air line fare

[bambii]

about a month ago I found tickets from Denver Co. to Tampa Fl. for 89.00 a person. I can't rember what website. but I went searching for Tickets today for June 2. through June 9th of this year. And I cant find anything close to that price. (over 200.00 per person )


Now my question I know its is a hard one but here it goes when is the best time to buy airline tickets and how far in advance to get a great deal???

We live in Rapid City and it is impossable to get a cheap flight her. So we would have to drive to Denver and catch a flight there.

any help would be great..

 

[Dan Murphy]

You just really never know, bambii. When I am looking for a fare, I usually use www.orbitz.com for searching, seems to work great fro me. I will usually also check with the two airlines I prefer to fly. I do both for a period of time to 'get a feel' for the going rates. When I see one I am comfortable with, I book it, on the airline site. I continue to check with both orbitz and airline after the purchase, to see if fare drops, thereby qualifying for a voucher for a future flight. You just have to keep checking. Orbitz also has a few nice options for varied searches, check them out.

You might copy this post on the DIS Transportation board, thereby getting a good cross section here, on the CB and there. Good luck.

 

[mommytotwo]

There are websites and also airlines that offer last minute deals, but I agree with Dan, you never really know.

 

[jsmith]

What Dan said-my son goes to school in South Carolina and regularly flies from either Atlanta or Charlotte to Denver. I use either Orbitz or Travelocity for an individual search and then go to the airlines web site for the one with the cheapest fare or the schedule that I want because you save about 20 per ticket that way. Also, since you are in Rapid don't limit yourself to searching from Denver-also use Sioux Falls and Billlings as you may actually get cheaper tickets that way.

 

[mad4themouse]

I've been told that many airlines "return" cancelled tickets to their databases after midnight on Wednesday mornings. Sometimes you can catch a good fare that way.

Another thing to do is to research your flights in the early AM. Before the TA's on the East Coast are up and booking flights (so that would be before 9 am EST and 6 am or earlier on the West Coast).

Like Dan said, I spend a week or so watching the fares for my dates to see how they are running. When I see a great fare, I don't hesitate to book it.

I like the Sidestep program. You download the programfrom SideStep.com to your desktop and then use it to put in your travel dates. It will give you prices for several websites, including Orbitz. You can use it for hotels and cars rentals too.

Lastly, I always check the carrier's website before booking thru a 3rd party. Very often, the carrier's website will have the same fares. If that's the case, I prefer to eliminate the middle man and book directly with the carrier.

But in the long run, it's a crapshoot. You just never know whether you're getting the best fare or not.

 

[Pin Wizard]

Thanks for that, Dan!! I'm a stickler for a direct flight over anything else. I recenlty checked for a direct flight from FL to VA. Found ONE...literally! Some airline I never heard of out of Orlando! Not one in West Palm or Ft. Lauderdale.