After spending hours and hours researching air fares...

[rutgers1]

I have to admit that spending some extra time and being open minded about things definitely pays off. For starters, we waited too long to purchase our airline tickets. We are about three months away from our trip, and we just didn't have the money when we saw better fares earlier. Over the past two months, our round trip airfare (ideal date, ideal time, ideal carrier) went from about $275 to $675. Ugh!!!!!

So, that forced me to be creative:
1) For starters, I couldn't take my preferred airline. I had to be open to others.
2) My arrival and departure date had to be flexible. I was willing to give a day on either side to get a better price.
3) The hardest pill to swallow was being willing to change airports.

At first we looked into flying into Jacksonville instead of Orlando. It would have been a pain renting a car and driving down, but the tickets were half price so we would have swallowed it. The sticking point was that it also required 2 hotel stays in Jacksonville because of the flight times (one was real late, one was real early), thus adding to the price. Nevertheless, it was still less. However, just as we were about to book it, we decided to look into an airport about 1.5 hours from our house (We live in NJ, the airport is in Pennsylvania). For about $50 more a ticket, we found flights that were closer to our ideal in terms of days/times, plus we didn't have to stay in a hotel on either end of the trip. The only inconvenience would be driving an additional hour to the airport and leaving our car there.

I am sure that I will be grumbling when I have to pass my local airport and then head an additional hour away to reach the Pennsylvania one, but my wallet will thank me!

 

[twinsplusone]

I'm glad you found a fare you can live with. Just think of the extra money you'll be saving and just wave as you go past your hometown airport. Enjoy your trip!

 

[bjscheel]

Yep, we are driving 3.5 hours to KC instead of 1 hour or 1.5 hours. We can't get nonstop flights from DM or Omaha, so by the time you figure a layover, it is about the same travel time in the end. My family appreciates only doing one up and down in the plane. Plus we can get those great SW and Airtran rates! Last year and this we are saving the newest Tinker Bell movie to watch in the van- that helps.

This week's trip was planned around the airfare- found dates I could get $59 each way, less $25 coupons, when the kids have 1.5 days off school anyway! Was almost $1000 cheaper than last year's flight!

 

[Green Tea]

I wish we only had a 1.5 hour drive to the airport! We live in a rural area. We always have a long airport drive; price determines which direction we drive.

I played the searching game yesterday myself. It absolutely pays to look outside the box.

 

[JennSaint]

I have to admit that spending some extra time and being open minded about things definitely pays off. For starters, we waited too long to purchase our airline tickets. We are about three months away from our trip, and we just didn't have the money when we saw better fares earlier. Over the past two months, our round trip airfare (ideal date, ideal time, ideal carrier) went from about $275 to $675. Ugh!!!!!

So, that forced me to be creative:
1) For starters, I couldn't take my preferred airline. I had to be open to others.
2) My arrival and departure date had to be flexible. I was willing to give a day on either side to get a better price.
3) The hardest pill to swallow was being willing to change airports.

At first we looked into flying into Jacksonville instead of Orlando. It would have been a pain renting a car and driving down, but the tickets were half price so we would have swallowed it. The sticking point was that it also required 2 hotel stays in Jacksonville because of the flight times (one was real late, one was real early), thus adding to the price. Nevertheless, it was still less. However, just as we were about to book it, we decided to look into an airport about 1.5 hours from our house (We live in NJ, the airport is in Pennsylvania). For about $50 more a ticket, we found flights that were closer to our ideal in terms of days/times, plus we didn't have to stay in a hotel on either end of the trip. The only inconvenience would be driving an additional hour to the airport and leaving our car there.

I am sure that I will be grumbling when I have to pass my local airport and then head an additional hour away to reach the Pennsylvania one, but my wallet will thank me!

We live about 1 hr from 4 different airports in the Northeast but there has been a few times we've drove 2.5 hrs to an airport in NY to save hundreds of dollars. When we couldn't find decent fares and everything around here was $$400-500 per person we've flown for $200 out of Newburgh NY. So yes sometimes driving past your more convenient airports stings a bit but if you are saving about $800(total savings for 4 people) total I think it's worth it!

 

[Smiling Cheshire Cat]

We are doing the same thing for our upcoming trip. It was about $450 less than our home airport. The great thing for us is my sister lives in the town we are flying out of so we also won't have to pay to park our car which for 13 days would have cut into our savings. We also had to add a day to our trip as well, but we got another day of Free Dining so that helped me justify the added cost. Plus it's another day at Disney so I won't complain.

 

[MinnieVanMom]

I wish we only had a 1.5 hour drive to the airport! We live in a rural area. We always have a long airport drive; price determines which direction we drive.

I played the searching game yesterday myself. It absolutely pays to look outside the box.

Right there with you. Salt lake is the closest major city with Southwest. It is also about 4 hours with stops for food, gas, etc. Yet we think this is just normal.

There are times that local airports have as good or better rates than SLC. Then it is only 1.5 hours drive. At times I factor how much is the time, fuel, etc worth and am willing to pay more to fly out of a closer airport.