Dig Student Airfares

Students: Unlimited Flights for $249!

2005-06-20T23:57:00.000-07:00

New low-cost carrier Independence Air is offering the “GliDE Pass” which gets you unlimited flights this summer on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays to all of their destinations east of the Mississippi. All you need to pay each time you fly are the applicable fees and taxes, which Independence claims can be up to $20.40 per one-way flight or “about the cost of a large pizza!”

Cities served are: Albany, Atlanta, Boston, Buffalo, Burlington (VT), Charleston (SC), Charleston (WV), Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Columbia (SC), Columbus (OH), Detroit, Fort Myers, Greensboro, Greenville, Hartford, Huntsville (AL), Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Knoxville, Louisville, Manchester (NH), Nashville, New York City, Newark, Norfolk, Orlando, Pittsburgh, Portland (ME), Providence, Raleigh, Rochester (NY), Savannah, Newburgh, Syracuse, Tampa, Washington (DC), West Palm Beach and White Plains (NY).

The GliDE Pass is for college students ages 18-25 only and is valid for travel from now until August 31st, 2005. Passes are limited so check it out now!

Finding Student Airfare Discounts

2005-06-20T23:56:00.000-07:00

AirTran’s X-Fares Program

2005-06-20T23:53:00.000-07:00

If you're 18-22 years old, you are eligible for AirTran Airway's X-Fares Standby Program, which allows you to fly standby to any city they serve for as little as $59 per segment.

The catch? Flying standby means that you shouldn't have definate plans to go or be somewhere without a second option. The only way you get on is if there is a coach seat available after the final boarding call. And, you are permitted one carry-on item and one personal item. That means no checked luggage.

Worth it? You decide... Further information on AirTran's website.

Finding Student Airfare Discounts (cont'd)

2005-06-19T23:59:00.000-07:00

There are two great websites out there devoted just to student airfare and related travel. STAtravel.com and StudentUniverse.com both offer awesome fares that are only available to students, and are often available at the last-minute for a very reasonable price. Though the domestic fares aren’t always better than a regular fare, they are definitely worth a search. On the other hand, both sites offer amazing international fares as well as various other travel booking resources.

Overview
So how do student-only airfares work? Personally, I didn’t know either; but I tried to investigate. Simply assuming, they work similar to consolidators and the companies, STAtravel and Student Universe, negotiate with airlines to provide them with very cheap fares. Then, the student travel sites mark them up a bit and distribute them. Since these fares aren’t offered to everyone, it benefits the airlines with the slight boost in sales and flight loads they may (or may not) need. And best of all, it benefits you!

But what else can I get out of a student fare? Besides being affordable, they are very flexible. You can spend only days at a destination or even stay up to a year. Also, there are minimum advance purchase requirements. Many fares require just 4 days.

StudentUniverse.com claims to have unbeatable student airfares, although it’s easy to say that when you only have one other competitor. Although they do offer the widest extent of fares, you must be verified before you can purchase a fare and be an enrolled college or university student. They also lack non-stop routes; many of them require connecting flights.
STAtravel.com offer a less availability of fares compared to Student Universe, they often have the better fare to where you’re looking to go. You don’t need to be verified, although they do claim you need an “ISIC” which is a card that identifies that you are a student. But as you will learn about my experience below, they are not necessary and that these fares are valid with teenage youth. STA also has awesome customer service agents available 24/7 that have ‘a flair for being cool.’

My Experience
Last spring, I was able to accompany my dad to Salt Lake City from Fargo, North Dakota, our nearest International airport where cheap airfare is miserably sparse. Thanks to STAtravel, I was able to purchase a fare for around $200 and travel next to my dad on the exact flights. Moreover, the flexible options allowed me to depart only thirty hours after purchasing and stay only two nights.

Most interestingly, I didn’t have to buy and use an ISIC card, which STA claims is required to purchase these fares. Deciding to book my fare over the phone with them, the agent hesitantly told me it would be o.k. to go without the card and he could go ahead and book me, however the airline could request to see an ISIC card upon check-in. I called United Airlines, the carrier taking me to Salt Lake, and asked them if they would ever ask for such identification. They said no – just the basic proper identification is all that is needed.

More about ISIC…

Comparison
Are student fares really worth it? Here are several comparisons between both student travel site fares versus a regular lowest-priced fare.

All fares were compared on the same dates of travel, did not include any taxes or additional fees, and were based on current results.

Noticeably, both STAtravel and Student Universe offer equally good fares. Although in two of the comparisons, a regular fare was better than one of the student fares. Another additional point I discovered is that the routes offered by the two sites between two specified routes varied widely. For example, on STAtravel, the Miami to Houston route was operated non-stop by Continental, whereas on Student Universe, the cheapest way offered was via Chicago on United Airlines! Take your pick. This instance applied for many other routes I compared, and wasn’t always in favor of STA. Accordingly, student fares should always be taken advantage of when possible, however they can infrequently be beat by a regular airfare.

Want to find more student airfares? Few places have them, but look around. Inquire with the airline about them or a travel agent. Occasionally, carriers such as American will ‘silently’ announce them.

This article may not be republished or reproduced in anyway with the exception of personal use or under the written consent of the author.

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