high airfares - any suggestions

we are saling on the reflections leaving november 14th and returning the 23rd (right before thanksgiving)

prices are really high - waiting for southwest to post their schedules

what are others doing who live inthe northwest (Hartford) doing

thanks so much carol

I'm on Reflection 11/23 - 11/30 also leaving from Hartford. Hoping the fares drop at some point. Been checking since November...

Crabby Q

so you leave whe I return

what part of CT are you from?

we are from watertown

when is a good time to book

this is a pain

Have you checked out Choice Air through Celebrity? May not be better but it could be. Worth checking into.

we are saling on the reflections leaving november 14th and returning the 23rd (right before thanksgiving)

 

prices are really high - waiting for southwest to post their schedules

 

what are others doing who live inthe northwest (Hartford) doing

 

thanks so much carol

Good rules of thumb,

More than 3 months outside your flight, you won't find deals

Domestic fares are lowest 21 days before departure, but if like me,I don't want to wait that long to book

Best advice is to use

http://matrix.itasoftware.com/

It's not a site that you can book travel on, but a much more comprehensive look at ALL th airlines prices. Then you take that information and book the flights yourself. (Most like Kayak,Orbitz, Travelocity, Expedia omit a bunch of airlines that won't pay to be listed)

I found choice air is good for TA when you just need a one way flight, but really no savings on a roundtrip that you can't find anywhere

I used YAPTA this time...put my flights in and got an E-mail from them weeks ago...the flight I was looking at dropped 62% :eek: and I grabbed it...so glad I did :D...flights have continued to go up for Europe. The nice thing about YAPTA is that if they come down they will help you get a refund...I think it has to be a certain % and/or $100. Good luck with your flights. I've also found that if you look on Tuesdays, the flight fares are usually the lowest and best time to book...not flying on a Tuesday but booking your flight.

OP- Keep in mind you're traveling during a peak period. What fares are you seeing that you consider "really high"? It may be high and you're best to wait...or it may be a deal, just not what you expected.

As FYI, Southwest releases their fares after the other major carriers. Quite often their fares are the lowest on the day they're released and you think you're getting a deal. But even cheaper fares were available on other airlines but sold out. Also, Southwest fares are increasing since their fuel hedges expired and their fuel costs have taken a sharp increase.

The usual advice is to decide what you're willing to pay, and when you see that fare, book it and don't look back. Again, let us know what you expected to pay.

Choice Air is sometimes a good deal, but read the sticky and several recent posts so you understand the risks that go along with the good fares. (And you will often do just as well booking independently).

Hope this helps!

I'm amazed that people even think fares will come down in any drastic way. It's Thanksgiving, folks! Airfare will be high because airlines can get it.

This weekend I used ChoiceAir to book flight to Barcelona for Equinox on 10/20. Had been watching prices for several weeks, but once the flight I had my eye on disappeared (due to being full) decided to go ahead and book option 2. First I did a price check on ChoiceAir, then when I started to book the price jumped $20 per ticket, and when I actually booked and paid for the tickets, the price fell about $35 each. Don't know why. For fun I just used the matrix/ita site linked in this thread and the price indicated for the same flight is $95 higher than what I paid through ChoiceAir a few days ago. I find this whole flight booking thing a crap shoot and IMO ChoiceAir does a good job.

Good rules of thumb,

More than 3 months outside your flight, you won't find deals

Domestic fares are lowest 21 days before departure, but if like me,I don't want to wait that long to book

Best advice is to use

http://matrix.itasoftware.com/

It's not a site that you can book travel on, but a much more comprehensive look at ALL th airlines prices. Then you take that information and book the flights yourself. (Most like Kayak,Orbitz, Travelocity, Expedia omit a bunch of airlines that won't pay to be listed)

I found choice air is good for TA when you just need a one way flight, but really no savings on a roundtrip that you can't find anywhere

Domestic 21 days out, agree that's cutting it a little to close to hedge your budget on :eek:.....A recent article on yahoo suggested approx 49 days out for domestic...But any time the price is right for you is the time to buy. ;)

A recent article on yahoo suggested approx 49 days out for domestic

The link for the original article can be found here.

The day before Thanksgiving is the busiest travel day of the year. The laws of supply and demand dictate that airfares will be at their peak.

They are significantly lower on Thanksgiving Day.

If you plan on flying SW, I would buy the tickets the minute they become available, the least expensive fares will be snatched up quickly.

I would also look at ALB, PVD, BOS, SWF, and HPN. If there is someone who can drive you and pick you up, look at multiple airports. Last year I needed to go last minute to ALB and air fares were over $400. I was able to fly into HPN and out of SWF for under $200 r/t. It was worth the extra three hours of driving.

I would also suggest that you consider staying overnight when you return and flying home on Thanksgiving Day. You should find the flights much cheaper - we have flown then many times at a considerable savings. If you catch an early flight, you can still catch up with family later in the day if that is a concern.

I would also suggest that you consider staying overnight when you return and flying home on Thanksgiving Day. You should find the flights much cheaper - we have flown then many times at a considerable savings. If you catch an early flight, you can still catch up with family later in the day if that is a concern.

The OP is flying on Nov. 23, the Saturday before Thanksgiving, not the day before Thanksgiving which is on Nov. 28 this year. Don't think flying on Thanksgiving Day is going to work for them.

The OP is flying on Nov. 23, the Saturday before Thanksgiving, not the day before Thanksgiving which is on Nov. 28 this year. Don't think flying on Thanksgiving Day is going to work for them.

Good catch.

OP--Look at staying an extra night and see if that makes a difference in the fare, it can be significant.

There was a "rumor" or advise that the best time to book a flight is 49 days prior. My daughter waited until the 49th day. Might have worked in some instances but for her it didn't because all of the flights were sold out.

It is a crap shoot.

.

We own timeshare in Aruba from 11/16 - 11/30 (at least this year).

330 days out I check the flights from my carrier of choice and am ready to pounce when they release their fares.

First day fares were released - Newark to Aruba - over $900 but I could have gotten frequent flyer tickets for 1.5 times the points. Waited three days. Fares dropped to $565 for my tickets and $505 for 11/23 to 11/30 for friends. Jumped on them.

Glad I did - same fares are now up to $973 and $1067 respectively. Over 100%!!! And the plane is not even one quarter full.

We have been travelling to Aruba for Thanksgiving for the past 29 years. We know the drill. Check often and BUY EARLY.

The airlines have the flying public by the you know what as far as Thanksgiving flights are concerned.

flying home the saturday before thanksgiving

flying home the saturday before thanksgiving

The best advice that can be offered is to be flexible with your travel dates/times as well as airports. The more rigid you are, the more you will pay. Truth.

[http://matrix.itasoftware.com/

It's not a site that you can book travel on, but a much more comprehensive look at ALL th airlines prices. Then you take that information and book the flights yourself.

I have booked a cruise out of Barcelona in mid-May. Over the past couple of days the airline website's prices have jumped to anywhere from $1300-$1500. I have found less expensive flts. on the above website but can't seem to find them on the chosen airline site. Is it b/c itsoftware is using code share partners when calculating the price? How do I take this info and book through the airline myself:confused:

Also, how much should I allow to get through customs in ATL.....is 2 hr. enough?

[http://matrix.itasoftware.com/

It's not a site that you can book travel on, but a much more comprehensive look at ALL th airlines prices. Then you take that information and book the flights yourself.

 

I have booked a cruise out of Barcelona in mid-May. Over the past couple of days the airline website's prices have jumped to anywhere from $1300-$1500. I have found less expensive flts. on the above website but can't seem to find them on the chosen airline site. Is it b/c itsoftware is using code share partners when calculating the price? How do I take this info and book through the airline myself:confused:

 

Also, how much should I allow to get through customs in ATL.....is 2 hr. enough?

When using ITA, you MUST go to the details page, look at what is published, then go to the airline website and match up FARE CODES as well as schedule. DO NOT do search by price. You have to generally use search by schedule, pick the SPECIFIC flights, then pick the flights that have the matching fare codes.

Sometimes it takes some work to get it all to match up. But ITA will ALWAYS show whether the flight is a code share (check for "operated by").

And to amplify on greatam's post....you may also need to use the multicity function on the airline website to put in each segment individually. Especially if it is a somewhat offbeat routing.

And of course, when all else fails...you can always pick up the phone!

Happycruizer,

2 hours for C & I and a connection can be a little tight in ATL.

If you're on the BCN-ATL non-stop flight it arrives at a very congested time of day.

We fly internationally through ATL and without global entry or priority you should allow 2 1/2 to 3 hours minimum.

We don't even book a domestic connection there with less than 1 1/2 hours and we fly through Atlanta on 99% of our flights and know the airport very well.

Thanks to all for their advice. I am going to try booking the Itasoftware itinerery. If I can't do it, I may call my TA.

alcpa1: Thank you for your input. The flt. will not be a non-stop. I have re-entered the US through ATL but it has been about 3 yrs. so I could not remember. Last time it seemed to take forever so I will try to find a connection with at least a 2.5 hr. window. Our connecting flt. is the last one out for our regional airport.