Latest news with #DollarFlightClub
Daily Mail
16 hours ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Little-known hack to get your suitcase off the plane first revealed
After touching down from a flight, the last thing you need is to be stuck at baggage reclaim waiting for your luggage to arrive. With delays previously documented at UK airports by frustrated passengers, one handy hack has been revealed by an employee. Taking to Quora, the staffer, who works at a regional US airport, explained how being one of the last to drop your bags off is key. He said: 'Bags will always be loaded front to back on the bag carts so if you check in last your bags will be in the last bag cart.' This method could be considered risky though, as you run the chance of accidentally missing your flight's check-in closing time. But another tip is to ask the check-in or bag-drop agent to tag your bag with a priority or fragile sticker. Bags identified as fragile are often loaded last, and on top of other bags. They're also usually the first to be removed after landing. Travel expert Katy Nastro, from website Going, says becoming a frequent flier and earning status with an airline can help ensure your bag is one of the first to be offloaded. Katy explained how some airlines tag checked bags of elite passengers differently, making it clear to the system and staff to separate them. Jesse Neugarten, who is also an airline expert from Dollar Flight Club, said the guaranteed way to ensure your bag is the first off is to travel in First Class. He simply explains: 'Baggage for first-class passengers often travels on a separate cart and is sorted for fast delivery. 'It's one of the few consistent perks airlines still prioritise—and yes, it often works.'
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Travel + Leisure
a day ago
- Business
- Travel + Leisure
How to Get Your Luggage to Arrive First at Baggage Claim, According to Aviation Experts
After a long flight, the last thing anyone wants is to be stuck at baggage claim, watching dozens of suitcases circle by while yours is nowhere in sight. We've all been there—and it's never fun. Fortunately, there are ways to speed up the process and increase your bag's chances of coming out first. Airlines handle staggering volumes of luggage each day. For context, Delta handled 145 million checked bags last year; that breaks down to nearly 400,000 per day on average—an enormous number highlighting how complex and automated modern baggage systems are. While there's no surefire way to guarantee your suitcase is the first one on the carousel, there are a few smart strategies that can seriously improve your odds, says Dollar Flight Club founder Jesse Neugarten. But before diving into those, it's worth debunking one common myth: 'A lot of travelers believe that paying for checked luggage through a basic economy ticket somehow deprioritizes their bag,' Neugarten explains. However, in reality, that's not the case. 'Once the bag is in the system, how it's handled depends much more on when and how it's checked—not the fare class you booked.' Below, we're breaking down expert-approved strategies to boost your bag's chances of being among the first on the carousel. Jesse Neugarten is the founder of Dollar Flight Club, a subscription service that sends members alerts about major airfare drops and occasional mistake fares. Katy Nastro is a travel expert at Going (formerly Scott's Cheap Flights), a membership-based service that helps travelers find deeply discounted flight deals. "Many people don't realize how complex the belly of the checked luggage beast is," explains Katy Nastro, travel expert at Going (formerly Scott's Cheap Flights). "Intricate conveyor belts at some of the world's largest airports are controlled by systems to ensure passengers not only receive their luggage but, in some cases, get their bags first." While there's no guaranteed way to be first at baggage claim, Nastro notes that being a frequent flier or holding elite status is your best bet. Per the pro, airlines often tag these bags differently, making it easier for the system and baggage handlers to separate them. "And for loyalty members, this can be a nice perk—you don't always have to book a premium seat to benefit." Full flight? Take advantage of the opportunity to gate-check your carry-on bag for free, which Nastro describes as a potential "golden opportunity to not have to wait for your bag at the carousel." Keep in mind that gate checks with jet bridge pickup typically only happen on smaller domestic flights with limited overhead bin space. If your bag gets rerouted to baggage claim, gate-checking just before takeoff doesn't necessarily mean it will arrive any faster. Aerial view of luggage on an airport carousel. As he previously mentioned, there's no difference between how bags are treated for basic economy and economy ticket holders. But according to Neugarten, passengers flying in a premium cabin typically have their checked bags tagged as 'priority,' which means they're loaded last and among the first to be unloaded when you land. 'Baggage for first-class passengers often travels on a separate cart and is sorted for fast delivery,' he explains. 'It's one of the few consistent perks airlines still prioritize—and yes, it often works.' 'Even if you're flying economy, asking for a 'priority' tag—sometimes available at check-in for a fee or through certain credit cards—or a 'fragile' label can help,' says Neugarten. He tells Travel + Leisure that bags marked fragile are often placed on top of other luggage and loaded last, which means they're typically among the first to be unloaded upon landing. While it's not a guarantee, Neugarten calls it a low-effort way to potentially jump the line at baggage claim. 'A common misconception is that checking in early gets you better bag service,' says Neugarten. However, the opposite is often true: 'The earlier you check your luggage, the sooner it gets loaded—meaning it's more likely to come out last at baggage claim.' Bags checked closer to departure are typically loaded last and come off first. Just don't cut it too close—or you might miss your flight; many airlines require bags to be checked at least 45 minutes before departure now. When it comes to getting your bag quickly, airport size and efficiency definitely matter, says Neugarten—and the reasoning makes sense. 'Larger hub airports often have longer baggage processing times due to volume,' he explains. 'Smaller or newer airports with upgraded systems tend to deliver bags faster across the board.' So if you have a choice, opting for a smaller or more modern airport could help speed up your time at baggage claim.
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Travel + Leisure
3 days ago
- Business
- Travel + Leisure
Does Clearing Your Search History Actually Affect Flight Prices?
If you've ever searched for a flight, exited the tab to mull it over, and returned to find the fare mysteriously higher, you're not alone. You've also probably heard the advice: clear your cookies, switch browsers, and search in incognito mode. The idea that airlines or booking sites track your searches to hike prices remains one of the most persistent travel myths of the digital age. To find out whether there's any truth to this widely circulated belief, we asked travel experts to weigh in on what's fact, what's fiction, and what's really driving those seemingly ever-changing fares. Katy Nastro is a travel expert at Going (formerly Scott's Cheap Flights), a flight price alert platform that helps travelers find the best flight deals. Sophia Lin is the director of product management for travel and local at Google Search. Jesse Neugarten is the founder of Dollar Flight Club, a subscription-based travel site dedicated to helping travelers snag discounted airfare. Despite what many travelers believe, there's no concrete evidence that airlines or booking sites raise prices based on how often you search for a route. Experts say the pricing shifts you see are more about market demand than digital surveillance. "There is a common misconception that repeated search behavior will lead to not just a different, but higher outcome," explains Katy Nastro, travel expert at Going. This is why people are often told to clear their cache or cookies or to use an incognito browser. However, that's more travel myth than truth—something that's stuck around thanks to anecdotal frustration and online hearsay. Per the pro, "There is no credible data source that suggests repeated searching is tracked and therefore manipulated to higher pricing." According to Sophia Lin, director of product management for travel and local at Google Search, "Ticket prices are constantly changing and being updated across different data providers, even from second to second. And every day, our systems are computing an enormous number of possible ticket combinations for trips around the world." Nastro offers a similar perspective, explaining that travelers are "seeing the market move in real time." And if anyone would know, it's Nastro and her team, who "run hundreds of searches a day, if not thousands by the end of the week, and have done so for years, and yet we still have not seen this mythic pattern some swear by." She continues: "Our founder, Scott Keyes, even went so far as duplicating a search 100 times in an hour to see if there would be any upward movement—and guess what, there was not!" Jesse Neugarten, founder of Dollar Flight Club, echoes these sentiments, telling Travel + Leisure , "While it's a widely held belief that flight prices go up the more you search for a route, there's no hard evidence that browsing history or repeated searches alone directly cause price increases." Instead, he explains that travelers are often observing a combination of natural price fluctuations and cached data, which can create the illusion of price changes, bringing us to our next point. While it might seem random, airfare pricing is anything but. Behind the scenes, airlines use dynamic algorithms that constantly recalculate fares based on shifting variables. According to Neugarten, flight prices are determined by complex, real-time algorithms that adjust based on factors like "seat inventory, booking trends, time to departure, competitor pricing, and external factors like weather or fuel costs." Additionally, explains Nastro, "When you see prices fluctuate in real time, you are seeing the airlines trying to adjust based on those factors." Additionally, she says, "They have fare buckets." Think of it like this: Airlines allocate a set number of seats to each bucket for a certain period, though those allocations can shift based on the factors mentioned earlier. Once fare bucket X sells out, a new, often higher-priced bucket takes its place. So when you notice sudden jumps or drops in airfare, you're likely seeing fare buckets updating in real time. To illustrate the scale of this complexity, Lin explains that there can be seemingly endless ticket combinations for trips between Los Angeles and London. This is especially true once you factor in variables like connecting flights and competing booking sites, so you could end up with just as many different fare prices. A person looking up flights on their phone. Margot Cavin/Travel + Leisure In summary, no. "There is no record of flight searches being improved by using incognito mode or clearing cookies," says Nastro. Both she and Neugarten tell T+L that the "benefit" is primarily psychological. Nastro likes to think of it like a lucky t-shirt on game day: Is it really the shirt that led to the win—or was it more likely a good night's sleep, solid training, and preparation? She encourages travelers to focus on tools like flight price alerts for the best chance to snag deals on airfare. Per Neugarten, "Searching in incognito mode or clearing cookies might prevent your browser from showing cached results, which can make it appear like prices have changed." However, he adds, "In most cases, the underlying pricing, especially when powered by predictive algorithms, isn't tied to your cookies. It's fluctuating due to real-time changes in inventory and demand." Lin reinforces this idea: "Incognito mode, browsing history, search history, or switching devices won't impact the prices we show on Google Flights." She adds, "Unfortunately for deal-seekers, it's not true."
Forbes
4 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
10 Cheapest National Parks To Fly To This Summer
Grand Canyon National Park is one of the cheapest parks to fly to this summer. Few vacations are more iconic—and more affordable—for American families than a trip to a National Park. But even these historically low-cost getaways are getting pricier. According to Dollar Flight Club, the cost of accommodations near parks like Yellowstone and Yosemite has climbed by as much as 30%, and demand for rental cars can cause prices to skyrocket on peak weekends. Visiting the National Parks can get expensive faster than you might expect. To help families stretch their travel budgets, researchers at Dollar Flight Club crunched the numbers on more than 300,000 airfare records from U.S. departure cities to airports within a reasonable drive of a National Park to see which routes have the most affordable flights this summer. The data was collected from a mix of airline partners, online travel agencies, and the brand's internal tools. They found that overall, travelers can save more than $500 by flying into the most affordable gateway airports near National Parks. Choosing to visit one park over another could lead to even bigger savings, making it worth comparing flight prices before locking in your plans. Here are the 10 cheapest National Parks to fly to this summer, according to Dollar Flight Club. Low-cost flights to Las Vegas make it easier to see Zion National Park on a budget. Two of the most popular National Parks—Zion and Grand Canyon—also happen to be the most affordable to fly to, according to the Dollar Flight Club report. Round-trip economy flights can range from $29 to $163 per person when you fly to Las Vegas, putting you just a few hours' drive away from either of these popular parks. Want to visit the Grand Canyon? Try flying into Phoenix to get a deal on airfare. You've got options if you're looking for a cheap trip to the Grand Canyon. If you can't score a deal on flights to Las Vegas, try using Phoenix as an alternative gateway to the park. Round-trip flights to Phoenix range from $32 to $177 this summer, based on the Dollar Flight Club analysis. When you land, you'll be just about 3.5 hours away from the Grand Canyon's South Rim and under two hours from Saguaro National Park. Arches is one of the cheapest National Parks to visit this summer. Arches and Canyonlands took third on the list of the cheapest National Parks to fly to in this ranking. Round-trip flights to Salt Lake City, roughly four hours away from these two magnificent parks, run between $84 and $250 on average this summer. Bonus: These parks are typically way less crowded than Zion. Pinnacles National Park is just three hours south of San Francisco, where you can get a deal on airfare. You've got your choice when it comes to National Parks you can visit on a reasonable drive from San Francisco. Head four hours east to hit Yosemite or drive three hours south to visit Pinnacles. With round-trip airfare averaging between $129 and $397 this summer, SFO is one of the most affordable places to jumpstart a National Park adventure. You can see Rocky Mountain National Park on a budget thanks to relatively low-cost flights into Denver. Round-trip economy airfare from major U.S. departure cities to Denver is clocking in at $132 to $299 this summer, making Rocky Mountain National Park the fifth cheapest park to visit. And you won't be in the car for hours on end after you land—the park is just 90 minutes away from Denver, so you can make the most of your limited time off. Round-trip flights to Seattle are relatively affordable this summer, making it less expensive to visit Mount Rainier National Park. Mount Rainier National Park dazzles travelers with wildflower meadows and glacier views in the summer. Those views don't have to come at the cost of your entire travel budget, though. Round-trip flights to the gateway city of Seattle (just a two-hour drive from the park) range from $137 to $400 this summer. Yosemite National Park took both the 4th and 7th spots on the list of the cheapest National Parks to fly to this summer. If you're dreaming of a trip to Yosemite—but dreading the drive from San Francisco—try flying into Fresno. It's just 90 minutes from the park and flights are only slightly more expensive, ranging from $177 to $393 round-trip this summer. Skip the regional airports and fly into Spokane if you want to get cheap airfare for a trip to Glacier National Park this summer. Flying into Spokane gives you affordable access to Glacier National Park's west entrance—without the premium price tag of closer regional airports. Round-trip fares this summer range from $188 to $399, according to Dollar Flight Club. From there, it's about a 4.5-hour drive to the park entrance. Yellowstone's stunning waterfalls can be less expensive to reach by flying into Bozeman. Want to see Yellowstone's geysers and wildlife on a budget? Try flying into Bozeman. It's about 90 minutes away from the park's north entrance and offers round-trip flights from $202 to $499 this summer—a steal compared to flying into Jackson Hole. While Jackson Hole is one of the more expensive airports on this list, it's just 15 minutes away from Grand Teton National Park. Round-trip flights to Jackson Hole range from $400 to $600 this summer—the highest airfare on this list, but still a solid value for a National Park getaway. That's because Jackson Hole puts you closer to incredible parks than most gateway airports: it's just 15 minutes from Grand Teton and about an hour from Yellowstone. So while airfare may cost a bit more, you could end up saving on rental car fees and gas thanks to the shorter drive.
CNET
14-05-2025
- Business
- CNET
Get Ready for Summer Travel With This Huge Dollar Flight Club Deal Ahead of Memorial Day
With Memorial Day sales kicking off soon and the start of summer along with it, it's time to think about your travel plans. It's not always cheap to think about that though, especially if you're looking at international travel, so being able to save money is a must. One of the best ways to do that is to grab a Dollar Flight Club subscription, which can save you a lot of money in the long term, and thanks to a deal on StackSocial, you can get one for just $10 right now. The Dollar Flight Club Premium plan locates discounts on international and domestic economy flights, sending the deals right to your phone. Up to four departing airports can be added to your account, providing a wider range of potential departures for the best deals. Savings of up to $2,000 per trip can be achieved using the service. A subscription normally costs $69 per year, but now you can get one for a whopping 85% off, reducing the price to just $10. Hey, did you know? CNET Deals texts are free, easy and save you money. The Premium Plus plan includes the same benefits as the Premium plan, but discounts on business class and premium economy flights are included. Exclusive discounts on TSA PreCheck, Priority Pass and more are also available. This option normally costs $99 per year, but it's only $30 with this deal. For more travel prep, check out some of the best travel essentials you should remember to pack wherever you roam. Why this deal matters Travel can be costly, so any savings are welcome. A Dollar Flight Club subscription can help you save thousands on domestic and international flights. Subscriptions are up to an impressive 85% off right now. Grab yours before the deal expires, which could be at any time. Keep in mind that this deal is only for new users.
