Airfare & Peak Times in FL

We always cruise in January. We've done B2Bs for the last few years & have one booked for 2016.

Our preference is to cruise the last 2 weeks of January. However, we're cruising the 2nd & 3rd week because of lower airfare.

I monitored prices in 2014 after we'd already booked for January 2015. It would have been cheaper if we were going the 2nd & 3rd vs. 3rd & 4th.

While on our 2015 B2B we booked our 2016 B2B.

Our airfare shortly after Delta opened the dates we needed is $328.20 (+ sm amt of taxes for free companion fare). Flying the 3rd/4th week would have been $515.20.

We really don't want to cruise the 2nd/3rd week cuz too much to do to get Christmas packed away & house back to normal, but we also don't want to pay the higher fare even with a free companion fare.

Is there a question in there?

Is there a question in there?

or at least a "why are air fares so high" rant. :D

We always cruise in January. We've done B2Bs for the last few years & have one booked for 2016.

 

Our preference is to cruise the last 2 weeks of January. However, we're cruising the 2nd & 3rd week because of lower airfare.

 

I monitored prices in 2014 after we'd already booked for January 2015. It would have been cheaper if we were going the 2nd & 3rd vs. 3rd & 4th.

 

While on our 2015 B2B we booked our 2016 B2B.

 

Our airfare shortly after Delta opened the dates we needed is $328.20 (+ sm amt of taxes for free companion fare). Flying the 3rd/4th week would have been $515.20.

 

We really don't want to cruise the 2nd/3rd week cuz too much to do to get Christmas packed away & house back to normal, but we also don't want to pay the higher fare even with a free companion fare.

The difference in price in your post is $187.00, so go with the weeks you want and just give the $187.00 increase price as a Christmas gift to yourself.

Have a great cruise.

You're of course just down the road from DTW. Even with higher winter prices I can't believe there isn't something better than 500.00 DTW to Florida:eek:

Bought tickets DTW-Fort Myers over Christmas Break this winter for just under 400.00 and Christmas is historically very high fares.

We really don't want to cruise the 2nd/3rd week cuz too much to do to get Christmas packed away & house back to normal.

You and everyone else - don't you think that the airlines might have figured that out?

You're of course just down the road from DTW. Even with higher winter prices I can't believe there isn't something better than 500.00 DTW to Florida:eek:

 

Bought tickets DTW-Fort Myers over Christmas Break this winter for just under 400.00 and Christmas is historically very high fares.

Just because Fort Myers is in Florida doesn't mean that the MIA/FLL markets operate in the same way. Every route has different demand dynamics which affect pricing.

Just because Fort Myers is in Florida doesn't mean that the MIA/FLL markets operate in the same way. Every route has different demand dynamics which affect pricing.

Very good point. Just like San Diego and San Jose have very different dynamics...same with Austin and San Antonio, or Jacksonville and Orlando, or Buffalo and NYC.

Very good point. Just like San Diego and San Jose have very different dynamics...same with Austin and San Antonio, or Jacksonville and Orlando, or Buffalo and NYC.

Even the 5 airports in the LA metro area (LAX, BUR, LGB, SNA, ONT) have different dynamics....the customer base, local industries, curfews, etc. result in different airlines, fares, routes, and schedules at each airport. Even factors like freeway drive time that seem irrelevant have an effect...JetBlue shifted most transcon routes from LGB to LAX, leaving LGB for shorthaul flights (with a few exceptions). High-paying "Westside" passengers weren't driving down to LGB to catch a JFK flight with LAX nearby.

Keep in mind the things that happen in Florida (and elsewhere) during certain time frames that one might not know about. Marathons, trade shows that bring in 100,000 attendees, the list goes on.

An example--there is a huge convention in Orlando two of four January's. It attracts 100,000 registered attendees, plus often they come with their families making it approximately 150K people in the area with half or more flying in. People planning on cruising during that time probably figure it's a dead time of the year so airfares will be low and are shocked when they find out that in reality airfares are sky high due to demand.