Page 14 • Thursday, September 19, 2002
Features
The Pendulum
Online airfare: Total steal or bad deal?
Claudia Martin/Photographer
Finding the cheapest airfare can be a daunt
ing tasl. Buyers should be sure to compari
son shop to find the best prices and values
and get the most for their money.
Susan O'Brien
Reporter
As fall break nears, travelers across America will
be logging on and calling in to search for the
cheapest plane ticket to their destination. Many
Web sites claim they can do the job; Orbitz.com, expe-
dia.com, priceline.com and Travelocity.com are just a
few. Who really has the lowest prices? Are these Web
sites guaranteeing low prices, or the actual airlines mak
ing them possible?
For The Pendulum to solve this debate, four major
cities were picked from four states most represented at
Elon: Philadelphia, Baltimore, Richmond, Va., and
Orlando, Fla. Travel Web sites such as those mentioned
above were contacted for pricing and then compared to
the prices offered from the airlines over the phone. All
tickets described are roundtrip.
Destination; Richmond, Va.
(RIA)
Airline: US Airways
Departs: Oct. 11, 6:10 p.m.
^/Oct. 15, 4:05 p.m.
Arrives: Oct.l 1, 8:47 p.m. /Oct.
15,6:27 p.m.
Best deal: cheaptickets.com and
US Airways both priced the fare
at $205.
Destination: Philadelphia, Pa. (PHI)
Airline: US Airways
Departs: Oct. 11, 5:20 p.m. /Oct. 15, 5:50
p.m.
Arrives: Oct. 11, 6:51 p.m. /Oct. 15, 7 p.m.
Best deal: Cheaptickets.com offered a ticket
for $177.50. US Airways quoted the same
flight over the phone for $213.
Destination: Baltimore, Md. (BWI)
Airline: Air Tran
Departs: Oct. 11, 6:59 p.m. /Oct. 15, 6 p.m.
Arrives: Oct. 11, 10:48 p.m. /Oct. 15, 10:13
p.m.
Best Deal: Calling Air Tran revealed the
flight was $198. Cheaptickets.com’s price
jumped to $205.50.
Destination: Orlando, Fla. (OIA)
Airline: Eklta
Departs: Oct. II, 7:25 p.m. /Oct. 15,9:45
p.m.
Arrives: Oct. 11, 12:56 a.m./Oct. 15,
11:22 p.m.
Best deal: Calling Delta gave the best deal
yet: $153. Cheaptickets.com was more
than $ 100 more, at $271.
The U.S. Veterans Affairs Office is offering several paid co
op opportunities to students who would like to work with them dur
ing the summer, fall breaks, etc. for a total of 640 hours during the
school year. This is a paid work experience ($11 PH), which involves
training on several levels. Upon completion of the program, your
opportunity to become employed full time with the U.S. Veterans
Affairs is optimum.
Job Location: Winston-Salem, N.C.
You may be able to car pool with other students
who want to do this.
You can also receive college credit if you need
credit hours toward graduation.
Requirements: 2.8 GPA or higher to apply
All majors are encouraged to apply
Beat the rush and have a job when you graduate in 2004!
Just come and listen, eat and have fun!
Tuesday, October 1
5 p.m., Duke 101J
Pizza & drinks provided
RSVP by Friday, Sept 21, to ext. 6538
"/ have been very pleased with my career with the VA
Regional Office in Winston-Salem. It has given me the
opportunity to participate in the functioning of the U.S.
government, effectively utilize written and oral communi
cation sidlls, and develop professional networking skills I
have also developed a great respect for our country’s vet
erans and I take pleasure in assisting them to obtain the
benefits to which they are entitled. My position has
enabled me to apply the skills and information I obtained
in the classroom at Elon and to generate a product congru
ent to the mission of my workplace."
- Nina Tann '01