My son will be home soon from Iraq, what travel agent has best deal so we can welcome him back to the USA?

He will return to California in April. He did not have to go, but felt it important and went to Iraq last year. Before he left he said he did not really want anyone to see him off (I did anyway). He really wanted everyone to be there when he returned. We are all in the Dallas area and we need to find the best rates, some of us may have to drive, but we still need the best hotel rates, airfare etc.

Southwest Airlines... sometimes you can get tickets from Texas to LAX as low as $59-99 one way. If that doesn't work...farefox.com or kayak.com have great deals.

I haven't got a clue.! But please thank him for me..!!!! I'm glad he's home..

The best deal is to start shopping now.
The best deal depends on how far you are from a major airport. You can save several hundred dollars at times by choosing to drive 150 miles to a different airport. You are lucky living close to Dallas.

I have booked quite a few of my own flights. My favorite sites to comparison shop are:
Travelocty.com
Expedia.com
Orbitz.com
CheapTickets.com
Hotwire.com

all these are reputable and I have used them with high satisfaction.

Read their instructions regarding e-ticket, Fed-Ex of paper tickets, etc. I have done both without a problem, but you need to be sure to take all the right stuff with you on the day of the flight.

There are many tools that will alert you by email, when a flight price reaches a low watermark you set.

One such site is:
farecast.com

Rates fluctuate over time. they generally drop to the lowest point about 3 months before the flight. As the flights fill up, the remaining seats become more expensive.

If your airport is served by SouthWest (most are not) you will need to visit their site since they do not participate in the general booking computer the major airlines use (American Airlines hosts this, and connections of flights between the different carriers can be calculated).

have also found the flights i liked best with the tools i list above, then go to the carrier's site to check if they are offering and special deals or promotions. USAIR and United both have been good this way in the past.

I have heard many horror stories about Continental. When I hear of poor service, I always ask which airline. It is almost always Continental the provides the very worst extreme. Their average may not be that bad, but I don't take the chance of the worst case.

Congratulations! We always use Expedia or Travelocity.

Congratulations! Contact your local armory, as they usually have a family liaison officer who might also recommend a good travel agent in your area. If there are a great number of you going, I might also suggest chartering a bus. Sometimes you can get great rates that the entire group can split per person. That way too, you can pick up any family members along the way.

PS: Give your son a hug from all of us...we're grateful that he is coming home

We live in Cali on MGAGCC 29 Palms and I have seen my husband off to one of his 2 tours to Iraq. We're originally from Houston, so we flew Continental. (His parents and I.)There is a really nice Best Western here, if this is where he's stationed. Try expedia.com unless you want to visit the airline's actual sites. I have flown America West out here before, and they are quite reasonable.

I was going to answer this but every idea I had is already in the other answers.
But, please hug your Son for me and tell him Thank You for me and my family.

Our Son is suppose to be home this week.

God Bless You All, God Bless Our Troops and Please Dear God, Bless America.

Try one of the online discount travel websites. One can often get the best rates that way.

However, one can often do better by booking directly with the airline on line, so give that a look.

An alternative, why not fly him to Dallas? It would be a lot cheaper.