Airfare Expert: Best deals on summer flights

<On Salesp>There's still a lot of snow out there, but it's not a moment too soon to start thinking about flights for your summer trips. Here are some items to add to your vacation planning to-do list and dates to keep in mind.

All travelers

Strategize: Begin mapping out when and where you want to go.

• Finalize vacation dates: Talk to your boss now about taking days off. If you can begin or end your trip on a midweek day - or better still, on both ends - you will save money over the usual depart-on-Friday, return-home-Monday itinerary.
• Plan your route: Fly in and out of the biggest airports near your departure city and destination. Smaller airports, even mid-sized ones, will almost always cost more.
• Consider delaying vacation: Waiting until late August can save money if you don't have to consider children's school calendars. Note: Autumn starts a little late this year (Sept. 23) so it may seem like summer lingers longer.

Early-bird travelers

Start shopping: Remember, Memorial Day is Monday, May 26.

• Book now: If you plan to get away Memorial Day weekend or begin travel in early June, now is the time to start booking flights.
• Date to remember: If you can complete travel by June 7 (or at least begin your trip before then), you will save on longer flights like coast-to-coast trips.

Peak-season travelers

Start shopping in early April for July travel and beyond

• Miles: If you'll travel in peak season, it may pay to use miles for your ticket (or to buy or borrow some). Check with the FlyerTalk community for the latest deals and strategies.
• Look for cheaper destinations: A good way to do this is by checking out current airline sales to see which destinations are cheapest from your city; the deals won't be as good in July but you'll know which routes offer better value.
• Cutting costs: Try shaving airfare costs by traveling on red-eyes, or taking connecting flights instead of non-stops (but compare prices of both flights to be sure one is cheaper than the other).

For Europe travelers

Finish shopping: Higher rates kick in May 16.

• Cheap cities: London, Paris and Rome always make the 'most popular' lists which is why they're always more expensive. Look at cheaper alternatives such as Dublin, Frankfurt, Zurich or cities in Spain or Scandinavia.
• Cut costs to expensive cities: If you have your heart set on one of the big three, consider flying to Dublin and catching one of Europe's many discount carriers for the final leg of your journey, such as JetStar or Ryanair. Review the fee policies of these airlines carefully, though - the baggage charges can be killer.
• Delays can pay: Consider postponing summer vacation until late August when airfare to Europe drops back to pre-summer prices.

FareCompare CEO Rick Seaney is an airline industry insider and top media air travel resource. Follow Rick (@rickseaney) and never overpay for airfare again.

Know Which Online Retailers Offer Coupons Via Live Chat

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Can't find a coupon code anywhere? With the growing "live chat" customer service trend, many operators are trained to hand out Discount to polite shoppers that simply ask. I did the research and found a dozen of the most popular retailers that'll hand out a code via live chat to shoppers who play their cards right.

This post originally appeared on Rather Be Shopping.

Here is what I discovered (in alphabetical order):

Bass Pro Shops

One popular online store that readily hands out coupons via live chat is BassProShops.com, which is a huge shopping destination for hunters, fishermen, and outdoors-men. If you can't find a coupon the traditional way, be sure to pull up a live chat session and politely see if they have a coupon code up their sleeves. A few tips:

• Always be polite and courteous when asking for a coupon since your words are all you have when trying to score an online discount.
• [Customer service agent] Debi immediately hooked me up with a coupon code good for free shipping on my entire order. This coupon did exclude boats, but luckily I'm not in the market for a new boat!
• If live chat fails to bring you a coupon at Bass Pro Shops make sure to check out their Facebook page as they have currently have a couple coupons posted on their wall.

Birthday Express and Celebrate Express

If you're in the planning mode for your child's next birthday party or any other big shindig, be sure to hit up a live chat operator for a coupon at Celebrate Express.com or Birthday Express.com. Here's the skinny:

• Both websites use the same coupon codes so you can start the live chat feature from either site and the codes will work on both.
• Leslie hooked me up immediately with a coupon code good for 15% off your $75+ regular-priced merchandise total. Not a great coupon but certainly handy for larger purchases.

Dress Barn

For those who love to shop for bargains at DressBarn.com you're going to want to get well acquainted with their live chat feature. Here are a few tips:

• I got the impression that my operator, Laurel, had a big list of coupon codes at her disposal. I say this because she said "Try PRES14″ as if she had other codes up her sleeve if for some reason it didn't work.
• So if you're buying more than one item, or any sale items, ask the Dress Barn operator for a coupon that better fits your online order. I think you'll be happily surprised with the results.

Eastbay

For those of you not familiar with Eastbay.com, they sell athletic footwear, apparel, and training equipment. They are known for their amazing selection but tend to also be on the expensive side so you'll always want to shop with an Eastbay coupon code. Here is how I scored one from live chat:

• I was having trouble viewing their website and asked my operator, Dan, if they had any current coupons. He told me they did and it was viewable during step four of the checkout process.
• I told him I couldn't see it on the website and he was able to tell me the coupon code needed to collect 20% off.
• This is a good strategy for any website you're having trouble using as many retailers will give you a coupon for your inconvenience.

Footlocker

I can only assume that the Foot Locker live chat operators are sitting at their desk wearing a stripped ref shirt with a whistle around their neck.

• My Foot Locker live chat buddy, Aaron, hooked me up with a free shipping on $75 or more coupon code. Not great, but if you shop regularly at Foot Locker you already know that most of their shoes are priced above $75.
• I tried to get something better out of Aaron, like 20% off, but he did not have another coupon for me. He said that later in the month he'd have a 20% off coupon, but nothing right now.
• I asked him if better Footlocker coupons typically come out later in the month and he confirmed this to be true.

Home Depot

Next, I hit up Jen via live chat at The Home Depot.com and asked her for a coupon code. She was unable to provide one but she did offer a pretty cool service that is worth sharing.

• I told her I was doing a kitchen remodel and looking for a coupon for a new dishwasher. The washer was already on sale for close to 25% off and no additional savings were available but she was incredibly familiar with the washer and was able to answer all my questions. Very handy if you are doing a big remodel and have a bunch of questions.
• Jen was by far the most helpful live chat operator I have ever talked to in terms of product knowledge. Well done Home Depot.

J.Jill

I was really impressed with the live chat operator at J.Jill.com, who ironically was also named Jill. I wonder if they only hire gals named Jill? But anyways, she really went beyond the call of duty.

• First, Jill hooked me up with a free shipping coupon and then she dropped the 411 on where to find the best deals. She told me J.Jill was offering their entire "Sale and Outlet" section for an additional 30% off for a limited time. No code needed.
• I love when live chat operators tell me where they most savings can be found on that particular day.
• Also be sure to follow J.Jill on Twitter as they are known for dropping exclusive coupons on their feed on a weekly basis.

L.L.Bean

L.L.Bean is known for their quality clothing and outstanding customer service that includes a 100% satisfaction guarantee. These days they always offer free shipping on your purchase but rarely have other coupons. Your chances increase greatly if you use their live chat feature as they want you to finalize your purchase today. Here's the best strategy:

• Be polite, maybe even compliment them on how happy you have been with prior L.L.Bean purchases. In other words, butter them up a little then ask for a coupon to help you save a little money today.
• I was able to get a 10% off coupon code to apply to my purchase. Not huge savings, but well worth the few minutes it took to get my discount.

Lands' End

There is little doubt the live chat feature at Lands' End will pay off for you in one way or another. Here is the direct link to a Lands' End live chat operator. Here is your best strategy for savings:

• By being polite and direct I was able to score an online coupon for 30% off all merchandise with free shipping on $50 or more.
• Lori, my live chat operator, was very receptive to helping me save some money and she had excellent knowledge of Lands' End sizing and styles which was a very nice bonus.
• If you can't find a Lands' End coupon always open up a live chat session and politely ask for one. Chance of success: 95% at the very least.

Office Depot

I opened up an Office Depot live chat session I was not very confident that I would get a coupon code as they can be pretty tight about handing them out. But my buddy Bobbi delivered the goods. Here is your best strategy:

• I simply asked for a $10 off $50 or more coupon and was given it right out of the box, next time I will amp it up and ask for a 20% off coupon. I got nothing to lose.
• Also, it is worth noting that over the years I have received tips that the Office Depot Facebook page is also a great resource to score a coupon when 'Live Chat' doesn't deliver the goods.

Shutterfly

I was really impressed with the customer service Shutterfly.com live chat employee "Sweety" gave me. Here is how it went down:

• After I asked her if she had any coupons I could use, she asked me to make sure my order was in my virtual shopping cart so she could take a look at it and find the best coupon for me. Pretty cool.
• After I placed my photo-book in my cart, she took a look at it and came back with the very generous offer of a $10 credit on my photo-book on top of the 25% off site-wide offer Shutterfly was already offering.
• Tip: Make sure you add the maximum number of stuff you want to order in your cart, open a live chat session and start negotiating the best coupon you can get.

Snapfish

For those of you not familiar with Snapfish, similar to Shutterfly, they specialize in taking your photos and turning them into amazing prints, gifts, and cool books and calendars. Your order total can add up pretty quickly so be sure to hit up the Snapfish live chat feature and ask for a coupon code.

• I simply asked for a coupon code, nothing specific, and my buddy "Shashank" hooked me up with a 30% off coupon. I couldn't help but think of Morgan Freeman as I collected my savings.
• They typically allow you to stack coupons so feel free to politely ask for a free shipping coupon as well. They often have a free shipping coupon on $25 or more.

Have you had any success scoring a coupon code at other online retailers using their live chat feature? Let us know in the discussion below.

Ask For a Coupon | Rather Be Shopping

Kyle James is the founder of Rather Be Shopping, a website updated daily with the best online coupon codes, printable coupons, and bargains that we can find to all your favorite online stores.

Ex-Neb. college athletic director makes plea deal

Posted:

FREMONT, Neb. (AP) - A former athletic director for Midland University who was accused of soliciting sex from students and threatening one has made a On Sales for lower charges.

Jason Dannelly, of Omaha, pleaded no contest on Monday to two misdemeanor counts of attempted solicitation of prostitution, the Fremont Tribune said. He'd been charged with felony pandering and terroristic threats and two misdemeanor solicitation counts.

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Posted in Regional statewide on Tuesday, February 4, 2014 8:00 pm. | Tags: Jason Dannelly, Midland University, Solicitation Of Prostitution, Student Athletes,

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Promo Code for Jack Johnson Tickets: QueenBeeTickets.com Unleashes Promotional Code 'DISCOUNT' for Fans to Use Toward Instant Savings on any Jack Johnson Ticket Purchase

<Promo Codesp>/PRNewswire-iReach/ -- Fans using the promo code for Jack Johnson tickets that QueenBeeTickets.com has made available are excited about the singer's tour that is set to take place over the coming months. His From Here to Now to You World Tour starts in March in Mexico before it visits cities located throughout the United States and Canada from May to September. A couple of the more popular shows are expected to be the ones at the historic Greek Theatre in Los Angeles on Aug. 27 and 28.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140129/MN55045)

Many of those utilizing this promo code for Jack Johnson tickets have enjoyed his music ever since his debut album, "Brushfire Fairytales," was released in 2001. That piece of music reached the 34th spot on the Billboard 200. However, it was his second album, "On and On," that really started pushing him into the spotlight as it peaked in that chart's third position. His last five albums have attained top-three spots on that prestigious list.

QueenBeeTickets.com's promo code for Jack Johnson tickets will provide his fans with the opportunity to enjoy live versions of their favorite songs at lower prices. Some of his more popular ones include "You and Your Heart" and "Upside Down."

QueenBeeTickets.com is a trusted ticket reseller that has seats available in all price ranges for concerts and sports events taking place in communities located throughout the United States and Canada. Seats to some events taking place in Europe are also available.

Live Customer Support Order By Phone Toll Free 7:00am-1:00am EST (855) 859-4033 support@queenbeetickets.com

Media Contact: Media Contact: Andrea Pedersen, QueenBeeTickets.com, 262-422-9800, sales@queenbeetickets.com

News distributed by PR Newswire iReach: https://ireach.prnewswire.com

SOURCE QueenBeeTickets.com

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