Booking international flight

[E92inNC]

I’m looking for help booking a flight with multi destinations. I’m in NC, taking my mom to SE Asia and she lives in Phoenix.
Looking to fly into Phoenix on a Friday for a family dinner with the flight out to SE Asia on Saturday. How would I go about making sure the flight from and back to Phoenix, we are both on the same flight and sitting next to each other? The flight to SE Asia isn’t hard as I just have to buy to 2 tickets for myself, so for the second ticket she and I will be on the same flights from Phoenix to our destination. The main issue I’m running into is for the flight back to the states, I’m having trouble getting us on the same flight. Her flight options has a layover at LAX or SFO before going to Phoenix while my layover options are all in Dallas. I’m hoping to at least be on the same flight out of Asia and we can split in CA so if her flight takes off first, I can get her to her gate and my nephew can pick her up at the gate in Phoenix. She’s old and doesn’t speak English so I’m worried about leaving her alone at the airport to navigate.

Any sites out there that tackles this sort of itinerary issue?

[chassis]

flights.google.com

Select 2 travelers.

[orangetiger]

Try using a site like Expedia or Travelocity that lets you search and book whole itineraries at once. They sometimes have better tools for ensuring connections. You could also try calling the airline directly, a good agent may be able to manually put you both on the same flights if possible.

[p0p]

When check her in ask for wheel chair assistant - they will take her from TSA check in to the gate and off the plan to luggage pickup.

[Reborn_]

i would probably book myself back to phoenix (identical to her) and then a 1-way from phoenix to LAX. Will likely cost you a few bucks more, but you're doing a pricey trip regardless.

[Alfisti]

I am a bit of a flight booking guru but I cannot understand what you're trying to do, your description is very confusing. Can you lay it out clearer and I may be able to give you some options. I fly confusing itineries and often book 2 seats for one person so I am used to pulling rabbits out of hats.

[E92inNC]

Originally Posted by p0p

When check her in ask for wheel chair assistant - they will take her from TSA check in to the gate and off the plan to luggage pickup.

Will this require her to be put in a wheelchair? SheÂ’s old but healthy and wonÂ’t go for that.

Originally Posted by Reborn_

i would probably book myself back to phoenix (identical to her) and then a 1-way from phoenix to LAX. Will likely cost you a few bucks more, but you're doing a pricey trip regardless.

Yep, I open multiple tabs trying to do that. ItÂ’s extra $800-1k more plus an extra 4-6 hours to the return journey, taking the total flight back to Raleigh around 26-29 hours. IÂ’ll do it if I have to, just trying to find other cost and time effective options right now.

Originally Posted by Alfisti

I am a bit of a flight booking guru but I cannot understand what you're trying to do, your description is very confusing. Can you lay it out clearer and I may be able to give you some options. I fly confusing itineries and often book 2 seats for one person so I am used to pulling rabbits out of hats.

Sorry, I can see that myself.

IÂ’m in Raleigh, family is in Phoenix. IÂ’m taking my mom to Saigon, Vietnam for 3 weeks.

IÂ’m flying into Phoenix on a Friday for dinner with the family and spending the night.
Saturday morning the two of us are flying from Phoenix to Saigon, with layovers at LAX/SFO and another somewhere in an eastern Asian country Japan/Philippines/etc

3 Saturdays later we head back. The problem IÂ’m having is my flight package would have different flights than hers due to the return trip.

Hers is Phoenix-LAX-Japan-Saigon and the opposite back
Mine is Phoenix-LAX-Japan-Saigon and Saigon-Japan-Dallas-Raleigh.

For some reason, even on the trip out from Phoenix to Saigon, our packages have us on the same flight to LAX and then different flights for the second and third legs, we arrive in Saigon an hour or two apart. Heading back are all different flights.

Heading out of Phoenix on the first Saturday, IÂ’m trying to have us on the same flights and sitting together until the return layover at LAX, her going back to Phoenix and me to Raleigh.

[Alfisti]

There's a lot going on here, first and foremost, are these packages booked already?

Is this all boked with the same airline or same alliance? Are they each booked as one ticket or separate tickets for some of the legs?

On the way out, I do not understand why you could not book the same flights as you are departing and landing at the same airports. Something is amiss.

On the way back, it is simply a case of the best way back to Raleigh is not through LAX unless you force it but it will likely be more expensive.

The alliance is key if these are single tickets, by single tickets I mean you mum's trip from SAigon to Phoneix is one ticket across the 3 legs.

[E92inNC]

Originally Posted by Alfisti

There's a lot going on here, first and foremost, are these packages booked already?

Is this all boked with the same airline or same alliance? Are they each booked as one ticket or separate tickets for some of the legs?

On the way out, I do not understand why you could not book the same flights as you are departing and landing at the same airports. Something is amiss.

On the way back, it is simply a case of the best way back to Raleigh is not through LAX unless you force it but it will likely be more expensive.

The alliance is key if these are single tickets, by single tickets I mean you mum's trip from SAigon to Phoneix is one ticket across the 3 legs.

No, it's in September, I'm trying to book this month for cheaper tickets. I've been looking at flight options on Priceline and Google flights.

I'm essentially trying to book two tickets. One for me from Raleigh to Phoenix. The second is for two for the roundtrip, except hers would end in Phoenix and mine in Raleigh but all flights must be same except for us splitting at the final layover at LAX.

It seems like I would have to book three tickets: one for me from Raleigh to Phoenix, one roundtrip for two between Phoenix-Saigon, and a third for me from Phoenix to Raleigh. I'm trying to avoid going this route because of cost but mostly time, I don't know if the flights from Phoenix back to Raleigh leaves soon enough that I can wait at the airport.

[Alfisti]

OK you're doing it all wrong. Never buy round trip, they do not do you any deals. I'd do it this way ..............

- One ticket yourself to phoenix
- Two tickets Phoenix to Saigon
- One ticket Saigon to Raleigh
- One ticket Saigon to Phoenix

From there select options that allow you to be on the same bird as your mother Saigon to LAX.

Another option is.........

- One ticket yourself to phoenix
- Two tickets Phoenix to Saigon
- Two tickets Saigon to Phoenix
- One ticket Phoenix to Raleigh but it better be cheap because you may miss it as it is a separate ticket.


Book with Kayak and don't be shy to try the "multi-stop" options.

[Redd]

Originally Posted by Alfisti

Another option is.........

- One ticket yourself to phoenix
- Two tickets Phoenix to Saigon
- Two tickets Saigon to Phoenix
- One ticket Phoenix to Raleigh but it better be cheap because you may miss it as it is a separate ticket.

This is what I would do as well. It ensures that your mother will be treated as a single party together with you all the way from Phoenix-Saigon-Phoenix. Any changes, reschedules, delays, you will be together. You can also check-in and manage her flight under the same booking as you. This is the cleanest most convenient way.

[cooolone2]

There's this silly thing called a "Travel Agent"...

Sometimes although it may cost a little more, they can make the complicated easy!

Give it a try!

[E92inNC]

Originally Posted by Alfisti

OK you're doing it all wrong. Never buy round trip, they do not do you any deals. I'd do it this way ..............

- One ticket yourself to phoenix
- Two tickets Phoenix to Saigon
- One ticket Saigon to Raleigh
- One ticket Saigon to Phoenix

From there select options that allow you to be on the same bird as your mother Saigon to LAX.

Another option is.........

- One ticket yourself to phoenix
- Two tickets Phoenix to Saigon
- Two tickets Saigon to Phoenix
- One ticket Phoenix to Raleigh but it better be cheap because you may miss it as it is a separate ticket.


Book with Kayak and don't be shy to try the "multi-stop" options.

Interesting, thanks. I never would have thought to buy the tickets Phoenix-Saigon-Phoenix separately. I’ll give it a try and see how much the difference is.

[E92inNC]

Originally Posted by cooolone2

There's this silly thing called a "Travel Agent"...

Sometimes although it may cost a little more, they can make the complicated easy!

Give it a try!

Nah, that few hundred bucks is a lot in a country like Vietnam. Plus I have relatives I’ve never met or known existed that I’m sure my mom wants to give money to.

[Alfisti]

Originally Posted by cooolone2

There's this silly thing called a "Travel Agent"...

Sometimes although it may cost a little more, they can make the complicated easy!

Give it a try!

Nah, they can do it all but one small change will save like $3K on an itinerary like this and an agent doesn't want to try 100 options to get the price down.

Originally Posted by Redd

This is what I would do as well. It ensures that your mother will be treated as a single party together with you all the way from Phoenix-Saigon-Phoenix. Any changes, reschedules, delays, you will be together. You can also check-in and manage her flight under the same booking as you. This is the cleanest most convenient way.

The only weakness is his leg home from his mother's house, separate ticket so if he misses it, he's screwed.

[Alfisti]

I just checked and yeah if you try to do Raleigh via LAX and stay with your mum until LAX, the price goes mental because the cheapest connection is actually EWR for Raleigh. Not gonna happen unless you runt he gauntlet and go with my second option.

[jmg]

Originally Posted by chassis

flights.google.com

Select 2 travelers.

Never use google for flights. You never get the full list. I normally visit multiple sites like expedia, kayak, and my travel portal though my CC.

For those small international airlines for remote destinations, it takes some digging in regional flight aggregates. Agoda is my current go-to for south pacific or asian countries especially if you are going to some remote resort islands.

[Jeffcharger]

I would consider using a travel agent for this if you're worried about logistics. I've found that they are competitive price-wise. They are also great when you have to reschedule something urgently.