:50Z

Travel Ekspert's Note: Mark Koehler is Senior Vice President of priceline.com’s Airline Ticketing Service group.

Of all the visitors to the Grand Canyon, only 1% to 3% actually hike down into the canyon. The majority of those hikers descend less than 1,000 feet. What awaits the minority who do make the trek all the way to bottom of the canyon is a view that is as breathtaking as the one from the top.

I’m in that minority. I’ve been making rim to rim treks across the Grand Canyon with friends and family members for 10 years now. It’s called a rim to rim hike because we descend from the South Rim to the Colorado River along the North Kaibob trail and then ascend the other side to the North Rim. In all, it is roughly 24 miles across the canyon with a descent of over 4,500 vertical feet down to the Colorado River and a North Rim ascent of over 6,000 vertical feet. The hike will take an average of 12 to 15 hours to complete.

Temperatures at the bottom can reach or exceed 100 degrees. Hikers will experience 13 different climate zones along the way. Each zone is unique due to differing temperatures, vegetation, animal life and age of erosion. The effect is that the canyon will continually change its look as you’re hiking through it.

A rim to rim trek takes intense physical preparation. I’ve run 5 marathons. Hiking across the Grand Canyon is actually harder than a marathon in terms of physical exertion and mental focus. But I would also say that the hike is more achievable for a person who is in reasonably decent physical condition and looking for an adventure.

In all of the marathon races I have run, my main focus was simply on finishing and measuring my time. Hiking the Grand Canyon is a more enjoyable process. It is beautiful. The scenery changes constantly. You stop to take pictures. And yes, you will experience all of the physical challenges you would expect on a hike of this duration, including fatigue, exhaustion, blisters, dehydration and soreness.

Anyone interested in trying a rim to rim hike should set the date at least a year in advance to get physically ready. The North Rim is only open from May 15 – October 15, so your hiking window must fall into that time frame. It is important that the training be a combination of cardio training and weight training. The cardio is to build stamina and strengthen the legs. The weight training should emphasize your body core since you will be carrying a pack weighing roughly 15 pounds for 12-15 hours.

My cardio training varies significantly so I don’t get bored. I use an elliptical, bike, and treadmill in the gym. I do preparation hikes on local trails. I will even go for just long walks through my local town. I would think that nearly any form of exercise is beneficial. Exercise that focuses on the legs and climbing/descending is even more beneficial.

There are a few aspects to the hike that are hard to replicate in training, such as temperatures in excess of 100 degrees. The North Rim elevation is roughly 8,250 so there is the aspect of thin air. The climb out of the canyon over last 5 miles of the hike has an average terrain grade in excess of 30%. Combining an elevation grade of 30% or more, plus extreme heat, plus thin air is hard to duplicate. And you will experience this phase after you have already hiked 18-19 miles. It is a great physical endurance test to climb out and finish the hike.

Here’s a tip – hiking the Grand Canyon from the north rim to the south rim is easier than doing it the other way around. That’s because the north rim is 1,400 vertical feet higher than the south rim. Taking the longer and more taxing south to north route usually involves finding overnight accommodations at the south rim. If you plan at least a few months in advance, you will have no issues in getting a room.

Once you complete the hike, there’s that small issue of getting back to your departure point. It’s a 210-mile, 5-hour drive back around. Trans Canyon Shuttle offers shuttle van transportation to tourists and hikers. They are extremely friendly people and the shuttle rate in 2009 was $85 per person for the one-way ride.

Getting There

The Grand Canyon area is served by three airports. All three have fares available through priceline.com. Phoenix is approximately 225 miles away, a 4 to 4.5 hour drive. You can also fly into Flagstaff where the drive to the canyon is only about 100 miles. Airfares are generally cheaper to fly into Phoenix. Flying into Phoenix or Flagstaff means you’ll start your hike at the South Rim and the hike will be south to north.

A third option is to fly into Las Vegas. The drive from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon is approximately 230 miles. Flying into Las Vegas will have you entering the canyon at the North Rim, hiking north to south, which is the easier route since the uphill portion of the trek will be shorter. I personally prefer the more strenuous south to north route.

Where To Stay

If you are starting at the South Rim, there are two areas to stay. There is the town of Grand Canyon, AZ, where there are several hotels and at least a couple of brands that most people will recognize.

Additionally, one can stay in lodging right at the South Rim. These properties range in price and amenities. All are very clean, offer the best value and are literally right next to where your hike will begin. The drive from the town of Grand Canyon to the South Rim is about 15-20 minutes. Who wants to do that at 1:30 in the morning? Lodging at the Grand Canyon can be found at the following link: http://www.xanterra.com/.

If you fly into Las Vegas and hike in from the North Rim, there is very limited lodging on that side of the canyon. In fact, there is only one place:

http://foreverlodging.com/lodging.cfm?PropertyKey=181

My last bit of advice on staying at the Grand Canyon is to reserve early.

What to Bring

Your Grand Canyon is strenuous and will take 12 to 15 hours. Bring food, water, Gatorade (or equivalent), a small medical kit (mole skin, ointments, band aids, etc), a roll of toilet paper (you can be a considerable distance from a bathroom so be prepared), a spare pair of socks and sun block.

Loose-fitting hiking clothes, sturdy hiking socks and a well-broken in pair of hiking shoes will fill the bill. A 12-15 hour hike means that you’ll begin while it’s still dark, so you’ll need a hiker’s headlamp, and probably some type of hat.

Plan on carrying 2,000 to 3,000 calories worth of food that offers a blend of carbs, protein, sugars and salts. All are critical over the course of the hike. Many foods do not hold up under the heat or under the movement of a pack. I usually carry mixed nuts (salted), dried fruits, M&Ms (these do hold up in the heat believe it or not), granola bars, and Pop Tarts. Be careful not to take foods that are overly fiber based. You’ll burn all this off, plus some, during the hike.

As for water, I carry five ½ liter water bottles and a container of powdered Gatorade. There are places to replenish your water along the hike. Carrying powdered Gatorade allows you to make it when you want it, but otherwise having water to drink. Consume a lot of water to avoid dehydration.

Photo Credits - David Furey, Corey Vezina 2009.

Plenty of turbulence in New York City area airfares this week

2009-10-12T15:35:39Z

Travelers looking for bargains in New York-area airfares this week will find that it all depends on where they're going.

Fares from New York City and Newark to Atlanta, San Francisco, New Orleans and Miami are down 6% to 8% compared to last week. On the flip side, trying flying from those same airports to Los Angeles, Raleigh, Charlotte, Houston and Chicago, and you'll pay 9% to 17% more.

The Travel Ekspert's pick of the week is Chicago to Dallas, where the airfare is down a sizeable 17%. Fly that route the other way, and you'll still save 13% over last week. Denver residents with an itch for some Las Vegas action will find airfares down 8%.

Route	Price	Change
Chicago to Dallas	$270	-17%
Dallas to Chicago	$274	-13%
Baltimore to Boston	$154	-12%
Washington, DC to Dallas	$325	-10%
Denver to Las Vegas	$199	-8%
Newark to Atlanta	$275	-8%
New York City to San Francisco	$348	-7%
New York City to New Orleans	$315	-7%
Boston to Fort Lauderdale	$284	-6%
New York City to Miami	$274	-6%
Boston to Miami	$321	-6%
Atlanta to Los Angeles	$332	-6%
Atlanta to Washington, DC	$223	-6%
Washington, DC to Las Vegas	$352	-6%
Boston to Baltimore	$150	-5%
Los Angeles to Chicago	$394	9%
Newark to Los Angeles	$404	9%
Orlando to Newark	$231	10%
San Francisco to Boston	$380	10%
New York City to Raleigh	$198	10%
Chicago to Newark	$268	10%
Newark to Charlotte	$242	11%
Los Angeles to Boston	$366	12%
New York City to Charlotte	$244	12%
Baltimore to Chicago	$274	13%
Newark to Houston	$362	13%
Newark to Chicago	$266	14%
Raleigh to Newark	$235	14%
Newark to Raleigh	$245	17%
Houston to Newark	$359	19%

Priceline.com’s (Nasdaq: PCLN) Airfare Index is a tracking barometer that looks for the largest week-to-week swings in average published-price roundtrip airfares for select markets. Each dollar amount shown is the average of the lowest fares returned through multiple airfare searches for flights that are at least 7 days away from departure. The percentage change compares fare averages for the current week with those from the previous week. Amounts shown include all taxes and airline fees. Airfare pricing is subject to change and there is no guarantee that any airfare will be available at the amounts shown.

For more fare changes or to view Priceline’s Best Days To Fly Calendar, visit www.priceline.com/flights.

Double Digit Increases Rule October 5 Airfare Index

2009-10-06T18:53:05Z

Airfare increases far outweighed fare drops in Priceline's October 5, 2009 look at airfares that have changed the most compared to last week.

Route	Price	Change
New York City to Denver	$324	-8%
Charlotte to Las Vegas	$315	-6%
Detroit to Phoenix	$328	-6%
Dallas to Newark	$377	-6%
New York City to Charlotte	$218	-5%
Philadelphia to Las Vegas	$304	-5%
Denver to New York City	$309	-5%
Newark to Charlotte	$218	-5%
Philadelphia to Miami	$278	-4%
San Francisco to Kahului	$722	-4%
Baltimore to Las Vegas	$349	-4%
Washington, DC to San Francisco	$357	-4%
Cleveland to Las Vegas	$336	-4%
Houston to New York City	$338	-3%
Atlanta to Las Vegas	$350	-3%
Minneapolis to New York City	$297	10%
Baltimore to Los Angeles	$383	10%
Baltimore to Boston	$175	11%
Atlanta to Chicago	$257	11%
Chicago to Boston	$256	12%
Orlando to San Juan	$290	12%
Seattle to San Francisco	$171	12%
New York City to New Orleans	$337	13%
San Diego to San Francisco	$196	14%
Dallas to Orlando	$327	15%
Newark to New Orleans	$354	16%
Washington, DC to Boston	$272	16%
Boston to Washington, DC	$268	20%
San Francisco to Seattle	$176	20%
Washington, DC to Dallas	$362	28%

For more fare changes or to view Priceline’s Best Days To Fly Calendar, visit www.priceline.com/flights.

Priceline Launches New Hotel Mapping Service

2009-10-01T19:13:57Z

Today, priceline.com officially launched Price Maps, our new hotel mapping service that helps you quickly find your perfect hotel by scrolling over interactive city maps that locate and display hotels and prices. For Name Your Own Price hotel fans, Price Maps superimposes recent winning bids made by other priceline.com customers over the maps.

I invite you to take Price Maps for a test drive. To really kick the tires, try this:

Go to Price Maps. Select a city, preferably in the U.S. since that's where you'll see most of the benefit from the Name Your Own Price features.
Scroll over the price tags on the map and watch as specific hotels and star levels overlay the map.
Zoom in and out to get a feel for how granular the maps can make your search.
Tweak the slider bars to fine tune your search for particular price ranges, star levels and customer satisfaction ratings.
Now turn on the deals feature. This will substitute the price tags with winning bids for various star levels in different parts of town.

Fun, huh? Price Maps is one more example of the work Priceline.com's product and technology teams are doing to help you find the best hotels, at the lowest price, in the shortest amount of time.

Travel Ekspert Guide to Charleston, SC

2009-10-01T12:55:24Z

Walking the streets of Charleston, South Carolina’s well-preserved historic district, it’s hard to imagine that perhaps no other U.S. city has struggled so hard to survive over the four centuries since its founding. Raided by pirates, besieged by the British, burned to the ground during the Civil War, demolished by an earthquake and flooded by hurricanes, Charleston’s history is one of continual rebuilding after natural or manmade disasters.

Today, Charleston is a much more peaceful city that draws tourists with a rich inter-weaving of history, architecture and food. History buffs can spend days exploring the Revolutionary War and Civil War sites and plantations. For more recent history, there’s Patriots Point with the USS Yorktown aircraft carrier and other World War II and Cold War vessels.

Several historic homes from the 1700s and 1800s are open for tours, complete with rare period antique furnishings. Foodies will revel in the fact that Charleston has attracted so many talented chefs to expand on the city’s traditional low-country cuisine. White-sand beaches are close by on Sullivan’s Island. Most surprising to me was the large number of children-specific attractions and activities throughout the city.

So, here we go with The Travel Ekspert’s guide to Charleston:

History

Founded in the 1600s, Charleston is located at the intersection of the Ashley and Cooper Rivers and the Atlantic Ocean. Charleston made its fortune growing and exporting rice, tobacco, indigo and cotton. Crops were typically grown on large inland plantations using slave labor. By the late 1700s, Charleston was the 4^th largest port in the U.S. behind New York, Boston and Philadelphia. In 1860, the city had the highest average per-capita income in the U.S. It showed, as plantation owners and shipping magnates built substantial three- and four-story mansions distinct with their verandas and elaborate ironwork trim.

Charleston played important roles in the Revolution and the Civil War. After achieving the first victory of the Revolutionary War, Charleston was ultimately captured by the British and occupied for the duration. A little more than a century later, South Carolina seceded from the U.S. and fired on Union-controlled Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor to start the Civil War.

What To See and Do

Historic Sites

I recommend starting off with a visit to the Charleston Museum and Visitors Center on Meeting Street. It gives a good overview of the historic sites in town. There’s a full-scale model of the CS Hunley, a Civil War era submarine out front (the actual Hunley sank and has since been recovered, but that exhibit is only open on weekends). And there are interactive kids exhibits, including a scale model of a city mansion where they can don colonial attire and play period childrens games.

It’s tough to single out a few sites, but I have some favorites. Like visiting Yellowstone and not seeing Old Faithful, no visit to Charleston is complete without visiting The Battery at the southern tip of the city, where you can still see the cannon and mortars that fired on Fort Sumter. Then head over to Liberty Square to catch a ferry out to the fort. Combined price for the ferry and a fort tour is $16 for adults and $10 for kids. It’s also a great way to cool off and get a city view from the harbor.

Over on Sullivan’s Island is Fort Moultrie, the site of several forts built to protect Charleston. It was here during the Revolution that cannonballs from British warships bounced off the first fort’s palmetto log fortifications (hence the palmetto tree in the state’s flag). Notable past residents of the fort include Seminole Chief Osceola and Edgar Allen Poe, who apparently was more of an author than a soldier. The fort has a small entry fee. Nearby is a fun themed burger joint called Poe’s that’s worth a stop.

My third favorite historic site is another kid-pleaser – the Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon. Here is where the pirate Stede Bonnet and crew were imprisoned before their hanging at The Battery. Kids can explore the dungeon with its animatronic figures. Parents, keep a weather-eye on all the pirate gear in the gift shop. The Exchange was where South Carolina elected delegates to the Continental Congress and also played host to George Washington. Adults $7, kids 7-12 $3.50.

Houses and Plantations

There are no fewer than a half-dozen historic houses open for tours. The houses stretch all the way from the Visitors Center to The Battery, a distance of 20-plus city blocks. Admission and a tour is typically $10-$15 per person. Tour houses include the Joseph Manigault House, the Heyward-Washington House, the Aiken-Rhett House, the Nathaniel Russell House, the Edmondston-Alston House, the Calhoun Mansion.

House tours are generally of the first and second floors. First floors include the dining rooms and parlor/offices where the planters/shippers met business associates. Sleeping rooms and entertaining rooms for guests were on the upper floors, where dust and odors from the street couldn’t reach and sea breezes could. Since Union forces pretty much gutted Charleston, most of the furniture today is from the period, while some is original to the specific house. All of it is pretty spectacular craftsmanship. Note the unusual rollers on much of the furniture, providing the ability to shift from one window to another to catch a breeze.

Hands-down, my favorite tour was the Edmondston-Alston House, where Jessie, our tour guide, knew every inch of the house and its furnishings. After explaining that the house overlooking The Battery had been used by Confederate General P.G.T. Beauregard to supervise the bombardment of Fort Sumter, she pointed out the telescope in the corner that he had used and took us out to the veranda to stand where he stood and imagine the sights and sounds of all the cannon and mortar firing. And no tour concludes without testing out the joggling board, a contraption peculiar to Charleston that’s a cousin to the see-saw and allows riders to climb aboard and get the sensation of riding in a horse-drawn carriage.

Largely because rice can’t grow in brackish water, Charleston’s major plantations were located up-river a dozen or more miles away from the seaport. Plantations available for touring include Middleton Place, Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Boone Hall Plantation, the Charleston Tea Plantation, Drayton Hall and the Charles Pinckney Plantation. The Pinckney Plantation is free. Admission to the other plantations can run anywhere from $10 to $45 for adults, or $7.50 to $30 for children. Most of the plantations give visitors the option to pay only for the activities they want, such as a house tour, entry to the gardens, carriage rides and special programs.

We visited Boone Hall and Middleton Place. Boone Hall boasts a long entry drive to the main house, lined by live oaks and Spanish moss. No one knows for sure, but some say the entry provided the inspiration for Tara in Gone With The Wind. Boone Hall also has an original collection of slave cabins with excellent audio and artifacts covering various aspects of slave life. The slave exhibit is included in the entry fee.

Middleton Place features expansive 17^th century gardens with acres of flowers, live oaks, Spanish moss and working rice fields. The time-warp feeling visitors get here make the gardens worth the trip by themselves. On the house tour, be sure to explore the bookshelves and curio cases. You’ll find things like a pass signed by Abraham Lincoln that allowed a member of the Middleton family to cross enemy lines to attend a relative’s funeral, and the Appomattox Courthouse parole papers that allowed a Confederate soldier from the family to return home after the war. The plantation also has a stable area with exhibits on candlemaking, rice growing, barrel making and more. Watch your step by the water. The working rice fields have working alligators.

Tours

Charleston offers a variety of tours. The one-hour carriage ride (typically $20/person) is recommended. The guides provide solid overviews of the city and its history. Bring something to take notes on addresses and areas you may want to check out in more detail once the tour is over.

Numerous walking tours of the historic district are available. Some have physical guides. One resident, Tommy Dew, has created self-guided tours that can be downloaded to iPhones and iPod Touches from the iPhone app store. Kids in particular will be thrilled by Charleston’s ghost tours. And there are culinary tours that take visitors around to various restaurants to sample the low country cuisine and maybe even take a cooking class.

Where To Stay

Charleston had a wide range of hotels and B&Bs, and there are three basic considerations to make. One, what’s your price point. Charleston can go all the way from $50, 2-star chain hotels out by the airport, to $300 and up for luxurious 4- and 5-star hotels and B&Bs in the historic district. Check here to see the hotel price map for Charleston. Two, how much driving and walking do you want to do? With the exception of the plantations and Sullivan’s Island, most of Charleston’s attractions are centrally located. After your feet get tired, Charleston offers a $5 unlimited daily ride bus pass. It may make sense to pay a few dollars more to stay closer to the action.

And three, do you want a standard hotel, or would you prefer a place with more of a historical feel? We chose the French Quarter Inn, a smaller boutique hotel located right next to the old City Market on Church Street and midway between the Visitors Center and The Battery. With a winding central grand staircase, gaslamps, a private outdoor walled garden/patio and large guest rooms with equally large baths, The French Quarter Inn makes visitors feel like they’ve entered one of the grand houses on The Battery. A particularly welcome touch is the nightly wine & cheese reception for guests fresh in from hours of walking the Historic District.

Other popular hotel options in different price ranges include The Francis Marion Hotel, The Harbourview Inn, The Renaissance Charleston and The Best Western King Charles Inn. Check here to see all the Charleston hotels available through priceline.com.

Priceline.com's hotel guide for Charleston will show you the top hotels for families (Hampton Inn & Suites, Charleston/West Ashley, Residence Inn Charleston Riverview, Springhill Suites Charleston West, Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Charleston, Hampton Inn Charleston-Historic District), for business travelers (Hampton Inn Charleston Historic District, Holiday Inn Charleston Airport & Convention Center, Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Charleston North, Quality Suites Charleston, Sleep Inn Charleston), the top romantic hotels (French Quarter Inn, Vendue Inn, Mills House Hotel, Andrew Pinckney Inn, Hampton Inn Charleston Historic District), and priceline.com customers overall top hotel choices for the city (French Quarter Inn, Harbourview Inn, Vendue Inn, Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Charleston North, Embassy Suites Hotel Airport Convention Center)..

And remember, you can always use priceline.com’s Name Your Own Price hotel service for discounts of up to 50% in Charleston.

Where to Eat

On my first trip through Charleston about15 years ago, it was all about the low country cuisine – shrimp, crab, fish, grits, okra, collard greens, sweet potatoes and some barbecue thrown in for good measure. That’s all changed. Within the past few years, Charleston has had an influx of new-blood chefs who focus their menus around the freshest local produce, meats and seafood available.

Much like the hotels, Charleston diners have to make some hard choices regarding how much of their bankroll they’re willing to part with. Visitors on a budget might want to check out some of the pricier restaurants for their lunch menus, which offer the same quality food with smaller portions at a lower price.

Traditional low country meals, like shrimp and grits, fried green tomatoes or fried chicken at places like Jestine’s Kitchen, Hominy Grill or The Noisy Oyster, will run a budget- and family-friendly $10-$20. Surroundings are low-key but, hey, you’re there for the food.

Diners looking for reasonably priced traditional seafood, beef and chicken in a more upscale setting should try Hank’s, a longtime Charleston fixture on Church Street. For $7 a bowl, the she-crab soup is another local specialty, a subtly flavored mixture of cream, sherry and crab that is one of the restaurant’s signature dishes.

Among the fresh-ingredients/new chef entries to the Charleston restaurant scene, take a walk down East Bay Street. The restaurants are all lined up with menus in the windows. Entrees are typically $25 and up. Dinner for two, with wine and appetizer, at many of these restaurants can quickly run north of $100. Some, like Robert’s, have multi-course tasting menus that start at $83 per person.

Unless you live in a major city, you’re not likely to have ready access to chefs and menus of this caliber, so the experience is definitely worth the investment. Restaurants in this category to consider include FIG, Slightly North of Broad, McCrady’s, Tristan, Magnolia’s, Blossom's and Cypress.

Getting There

Since Charleston is a major city, airfares are quite reasonable. For example, priceline.com had an October fare from New York City to Charleston for $218. Priceline.com's Inside Track feature will show the best days to fly and other tips for getting the best deal on your airfare to Charleston. You can also Check here to see fares from your city.

Rental cars are also available on priceline.com. A mid-size car for that October trip was available on priceline.com for $30 a day. Travelers can save even more by using priceline.com’s Name Your Own Price services for airfare, rental cars and, of course, hotels.

Food photo credit Charleston Convention & Visitors Bureau. Photo credit for all other images Lyle J. Ek 2009.

Priceline's Jeff Boyd to speak on Cornell panel

2009-09-17T14:53:11Z

Cornell University's Hotel School has announced that priceline.com President and CEO Jeffery H. Boyd will speak on a senior executive panel assembled to discuss "Providing Customer Value: How to Survive as a Hospitality Business Today."

The panel, which is part of the Cornell Dean's Leadership Series, will convene on Monday, November 9, from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. at InterContinental The Barclay New York.

In addition to Mr. Boyd, panelists will include Paul J. Brown, President, Global Brands and Commercial Services, Hilton Hotels Corporation; Bill Carroll, Senior Lecturer, Cornell School of Hotel Administration; Bill Glenn, President, Global Merchant Services, American Express; Stephen G. Haggerty, Executive Vice President, Global Hyatt Corporation; Robert J. McCarthy, Group President, The Americas and Global Lodging Services, Marriott International, Inc., and Rohit Verma, Executive Director, Center for Hospitality Research and Professor, Cornell School of Hotel Administration.

More information about the event is available at http://www.hotelschool.cornell.edu/industry/events/dls.html.

Airfares to New York down 9% to 21% this week

2009-09-14T17:31:55Z

In addition to having some of the best hotel bargains in the country, the New York City area how has great airfares to match. In this week's Priceline Airfare Index, we found that airfares to New York City and Newark are down between 9% and 21% compared to last week.

Other bargain destinations for the week of September 14 include Washington, DC, and Atlanta.

Route	Price	Change
Charlotte to New York City	$168	-21%
Raleigh to Newark	$175	-21%
Boston to Washington, DC	$211	-18%
Washington, DC to Boston	$209	-18%
Raleigh to New York City	$157	-17%
New York City to Raleigh	$154	-16%
New York City to Charlotte	$182	-14%
Newark to Raleigh	$175	-14%
Chicago to Washington, DC	$246	-13%
Newark to Atlanta	$253	-11%
Baltimore to Atlanta	$224	-11%
Houston to Las Vegas	$351	-10%
Chicago to Atlanta	$219	-10%
Newark to Los Angeles	$325	-9%
Minneapolis to Newark	$272	-9%
Washington, DC to Orlando	$207	5%
Baltimore to Orlando	$219	5%
Washington, DC to Los Angeles	$334	5%
Detroit to Orlando	$201	5%
San Francisco to Seattle	$166	5%
Detroit to New York City	$272	6%
Newark to Charlotte	$221	6%
Chicago to Newark	$240	6%
Seattle to Newark	$325	7%
Chicago to San Diego	$358	8%
San Francisco to Chicago	$355	8%
Los Angeles to Washington, DC	$335	9%
Chicago to San Francisco	$340	9%
Cleveland to Las Vegas	$346	11%
Baltimore to Boston	$128	15%

Seattle is top airfare deal for second straight week

2009-09-08T17:22:07Z

Airfares to Seattle, which posted a 9% to 14% drop last week, continued to move into bargain territory, falling 13% to 29% in this week's comparison of popular air routes.

After seeing airfares to Atlanta last week climb by as much as 45%, things seem to have calmed down. Atlanta airfares retreated 13% to 23% this week.

Airfare increases were relatively tame compared to last week, possibly indicating a leveling off in ticket prices now that fall has arrived. The biggest increases were in flights to Orlando, up 8% to 14%. Only three of the 15 routes on the list with price increases were up over single digits.

Route	Price	Change
San Francisco to Seattle	$157	-29%
Portland to San Francisco	$233	-24%
Washington, DC to Atlanta	$210	-23%
Los Angeles to Seattle	$203	-21%
Baltimore to Atlanta	$252	-19%
Baltimore to Boston	$112	-19%
San Francisco to Portland	$251	-18%
San Francisco to San Diego	$145	-18%
Denver to Los Angeles	$169	-14%
Seattle to Newark	$304	-14%
Washington, DC to Boston	$254	-13%
Philadelphia to Atlanta	$257	-13%
Newark to Raleigh	$204	-13%
Newark to Detroit	$272	-13%
Newark to Seattle	$310	-13%
New York City to Fort Lauderdale	$276	5%
Chicago to Atlanta	$242	5%
Newark to Dallas	$385	5%
Newark to Phoenix	$334	6%
Newark to Houston	$368	6%
Phoenix to Newark	$317	6%
Chicago to Miami	$327	6%
Los Angeles to Boston	$311	6%
Boston to Los Angeles	$321	7%
Denver to Washington, DC	$284	7%
Denver to Orlando	$294	8%
Detroit to Phoenix	$329	8%
Columbus to Las Vegas	$325	10%
Houston to Las Vegas	$391	13%
Buffalo to Orlando	$250	14%

For more fare changes or to view Priceline’s Best Days To Fly Calendar, visit www.priceline.com/flights.

Next stop for The Travel Ekspert - Charleston, SC

2009-09-02T14:53:19Z

Looks like the busman is finally going to take his holiday. Now that kids are back in school, traffic's lighter and crowds have thinned a bit, it will soon be time for The Travel Ekspert to take a little fall trip down to Charleston, SC. After that, it's on to Massachusetts to sample Cape Cod in the off-season.

I'll take plenty of pictures and promise to write up both trips. Since I've only briefly been to Charleston, if there's anything you can think of that I absolutely should do or see, send me a note through Contact The Ekspert and I'll try to work it in.

In the meantime, enjoy your Labor Day!

Seattle is best airfare deal for week of August 31

2009-08-31T15:37:56Z

Looking for a bargain Labor Day getaway? How about taking a trip to Seattle?

Airfares to Seattle experienced the biggest drop (9% to 14%) in this week's Priceline Airfare Index. Other popular destinations where ticket prices went down include Los Angeles, Phoenix and Orlando.

Atlanta-bound air travelers will undoubtedly experience some sticker-shock this week, as flights to the city for the big holiday weekend increased 22% to 45% compared to last week. Other destinations affected by higher airfares include Washington, DC (22% to 29%), San Diego (21%) and Chicago (23%).

Route	Price	Change
New York City to Seattle	$359	-14%
Newark to Seattle	$355	-9%
Dallas to Washington, DC	$254	-7%
New York City to San Francisco	$323	-7%
Seattle to Chicago	$331	-6%
New York City to Los Angeles	$314	-6%
Seattle to New York City	$354	-6%
Boston to Baltimore	$118	-5%
Buffalo to Orlando	$220	-5%
Seattle to Los Angeles	$216	-5%
Los Angeles to Boston	$293	-5%
Washington, DC to Chicago	$265	-4%
Milwaukee to Orlando	$222	-4%
Newark to Phoenix	$315	-4%
New York City to Phoenix	$321	-4%
Washington, DC to Boston	$292	18%
Atlanta to Los Angeles	$356	19%
San Francisco to San Diego	$177	21%
Boston to Washington, DC	$280	22%
New York City to Atlanta	$283	22%
Atlanta to Chicago	$235	23%
Boston to Atlanta	$285	26%
Atlanta to Baltimore	$278	27%
Detroit to Atlanta	$258	28%
Atlanta to Newark	$303	29%
Atlanta to Washington, DC	$234	29%
Newark to Atlanta	$306	31%
Baltimore to Atlanta	$311	33%
Philadelphia to Atlanta	$297	42%
Washington, DC to Atlanta	$272	45%

For more fare changes or to view Priceline’s Best Days To Fly Calendar, visit www.priceline.com/flights.

Fall travel tips from The Travel Ekspert

2009-08-27T15:52:17Z

Summer’s just about over and I’ve got a question for you. Yes, you. Did you take your vacation yet?

No? That’s OK, because The Travel Ekspert has good news. Those crazy travel deals you heard about a month or two ago are likely to extend through this fall.

Airfares for late summer and early fall are as low as they’ve been in the last two years. Over on PriceBreakers, I see American Airlines offering one-way fares from $49, good for travel from September 9 through January 7. If that doesn’t float your boat, how about this – Alitalia is offering fall flights to Italy from $445. We’re getting in deals like these almost daily.

On the hotel side, I surfed over to Smith Travel Research to see what they’re saying about fall hotel rates. STR says that occupancy decreases are starting to moderate, but bargain rates are likely to be there into next year.

Earlier this year, I advised leisure travelers to check out hotels in cities that have seen drops in convention and business travel. That advice holds true for the fall. I’m still seeing killer deals in places like New York City, Chicago, Las Vegas and San Francisco. If you’re looking for a Canadian getaway, consider Vancouver. And overseas, Paris is a very good buy.

I’m also a fan of Orlando in the fall. The kids are back at school. Hotel rates are low. There’s nothing like going on the rides again, and again, and again.

If you haven’t tried Priceline’s Name Your Own Price® hotel service, you owe it to yourself to give it a whirl. Even 4- and 5-star hotels are using Priceline to privately move their unsold hotel rooms at discounts of up to 50%, or more. Here are some of the deals available now on PriceBreakers. Note, these bid prices do not include taxes and fees.

3-star Las Vegas hotels from $79.
3-star San Francisco hotels from $79.
3.5-star Boston hotels from $109.
3.5-star New York City hotels from $149.

Cruise prices for the fall continue to be very consumer-friendly. Browse Priceline Cruises and you’re likely to find itineraries for as low as $40 a day per person, and that includes room, food and entertainment. Also, if you happen to live within driving distance of a seaport, take a look to see if any cruise lines are offering drive-up cruises where you can park at the dock and take off.

The deals on PriceBreakers change all the time, so I suggest checking the site frequently. I think you’ll find a fall vacation at a price that’s too good to pass up.

Priceline unveils 7th annual Top 50 Destinations list for Labor Day

2009-08-26T13:51:11Z

Wondering where the crowds will be this Labor Day weekend? Well, wonder no more. I just finished pulling together Priceline's 7th annual list of the Top 50 destinations for Labor Day, based on more than 30,000 hotel room booking requests made through our Name Your Own Price hotel service.

A few big surprises this year. International destinations are back on the list. Last year, only a handful of Canadian cities appeared, and no cities "across the pond." I chalk that up to a more favorable dollar/euro exchange rate (around $1.40 now), plus the fact that recession-hit Europe is offering many of the same dirt-cheap travel deals we're seeing here in the States.

New York City is once again the top pick for Labor Day travelers. In fact, all of the big U.S. cities were high choices. While last summer's late-season storms kept visitors off the beaches, that's not the case this year, with beach destinations across the country expected to be busy.

So, here's the list. I'll be back in a bit with my recommendations on where you'll find the best late summer/early fall deals - and where you can avoid the crowds. In the meantime, check out our Labor Day travel deals on http://www.priceline.com/pricebreakers

Priceline’s Top 50 Destinations for Labor Day 2009

Rank Neighborhood

#1 New York City, Times Square/Theater District

#2 New York City, Chelsea Area

#3 Las Vegas, Strip Vicinity South

#4 Seattle, Downtown/Pike Place

#5 New York City, Empire State Building Area

#6 San Francisco, Union Square West/Nob Hill

#7 New York City, Midtown East

#8 Chicago, Millennium Park/Loop/Grant Park Area

#9 Las Vegas, Strip Vicinity North

#10 Boston, Copley Square/Theater District

#11 Vancouver, Downtown

#12 Chicago, North Michigan Ave./River North Area

#13 New York City, Madison Square Garden/Convention Area

#14 Oahu, Waikiki Beach Area

#15 New York City, Central Park South

#16 Montreal

#17 Paris, Eiffel Tower/Port De Versailles/Montparnasse

#18 St. Catharines, Niagara Falls

#19 Toronto, Downtown

#20 Memphis, Downtown

#21 San Diego, Downtown & Harbor Island

#22 Boston, Harbor Front/Aquarium

#23 New York City, Midtown West

#24 Austin, Downtown

#25 Buffalo, Niagara Falls

#26 London, Mayfair/Soho

#27 Rome, Central Area

#28 San Francisco, Union Square East

#29 Washington, DC, White House/Downtown

#30 San Diego, Coastal Area

#31 Orange County, Disneyland Area

#32 Key West

#33 St. Louis, Downtown

#34 Savannah, Historic District

#35 Virginia Beach

#36 London, Bloomsbury, Marble Arch

#37 Atlantic City/Cape May

#38 Monterey, Monterey/Pacific Grove

#39 Toronto, Markham

#40 Newark/Meadowlands/Jersey City

#41 San Diego, Point Loma/Shelter Island/Old Town

#42 New Orleans, French Quarter

#43 Barcelona, La Rambla/La Barceloneta

#44 Maui, Wailea/Makena

#45 Napa/Sonoma

#46 Berlin, East District

#47 Oahu, Waikiki Marina Area

#48 Los Angeles, Beverly Hills/West Hollywood

#49 San Antonio, Downtown/Riverwalk

#50 Atlanta, Midtown Area