[polinski]

We are in the process of making reservation for our visit trip.

The problem is I want to keep the return flight open. They have told me its better to pay the cancellation fee than to buy an open ticket. I will probably stay and my husband will return back to the states.

Has anyone had a similar situation?

Also what airlines gives discounts on adoption flights? Also do you recommend getting a extra seat for the child?

Any suggestions?????

Thanks

Buffy

[DPline]

As far as which airline you can get the best price, it really depends on where you are flying out of.

I did find that paying the change fee was much less expensive than an open ticket.

I am not sure what airlines give adoption discounts at this time (the only one when we traveled was Delta) but I was able to get much better price, even on less than 48 hours notice, working through a travel agent that specializes in adoption travel. PM me if you would like his contact info.

We did not buy a seat for either of our children (came home at 11 months and 20 months) and it worked out fine, but many people do feel strongly about the extra seat.

Happy planning!

[Muchacho Hermoso]

I am in the industry as an event and meeting planner, and I would not buy an open ticket. It is way cheaper to pay the exchange fees.

To my knowledge there aren't any airlines offering adoption discounts. I personally love Continental and used them to fly down to Guatemala. They have an office at the Marriott. We had to purchase a ticket for my DS, but it was cheap, as it was only a percentage of the full fare.

I have heard that Delta upgrades you on the return flight of the pick up trip where available.

American isn't too bad, except Dallas and Miami can be hectic for immigration. But they are a good airline.

You can PM me if you need help with anything further.

[beverlyanderic]

as others have said, the price all depends on where you're flying from. personally, i loved taca airlines- we took it because we wanted a direct flight from ord. after flying it, we didn't have any issues at all- very pleasant and even had good food included in the airfare.

we didn't get an extra seat for our little guy bringing him home at 9 months, but luckily the seat next to my wife was open- extra space was very helpful!

some people think it's very unsafe to travel with a lap child- probably because it is unsafe however, we decided to roll the dice. my sis-in-law was a flight attendant and she saw a lot and strongly recommended the extra seat with a car seat.

enjoy!
eric

[STEPHANIE1975]

we like delta and continental, but we very accomidating. we hated taca, service was ok fight time stunk. we used delta for pick and they were great they even accomidsated us we 3 seats and we paid for 2. have fun on your trip!

[carolun]

we always fly contential thru Houston....very easy and seems quick to us. I'm so glad you get to see him.

[DPline]

It definetly is much safer to have your child strapped in a car seat, but keep in mind that most children at pickup have never been strapped in a car seat before. Some kids do fine with it, but my kids (home at 11 months and 20 months) flipped out completely the first few times they were strapped in. When we fly now we always have our kids in their car seats, but there is no way on the flight home from Guatemala that we could have possibly used a car seat on the plane.

Not in any way advocating against an extra seat and a car seat, but just be aware that it may not work out as planned!

[frankiegirl]

Here are my 2cents. I used to work reservations for an airline and it is a lot less expensive to pay change fees than to pay an open ticket. At least it was when I worked for the airlines!

As far as airlines I have another take on Continental. I LOVE the flight staff! However trying to deal with the airlines after a horrible flight is near impossible. We had a layover in Houston on our return pickup trip, we had weather delays and major mechanical delays. It ended up being a huge mess. The staff at the airport in Houston would not listen to us, the staff from baggage claim (on the phone) did not listen to us and I ended up dealing with the complaints department for 3 months after we got back. They also do not care. Let’s just say one of my problems was I paid for first class and ended up on the last leg of the flight getting coach in the very last row of the airplane. If you would like more details about Continental and this awful trip send me a PM.

There is an agency that works with adoption travel to and from GC and he is great. He will even tell you if you can get a cheaper fare just going to the airlines website instead of going through him. This is what he did for our pick-up trip. We did use him for our visit trip. If you haven’t gotten his name yet send me a PM and I will send you his information.
Sorry I made this long!

[polinski]

Thank you Everyone....your advice is very helpful. Nicholas here mommy comes.

Buffy