I would like to fly from the Los Angeles area to Yellowstone National
Park in mid-July of this year.  What is the cheapest combination of
airports to fly out of and into?

For instance, I can fly out of LAX, Orange County, Long Beach,
Ontario, Burbank, etc.  And I am willing to fly into an airport within
a 100-150 miles of Yellowstone, then drive the rest of the way, if it
means a good deal on airfare.  I'm assuming that there's a major
airport somewhere up there that's cheaper to fly into than the tiny
little flight strip in Jackson Hole or wherever.  I just don't know
where it is.

I don't need some "15 connecting flights in the middle of the night"
special fare.  I just want to know the best combination of airports,
in general.  Any ideas?

---

Request for Question Clarification by rainbow-ga on 08 Jan 2003 12:18 PST

Hi souvenirland,
Just a few clarifications I need to know to work on. First, would this
be round trip? If so, how long are you planning to stay? When you say
cheapest combination, do you have a specific budget in mind? Or maybe
there's a price you can give me that you have found that I can compare
to. Thanks!
rainbow~

---

Clarification of Question by souvenirland-ga on 08 Jan 2003 13:34 PST

Yes, it is round trip.  Two adults traveling, probably from July 14 to
July 18, 2003.  I have found around $400 per person, but I'm hoping to
pay less.  There isn't a specific budget figure; I just don't want to
pay through the nose to fly into some tiny local airport when I could
pay way less somewhere else....

Hi souvenirland,

Here are the over all results of my search for your flights with the
information you gave me.

Departing  Monday, Jul. 14, 2003

Los Angeles (LAX - Los Angeles Intl) to Cody (COD - Yellowstone
Regional Arpt)
 
America West Flight 555   Non-stop         
Airbus A319     Coach Flight Time  1 hrs  
Departing Jul. 14, 2003 Los Angeles, CA  (LAX ) 3:25 pm   
Arriving Jul. 14, 2003 Las Vegas, NV (LAS ) 4:25 pm   
         
 Delta Flight 711   Non-stop         
Boeing 737-800     Coach Flight Time  1 hrs 20 min  
Departing Jul. 14, 2003 Las Vegas, NV  (LAS ) 5:25 pm   
Arriving Jul. 14, 2003 Salt Lake City, UT (SLC ) 7:45 pm   
         
Delta Flight 3637   Non-stop         
Embraer EMB-120     Coach Flight Time  1 hrs 20 min  
Departing Jul. 14, 2003 Salt Lake City, UT  (SLC ) 8:15 pm   
Arriving Jul. 14, 2003 Cody, WY (COD ) 9:35 pm   
Total Travel Time  5 hr 10 min  
------------------------------------------------------
Returning  Friday, Jul. 18, 2003

Cody (COD - Yellowstone Regional Arpt) to Los Angeles (LAX - Los
Angeles Intl)
 
Delta Flight 3636   Non-stop         
Embraer EMB-120     Coach Flight Time  1 hrs 30 min  
Departing Jul. 18, 2003 Cody, WY  (COD ) 6:10 am   
Arriving Jul. 18, 2003 Salt Lake City, UT (SLC ) 7:40 am   
   
Delta Flight 817   Non-stop         
Boeing 767     Coach Flight Time  1 hrs 27 min  
Departing Jul. 18, 2003 Salt Lake City, UT  (SLC ) 8:50 am   
Arriving Jul. 18, 2003 Las Vegas, NV (LAS ) 9:17 am   
         
America West Flight 104   Non-stop         
Boeing 737-300     Coach Flight Time  1 hrs 8 min  
Departing Jul. 18, 2003 Las Vegas, NV  (LAS ) 11:01 am   
Arriving Jul. 18, 2003 Los Angeles, CA (LAX ) 12:09 pm   
Total Travel Time  6 hr 59 min  

Price Per Person  322.32
Taxes Per Person  59.68
Total Per Person   382.00 
Adult (2)    Total  $764.00   
______________________________________________________

Departing  Monday, Jul. 14, 2003

Santa Ana (SNA - John Wayne Arpt) to Cody (COD - Yellowstone Regional
Arpt)
 
America West Flight 216   Non-stop         
Airbus A320     Coach Flight Time  1 hrs 2 min  
Departing Jul. 14, 2003 Santa Ana, CA  (SNA ) 3:14 pm   
Arriving Jul. 14, 2003 Las Vegas, NV (LAS ) 4:16 pm   
         
Delta Flight 711   Non-stop         
Boeing 737-800     Coach Flight Time  1 hrs 20 min  
Departing Jul. 14, 2003 Las Vegas, NV  (LAS ) 5:25 pm   
Arriving Jul. 14, 2003 Salt Lake City, UT (SLC ) 7:45 pm   
         
Delta Flight 3637   Non-stop         
Embraer EMB-120     Coach Flight Time  1 hrs 20 min  
Departing Jul. 14, 2003 Salt Lake City, UT  (SLC ) 8:15 pm   
Arriving Jul. 14, 2003 Cody, WY (COD ) 9:35 pm   
Total Travel Time  5 hr 21 min  
------------------------------------------------------
Returning  Friday, Jul. 18, 2003

Cody (COD - Yellowstone Regional Arpt) to Santa Ana (SNA - John Wayne
Arpt)
 
Delta Flight 3636   Non-stop         
Embraer EMB-120     Coach Flight Time  1 hrs 30 min  
Departing Jul. 18, 2003 Cody, WY  (COD ) 6:10 am   
Arriving Jul. 18, 2003 Salt Lake City, UT (SLC ) 7:40 am   
   
Delta Flight 817   Non-stop         
Boeing 767     Coach Flight Time  1 hrs 27 min  
Departing Jul. 18, 2003 Salt Lake City, UT  (SLC ) 8:50 am   
Arriving Jul. 18, 2003 Las Vegas, NV (LAS ) 9:17 am   
         
America West Flight 145   Non-stop         
Boeing 737-300     Coach Flight Time  1 hrs 7 min  
Departing Jul. 18, 2003 Las Vegas, NV  (LAS ) 11:18 am   
Arriving Jul. 18, 2003 Santa Ana, CA (SNA ) 12:25 pm   
Total Travel Time  7 hr 15 min  

Price Per Person  318.13
Taxes Per Person  60.87
Total Per Person   379.00
Adult (2)     Total  $758.00   

Trip.com 
http://www.trip.com/trs/trip/flight_services/fare_grouped_search.xsl
 
******************************************************

$367 per person  
$10 service fee 
$744 trip cost 

Departure

America West Airlines 555
Mon, Jul 14 3:25p-4:25p
Los Angeles (LAX) Las Vegas (LAS) 
   
Delta Air Lines 711
Mon, Jul 14 5:25p-7:45p
Las Vegas (LAS) Salt Lake City (SLC)  
   
Delta Air Lines 3781
Mon, Jul 14 8:15p-9:29p
Salt Lake City (SLC) Billings (BIL) 
total duration: 5h 4min  
------------------------------------------------------
Return

Delta Air Lines 3636
Fri, Jul 18 6:10a-7:40a
Cody/Yellowstone (COD) Salt Lake City (SLC)  2 
   
Delta Air Lines 817
Fri, Jul 18 8:50a-9:17a
Salt Lake City (SLC) Las Vegas (LAS)  
   
America West Airlines 104
Fri, Jul 18 11:01a-12:09p
Las Vegas (LAS) Los Angeles (LAX) 
total duration: 6h 59min  

______________________________________________________

$364 per person  
$10 service fee 
$738 trip cost 

Departure

America West Airlines 216
Mon, Jul 14 3:14p-4:16p
Santa Ana (SNA) Las Vegas (LAS)  2 
   
Delta Air Lines 711
Mon, Jul 14 5:25p-7:45p
Las Vegas (LAS) Salt Lake City (SLC)  
   
Delta Air Lines 3781
Mon, Jul 14 8:15p-9:29p
Salt Lake City (SLC) Billings (BIL) 
total duration: 5h 15min  
------------------------------------------------------
Return
 
Delta Air Lines 3636
Fri, Jul 18 6:10a-7:40a
Cody/Yellowstone (COD) Salt Lake City (SLC)  2 
   
Delta Air Lines 817
Fri, Jul 18 8:50a-9:17a
Salt Lake City (SLC) Las Vegas (LAS)  
   
America West Airlines 145
Fri, Jul 18 11:18a-12:25p
Las Vegas (LAS) Santa Ana (SNA) 
total duration: 7h 15min  

______________________________________________________

$356 per person  

Departure

Jetblue Airways 280
Mon, Jul 14 8:55a-10:00a
Long Beach (LGB) Las Vegas (LAS)  2 
   
Delta Air Lines 1790
Mon, Jul 14 1:10p-3:30p
Las Vegas (LAS) Salt Lake City (SLC)  
   
Delta Air Lines 3890
Mon, Jul 14 6:35p-7:48p
Salt Lake City (SLC) Billings (BIL) 
total duration: 9h 53min  
------------------------------------------------------
Return
 
Delta Air Lines 3636
Fri, Jul 18 6:10a-7:40a
Cody/Yellowstone (COD) Salt Lake City (SLC)  2 
   
Delta Air Lines 817
Fri, Jul 18 8:50a-9:17a
Salt Lake City (SLC) Las Vegas (LAS)  
   
Jetblue Airways 281
Fri, Jul 18 12:10p-1:15p
Las Vegas (LAS) Long Beach (LGB) 
total duration: 8h 5min  

Orbitz           
http://www.orbitz.com/

******************************************************

Other sites I used in my search:

Expedia
http://www.expedia.com/

Cheap Tickets
http://www.cheaptickets.com/trs/cheaptickets/home/index_01.xsl

QIXO
http://www.affiliate.qixo.com/

Airfare Planet
http://www.airfareplanet.com/domestic.htm

Flights
http://apps.flights.com/flights/mainPage.jsp?tab=DC

Search terms:
cheap domestic flights
LA  yellowstone flights

I based my criteria on the information you gave me both in your
question and clarification. I then narrowed the possibilities down to
what I found that was below $375 per person. There were a few others
above that but below the $400 price you found. I also took into
account the durations of the flights. I hope the information I gave
you is helpful and if you have any questions regarding my answer
please don't hesitate to ask before rating.  Have a safe trip!

Best regards,
rainbow-ga

Hi, Souvenirland !!!

It should be possible to get an airfare from the LA area to an airport
within driving distance of Yellowstone for around $300.

I just found a fare on www.itasoftware.com for $293, from ONT to COD
(Cody airport), with America West, airport change in Phoenix both
ways.

The trick with this website is to 

(1) find the combination of airports, airfare and times that you like,
and then click on Details,
(2) go to Show booking details, and click on that,
(3) email the details to yourself (or print them out, or whatever
suits best),
(4) ring the airline and give them the *exact* ticketing code. If you
don't give them this code, they may tell you that fare isn't
available, or some 'story' like "that fare is only available on the
internet".

With the ticket details, you get a message, giving you an 800 number
for the airline. For the ticket above, that message is:

     "If you want to buy this ticket, contact the airline 
      (America West: 1-800-235-9292) or a travel agent."

You can email the details to your travel agent, and they may charge a
fee for getting you the ticket.

In the case of the fare above, the code for the ticket from ONT is 
        HP ONTBIL KR14N3 fare,  psgr type ADT 
and the code for the ticket from COD is 
        HP BILONT KR14N3 fare,  psgr type ADT.
(The first eight digits on each ticket code are probably not
necessary, but I'm including them for the sake of completeness.)

$293 America West ONT to BIL return

Mon, July 14 Leaving ONT at 6:40am, arriving at Cody 12:35pm. Time 4h
55m

Fri, July 18 Leaving Cody at 2:00pm, arriving at ONT 5:24pm. Time 4h
24m

If you want to go from Los Angeles (LAX) or Burbank to Cody, it will
be $325.

 *  *  *  * * 

ITA Software is good for researching tickets, airports, flight times,
and so on, and it will give you the general prices that are available
to travel agents. It doesn't give you any of the specially negotiated
prices that, say, STA Travel has (for students and teachers); or
Orbitz which is owned by several airlines.

But it can save you time searching on Orbitz (or Expedia, Yahoo
travel, Travelocity, etc) for the cheapest airport.

  
Finding the cheap days and times to fly
=======================================
If your travelling days are also flexible, that can sometimes save a
couple of hundred dollars; and then you can just be *lucky,* do all
the 'wrong' things and get a great deal anyway!
   The cheapest times and days are when everyone else is *not* flying
to that particular place!  *Generally,* that means midweek (Tues,
Weds, Thurs) and afternoon, any time after noon.

    For holiday places, that can vary: for example, Monday is an
offpeak day to fly *to* Florida and Friday is an offpeak day to fly
from Florida, according to one airline website I visited recently.

    Travelocity is good for showing the cheapest days, but that may
apply only to their flightsearch, and I don't think America West is
one of their airlines.
    I've just gone to www.travelocity.com, put in the cheap cities,
from above, and clicked on Dates flexible. Unfortunately, travelocity
does not show dates as far in advance as July. I got a cheap ticket
with Delta for around $244, but for May and for different days to the
ones you specified (Monday and Friday).
    If you try travelocity in early March, they may have July prices
to display by then.

Fares go up in summer
=====================
Fares do tend to go up a lot in Summer; this happens in June, as far
as I remember; it's possible that it's earlier than this. Everything
changes all the time in the travel industry, in my experience. Change
is the only constant! In other words, I cannot rely on the past as a
predictor of the future.

I wish you luck, and hope this has been helpful.

I've just gone back to Travelocity, and got a screen where I could
choose Dates flexible for July only, and got a price of around $274 --
but this was only available for Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday travel.
That price would work only if you could, say leave on a Thursday and
come back on a Tuesday.


Other Options
=============
Orbitz
Traveljungle
Hotwire and Priceline, closer to your travel dates; and not for the
risk-averse. If you want more info on these sites, and particularly on
priceline, there is a wonderful site, www.biddingfortravel.com, which
will give you masses of info on priceline -- and advice on how to bid
for your dates and times and places.

as well as

Delta           www.delta.com
America West    www.americawest.com
(I notice that Cody doesn't come up as a destination on these
websites, so you may not be able to get an internet ticket from the
airlines themselves.)