Permit me to Brag a Bit . . .A Rookie Books his First MR SFO - STL!
I found this site three days ago from airliners.net, and I have been ruthlessly hooked since. I've been spending all free moments at work trolling the site for information. I've finally managed to book my first MR! Not incredible for a first run, but not too bad, either, I thought.
Before I blather on with the details, however, I'd like to reiterate what a fantastic community FlyerTalk features. Everyone with whom I have communicated has been exceptionally generous with time and advice, some have even contacted me with tidbits of information personally. Thanks again.
So, my first MR will take me from SFO - SAN - ORD - STL - ORD - SFO, for 140 dollars RT. The totals weigh in at 5370 miles, at 2.87 c/m. I used ITA to find the routes, but had some trouble securing the fares. Both booking through the UAL website and calling the reservations desk yielded only 300+ fares, as opposed to ITA's listed 145. Attempting some travel smarts, I finally managed to book the SFO - SAT - ORD - STL portion as a multicity with a one-way of STL - SFO with a stop in ORD on the way home for 70 dollars each on the UAL website. Such might constitute a potential piece of advice for someone looking for that somewhat elusive STL fare.
I'll have to figure out how to kill the wee hours of the morning in St. Louis without being killed, but I have a friend who lives there and she should be able to post some recommendations. I'm guessing a bar somewhere.
On another note, does ITA often list fares that are difficult to find through the airline website or by calling the reservations number? I had never booked the pieces of this trip in separate bits before . . .
Again, thanks for everyone's assistance!
--gray