Is This Travel Discount Package Really Gigantinormous?

Ah, the hype the advertising executives will come up with to get your attention. Gigantinormous. Gigantic and Enormous all rolled into one. Travelocity coined a new word just to get your attention. Aren’t they clever. They are having a Gigantinormous sale.

• You save $100 instantly off your reservations when you book one of their Flight+Hotel TotalTrip packages or one of their Last Minute Deals packages. The reservations must be for two people or more and there is a three night or longer stay required.
• The package must be booked by November 16, 2006 and travel must be done before January 7, 2007.
• To get the $100 discount, you need to enter the promotional code GIANTSALE when checking out.
• After you make your reservations for your initial travel, Travelocity will send you another promotional code good for $200 off your next qualifying Flight+Hotel TotalTrip package for two or more people with a minimum stay of five nights.
• To take advantage of the $200 off offer, you must book by March 31, 2007 and the trip must be taken by July 31, 2007.

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So it’s time to do a little comparison shopping. How does their Gigantinormous sale hold up against their competitor’s prices? Since I’m wondering if this is a way to save on holiday travel, I’m going to find the price for a fictional family of four (2 adults plus 2 kids – ages 5 and 8) to fly from Chicago to Philadelphia for Christmas.

Travelocity’s Deal

Plane Reservations – American Airlines leaving Chicago O’Hare at 10:55pm on December 23rd, direct flight to Philadelphia International; American Airlines leaving Philadelphia International at 11am on December 29th, direct flight to Chicago O’Hare
Hotel Reservations – Best Western in Center City – one room, two double beds
Travelocity’s bottom line after Gigantinormous discount $1568.01 for flight, hotel, taxes and fees.

Expedia’s Deal

Plane Reservations - American Airlines leaving Chicago O’Hare at 12:40pm on December 23rd, direct flight to Philadelphia International; American Airlines leaving Philadelphia International at 4:15pm on December 29th, direct flight to Chicago O’Hare.
Hotel Reservations – Expedia could not get me reservations at my hotel of choice Best Western in Center City – so I choose a comparable three star hotel in Center City – Club Quarters.
Expedia’s bottom line - $1,760.58 for flight, hotel, taxes and fees. Almost a full $200 more than Travelocity’s price.

Hotwire’s Deal

Plane Reservations - American Airlines leaving Chicago O’Hare at 2:15pm on December 23rd, direct flight to Philadelphia International; American Airlines leaving Philadelphia International at 8am on December 29th, direct flight to Chicago O’Hare.
Hotel Reservations – Hotwire could not get me reservations at my hotel of choice Best Western in Center City – so I choose a comparable three star hotel in Center City – Doubletree Inn

Hotwire’s bottom line - $1864.00 for flight, hotel, taxes and fees. Almost a full $200 more than Travelocity’s price. Almost a full $300 more than Travelocity’s price.

Priceline’s Deal

Priceline’s best price with undisclosed flight details (including a possible plane transfer) and a comparable three star hotel in Center City was $1,659 for flight, hotel, taxes and fees.

The winner – Travelocity by a Gigantinormous $200-$400 savings.

Now, the savings are just on the initial trip booked with Travelocity. If you add the additional $200 savings on a future trip booked with Travelocity the savings may be even greater. Of course, any wise traveler would comparison shop even with the $200 discount.

US Air’s Offer - Not Quite Gigantinormous, but a Savings Non-the-Less

US Airways is extending an invitation to its frequent flyers to escape from the chilly fall weather to the warmer climate of the Caribbean, Mexico or Central America. They have special fares to these destinations if you book now and travel before December 15th. There is a minimum three night stay associated with the offer.

In addition, you will receive a $25 gift card for each seat booked that can be used for a later flight with US Airways or one of its affiliates. The e-mail said that this offer is only good for members of their frequent flyer program.

So it seems as if this season’s deals are coming in the form of save a little now, save a little more later. The deals may be truly good for those who are planning to travel both sometime this fall and again later on in the year or early next year.

This article on discount travel packages has been brought to you by daily air travel.