Please help an airfare finding dummy!

[ThreeTinks]

My family and I almost never fly - with five of us it's just too expensive and dh prefers to drive - because of this I really am terrible at finding good deals on flights. For our May trip, dh is not coming with, but my mom is meeting me and my three girls there and we are all staying together, I am driving - my mom planned to fly and meet us in Disney until she saw the fares. I just looked them up since it's been about 6 weeks since she looked and they are $400 one way from Mobile AL which is just way too high. Will that ever come down or will they remain that high since her airport is a smaller one with not much competition? Any tips on when or where to look to find her a better rate? Right now she plans to drive, but I hate the thought of her driving all by herself that long boring drive. I just feel like she will arrive less stressed and more relaxed (and possibly have more time that day) if she flies.

 

[seashoreCM]

For those who can use it, an excellent strategy is to wait for airfares to come down and if they don't then drive.

Do your airfare shopping on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and also fares tend to be lower when you fly on Tuesdays or Wednesdays.

 

[1tufgt]

For those who can use it, an excellent strategy is to wait for airfares to come down and if they don't then drive.

Do your airfare shopping on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and also fares tend to be lower when you fly on Tuesdays or Wednesdays.

As seashore said those are your best options to look for airfare and flying dates. Mondays / Thursday / Fridays are always the worse days to fly do to a lot of business travel that occurs on those days.

 

[dzneelvr]

I hate to sound pessimistic, but our smaller regional airport carriers don't tend to decrease any flight prices closer to the day, in fact, they usually get more expensive. Could your mom make her drive a 2-day trip instead of the one long, boring drive? gas and a hotel room for the night will be way cheaper than any flight, and if she is alone in the airport making all the connections and lugging all her bags, it may be a better option to consider.

 

[ThreeTinks]

Thanks guys - she will be traveling on Saturday both the outbound and return flights. She doesn't seem to be too upset about driving (she'd rather save money than time) so if the fares don't come down she'll handle it fine. I just wasn't sure if I should keep checking for her or if there were any tips to finding good deals -

 

[ToddyLu]

I live in Pascagoula, MS ( 30 miles from Mobile). DH and I always fly non stop Southwest out of New Orleans. They have the best prices and free bags. I usually pay $250 for round trip each person. It is 1:40 minute flight to MCO (Orlando Interniational). Outside of occasional non stops out of Pensacola, this is the only non stop within 110 miles of Mobile. Pensacola flights are usually $500 per ticket. However she can possible find an Airtran or something for a good price out of P'cola.

Your flights out of Mobile are always at least $100 more than flying out of Gulfport. So I would start in Gulfport first...check Delta. Very easy to get to the airport--one mile south of I-10 on Hwy, 49. It would be better for her to fly through Memphis than Atlanta if given a choice. If she does decide to fly always plan for at least one and a half hour layover in Atlanta.

Pensacola--possible direct flight, more expensive than Gulfport.
Mobile--always more expensive regardless of carrier
Gulfport--generally can find a good deal through Memphis or Atlanta, parking reasonable
New Orleans--cheapest non-stop available, expensive parking (twice the cost of Gulfport at least --but worth it to us)

 

[ToddyLu]

You can only find SW flights on their website. You cannot find them on Expedia or other sites like that. Always book directly with the carrier.

So far my dates have not been posted on SW website--last year we paid $128 one way. If traveling SW you can pay an extra small fee for Early Bird Check In for a better boarding number--then she gets on the plane ahead of others to find ANY seat she wants....Southwest has un-assigned seating.