Flight price question?

[RRCRUISE]

Sorry, I looked in all other areas of the CC and I didn't see an area in reference to this. I'm looking at flights for July 2007 and they are considerably higher than I've paid in the past ( usually pay about $220-280 and now it's $390). There are still a lot of seats avaliable as they recently went on sale. I've never seen prices drop on a flight and they seem to be the cheapest when the go on sale. Are there any TA's or well traveled people here that know if there are instances when a flight has dropped? I'd hate to wait too late to see if it does and pay even more.

[sicsinohio]

We play the "deal or no deal" game with airfares, too. Your best bet is to check every week, and also check different airlines and departure locations if you live near several airports. We live close to the Toledo airport, but it ihas been much cheaper to fly out of Dayton, Cleveland, Columbus or Detroit, depending on the airline and destination. All those other airports are less than a tank of gas there and back, so worth the drive.

[fridaythe13th]

I check http://www.sidestep.com or http://www.expedia.com for prices only. Then I go to the actual airline site if I find something I'm interested in. I check sometimes twice a day and even leaving a day early or returning a day late can change the price. I wouldn't book just yet, just keep checking prices for now. I don't know if Southwest flies from where you are but they are not included on those two sites. Good luck!:D

[FitzLA]

Prices do drop, and on our last flight they dropped several times before we flew. The price drop didn't last long, maybe only a few days, which is why you have to check often. You can also sign up for a fare watch with your airline of choice or with your online ta of choice, or call your ta and have him/her watch the fares for you.

[AkSusan]

I found a good site that shows you past trends as well as the prices in the future - www.farecompare.com

 

Susan :)

[cb at sea]

I wouldn't even consider booking this far out! For a July flight, I'd start looking in late march--prices usually drop about 45-60 days out! I guess they want to make sure the plane will be as jammed-packed as possible!

[Dockman123]

I wouldn't even consider booking this far out! For a July flight, I'd start looking in late march--prices usually drop about 45-60 days out! I guess they want to make sure the plane will be as jammed-packed as possible!

 

We booked our flight in March for our January cruise. When we booked it the cost was about $550 for the 2 of us. I just checked and the same flight is now over $900 for 2.

[RRCRUISE]

Thanks everyone for your help. My experience is the same as Dockman. I usually book my flights far in advance and at times I've checked them later on before flying out and have found them to be close to double than what I initially paid. One time, I checked on a flight and it was $160 but I didn't book it that day due to I needed to make sure I could get the time off from work. The next day when I went to book it...it was $245. I was told that the airline had sold all of those "price section" of seats. There were still like 40 seats avaliable left on the flight.

[Dockman123]

Thanks everyone for your help. My experience is the same as Dockman. I usually book my flights far in advance and at times I've checked them later on before flying out and have found them to be close to double than what I initially paid. One time, I checked on a flight and it was $160 but I didn't book it that day due to I needed to make sure I could get the time off from work. The next day when I went to book it...it was $245. I was told that the airline had sold all of those "price section" of seats. There were still like 40 seats avaliable left on the flight.

 

We had gotten lucky with our tickets. I was checking out flights and prices late one night and put a hold on a flight until I could check with DW to see if the time worked for her. The next morning I pulled up the flight and the price had jumped $100. Since I had a hold on our flight we were able to get the original price. Since then the price has continued to climb.

[Heckah]

Keep checking Orbitz or some other sites daily. I have to fly to Houston for my March cruise. The price was over $350 most days. One day I hopped on and found the flight on AA through Orbitz for $240, then went to AA's website and got the flights for $220 (minus orbitz fees). I booked and a couple of hours later it was back over $350 again.

 

I had to fly to Orlando a few weeks ago for the Mariner and paid like $270, about a month out I saw I could've flown for $120 round trip on Southwest. If I hadn't booked the March flights already, I may have waited until early February because about a month out Southwest prices drop if they are slow to book. However this method requires nerves of steel, and you have to be prepared to pay an even higher price on the chance that a lot of people book.

 

Good luck

[Eagles340]

I booked my air 330 days out when they first appeared.Air from Philly to Mia non- stop to and from and great flight times on United for the four of us 667.00 rt.I was looking at all airlines discounted web site and found it.I went to united and booked.The best I may have done is 49/79 from southwest which I would have had to book next year or when they listed there flights for my time frame and fly into fort Lauderdale and then transportation to Mia.

So for 87.00 each I just went booked it and will not check air fares any more as I feel this price can not be beat.I'm done this part of my cruise.

[scubapuss]

typically seats are cheaper when they first come on sale. After they sell enough to pay for the flight they jump up. The closer you get the higher they go. Flights are higher than normal. Air miles are a great way to go if you have them. Don't wait to long.

[WhiteSoxFan]

As stated earlier, 45-60 days out is when the prices will drop if they drop. If you plan on travelling on a particularly popular date, holidays, spring break, etc. I feel that you will probably never get a better deal later. Keep checking the number of available seats, if the seats are filling up the prices will go up also.

[GoldenZoo]

Airline prices are a gamble. Prices are constantly being adjusted by the carriers. IF the lowest fare is made available 300 days out then it is the best time to buy it - but not all the airlines open up those fares that early - especially if your travel time is a peak time. A route that doesn't have competition is not going to have low fares. I kept looking for airfare for our cruise this past January and the airfare was around $340.00, which is high for Newark-Ft.Lauderdale. Then another carrier announced it would be starting service and the next day the airfares dropped to $195.00! If you are flexible your fare can drop not only by changing the departure date but also the flight time.

My advice: decide what you're willing to pay and if you see it, book it. Then don't look at it again.

[EMc]

Don't forget to keep checking the price even after you have purchased. Most airlines will give you a price reduction credit. We booked our air for our Dec. 11 cruise on November 4th with Jet Blue..Boston to FLL. I had been watching the fares for weeks....I gambled and waited too long, at first. I thought they would go down..but then a few other airlines announced price hikes in fares..Jet Blues raised their fares, too. I watched it go up in one jump, a lot.. as soon as it came back down I grabbed it..I ended up paying 507.20 for 2 people, RT. It was 517.20 when I started checking, shot all the way up to 577.20 before going down to 507.20.

The last 3 days the fare has gone down. The first day it went down 20.00 p/p...got a 40.00 credit.. second day it went down 35.00 p/p and this morning it went down another 20 p/p for a total creedit, so far, of 150.00.

You do have to monitor the prices, yourself. But they will give you the credit if you bring it to their attention. The credit is good for one year.

[jazzlvr57]

and I can tell you that the prices can go up or down at any time. My advice is to decide what you feel is a fair price and if you find it near that to grab it. I can't tell you how many times I have advised a client that I have a great fare for them, but they want to wait and end up spending quite a bit more. Of course, sometimes it goes the other way as well. :eek:

 

A great site for checking airfare is www.kayak.com. You can choose flexible dates and also alternate airports for comparison. It will tell you where the best price is available.