How far before your cruise do you purchase airfare? What is your airfare strategy?

[cruisecritiquer]

We fly out of a city that is a US Airways hub (CLT) with very little competition and a lot of insane pricing. Combine that with a need to fly into Miami and you have a recipe for some relatively pricey tickets. I actually prefer just about any airlines other than US Airways but it's hard to find a reasonably priced ticket from anyone else here.

 

I used to use Bing Airfare predictor but it is now defunct and recently I found Kayak...I don't use it to purchase tickets...I only use it for the airfare predictor which allegedly has a 79% accuracy rating.

 

Over the years, and through reading a lot of articles on the subject, I've decided that I find tickets at their lowest price in the 3-8 weeks before I need to fly. Any earlier than that and they are usually still high. I realize some people like to purchase as soon as the book their vacation to get it out of the way and I do still check pricing before then in case there's an amazing sale but generally I wait.

 

I prefer a direct flight but I'll make a connection if the price is right.

 

This year, I was starting to get nervous because I usually have our flights booked by now. We are at the 5 week mark. Prices didn't budge after Labor Day and they stayed the same every day until Wednesday of this week which at that point they were enticing, but i wasn't ready to bite yet. They were 211 for a stop in ATL and 335 for a direct flight. Hmmm....

 

I've been checking prices daily morning and before bed much to the annoyance of DH who has to listen to me talk about price points every day. We have 4 in our family now which can be a lot of airfare when you consider baggage as well. I enjoy a good vacation and I don't mind spending money when I have to but if there's a potential to save, I will try that first. So he was getting kind of :rolleyes: about the fact that I continued to wait.

 

Well, last night...I was on my usual airfare hunt and I saw tickets to Miami for 191.00. I couldn't believe my eyes. :eek: But, because ALL of the flights required me to return home at 10AM or earlier on disembarkation day...I couldn't book that flight. Instead, I calculated that if I flew back the next day (even considering hotel and food), I would still save a lot of money. The difference between flying direct and booking this 3 hour fire sale deal was $573.20. To me, that was worth it.

 

So we are staying an extra night in MIA and will be back home the next day by noon. That works for me.

 

What's your strategy?

Edited September 20, 2014 by cruisecritiquer

[triptolemus]

I read stories like this and feel very fortunate to live on the west coast, where SWA has the run of the place.

 

My strategy is pretty simple. Book as soon as flights are available. Use SWA Rapid Rewards credit card for everyday purchases during the year, earn flight points, and essentially fly for free to cruise ports -- usually Seattle and LAX. I'm currently sitting on a cache of around 50,000 Rapid Rewards points -- so if SWA doesn't go there, neither do I.

 

Total out-of-pocket cost for upcoming flights: $20

[gooch47]

We use Southwest almost exclusively. We book when the price seems right, or whenever we feel we need to do it soon. Then we watch the prices and if they go down, you can rebook and use the savings for a future flight. No fee involved.

[funat55]

Oh boy, you hit a nerve, lol. Some of you might think I'm insane, but the reality is that I probably spend more time planning and searching for airfare then I do planning for the cruise. Next to that is searching for a hotel.

 

We will be on the Epic next April but I won't book my hotel until I book my flight. We usually book our cruises about a year in advance. I will initially look to see what the current airfare is and then check on a regular basis to see the changes. We fly Southwest a lot, so sometimes the strategy is to watch everyday to see when the window opens up for our time.

 

We have done the fly into Fort Lauderdale thing and then take the shuttle to Miami. This time I really want to fly into Miami because I have someone traveling with me who has never been to Miami or on a cruise. I want to have a little bit of time in Miami before we sail.

 

I signed up for fare alerts with Cheapo air. Only thing about them that drives me crazy is that they show you a really good fare and then when you check the dates its usually a day before or after sailing. I'm not too flexible. I can do the day after the cruise if it is worth the savings though.

 

I live in the greater Los Angeles area, and I'm going to Hawaii for Thanksgiving. Shopping for those tickets has been a nightmare. However, I was willing to fly out of LAX, Ontario, Burbank, Orange county and even San Diego. Well, yesterday, we found flights out of San Diego for $250.00 per person less then any other airport. Lucky for me I have family close enough to get me to the airport.

 

Some experts have said that 7 weeks is the mark when buying your air. I don't always have the patience to wait to what I call the last minute.

[snow bunny]

Try flying out of western Canada! Last NYE cruise I was paying for two to fly out of Calgary and five from Manitoba. Ended up purchasing enough Delta points for the second flight out of Calgary on my account and DH had enough for the first person. Then we purchased flights out of MSP for the five of us. Even with an eight hour drive and an overnight stay we saved about $2500 for our group! Most flights out of here to Florida are about $700 pp and very, very rarely direct!

 

For our cruise out of Sydney we have decided to use the cruise line flight as it is about $1200 less than what I have found. I keep looking and if I see a better option, I will book that but at the moment nothing even close!:(

 

snow bunny

[Daghis]

I'm also a Southwest fan. Their fares are generally competitive, plus I don't have to factor in additional costs like checked bag fees.

 

The big plus is that I can keep an eye on fares and if they drop, I can rebook my tickets at the lower cost (with no change fee), and pocket the difference as a credit I can use up to a year later from when I originally purchased the ticket. I can even reprice each segment (outbound and return) separately if only one should drop in price.

 

For my cruise coming up next week, I've caught two price drops and have about $100 in credit that I'll use for next spring's cruise.

[snow1]

We've only flown Southwest once. I didn't know about 'no change fee' for rebooking if the price drops. That's interesting. I've been checking daily for our January cruise. I think I will book it now knowing what I've just learned. Thanks Daghis!!

 

 

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Edited September 20, 2014 by snow1

[triptolemus]

We use Southwest almost exclusively. We book when the price seems right, or whenever we feel we need to do it soon. Then we watch the prices and if they go down, you can rebook and use the savings for a future flight. No fee involved.

 

I always thought SWA prices were pretty static and didn't change. Well...I just looked thanks to your post and just saved myself about 6,200 rapid rewards points by rebooking and repricing our flights. Thanks!

Edited September 20, 2014 by triptolemus

[fshagan]

Airfare is a sore spot for us. It just seems insane to pay more for airfare than for a cruise, especially when cruising is so much more enjoyable than flying!

 

We look for deals up to about 4 - 6 weeks out, which seems to be the time you can get the best deals. But it is a chore figuring out all the various fees you have to consider depending on the airline.

 

Our upcoming cruise on the Sun has us flying to Vancouver and we found a great deal on Air Canada, an airline I have flown several times before. But that was years ago, and AC has adopted the fee-for-almost-everything pricing rationale of most other airlines. Seat assignments were expensive at first, somewhere between $25 to $40, when we booked. They have dropped now to $15 each, but we're holding out. Evidently, you do get a seat if you don't pay the extra charge, but it works more like a GTY cabin on a cruise line: they choose your seat for you.

 

Southwest works well, but our favorite is Jet Blue (similar pricing strategy). Our problem with both is that it can take more than one connection to get all the way across the country!

[cmdchiefthom]

I used to play the fare game before I retired, but unless there's a compelling need for speed, I now generally take my time and drive to the port. It's become part of our cruise experience. However, earlier this year we spent a month in southern Europe which included three fabulous weeks aboard the Jade. There were no ifs, ands, or buts about having to fly, so the first thing I looked for were overseas air fares on European airlines, which I have found to usually be cheaper than American carriers. So at the requisite date when seat reservations opened, I looked around and found an extremely good deal on seats of my choice aboard Lufthansa, an airline I really enjoy. I get it out of the way early, and just don't bother worrying about it after its done.;)

[halos]

I never book longer than 6 months out because NCL is famous for chartering their ships out from under you and I don't want to be stuck with air tickets that are useless. Usually booking air 6 months or less, prior to cruise feels safe to me.

Of course if you buy insurance on your air, then it wouldn't be an issue. :)

[GeezerCouple]

We arrange air ticketing differently when there is a *specific date* involved that we can't change, vs. when we can be flexible on dates.

 

So for any sort of business conference or a cruise, when someone else "sets the start/end dates", and we have no say in that, AND WE MUST GO (or, with a cruise, we WANT to go!), we usually book fully refundable air tickets for convenient times. (Usually these must be pre-paid, but we've had overseas reservations without payment where "seats are guaranteed" but the actual fare isn't protected, and that can be the status for months.)

 

So we know we CAN get there as needed.

 

Then we keep an eye on fares, including what OP did, which is to consider if the savings on a different date will more than cover the extra costs of one or two extra nights of hotel/food costs. That partly also assumes it's a place we'd want to spend extra time, in which case more extra nights might be okay, too.

 

We've been able to find fares later for much less, for somewhat less, or not much difference.

 

Usually we'll get closer to the trip dates, and then switch to a lower non-refundable fare when the difference is enough.

 

We've also had our TA contact NCL at "almost final payment" date, and ask, "What would NCL charge to add THESE SPECIFIC DATES AND FLIGHTS?"

That saved us more than a few thousand dollars on a long flight, so we had NCL add the flights to our official NCL reservation, and we cancelled our own reservations.

(Actually, TA handled it, as flight was sold out, so she managed to get the same flights, same seats, but much lower cost.)

 

For domestic travel without dates set in stone, often it's Jet Blue, and we wait for a special low fare, and grab it for more flexible travel. Given how low those fares can be, if we need to cancel/change, we eat the change fee, and usually have some $$ credit to apply to future tickets.

 

Bottom line is we just figure the flight/cruise/hotel-night-before/after costs are "part of the trip", and do our best to find reasonable fares.

We don't beat ourselves up if we later see a lower fare.

 

"The enemy of a good plan is the search for a perfect plan."

 

GeezerCouple

[Kylie]

I have heard the perfect time to book a flight is 54 days out - any truth to that?

I've already booked flights for this cruise but plan to check it out just out of curiosity.

[Valen9]

I watch a site like Kayak to get trend information for the ticket and buy when it looks like it's hitting a low point. I would recommend you find out what the "typical" cost is for the trip so you'll be able to recognize and jump on a good deal when you see one.

 

If you're traveling close to Thanksgiving (end of November) or Christmas, you may never see a real price drop and it would be better to book early for good selection.

[don't-use-real-name]

I have heard the perfect time to book a flight is 54 days out - any truth to that?

I've already booked flights for this cruise but plan to check it out just out of curiosity.

 

Fairly accurate - booking months out gives the airlines the use of your money

at about 60 days to 30 days the fares flux all over the place waiting for the

public to settle the average norm they will pay for travel from A to B.

 

Check the airline websites frequently and other brokers i.e. Expedia; Hotwire;

etc. to get a handle on the marketing trend.

Don't be afraid to leave the comfort loyalty of the airline you fly frequently.

Check out others.

It is reported that Tuesday and Saturday the airline computers spit out fare

adjustments trying to fill up mediocre flights - compare the results !

Travel during holiday times Thanksgiving Christmas and Presidents day are

real trouble spots - book MONTHS out in advance for these times.

 

One thing for certain - "DO NOT BOOK FARES AT THE LAST MINUTE (7 days or less)"!

You are going to pay FULL business fare and the seat selection is going to be

down right miserable for parties of more than two !

Only time to book something at the last minute is an emergency

(ask for bereavement fares if this is the case) still yet getting a seat for bargain is

possible from the second tier airlines i.e. Southwest.

American Delta and United are not so good for last minute bookings.

In a jam and have a good affinity charge card i.e. American Express; Capital

One etc. call them and see what they can do to help. Burn miles or points !

 

Always weigh the travel a day or two in advance of your cruise against flying

at the last day. There may be a savings in airfare that might get evened out

by hotel stay but check it out - Affinity programs with hotels and staying

more than a couple nights might be a tie breaker - and don't forget meals.

 

An awful lot to consider but when booking cruises more than 9 months out

getting extra Latitude points maybe the averages can work in your favor

when tweaking travel plans. Maybe you have thoughts of taking a mini-cruise

before that big trans-Atlantic/Pacific Panama Canal to gain a better travel

status (Platinum) and its bennies. Time is on your side for research and

finding the best bang for the buck (pound or loonie or whatever floats your boat) !

[TruckerDave]

Having a major airport as my home airport is a good thing (IAH)...I just find the dates and flights I want and book them. I usually stay on UA or AA (or their partners) as I don't have to pay baggage fees (correct credit cards and elite status). I make my flight decisions based on what flights I want not price. I also will book first class tickets as well.

[RJ2002]

For cruises not leaving from a US port, we look at flights at the same time we are looking at the cruise. We only fly business class overseas now, so it is important for us to be shopping for flights while we are considering the cruise. We try to use points to upgrade, and the availability can be spotty.

 

For US cruises, we'll generally lock in something no later than 6-8 weeks out.

[xcell]

I check daily (well almost) and when the price is right I book.

 

For instance, this xmas we are flying from Toronto to Miami direct for $500 (including tax). These flights are normally $700-1000 (especially direct) but I bought them in May. Since May, I have seen it drop to $500 range ($500-540)but only for a day.

 

There's not good day to buy them, I think they just randomly put the price in...

 

I should watch my stocks this closely...maybe I could get a suite on my next cruise...

[cruisecritiquer]

We just started receiving Southwest flights not too long ago (I think 2013.) I am from California originally so I recall how easy airfare was in and out of California. Those were the days...

 

There aren't a lot of flight selections for Southwest in Charlotte to really make them competitive against US Airways. Southwest doesn't fly direct into Miami from Charlotte so we'd have to stop in FLL and generally having to make a connection in ATL AND stop in FLL is just more transitions than my family wants to make. I also find that the bargain airlines like SW do not seem to have last minute price drops. It seems the earlier you book those airlines the better and the price just keeps going up from there. If I'm wrong, someone correct me.

 

I also didn't know about SW's price drops and rebookings but it makes since for them to do this if price drops do not occur regularly?

[darkprayer]

I personally use Kayak.com and I sign up for alerts. I also allow the notifications to ding at night.

 

I read around from my area and get an idea on what people normally pay for the flights I'm looking for. So, I have an idea if I'm getting an ok deal or a SUPER deal.

 

Twice now, Kayak has sent me an alert early in the AM, alerting me to sale. I wake my butt up and went and purchased tickets. If I hadn't woken up the tickets would of been gone by morning. I checked the deals were gone!

 

Examples: Denver to Seattle for $61 one way with one stop. (Yea, I had to buy 2 sets of one way tickets but the cheapest I ever saw it get after I bought them was $119 one way.)

 

Example 2: Denver to Miami Non-Stop: $115 round trip right near Christmas holiday rush. (I think I got a deal on these so early because this is when US Airways and American Airlines merged. I believe they had a mistake on the website but I got the tickets and they even gave me better flights later since they had a schedule change. Average price non-stop I've seen and what I read was about $390-$450 round trip.) I also bought these over 10 months in advance.

 

I keep looking even after I get the deals just in case. But I am VERY grateful for Kayak.

[Aldeya]

Having a major airport as my home airport is a good thing (IAH)...I just find the dates and flights I want and book them. I usually stay on UA or AA (or their partners) as I don't have to pay baggage fees (correct credit cards and elite status). I make my flight decisions based on what flights I want not price. I also will book first class tickets as well.

 

Can you please tell more about these credit cards? We are planning our first TA and it involves a LOT of planning including airfare.

 

Thank you.

[g35girl]

We live almost equal distance from both CLT and GSO, and typically find better airfare out of CLT. I don't know what your dates are, and your price point is, but I found good prices for non stop flights from CLT over the next 90 days. I don't know how far GSO is from you, but the same flight originating from GSO (GSO-CLT-MIA) is about $50-75 pp cheaper.

 

A couple of sites I use are hopper and hipmunk, especially if my dates are flexible. Hopper is great because it will also tell you the best time to book and provides alternatives as well.

Edited September 21, 2014 by g35girl

[crystalaziza]

Airfare is always a game for me. I am 47 days out from 1 of 2 cruises booked with NCL. I live in Central NY and am taking Amtrak to Boston for Dawn's 14 day sailing which dis embarks in New Orleans. I needed 2 one - way tickets home from New Orleans. Started checking airfares maybe 7 months ago. Prices were not good in my mind. I waited and kept looking and found that if I stayed 1 night in New Orleans & flew back the next day, it would be cheaper for me, as it was a 6 a.m. flight. Not that I wanted to get up at 4 a.m., but the hotel is right across the street of MSY Airport. I wanted Jet Blue (1st bag flies free, saving $25.-$50.) but the cheapest flights were at 6 a.m. not even back to port yet. I ended up getting 2 one ways for $175.00 each back in April, and the prices have gone no place but up. Today the flight is up to $383.00 each. I ended up getting $100.00 off my total of $350 using my AM EX points which ended up giving me 2 tickets for $125.00 each. Not too shabby I thought. There are so many things to weigh out when considering airfare. It is not the first time I have saved by flying out the next day. Airlines know people cruise & from where they cruise, which is why I believe the prices for the 6 a.m. are so much cheaper. In August of 2015 we will be on the Getaway out of Miami, but I have decided to take Amtrak to MIA which I have already been watching prices, and for a sleeper for my son & I is at $557.00 without the discount I will be receiving (NCL cruisers get a discount of 15-20%) So lets say it ends up being a one way to MIA for $250.00 each, which will yes be longer but my son likes taking Amtrak to Miami, but it includes hotel accommodations and a free breakfast, lunch, and dinner for each of us and the meals last time were really good, I was surprised. So again not to shabby of a price. Now I will just have to get a one way flight home from MIA or FLL. I have been taking cruises out of NYC and Boston as much as I can due to the high fees of flying, but airfares were running me around the high 2 - 3 hundreds for a RT several years ago, so considering what we are getting for the $250.00 trip down, it way beats 1/3 can of soda & a very small bag of pretzels. Let the travel games begin!!!!!!!

[gooch47]

We've been able to take advantage of the price drops several times now. I agree that having to have layovers isn't convenient. We can't go to NOLA without stopping somewhere, but we can go to Florida in one hop.

 

Another advantage of the no fee rebooking occurred when we had to come home early from a cruise when we received word that my husband's brother had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. We had just finished a b2b and were spending extra days in NOLA. Had to pay extra for the flight since it was last minute, but no change fee.

[Freehike]

I live in CLT too and it is out of control.

 

I paid almost $2K for a first class ticket on my upcoming Hawaii trip.

 

 

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