Yesterday a friend of mine asked for my opinion about Weeknder, a portal that sells last-minute weekend flights at what they claim to be a deep-discount. As someone who loves to travel spontaneously, I was naturally intrigued to investigate these deals.
I quickly learned that Weeknder is powered by Priceline, and I know that Priceline is known for their last-minute deals (supposedly up to 50%) and “name your own price” bidding feature on flights and hotels. I’ve used Priceline in the past for hotels, but never for flights so this was new territory for me to explore.
At first glance, there was an abundance of deals that were really enticing for flights next weekend.
However, the skeptic in me didn’t like that there wasn’t any information or even a FAQ section anywhere on the site to learn exactly how it works except for this blurb:
What’s the catch? Well I decided to take it a step forward and proceed with a booking.
I chose Newark to West Palm Beach and made it all the way to the final booking page where I was finally presented with some fine print:
- Flight details will be provided immediately after purchase. You must fly on the flights assigned to you.
- Once booked, your airline tickets are non-refundable and non-changeable. Airline tickets are non-transferrable. Name changes or adjustments are not allowed once purchased.
- You will be issued Electronic tickets. Remember to bring a valid government-issued photo ID with you to check-in.
- Your tickets will be issued on one of Priceline’s partner airlines. Frequent flyer mileage accrual is not available.
- Priceline customers are protected by the same airline regulations extended to all passengers, including protection against overbookings and baggage loss.
- By selecting book flight I agree to the Booking Conditions, Terms and Conditions, and Privacy Policy.
After reading that, it was clear that I really could get a round trip weekend flight to West Palm Beach for $171, I just had to be super flexible on departure times. I would also have to come to terms that I would not be able to earn any miles for these flights.
Next I checked to see what EWR-PBI was pricing out on Google Flights for those very same travel dates:
Wow, the cheapest flights were $419! At $171, that’s a serious savings and depending on how cold it was at back home how badly I needed to travel, I might consider sacrificing some mileage-earning for a cheap getaway.
A burning question I do have inside though is: Even though one can’t earn miles on a trip, would airline elite status benefits still be recognized for checked bags, priority boarding, seat assignments, etc? If so, one can perhaps take it a step further with a same-day change, free standby etc…
Bottom Line:
Good deals can be had if you’re flexible and don’t mind a bit of uncertainty (gamblers rush?). You’ll also have to accept that you won’t be earning any points and miles…
Has anyone used Weeknder or a “name your own price” for flights before? I would love to hear about your experiences…
Hope you’re ready to fly a LOT of Spirit!