Should I book now?

[majicgem]

I will be cruising out of New Orleans from Greensboro on the Conquest on Oct 2, 2005. I'm wondering if now is a good time to book or if I should wait. The cheapest fare I've found is $300 if I leave on Oct 2 and $308 if I leave on Oct 1. I could also use Hotwire's new program Flexsaver which lets you choose your departure from several different time windows. With flexsaver, I could leave a day early on Oct 1 and return on Oct 9 with a flight leaving New Orleans anytime between 11am-4pm for $259. I really prefer leaving a day early but I'm not sure the savings are worth using Hotwire and what if I get a 11am departure time?

[hdawson]

Have a great time neighbor.

[tinsel57]

That's the problem with hot wire. Unless you've got a wide berth safety net built in, you can get yourself in trouble. Those fares are made for people that are flexible in arrival departure times and they fill empty seats as they are available. Have you check neighboring airports to see if you can get a better price, say Charlotte or Raleigh? Coming from Texas I have never been able to get a good NC price! They're always much higher than it costs me to fly to Florida or even NY. Totally different traffic pattern. Have you also check the cruise rate to see what they're offering? Good luck to you.

[hdawson]

AirTran now serves both Charlotte and Raleigh. My line of choice. Also Southwest serves Raleigh. Both are very competitive and AirTran has a very young fleet of planes.

[majicgem]

AirTran now serves both Charlotte and Raleigh. My line of choice. Also Southwest serves Raleigh. Both are very competitive and AirTran has a very young fleet of planes.

 

Thanks. I checked both from Raleigh and the rates were not much cheaper than flying out of GSO. Air through Carnival is $434. I decided against Hotwire but found airfare for $265 through US Airways or Northwest. Do you taking US Air is risky for Oct 2005?

[tinsel57]

I wouldn't think so. You've only a couple of months to go and they're all on peak flight schedules with the summer. Should be OK. They've got to be in better shape than united. They seem to be on the bubble for years, certainly have had their share of trouble.

 

I think that's a great rate from NC. The only one that might beat it with a sale would probably be Southwest.

[hdawson]

You might want to recheck AirTran. I just received a sale notice but the sale ends on the 20th. Travel is good up to Nov.