ATL to FLL in January

I am not a seasoned air traveler. I realize I am asking a very broad question but what would you consider a good price for airfare in January from ATL to FLL round trip? It is $280 now. On Royal Caribbean's Air2Sea, a refundable fare is $319. We probably need refundable tix due to my father in law being in poor health. Any advice would be welcomed. Thanks

Would you be so kind as to provide the dates you need that airfare? It will give us a base to do some searching.

Please remember to think about full-coverage trip insurance to cover if you must cancel due to your FIL's poor health.

Leaving 1-27-18 and returning 2-3-18. Yes, I will have the trip insurance. I was told if i go through Air2Sea (and it is a refundable flight), I can get refunded if we have to cancel.

Regardless of how you end up booking, make sure you understand what is meant by "refundable." First of all, if Air to Sea says a flight reservation is refundable, make sure they mean the actual air fare is refundable, not just the Air to Sea booking fee. I recently read a story where someone was told by a travel agent that they could get a refund, but the TA actually meant their booking fee was refundable; the pax ended up paying a huge penalty because the airfare itself was not refundable by the airline. Secondly, the airline may offer a refundable fare, but that doesn't mean it comes without penalty; you may still be required to pay a cancellation fee. For domestic flights, those are often around $250. Read the fine print; I'd be surprised if a $300-ish domestic fare was fully refundable without a penalty of any kind.

I realize I am asking a very broad question but what would you consider a good price for airfare in January from ATL to FLL round trip? It is $280 now. On Royal Caribbean's Air2Sea, a refundable fare is $319. We probably need refundable tix due to my father in law being in poor health.

If you need refundable tickets, then I think you shouldn't even be asking about the $280 tickets. The fare rules for the Delta fare at that level say this:-

CANCELLATIONS
   TICKET IS NON-REFUNDABLE IN CASE OF CANCEL/NO-SHOW.
        NOTE -
         TICKET MAY NOT BE APPLIED TOWARDS PURCHASE OF ANY
         OTHER TICKET.  UNUSED COUPONS HAVE NO RESIDUAL
         VALUE.
 CHANGES
   CHANGES NOT PERMITTED.

But for a few dollars more, you can get out of the hell of basic economy and into the realms of changeable tickets. The lowest quote I'm getting for your dates (not checked specific times) is $284.

 

Having said that, the cost of a change would be $200. So using a changeable ticket as a means of getting some flexibility for your situation is pretty poor value. A truly refundable ticket bought from DL would be closer to $1,800.

 

So to be frank, if I had to buy directly from the airline what I'd be tempted to do in your situation is just to buy the $284 tickets. If you end up having to cancel your trip, you have the option of changing the tickets so as to keep $84 of the value that you've paid. Alternatively, just junk the tickets.

 

But before making a decision like that, you must of course first follow up the questions which waterbug123 has asked, to find out whether the cruise line's air fare would be a better way to do it in your specific situation.

Thanks

 

 

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I was really asking what is a good price. Is $280 a good price for that time of year?

 

 

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I was really asking what is a good price. Is $280 a good price for that time of year?

The main problem with this question is that there is no such thing as a "good price" in the abstract, just as there is no such thing as a "best airline" (which is another frequently asked question here). Choices may be better or worse depending on your personal circumstances and preferences.

 

For your specific dates, today you could actually buy a round-trip ATL-FLL-ATL for $136 all in, non-stops in both directions. That's the price I'm getting from Spirit's website. Compared to that, $280 looks expensive.

 

But there are lots of things about flying Spirit that may not work for you. And the total cost of travel in either case is something you'd still have to work out. Plus the level of back-up if something goes wrong. How much error tolerance do you have, and how much margin for contingencies? Etc etc. "Good price" has to take all of these things into account.

 

You may find this frustrating, but these are the issues that those of us who fly frequently wrestle with almost on a daily basis. That's why we don't often like answering questions like "Is this a good price?"

I appreciate your comments. Spirit seems "sketchy" for some reason. The flight times that I have seen really don't work. Since I am not an experienced flier, I really want convenience and everything as simple as possible. I will keep looking, talk to royal, and keep my options open. I still have a good amount of time

 

 

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I don't understand all this discussion.

If you have travel insurance that would cover this reason for cancelling, you don't need refundable tickets. You would get all your money back for a covered cancellation reason no matter what type of ticket you buy.

I'm assuming you mean if I have insurance through royal caribbean and use the air2sea program?

 

 

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I know nothing about that insurance program. You'd have to read the policy to see what's covered.

I mean in general, if you've purchased a travel insurance policy and you cancel for a covered reason, any nonrefundable costs would be paid to you.

I'm assuming you mean if I have insurance through royal caribbean and use the air2sea program?

 

 

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If you are paying with a credit card (VISA, MC, etc) take time to check their benefits. Many cards include the type of insurance coverage that you describe for no cost, as long as you used the card for the purchase.

 

Using cruise line insurance is often very limiting.

Thanks

 

 

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Yes, Spirit is "sketchy". Just read up on them.

 

Sounds like, at this point, you should be more concerned with the type of travel insurance that would give you a refund of your airfare than the price. Read those policies carefully before buying! As I never book using cruise line air, I cannot comment on their reliability/reputation on refunds. From what I've read here anecdotally, cruise air isn't all that domestically - it's international when it's worth a look to book.

 

If you do go with the "best" (usually known as "cheapest) airfare, if it is under $300, are you OK with losing it without insurance?

 

Looks like, for your dates, it's Delta or Delta if you want the nonstop. Avoid that cheap fare - it's the Basic Economy rate, which has no seat assignment, big restrictions on cabin baggage, no refund/change. The next fare up is non-refundable, but as pointed out upthread, changeable for $200. So, that's why we're saying to be sure you have correct insurance or can absorb the fees. Good luck - I hope you do not have to change your plans!

Thanks

 

 

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My TA is a personal friend and I have traveled in your exact situation. He advised me to ask for insurance that allows cancellation of your cruise for ANY reason.

 

As for flight quote, yes that seems reasonable. All the best to you and your family

 

 

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Thanks so much

 

 

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