Emergency last minute flight from RDU to NJ. Can you help? (Raleigh: renting, price)

[North_Raleigh_Guy]

I received some sad news today and need to fly to NJ this Thursday to attend a funeral. At times like this I don't really like worrying about money, but I still would prefer to avoid paying top dollar for a last minute flight if possible. Right now the best deal I can find for a flight departing RDU on Thursday evening and returning on Sunday is $284. This would be for a flight from RDU to Newark, NJ.

Does anybody know of any websites or airline specials where I might find a better last minute fare? Something like Priceline.com wouln't work for me becasue I need to be able to choose concrete travel times.

I really appreciate any feedback anybody has.

Thanks for the help.

~ NRG

[sls76]

Originally Posted by North_Raleigh_Guy

I received some sad news today and need to fly to NJ this Thursday to attend a funeral. At times like this I don't really like worrying about money, but I still would prefer to avoid paying top dollar for a last minute flight if possible. Right now the best deal I can find for a flight departing RDU on Thursday evening and returning on Sunday is $284. This would be for a flight from RDU to Newark, NJ.

Does anybody know of any websites or airline specials where I might find a better last minute fare? Something like Priceline.com wouln't work for me becasue I need to be able to choose concrete travel times.

I really appreciate any feedback anybody has.

Thanks for the help.

~ NRG

So sorry for your loss. Did you ask about bereavement fares?

[Waterboy526]

Originally Posted by sls76

So sorry for your loss. Did you ask about bereavement fares?

Sorry about your loss NRG. Bereavement fares are a crock. I tried to get one last Thanksgiving when my Grandmother died and I called about 8-9 different airlines, most of them pretty much laughed at me and the ones that didn't already told me that they had the lowest fares possible (yeah right). Good luck, I was able to get a reasonable fare with southwest to fly to Islip long island (layover in Baltimore).

[mdp_az]

N_R_G...so sorry for the loss. Bereavement fares are generally a rip-off as they are often just a small discount off of a full fare ticket. Not sure where in NJ you're headed, but one option is to consider flying into PHL and then renting a car or taking a train to NJ. Southwest and US Air both fly non-stop to PHL and the fares are generally pretty reasonable. It also might be worth checking with a travel agent who might have access to some unused bulk fare seats for last minute reservations. Good luck.

[Indigoblue]

I did a few searches and couldn't find anything better. Looked at Jet Blue, Cheaptickets, Expedia, played around a bit with dates and arrival cities (near Newark) and no luck My first thought was Southwest but they don't fly up there.

I'm sorry to hear you've lost someone

[Indigoblue]

Ah I didn't see Long Island on there. Their lowest lowest fares are sometimes around $130ish each way if I remember correctly but I think that was with at least 7 days notice. Call Southwest directly as they sometimes offer better deals on the phone, should you go that route. Sometimes it's cheaper on the website.

[mdp_az]

Not sure if the schedule would work for you or not, but Amtrak might be worth considering, too.

[Waterboy526]

Islip is close to halfway out on the Island and if it wasn't for the fact I needed to only go about 20 miles west of there I wouldn't have gone that route. If you need to be in NJ, then flying to Islip might be harder than flying to Philly. I got $109 (each way) for tickets I purchased the day before the flight. It was much cheaper than anything else I could find. You'll have a layover in Balt., but it's better than paying $100's more.

[dansdrive]

NRG Sorry to hear about your loss. I checkout out the USAirways site and they are offering $238 roundtrip on the dates you need. Its a little cheaper than what you found. Hope it helps and God speed.

[RaleighBoundGeek]

AMTRAk will take you 7.5 hours each way, assuming it even stays on time. Southwest doesn't fly into Newark, so plane+train will be more expensive. USAIR seems to be your best shot right now (Dansdrive's suggestion).

Sorry to hear NRG.