Every year, millions of people all over the world travel by plane. However, there are only a few who know about cheap air travel. If you’re someone who travels a lot, then you’ll be pleased to learn that there are several ways to actually save more than a few good dollars on your airfare.Cheap air travel is the way to go these days. Bid farewell to high rates and say hello to dream destinations.Cheap Air Travel Tip # 1: Be Flexible With Your Dates.Two words define dirt cheap flights – flexible dates. If you insist on flying on a specific date, your airfare is undoubtedly going to cost more.However, if you have a more flexible schedule, you’ll be able to get the best deals in town. Travelocity, among other travel Web sites, actually have a special section for people who can handle flexible dates.Cheap Air Travel Tip # 2: Spot the Difference.The key to inexpensive airfare is knowing which airlines offer the best bargains. Thankfully, you don’t have to call each and every airline in your area to get this information.These days, a lot of Web sites can tell you what airlines are flying to where, and how much the tickets cost. If you try FareCompare.com, you’ll get a pretty decent score on the best deals.Cheap Air Travel Tip # 3: Avoid Peak Season Destinations.Avoid booking flights to places which are popular during the season. For example, trying to schedule a trip to the beach during summer will cost you more than it would during the winter season.I know you think doing the opposite would be beside the point, but you might be amazed at the novelty of such an experience. You not only get to save money, you also get to experience something different.Cheap air travel is accessible for anyone who knows how things work. It’s also encouraged that you do your own research before booking a flight. A little knowledge goes a long way. Who knows what bargain deals you might stumble upon?
One-On-One With Flo Lugli, Executive Vice President, Marketing, Wyndham Hotel Group
“We don’t expect to get back to pre-recession levels for some time, but we are encouraged by the leading indicators. People still need to get together. They still need to do business.” – Flo Lugli, executive vice president, Marketing, Wyndham Hotel GroupHow big is Wyndham Hotel Group – how many properties, brands and in how many countries?Wyndham Hotel Group is the world’s largest hotel company with more than 7,100 hotels and 597,000 rooms in 67 countries. We have 11 brands, including Wyndham Hotels and Resorts®, Ramada®, Days Inn®, Super 8®, Wingate® by Wyndham, Baymont Inn & Suites®, Microtel Inns & Suites®, Hawthorn Suites® by Wyndham, Howard Johnson®, Travelodge® and Knights Inn®.What is the demographic of your company’s “typical” business traveler?With eleven hotel brands spanning the economy to upper-upscale segments, we offer lodging to just about every kind of business traveler.For instance, our upscale Wyndham brand accommodates those looking for a more personalized experience as offered through our Wyndham ByRequest program, which provides a welcome snack and beverage as selected by the guest, free Internet access, expedited check-in and extras, like towels and pillows the way a guest likes them.
Brands, such as Days Inn and Ramada, cater to those business travelers looking for added value. Our brands not only have reasonable rates but many also offer free Internet access and complimentary breakfast. Those are two big pluses when guests are looking to save money while they are on the road.What are the current customer travel trends and how are these trends shaping Wyndham Hotel Group’s offerings and operations?It’s a difficult economic climate we are living in and it is no secret that many consumers are looking for value. They are also waiting to book their hotel stays a bit later than usual.Our brands have always provided consumers with value. As mentioned, most of our brands offer free Internet access and breakfast. We also offer consumer promotions including the Baymont brand’s “Stay 2 Nights, Save $20″ promotion or Howard Johnson’s Double Dribble promotion that offered guests free Harlem Globetrotter tickets. Some brands, such as Ramada, are using social networking tools to offer value. Ramada’s “Just for You” promotion provided consumers exclusive discounts through an email link distributed to friends and family.Tell us about Wyndham Rewards? Are there any plans for new offerings or changes to the program this year?The Wyndham Rewards loyalty program is the world’s largest lodging loyalty program. It offers members the opportunity to earn points by staying at participating Wyndham Hotel Group properties, shopping with select retailers and using their Wyndham Rewards credit card.Points are redeemable for free hotel stays with no blackout dates in the U.S. and Canada, airline tickets and dining and shopping gift cards, among other options. In lieu of points, members may elect to earn airline or rail miles with a variety of vendors.The Wyndham Rewards loyalty program is available in more than 20 countries including Germany, the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Mexico. Much of the program’s expansion occurred just this past year. Recent additions to the program’s earning and redemption network include Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Alamo Rent A Car and National Car Rental.We are always looking at how we should evolve the program to make it as robust and useful as possible for members.Why would a business traveler consider your hotels? What’s different about the Wyndham Hotel Group experience?
Wyndham Hotel Group offers travelers the most hotel choices with regard to location and type of property – we have just about every kind of hotel, almost everywhere, to fit any budget. This means that travelers have many opportunities to earn points that they can use for free night stays, merchandise, rental cars, and more.Are there any specific offerings or programs designed to benefit business travelers and frequent flyers, i.e. relationships with airlines, collaborative programs?Absolutely. In addition to the opportunity to earn airline miles, we often feature member-only promotions with car rental and airline partners that can help members make the most of their travels. For example, we recently ran a promotion offering bonus airline miles with many of our airline partners for stays at Wyndham Hotel Group properties.In your opinion, what cost-saving measures can business travelers take to maximize their travel budgets?Travelers should book as far in advance as possible and they should stay at hotels with a free breakfast and free Internet access. Joining rewards programs is always smart and asking the front desk clerk for good and inexpensive lunch and dinner recommendations helps too.Generally speaking, do you think business travel is moving back toward its pre-market crash numbers or has it leveled off, still short of what it was about 2 years ago?Business travel isn’t back yet but we are seeing some signs of a recovery. The meetings business has also seemed to have started to recover. We don’t expect to get back to pre-recession levels for some time, but we are encouraged by the leading indicators. People still need to get together. They still need to do business. And our broad scope of hotels and price points, coupled with our rewards program, uniquely positions us to deliver value to travelers.Has Wyndham noticed certain parts of the country (or world) that seem to fair better (or worse) than others during the recession?Most everywhere has been hit hard. There are some countries, in the Middle East for example, where the impact hasn’t been as significant, but for the most part, we’re all in this together.In what areas do you see the next uptick? (High end, budget, leisure, business, etc.?)We’re expecting to see more and more travelers looking for accommodations in the upscale and midscale segments since inconspicuous consumption is the current trend, and value is in vogue. Leisure travel and drive vacations will also outperform the business/air travel marketHow do you think Wyndham is best positioned to take advantage of that?As mentioned, Wyndham Hotel Group is uniquely positioned to satisfy the requirements of all kinds of travelers, regardless of their travel occasion. Our Wyndham brand is an excellent choice for those looking for a personalized, upscale experience and our midscale brands such as Ramada, Wingate by Wyndham, Baymont and Howard Johnson are just right for guests seeking value (free internet access and breakfast, as examples) for the price they pay. These brands are located in key and center-city areas as well as resort destinations, all appropriate to leisure travel.Can you tell us which airlines you work with to create special offers or co-promotions?Here is a partial list of airline partners we work with on a regular basis:Aeromexico, Aeroplan, Air Berlin, Air China, American
BMI
China Eastern, China Southern, Continental, Czech
Delta
Hainan
Midwest
Southwest, Spirit, Sun Country
United, US Airways
My Secrets To Finding the Really Cheap Flights and Discount Airfares
My friends ask me all the time what are my secrets to finding the really cheap flights, as they know that I like to travel and that I was not born with a silver spoon in my mouth, as The Who sang so eloquently. Ben Franklin had it right when he said a penny saved is a penny earned.The biggest secret to finding discount airfares is look in allot of places and start looking early! AND not all of the places that you should be looking at are on the internet! I have looked up deals on the internet and then went with the information to a travel agent and see if they can beat it, and sometimes they can, as they get spiffs from the airlines, or the airlines are special promoting a destination to the travel agents, and they can pass the savings on to you, if you ask. For instance, China Airlines ran an age special for the travel agents and they would give you your age off the fare, normally the travel agents would have kept it but they had to beat the internet flight deal to get me to buy the ticket so we both won. While you are there ask them do you have a really cheap flights coming up that I might be interested in again they can surprise you!Another place to look is in your local paper, lots of times travel agents will buy allot of tickets to a place in a block and then resell them; as the block gets close to expiration, they have to discount what they have left otherwise they lose all the money on the tickets that they have bought but haven’t sold. The travel agents will often use them in packages that they put together, so when you buy them they will push certain hotels, sometimes if you need a hotel with the flight you might get a really cheap hotel room that is a couple of stars higher than you would normally stay at the price you would normally pay, so you don’t save direct but you get better value and spend the same as you would have otherwise.Crazy but true I always look at the travel agents windows when I pass them, you might see a last minute LA to London special for $499 promotion, who knows why it is that cheap, but being open to those kinds of deals can be allot of fun, and give you something to do on the spur of the moment.