<p>Also, a sampling of today's results from airfarewatchdog for flights out of MSP
US Domestic Airfares from Minneapolis
Appleton, WI $225 RT * Travel thru 1/05/09 (Multiple Airlines)
Baltimore, MD $265 RT * No min. stay, Travel thru 2/11/09 (US Airways)
Bloomington, IL $179 RT * Travel thru 1/05/09 (Multiple Airlines)
Chicago O'Hare, IL $145 RT * No min. stay, Nonstop flights, Travel thru 5/08/09 (American, Northwest, United)
Cincinnati, OH $219 RT * Travel thru 1/05/09 (Multiple Airlines)
Cleveland, OH $225 RT * Required min. stay, Nonstop flights (Continental, Northwest) Columbia, SC $185 RT * No min. stay, Travel Dec 13-19, 24, 25 (US Airways)
Dallas, TX $185 RT * No min. stay, Nonstop flights, Travel thru 2/11/09 (Northwest, Sun Country Airlines)
Denver, CO $225 RT * No min. stay, Nonstop flights, Travel thru 11/01/09 (Frontier, Northwest, United)
Knoxville, TN $204 RT * Travel thru 1/05/09 (Multiple Airlines)
Lincoln, NE $225 RT * Travel thru 1/05/09 (Multiple Airlines)
Los Angeles, CA $205 RT * No min. stay, Nonstop flights (Northwest)
New York LGA, NY $205 RT * No min. stay (AirTran)
Phoenix, AZ $205 RT * No min. stay, Nonstop flights (Northwest, Sun Country Airlines, US Airways)
San Francisco, CA $205 RT * No min. stay, Nonstop flights (Northwest)
Seattle, WA $205 RT * No min. stay, Nonstop flights (Alaska, Northwest)
*Taxes and fees are additional</p>
<p>Thanks for the travel hints, everyone. And, UCDalum, thanks for mentioning the invitation to accepted students day. Exactly something like that is what I was looking for. It's hard to imagine a college inviting a student to accepted students day, followed by a rejection letter!</p>
<p>While it may be unusual, I don't think it's impossible that the college might let you know, informally, that you have a good chance. A friend told me that, finding herself in the same situation, the admissions counselor of a college her daughter was applying to promised to take a look at all of the application materials and let them know whether the applicant would likely be admitted. </p>
<p>In the meantime, I signed up for airfarewatchdog.</p>
<p>I don't think you should wait until March or April to visit. The pressure to decide among several schools in 30 days is intense enough. Squashing multiple travel weekends into an already crowded and stressful month is asking for a meltdown, especially if a student feels he/she cannot make a decision until the last school has been visited. Use semester breaks and holidays in January and February to visit the match schools. If you can avoid the schools' spring breaks, it's usually a great time to visit. Classes and activities are in full swing. Safeties should have been visited before the applications went in - otherwise, it's not a safety. Leave the reach schools if you have to.</p>
<p>futurenyustudent
Southwest flies to the NYC area to the Islip/McArthur airport which is on Long Island.Their schedule has in fact, expanded there,though many flights besides the Fla routes are not non stop. You can even make mass transit connections into NYC from that airport..theres a shuttle to the Long Island Railroad (with a $ charge) and the LIRR takes you into Penn Station (prob an hour or a little longer trip).I wish Southwest flew more places or there were more airlines using the airport. Its a breeze to use and to park there,even long term parking is walkable to the terminal which is recently expanded.</p>
<p>I have flown Southwest into Islip, and while it is a commuter train ride away from Manhattan, it's very easily done, and the whole experience of flying into Islip is totally worth the extra time... it's the less stressful airport I've ever flown into! This has been a couple of years ago, but I was able to get RT flights from Chicago to Islip for under $70... non-stop flights! I think it's up close to $100 now if you get a rate on DING.</p>
<p>Chisquare - yes, Southwest will start flying out of Minneapolis/St. Paul beginning March 8th. ASAP, go to their website and download the DING program for your computer. It sends you notices of their daily specials... they usually only last several hours, then are gone, so it's nice to have your computer alert you when they come up each day.</p>
<p>Ditto on Southwest! Unfortunately, Southwest does not serve all areas of the country. Sure wish that it did!! Or, better yet, more airlines used Southwest's model for business-but that is for another thread.</p>
<p>If you plan on going to visit with your D for an accepted students weekend, you might want to think about booking a hotel room now. Hotel reservations are usually easily cancelled, and depending on the school's location, hotels can fill up very fast. Also, once she knows where she's going make reservations for parent's weekend if you plan on attending and move in day if you will need to stay overnight.</p>
<p>Thanks for the most recent suggestions. Looking forward to having Southwest in the Twin Cities! You'd think the other airlines would learn something from them.</p>
<p>Good advice about the hotel for accepted students weekend; will do that just as soon as we hear! (fingers crossed).</p>