airline ticket prices

[momhmmx2]

The last time we flew into MCO, I bought round trip tickets from Detroit for about $180 this was about 1 year ago.....

I am now looking at purchasing tickets for this coming December and tickets range in price from $300-800 RT

Is this the norm now? Should I jump on those $300 tickets? Or should I wait?

I have looked at surrounding local airports and have found less expensive tickets for $288, is this the new norm?

HELP! any advice would be appreciated. YES, we could wait for Airtrain and SWA to release their prices at the end of May...but do you think it will be better than the $288...I know it's just a guess on your part, but any thoughts would be much appreciated!!! THANKS

 

[TaraPA]

Unfortunately airfare is WAY HIGH compared to previous years. I watch airfare almost daily & have actually postponed WDW trips because of it. My rule was that I never paid more than $200 RT to WDW, and last month I paid $225 and $245 for my trips. I was plotting a May trip & stopped looking - I couldn't find airfare under $400. I'm watching for fall & can't find anything under $375. It's all over these boards that the low fares just aren't there anymore. Gone are the days of $19 Allegiant, $59 Southwest & $69 Airtran one way flights! I'm sure there are still some out there, but I haven't seen them since last year.

It doesn't hurt to watch daily, but at some point you just have to say 'I'm willing to pay $XXX and when I see that, I will book."

 

[PoohsFan1]

I agree, just keep watching daily for flights and if you have to look for one way flights first then do so. You still have time before your vacation and there is a possibility that the flights may go down some (not huge, but some). We are going at the end of August and one day I happened to look at one way flights and found $90 tickets for on the way down. Now I am constantly looking for our return flight. All I can say is just be patient, hopefully something will come up that will make it easier to swallow.

 

[ain0004]

We bought tickets for our trip in May in November. I agree Detroit airfare has jumped! We now have a american express for Delta, it has came in handy, and has saved us over 300.00 in rewards this year, plus no baggage fee. Have you looked at allegiant out of Toledo, still deals to be had.

 

[rewok]

I guess I'm not a good reference, but I think 300$ is a good price! This is a price I've paid regularly over the last years, going to Florida from Vermont. Leaving from Canada (Montreal) is usually over 150$ more per ticket, so my concept might be tainted somewhat. However, I haven't seen many fares below 300$ from BTV in the last 2 years, so even then, it seems pretty much the normal price.

Can you afford to go if prices rise? What will you do in that case? This should dictate if you jump on the 300$ fare...

Just as a reference, when I started watching fares four our summer trip (Vermont->Chicago, Los Angeles->Vermont), it was 530$, when I finally booked (after I made the vacation schedule at work), it was 630$. I booked them, because I don't expect it to lower, and don't want to end up paying 800$ in a month!

 

[iheartmickey1111]

Flights have gone up, BUT travel experts say to wait until exactly 3 months before your trip to get the best fares. I did this for our next trip and the tickets were ranging a little over $480 EACH!! I bought 3 days after the 3 month mark and got them for $300 each! Thats a savings of $540!! When you get within I think its 6 months, bing.com also has a price predictor to help you gauge what is and is not a good price. And it also tells you when is a good time to buy.

 

[Geoff_M]

The last time we flew into MCO, I bought round trip tickets from Detroit for about $180 this was about 1 year ago.....

I am now looking at purchasing tickets for this coming December and tickets range in price from $300-800 RT

Is this the norm now? Should I jump on those $300 tickets? Or should I wait?

I have looked at surrounding local airports and have found less expensive tickets for $288, is this the new norm?

Uh, yep! We're in West Michigan too and in the past we've usually flown out of Detroit or Indy (we have family down there). This year the best price I could find was AirTran out of GRR for $224 (w/taxes & fees). I bought at four months out and have only watched the prices hover above that since. At eight weeks out the best I could find was about $340. I just looked again and it's come down to $264.

 

[peloha86]

I agree, the airfare is consistantly fluctuating.

However, during my research, I have found some helpful tidbits:


United has a "farelock" feature where you can lock in the price for a limited time.

United’s

service allows you to hold your itinerary and fare for 72 hours or seven days, for a fee, and is available on select flights. So go ahead and book your flight while you complete and confirm your travel plans. Our FareLock service will guarantee an available seat and the fare you were quoted at the time you booked your reservation.

If United's airfare goes down by $100/pp or more, you can request a refund.

Southwest just added additional flights to some cities. They also have a feature where you can sign up for "DING" fares for your laptop or I-phone.

Goodluck everyone, I know these airfares can be so frustrating!