How early should I book the air?

We're sailing Northbound Alaska in June of next year. Are there advantages to booking the air as soon as the dates become "bookable?" Or should we wait until we get closer to the date? We already know we're flying into Seattle a few days early and then taking the train to Vancouver the day of the cruise. Any opinions about booking too soon?

I would do what I did. By looking on these boards (takes alittle time and effort) I found out last May-July, 2005, what airfares were looking like for my Med. cruise out of Barcelona in September of 2006. Then taking into consideration the gas situation, I figured out the best price I could find(and that would be a minor miracle) to reasonable prices.

With that information in hand, 329 days from the RETURN flight date, I looked on www.bookingbuddy.com to check out all flights that were within my requirements- i.e., not cheapest, but with only 1 stop not two or more.

Well, that first night I found great flights with decent times between flights and decent times leaving Europe for only $100 pp more than my research had shown me was the best cost. So, defying what I had read as to being the best time to book (told that March-April was the best) I booked in November. To date, the fares for my exact flights have never been as low, though 1 time it was only $40 off.

My best suggestion for you after you have determined your price range, is to go online and look up specific flights that interest you. Then go online late at night(around midnight) and/or very early in the morning and look up on that airline's website. Then when you get in your acceptable price range, book and forget about it!!! I kept checking just for the research of it, but must admit, it is nice to know that I made the right choice back in November......well, at least so far, anyway!(grin)

Good luck in your search and have a great cruise.

Pooh

Thanks so much for your answer, Pooh. I think it's very good advice. I'll start looking as soon as the booking is possible and get an idea of the fares. I'm sure with the way the fuel situation is that the fares won't plunge by the time I'm off to Alaska.

I am very jealous of your upcoming Mediterranean trip. Hope you're having fun planning!!

I would do what I did. By looking on these boards (takes alittle time and effort) I found out last May-July, 2005, what airfares were looking like for my Med. cruise out of Barcelona in September of 2006. Then taking into consideration the gas situation, I figured out the best price I could find(and that would be a minor miracle) to reasonable prices.

 

With that information in hand, 329 days from the RETURN flight date, I looked on www.bookingbuddy.com to check out all flights that were within my requirements- i.e., not cheapest, but with only 1 stop not two or more.

 

Well, that first night I found great flights with decent times between flights and decent times leaving Europe for only $100 pp more than my research had shown me was the best cost. So, defying what I had read as to being the best time to book (told that March-April was the best) I booked in November. To date, the fares for my exact flights have never been as low, though 1 time it was only $40 off.

 

My best suggestion for you after you have determined your price range, is to go online and look up specific flights that interest you. Then go online late at night(around midnight) and/or very early in the morning and look up on that airline's website. Then when you get in your acceptable price range, book and forget about it!!! I kept checking just for the research of it, but must admit, it is nice to know that I made the right choice back in November......well, at least so far, anyway!(grin)

 

Good luck in your search and have a great cruise.

 

Pooh

Thanks for the advice. I am researching air fare for March 16th 2007. I am not finding much under $300 or non stop flight. (would love to have both) but I would be ok with $300 not much higher. Thanks for the tip on late night/early morning bookings. I will definately keep my eyes open for them.

I had the same question but for Europe. Our Med. cruise is 6/07 and dates have not been released yet by the airlines. I would have thought they would be posted 12 months out, but not yet. I too am anxiuos to get the best rates but with my "wishes"( non stop).

Thanks for the advice.

Missyal

You can start buying tickets at 330 days out from your return flight - on most of the major airlines.

You can start buying tickets at 330 days out from your return flight - on most of the major airlines.

Know that this is a very good guide, but that there are exceptions. Some do 331, some 330, some around 300 and some discount carriers more like 120-150 days (Southwest for example).

Best to call your preferred carrier and see how far out they are booking now. Calculate that "spread" and use it to see when you should be looking for your future travel. One caveat - the departure may be available, but not the return. Some carriers let you hold the outbound until the return is loaded into the system - others insist that both legs be booked together. In that case, your "clock" is actually determined by your return date.

FareCompare is a good site to get historical information -- but nothing currently replaces your own judgement. HOWEVER, there is a company (Farecast) that is working to offer "predictive analysis" of airfares online. If interested, you can read a newspaper story on them (free registration required)

How funny!

I have the same question--and we are also planning to cruise in Alaska next year in June--it will be our 20th anniversary.

However, we still are in the researching which cruise to choose phase...

Book early.

I always do the late night thing, as you can tell by the time. It pays off every time.

I just booked air for 4-21-07, had been looking as was terrified of gas prices. I paid $219pp total , Chicago- Miami non-stop.

Try www.kayak.com

Awesome site somone on here recommended.

But book early, I say.

Thanks for the kayak.com site. I've never seen that one before. As soon as June 2007 becomes available, I'm going to start checking all the possible flights.

Also remember, unless you are adding a hotel or car rental package, once you find the airline flight number, then book directly from that airline's website and cut out the fee that the other website charges. Even booking at the airport tacks on a fee!

To Alaska, book as early as possible. Alaska in the summer is a "premium" destination. Flights fill up fast and the cheap seats are usually gone by October/November. We go to Alaska at least once every year for business, and I have NEVER found a decent (read cheap) price after October.

To Europe-If on a transatlantic/repo in March/April/early May, the best prices usually show up late September/early October. For any cruises after May 15, book as early as possible. Europe travel is a hot destination for the summer. Prices SKYROCKET about March 15 (for May-August travel).

We're sailing Northbound Alaska in June of next year. Are there advantages to booking the air as soon as the dates become "bookable?" Or should we wait until we get closer to the date? We already know we're flying into Seattle a few days early and then taking the train to Vancouver the day of the cruise. Any opinions about booking too soon?

Since you are already flying into Seattle, look into booking a RT Seattle flight, take the train to Vancouver, and a one way Alaska Airlines flight to Seattle for your return. If you book Alaska Airlines early enough, the one way fares are quite reasonable. If you book early enough (the minute bookings open generally), you can usually save $100-$150.00pp over an open jaw Seattle/Anc trip.

I've booked flights months in advance of trips and, with very few exceptions, it was the lowest price that I saw.

But, when you do book months in advance you MUST keep checking to make sure that the flight doesn't change. Airlines do change their schedules - more frequently than you may realize. They change the times, sometimes only by minutes. Or they may change the type of equipment they are using. If the flight does change, you should call the airline to confirm that you are on the "new" flight and to get new seating assignments. You may very well lose your seat assignments (sometimes even the entire reservation) if the flight changes - especially if the flight number or equipment changes. By being vigilant you won't have any surprises.

When I book in advance I check the flights no less than once per week. It has paid off too many times to mention.

Bottom line - book when you are comfortable with the price. Then babysit the flights to make sure they don't change. Contact the Airline immediately if ANYTHING about the flights have changed. Don't assume the travel agent will do this for you!

Thanks for the good advice. I'm definitely going to check on the round trip rate for Seattle and check on the Alaska Air flight. Thanks also for the reminder to continue to check with the airlines. I will certainly heed that warning.

since you are flying into Seattle, you may want to wait until Southwest Airlines posts it's fares. (Usually they do it about 4-5 months in advance)

I've never flown Southwest, but I'll certainly take a look.

I've never flown Southwest, but I'll certainly take a look.

Just an FYI

If you are looking at the option of flying RT into Seattle and a one way to Alaska on Alaska Air, you absolutely CANNOT wait until Southwest opens up their schedule to book your one way. The cheap one ways will be sold out by the time Southwest opens up (most likely Jan/Feb for next June).

And if you have never flown Southwest, be prepared. Open seating (no assigned seats), have to get an A boarding pass (which means check in EXACTLY 24 hours pre flight) to have a chance at decent seats. Southwest oversells a LOT of flights. I absolutely detest Southwest for all those reasons. And a lot of times (over 60%) they are NOT the cheapest. The ONLY time you get a really good deal on Southwest is with their DING fares (you have to sign up) or the first day or two they open up the schedule. Otherwise, plan to pay as much if not more than any other airline. Good for one way flights only, IMHO.

Greatam, you are completely right about Southwest. One thing though, for extremely last minute fares, they can be pretty inexpensive (sometimes) compared to the legacy carriers. Normally from here to San Diego, Southwest is the same price or higher than the legacy lines, but I had to book a last minute flight (the next morning) for my SIL to come home due to a medical emergency. The legacy lines were wanting $1,000 or more but the fare on Southwest was only $600. Still alot, but a lot less than the legacy carriers.