Behind the Olympics: Anyone else desperately trying to buy tickets?

by Jerry Guo on

So I’m some two years behind the curve when it comes to buying Beijing Olympic tickets. There’s been several phases of ticket sales, and suffice to say, finding one now is about as easy as finding a good surf spot in the Sahara.

I’ve already come across eBay auctions of closing ceremony tickets for $20,000, granted the poster was nice enough to offer a “buy one get one free” sale.

If you’re still keen on catching an event or two before the end of the Games this Sunday, here’s a cheat sheet on, well, not getting cheated.
First, a disclaimer. If you’re thinking about buying tickets at this stage, be prepared to see your money disappear. There’s just so many scams out there that getting a ticket now has turned more into a lottery. For instance, just this past weekend, some 100 scalpers were rounded up for selling tickets at inflated prices in Beijing. And a month or so ago, one notorious website was shut down for selling fake tickets.

But there are still some ways to find ticket. Your options are:

  • Official ticket vendor. For Americans and some other Westerners, the official ticket vendor is CoSport. Although they don’t advertise it too much, you can still land tickets to some of the less popular events the day before the event.
  • Craigslist. For those who want to see some of the more popular events–closing ceremony, 10 m diving, basketball gold final–Craigslist‘s Beijing page is your best bet. Go to tickets, where you’ll find plenty of people buying and selling tickets. Be careful though, lots of scammers here who will be happy to take your MoneyGram and Western Union transfers and run.
  • Bird’s nest. If you want the cheapest tickets, the best deals can often be found outside the venues. Just look for scalpers, many of whom are bold enough to drape huge signs over themselves advertising their prices. Probably the safest bet since you’ll be able to see the tickets. Just make sure to bring plenty of cash.
  • Third-party vendors. There’s a handful of companies that will gladly sell you Olympics tickets for a profit. One of the more popular ones, with plenty of popular events still available, is here.
  • BOCOG. Word on the street is the Beijing organizing committee keep 2% of seats for last-minute emergencies. So if you beg and cry loud enough, who knows?

See you in Beijing!

Airfare Specials Put Asia Within Reach

by Josh Lew on

Even the most savvy Travelocity user is having a hard time finding airfare deals these days. The days of crossing the Pacific on a whim are all but over.

Now it’s still possible to book your flight, but only after you’ve taken a second job to cover the cost of the purchase.

Maybe that’s a little too dramatic, but you get the gist. Airfares ain’t what they used to be, and it’s getting worse. That makes finding a good deal like searching for a boarding pass in a haystack.

But however rare they might be, there are deals out there. There are even some that can put you in Asia for less than one grand.

Seoul-based Asiana Airlines is leading the pack when it comes to special offers. This Fall, they are offering plenty of sub-four-figure fares to destinations across Asia including Hong Kong, Bangkok, and Taipei. The catch: you have to take a weekday flight and your cities of departure are limited to New York, Chicago, LA, and San Francisco (plus a single flight from Seattle to Seoul). But on the positive side, Asiana is one of the few airlines rated 5-star by Skytrax. You won’t have any suspect airline meals plopped down in front of you en route and your might actually have enough leg room.

Searches of other airlines’ websites yield similar prices, but Asiana’s seem to cover the most destinations.

So, you see, there is no need to get that second job. Your evenings can still be spent planning your next trip to Asia (or in front of the TV).

Fare Alert! Another secret sale to Buenos Aires

by Grant Martin on

United just posted a secret sale to Buenos Aires, Argentina last night that has lasted well into today, slurpee day (7/11), from several corners from the country.

From departure points such as Los Angeles, Washington DC (Dulles), and New York City you can get to Buenos Aires LATER THIS MONTH for only about 600$ total. For high tourist season in the United States, that’s a downright steal. So if you haven’t got plans for the kids’ summer vacation, now is the time to strike.

Check your local airport to see if there are similar deals or cheap connections to a target city.

And don’t forget — it’s winter down in Argentina right now, so you might want to consider a trip over to the Andes for some skiing or maybe some time down in Patagonia watching some glaciers fight. You also might want to pick up a couple kilos of some of that delicious Mendozan wine and that Argentine steak while you’re down there.

If you’re worried about visas, American’s don’t need any pre-departure paperwork for immigration.

To book the ticket, use a flex search on Kayak over the next few weeks to find availability. You shouldn’t have a problem finding seats for flights later this month.

Happy Trails!

EU puts ban on misleading airline advertising

by Anna Brones on

While I was living in France a few years ago I remember that Ryan Air was in the throngs of becoming all the rage. The novelty of tickets that cost a mere euro was exciting and soon after low cost airlines began popping up all over the place. Unfortunately — as many travelers will attest too — an airline ticket rarely costs less than an espresso. Yes, the advertised fare may be low, but once you throw in all those fees and taxes the full price of your ticket can soon jump to triple digits.

In an attempt to be more fair to travelers, the European Parliament has agreed to ban airlines from advertising fares that don’t include the necessary fees and taxes. The new regulation — not officially voted on but approved as a “common position” of the assembly — is set to take effect across the European Union at the end of the year. What does it mean? The bold figures that you see advertised by airlines will be the exact price you can expect to pay; no pesky hidden fees.

I can only wonder whether here in the US, with all the new baggage fees and beyond, we will go the same route?

Thanks Moody75!

Galley Gossip: The problem with “soaring” ticket prices

by Heather Poole on

Remember what airline tickets used to cost? Oh no, I’m not talking about last year, go back a little bit further, okay a lot further, like 1950 further…remember those prices? I didn’t think so.

A couple years ago I went just a wee bit crazy, spending too much time (and money) on eBay bidding on airline ads from the 1960’s and 1970’s. They were big and bright and colorful and they said things like: “fly me,” “just a working girl working,” “think of her as your mother.” They were sexy and sexist, totally wrong, and yet so right — at the time. I loved them. Still do. Had them framed. Hung them on the wall. And then, last year, tucked them away in a drawer for safe keeping (and a clutter free office). I think of one of those ads often whenever I hear people complaining about the price of airline tickets, or whenever I read articles like the one by Dan Reed in USA TODAY entitled “Airline Tickets Soar This Summer” that was featured on AOL with the caption, “Passengers Can’t Bear to Look.”

Well I’ve got something for those passengers to look at, something that may force them to rethink the definition of soaring ticket prices. I mean, soaring? Don’t you think we’re being a bit dramatic here? Especially when people are willing to spend hundreds of dollars on fast food, botox, designer clothes, and even video games for the kids. Give me a break. Because the ad, the one I mentioned above from 1950, lists the price of a ticket from New York to Paris for $326. Please, can anyone tell me, what else out there costs the exact same price as it did over fifty years ago?

Precisely.

Yeah, I know, service in the air has gone down hill big time. You don’t have to tell me. I live it every time I put on my uniform. In fact, I spend most of my time at work apologizing because we don’t have this and we don’t have that to a flight full of miserably cramped passengers. I feel for those passengers. I really do. It’s gotten bad out there. Worse than bad. Flying, today, is just not what it used to be, for everyone involved – passengers and crew alike.

But what gets me is that thirteen years ago I worked at a no frills airline called Sunjet International Airlines. The ticket price back then was $99 to fly one way from Dallas to Fort Lauderdale, Newark, or Long Beach. That was thirteen years ago. Fuel prices were 1/3 of what they are today. Keep in mind that price was on an airline that offered pretty much nothing but a seat (a broken seat covered in duct tape), a lot of delays (I’m not talking a few hours delayed, I’m talking two-day delays), lost luggage (or no luggage at all. What do you mean you checked bags?), and a burnt chocolate chip cookie, depending on who happened to be in the galley that day. Then, in 1995, I found myself working for a major US carrier, on probation for six months without flight privileges, in the month of December. The price of a ticket from New York to Dallas was oh just $800. In Coach. Needless to say, I didn’t get make it home for Christmas that year.

Now flash forward thirteen years and you can fly nonstop on a major carrier from New York to Los Angeles for as little as $235 round trip. I’m sorry, but that’s not bad. In fact, it’s so not bad that I just bought myself a seat on that same flight (even though I’m able to fly standby for free) I challenge anyone to drive that same distance for less money. Yes, airline ticket prices are up 200% from last year, but when you realize they were down 700%, that’s still a good ticket price! So when someone writes a piece about the “soaring” ticket prices of today, I have to shake my head and think, how soon we all forget.