When do you purchase airfare?

[Commieri]

Planning an April cruise on Westerdam and Southwest just opened booking for that time period but the prices,especially return flight on April 12th seems quite high. I'm inclined to book it but one of our traveling companions insists that it's better to wait a bit, feeling that everyone panics and buys when they first release the dates. He swears he does better with the fares after . I know that Southwest allows you a credit for future flights if price goes down or you have to cancel. But, given that our rt cost will be over $800 for DH and I and given bad economy, who knows when we would travel again.

 

Anyway, just wondering if other Southwest flyers have waited a bit before booking and how they did on getting their choice of flight and a better fare?

BTW, I checked other airlines and unless I want to fly out at 6a and fly for 8 hours to get from Providence to FLL, then Southwest fare is the better.

[lvtotrvl1]

You are flying home on Easter....very busy time period for flying and one of the highest priced. When you find a fare you are happy with I would boook it...with the airlines cutting flights availability will be very limited, thus keeping the prices high.

[Hugh0906]

Planning an April cruise on Westerdam and Southwest just opened booking for that time period but the prices,especially return flight on April 12th seems quite high. I'm inclined to book it but one of our traveling companions insists that it's better to wait a bit, feeling that everyone panics and buys when they first release the dates. He swears he does better with the fares after . I know that Southwest allows you a credit for future flights if price goes down or you have to cancel. But, given that our rt cost will be over $800 for DH and I and given bad economy, who knows when we would travel again.

 

Anyway, just wondering if other Southwest flyers have waited a bit before booking and how they did on getting their choice of flight and a better fare?

BTW, I checked other airlines and unless I want to fly out at 6a and fly for 8 hours to get from Providence to FLL, then Southwest fare is the better.

 

Just this morning it was on one of the news networks that the airlines stated that they expect less demand after the first of the year. They expect to reduce the number of flights further. That was their preference as they didn't want to raise prices further.

 

We fly SWA almost always. We buy air when we book the cruise.

 

Hugh in Dallas

[MadManOfBethesda]

As lvtotrvl1 pointed out, April 12 is Easter, so I don't think fares are going to go down at all on that date. In fact, I just checked SWA and the "cheap" fares of $242 are already sold out on most of the flights, leaving only a one-way fare of $320 or $340.

 

However, if you are flexible and can spend an extra couple of days on vacation in Ft. Lauderdale, you can fly home on Tueday for as little as $149. The airfare savings alone could offset the cost of a hotel for two nights, giving you an extended vacation for free. (Especially since it sounds like there are multiple travel companions.)

 

Scott

[Comptech]

I bought air to SAN Diego from Norfolk, VA months ago on Southwest, paid 900+ now it is over 1000+, I was always taught to buy the air as quick as possible because if you wait then the price is usually higher for last minute flights.

[RuthC]

Anyway, just wondering if other Southwest flyers have waited a bit before booking and how they did on getting their choice of flight and a better fare?

BTW, I checked other airlines and unless I want to fly out at 6a and fly for 8 hours to get from Providence to FLL, then Southwest fare is the better.

Hi, neighbor. I take Southwest whenever it's going where I want to go. Luv that airline! :)

 

The day fares open up for my dates is the day I book. There is no way I want the dates/times that are best for me to get away.

Right now I'm waiting for my November '09 date to open.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We book out air as soon as we can.

 

The the first of each month we begin the fights as our flights are cancelled and we have to get something else.

[navybankerteacher]

Because the air is usually only a small fraction of the cruise fare, it makes sense to book it as soon as you book the cruise (which you have probably selected, at least partly, on a price basis). The last thing you need to worry about is a lot of hassle getting to the cruise port on time - connecting vs direct flights, schedule changes, etc. - are pains of the sort you go on a cruise to forget. Give yourself a break, and book it all (including hotel/motel for the night before) at the same time.

[CDRMark]

Are you familiar with Southwest's DING program?

http://www.southwest.com/ding/

It has saved us a boatload of money over the past 3 years. That said, it requires a little leap of faith, timewise.

We tend to get domestic airfare late, and international as far out as possible with FF miles.

Cheers and good luck

Mark

[Commieri]

Thanks, it seems to be 90% to book now and one voice saying, try waiting. Does anyone else wonder why the airfares are remaining so high with oil prices on the decline? The cruise price was actually reasonable - but airfare seems ridiculously high.

[lilrainy]

I was going to wait to book air but found a great deal on r/t seattle from fort lauderdale for 240.00 in aug so I grabbed it, cheapest I had found was 409 and even southwest in may was 400, signed up for fare alert and they e mailed me with sale

[azalice]

We booked Southwest as soon as it opened up - 6 months before our December cruise. Just checked it again and cost has risen, not much but it has gone up.

[kryos]

Anyway, just wondering if other Southwest flyers have waited a bit before booking and how they did on getting their choice of flight and a better fare?

BTW, I checked other airlines and unless I want to fly out at 6a and fly for 8 hours to get from Providence to FLL, then Southwest fare is the better.

I wouldn't book the airfare now even if Southwest's fare was a good one. What happens if circumstances change and you have to cancel the April cruise? With the cruise line, you would get your money back as long as you were not inside of the penalty period (usually about three months from cruise date). But you won't get the airfare money back ... at most you would get a voucher to be used within one year.

 

I always wait until I've made final payment on my cruise before booking airfare, because at that point I know it's gonna take something super major to get me to cancel. By not making air arrangements until that time, I leave myself a bit of flexibility to cancel my cruise in case something better comes along, or perhaps other aspects of my life change (get laid off or get a new job, whatever) that would make it attractive for me to jump on that opportunity even if it means cancelling my cruise.

 

Besides, I tend to agree with your traveling companion. Airfare prices will likely drop the closer you get to the flight time. Just like the cruise lines, they hate to fly with too many empty seats, especially if they can't even fill their smallest plane.

 

Waiting might very well be to your advantage.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[Hugh0906]

They are finally starting to feel the pinch.

 

They stayed profitable for the longest time with their hedge program.

Now they are on the wrong side, with future fuel contracted for a higher cost then market price.

 

As they are still generally the lowest price carrier in the markets they serve, and the reduction in total flights in almost all markets. I wouldn't expect prices to drop.

 

One of the reasons we fly them, is the credit if you can't use a specific ticket.

 

BTW, SWA only flies one class of plane. There are no puddle jumpers in their fleet.

 

Hugh in Dallas

[pipedreams62]

I was going to wait to book air but found a great deal on r/t seattle from fort lauderdale for 240.00 in aug so I grabbed it, cheapest I had found was 409 and even southwest in may was 400, signed up for fare alert and they e mailed me with sale

 

 

Thanks

[jschm27]

As lvtotrvl1 pointed out, April 12 is Easter, so I don't think fares are going to go down at all on that date. In fact, I just checked SWA and the "cheap" fares of $242 are already sold out on most of the flights, leaving only a one-way fare of $320 or $340.

 

However, if you are flexible and can spend an extra couple of days on vacation in Ft. Lauderdale, you can fly home on Tueday for as little as $149. The airfare savings alone could offset the cost of a hotel for two nights, giving you an extended vacation for free. (Especially since it sounds like there are multiple travel companions.)

 

Scott

 

Scott gives good advice!

 

I am a SWA frequent flyer, I do not work for the company nor do I own SWA stock so my opinions are based on my flying experience rather than fiancial. But I have to admit, I LUV SWA.

 

#1 Book as early as you can. Fares MAY go down if you wait, BUT it is guaranteed that the fares WILL go up as your travel date approaches. There are a limited number of reduced priced seats on flights for each category, i.e. Internet Special. Once they are sold, then you have to go to the next more costly category. Once those are sold, etc etc etc.

#2 Book on the Internet. You can find the Internet Specials there.

#3 Search for flights several days around your preferred date of arrival or departure. You may find significant differences in the fares on different days.

#4 Sign up for SWA email. They list their fare sales there.

#5a Sign up for SWA's frequent flyer program (Rapid Rewards), AND

#5b (Only if you can afford the annual fee and your credit and cash flow are in a good postion) Sign up for SWA's signature credit card. Over the last two years I have received 8 frequent flyer free round trips using their card (and paying off my balance every month) and paying for my own ticket whenever I fly. This strategy has saved me a BUNCH.

 

Hope this helps!

John

[Aunty Pat]

I just booked my tickets for the February 7 Oosterdam Cruise. Round trip San Francisco to San Diego $145 on South West and on Virgin America. I chose Virgin America - better service, better schedule, 1st checked bag free and I get to select my seats.

 

 

Aunty Pat

 

 

Barefoot Windjammer - Phantom ‘81

K&D German Rhine Line ‘84

NCL - Norway ’85, Pride of America ’05, Southward ’87, Star ’97 & ‘05, Starward ’92, Sun ’02 & Windward ’93

RCC - Song of America ‘89

American Hawaiian - Independence ‘98

HAL - Volendam ’99, Noordam ’06, Oosterdam ’07 & ‘09, Statendam ’02 & ‘08, Prinsendam ’03 & ’06, Westerdam ’09 & Zuiderdam ’04, ’06 & ‘07

Carnival - Spirit ‘05

Celebrity – Summit ‘05

Cruise West - Yorktown Clipper ‘06

Princess - Golden Princess ‘07

A & K - East Queen ‘07

Cunard - QM2 ’08

[richnorto]

We don't have the option of booking VERY early with our cruises as we usually book and pay shortly after "last payment" but if you have a good idea of what a good price is, watch the sales daily! We always get a good price flying within the lower 48. Farecast is wonderful as they email you with changes and sales! We got a great price $274 pp total on flights we wanted over Christmas from Birmingham,AL to San Diego on AA from 12/19 to 1/06 with only 1 stop and the times we wanted.:) We couldn't come close on SW which is usually our first choice other than driving to Atlanta. We don't like that 3 hour drive anyway!!! This was only last week, so sales do happen but not neccesarily within the month of flying. 6 weeks out or so MAY find the best deals.;) It is a gamble though!

[Sundagger]

I don't exactly Love SW, but I do fly them whenever possible. 60% of the flights in and out of ABQ are on SW, so that is the only airline that has a significant number of non-stop and direct flights to the coasts. They are rarely the least expensive, but flying non-stop is worth a fair amount for me. I've flown on all the major airlines, but lately it's been SW that has the advantages for me (except I do miss reserved seats).

 

One benefit that hasn't been mentioned (unless I missed it) is that their Senior Fares are refundable. So I book early to get the lower Senior Fares (before they sell out) and better choice of flights.

[ViolaSwamp]

I booked our flights on SWA in September, right after I booked our cruise. Since that time the fares have gone up for our selected flights (we paid for MHT-PHL-FLL $159; FLL-MHT $89). The last time I looked our $89 leg went up to $129 (I think).

[timothy998]

Are other airports such as Boston an option for you? I know BOS is a pain to get to/from, but JetBlue has fares 4/4-4/12 for about $300 roundtrip.

 

Since I travel a lot, we used airline miles to book our flights for our March spring break cruise, but did that in April due to the fact everyone wants to leave Chicago after a long winter!

[Commieri]

Gee, when I checked Jet Blue it seemed to give me an error message... like it was either too early to book in April or they didn't fly to FLL...anyway, I just bit the bullet and booked the outgoing flight on Southwest cause it's non stop ...still will end up paying close to $800 for 2 rt. tickets which truly stinks.

[Sunshine91]

I wouldn't book the airfare now even if Southwest's fare was a good one. What happens if circumstances change and you have to cancel the April cruise? With the cruise line, you would get your money back as long as you were not inside of the penalty period (usually about three months from cruise date). But you won't get the airfare money back ... at most you would get a voucher to be used within one year.

 

I always wait until I've made final payment on my cruise before booking airfare, because at that point I know it's gonna take something super major to get me to cancel. By not making air arrangements until that time, I leave myself a bit of flexibility to cancel my cruise in case something better comes along, or perhaps other aspects of my life change (get laid off or get a new job, whatever) that would make it attractive for me to jump on that opportunity even if it means cancelling my cruise.

 

Besides, I tend to agree with your traveling companion. Airfare prices will likely drop the closer you get to the flight time. Just like the cruise lines, they hate to fly with too many empty seats, especially if they can't even fill their smallest plane.

 

Waiting might very well be to your advantage.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

 

I'm gonna agree w/Rita on this one. We don't fly much, but would wait until closer to final payment for just the reasons she stated - you just NEVER know what might happen between booking & the actual cruise. There is a chance you might not take the cruise, but you are only on the hook for the deposit, which can be transferred to another cruise.

 

I think final payment for Eurodam this past July was due in April so we booked airfare in March. We're doing Alaska next September, so final payment will be due in June? We'll probably buy airfare in May, but will be looking for a few weeks beforehand.

 

About that Easter return date - can you travel on a later date? Have you looked at kayak dot com? It's a travel site to compare airfare, but SWA does not participate.

[jschm27]

Gee, when I checked Jet Blue it seemed to give me an error message... like it was either too early to book in April or they didn't fly to FLL...anyway, I just bit the bullet and booked the outgoing flight on Southwest cause it's non stop ...still will end up paying close to $800 for 2 rt. tickets which truly stinks.

 

Commieri: Wow! You are in an expensive SWA market. I checked the internet and was supprised the prices are so high for April travel out of Providence. I have a motor home and will be in Arkansas when we depart for the cruise. I paid $221 pp (including all taxes and security) from Little Rock to FLL. For our return trip, I paid $117 pp (all inclusive) from LAX to Little Rock, AR. Our flight from LA to Little Rock is cheaper than the leg from Little Rock to FLL even though the distance is longer. And I just booked the return flight this last weekend. Go figure??? :confused:

 

John

[Commieri]

Yup, the Providence market is very high. Jet Blue out of Boston is sold out on the dates so they're out and yes, I looked at Kayak and all the other travel sites... nothing really cheaper than SWA and even if close in price they are bad flights with stops etc.

 

I also checked flying back 2 or 3 days after Easter but out of Jacksonville Fla as my mother lives there and we MAYBE would drive up to visit her a few days. However, those fares are only$20 cheaper and my hubby may not be able to take the extra time.

 

If we did have to cancel SWA.. they allow you to credit the money. That's it folks, I'm booked.