Why is it soooo expensive to fly over Thanksgiving?

[roliepolieoliefan]

I just checked flights on usairways .com from PGH to MCO for the week of Thanksgiving and its 380.00 a ticket. YIKES!!! Just because of the holiday?

[JudithM]

This is a lesson in supply & demand :)!

[nutz4wdw]

Yes, supply and demand is it, plus, let's face it....they can! Over Thanksgiving in 1999 my family all went to WDW (we live in California). We got SOAKED in price. But this year we knew we were going, I booked in January for this Nov. 2001. My tickets are $313per person round trip from LAX to MCO. Those same tickets are now $425.00. Heck when we went in 1999, we paid $401. per person. So it sometimes pays to buy early, especially when you know your dates.

[GoldenOldie]

Economics? Nah, it's more like it's a lesson in the power and guilt a Mother can generate.

"What do you mean you're not coming home for Thanksgiving this year? Don't you know you're just going to ruin my weekend? This isn't good news what with all my ailments. You know your (insert one) brother/sister would never do this to me. Where did I go wrong? Don't you realize there's no guarantee that I'll even be alive for next Thanksgiving?"

Certainly that would make anyone I know of run out and fill up every available airline seat that week. Worked for me. ;)

[Beckles]

I don't know what airport PGH is, but you'd be well advised to wait because fares will come down between now and then, it's just too far away right now for any really good fares to be available yet.

[MaryAnnDVC]

We always go to WDW around or on Thanksgiving...and we book it way in advance (Feb/March). We've never seen the price come down, but we have seen it go up, or the flights get booked.

But we are not at all flexible...we have now settled in with specific flights both ways, non-stop, and those are the ones we want. We don't want to risk not getting those flights by waiting too long.

[Wes]

Are the high rates just for the Thanksgiving week?

We are thinking of flying down the Wed or Thurs of the week before Turkey day and flying home the Tuesday of the week after T-day. Will we see higher rates for those dates?

[CarolA]

Keep in mind that the Thanksgiving weekend is the busiest air travel time! I think it is the Sunday after Thanksgiving that is the heaviest travel day of the year. If you want to fly on the peak days (ie. Wed and Sunday) BOOK NOW! It will be expensive!

Also, be sure to give yourself lots of time at the airport. Parking will be difficult, check in will be difficult etc....

I fly to Boston every other Thanksgiving and my way around all of this is to fly to Boston on Thursday morning and home on Saturday. However, the last time I did this the airport was a ZOO at 5 am so I think this idea is getting more popular (and more expensive!)

[MaryAnnDVC]

Our last 2 trips, we flew out of Providence ON Thanksgiving Day (7 AM), and it was great...not very crowded at all. However, the long term parking was pretty bad...very full...from all the people who flew out in the days before Thanksgiving.

We had considered flying out the night before Thanksgiving to give us a little extra time, but don't want to ruin a good thing...the news reports are always horrid the night before.

We paid about $180 round trip the first year ('97), $240 in '99, $280 in '00, and $255 for this coming Thanksgiving. We always book sometime between February and April.

[Beverly Lynn]

CarolA is so right on the money! the thanksgiving holiday is the most heavily traveled time of the year. in fact the sunday after thanksgiving is the single most heavily traveled day of the year. many people book early and then when the sales for that time come out they get the refund voucher for the difference. they do come pout with great fares frompittsburgh over the holiday season but it won't be until closer to that time frame. and then a few weeks before they come out with the best rate......

[joe.hurley]

As some have mentioned, it is the law of supply and demand.

There is a fixed number of airplanes (hence a fixed number of seats) that can fly the day before Thanksgiving, and a larger number of people wanting those seats -- so the price gets bid up.

Suggestons:

1. How about leaving your home the EVENING of Thanksgiving DAY. By then, EVERYONE who is going somewhere to eat Thanksgiving dinner has presumably done so. So then rates should come down.

2. Also check flying out Friday -- nobody who went anywhere Thursday is returning yet on Friday.

hope they help!

Regards,

Joe Hurley

[dcgrumpy]

I'm flying out on Saturday the 24th. I paid $171 back in Januray. The fares are still only $177.

[kellymonaghan]

Isn't there an airline with the slogan "We love to take you for every cent you're worth and it shows" ?

[AllanJ]

Returning from Orlando to Boston on Sunday evening after Thanksgiving the Delta planes are less than half full according to the seating charts but the fare is more than leaving Saturday whose planes are almost full.

Other travel tips:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/travel.htm

[FergieTCat]

I'm flying on JetBlue. I'm taking off on 11/21, and flying from JFK to West Palm Beach. That segment was $202. On 11/30, I'm flying from Orlando back to JFK (also JetBlue), that segment is $86. So, it will be about $289 rt. Most other airlines were charging closer to $325 for a non-stop from NY to West Palm Beach, so I did manage to save money.

I haven't visited my parents for Thanksgiving in years.

Donna

[roliepolieoliefan]

Thanks for all the replies. Being in Pittsburgh, we are VERY limited on what carriers fly to MCO and the pricing. I just checked again and its over 350.00rt still. I refuse to pay that for airfare. We'll just go at another time.