Airfare update

[Tortuga Rob]

We had to change our plans and cancel Disney because it would have cost us around $3,600 for 5 people to go from Halifax to MCO the end of August.

I'm so sad about it. Even though we have different plans for vacation and it is all booked, I still haven't cancelled Disney. I"m so pathetic. I better get going or we will lose our deposit.

Why not drive and save HUGE dollars? It is the cost of 1 flight rt. Just my thought.

 

[kellymarch]

I had no idea Southwest had any flights into Canada? Is this something new?

Oops. Meant to type Sunwing.

 

[The Lorax]

Oops. Meant to type Sunwing.

Thanks, that makes more sense now. I thought that maybe I missed something,
I bet it was nice to have that direct flight!

 

[KaraLyn]

We just flew. Feb. 28 - March 7 direct, non-stop out of Halifax on Southwest. Was about $625 RT I think.

Thanks Kellymarch....I'll check out Sunwing. I'll play the wait and see game for now and hope for prices to drop through the year.

 

[westcoastgal]

We are flying direct from Toronto to Orlando in late September. I refuse to go from Buffalo with little kids unless there was substantial savings and there aren't. Plus, once I factored in drive time, parking a car, and that when we come home, we just want to get home, and not through the border, it was a no brainer for us. I have a friend going to DW in November who disagrees and is going to fly from Buffalo but I honestly don't see the savings unless you are a large family, and then I would or even drive.
I have used Yapta and love it. I am so glad we bought our tickets when we did as they have been going up since. I purchased and then told my friend who's going with us, to buy as my research and hunch told me that prices would go up. She waited and ended up paying $40 more each ticket but since, they have gone up and up anyways. I paid $432 per person.
The deciding factor for me was flight times. I hate wasting full days on travel. I chose the morning flight there so that when we land, we still have a full day and our departure is 8:30pm at night, giving us a good portion of the day in Orlando before heading to the airport. Maybe I am wrong but from Buffalo, I was seeing indirect flights, or direct flights that were pricey, flight times I wouldn't want to do and baggage fees the same or higher than Canadian airlines.
Perhaps I should've waited closer to departure? My American friends say that with the current furloughs happening in the United States and cutbacks, they expect the airlines and transport employees to be affected, possibly resulting in higher airfares. Only time will tell but a few of them have already been affected directly at their jobs and have been cutback to try and balance the budget which Congress was unable to do. This gives me no faith in waiting to see if prices from Buffalo would go down super low. On the other hand, things surprise me all the time.

 

[wdwmom3]

We are flying direct from Toronto to Orlando in late September. I refuse to go from Buffalo with little kids unless there was substantial savings and there aren't. Plus, once I factored in drive time, parking a car, and that when we come home, we just want to get home, and not through the border, it was a no brainer for us. I have a friend going to DW in November who disagrees and is going to fly from Buffalo but I honestly don't see the savings unless you are a large family, and then I would or even drive.
I have used Yapta and love it. I am so glad we bought our tickets when we did as they have been going up since. I purchased and then told my friend who's going with us, to buy as my research and hunch told me that prices would go up. She waited and ended up paying $40 more each ticket but since, they have gone up and up anyways. I paid $432 per person.
The deciding factor for me was flight times. I hate wasting full days on travel. I chose the morning flight there so that when we land, we still have a full day and our departure is 8:30pm at night, giving us a good portion of the day in Orlando before heading to the airport. Maybe I am wrong but from Buffalo, I was seeing indirect flights, or direct flights that were pricey, flight times I wouldn't want to do and baggage fees the same or higher than Canadian airlines.
Perhaps I should've waited closer to departure? My American friends say that with the current furloughs happening in the United States and cutbacks, they expect the airlines and transport employees to be affected, possibly resulting in higher airfares. Only time will tell but a few of them have already been affected directly at their jobs and have been cutback to try and balance the budget which Congress was unable to do. This gives me no faith in waiting to see if prices from Buffalo would go down super low. On the other hand, things surprise me all the time.

We saved about $1000 flying out of buffalo (5 people). The parking there is also a lot cheaper. I have found crossing the bridges very easy. We also don't have to leave that much earlier then flying out of Toronto since you only need to be there 90 mins not 3 hours before the flight. It was also really nice checking our bags right at the resort for our trip home. But my favorite part of flying out of buffalo is just how less stressful it is. The airport is a lot smaller and less busy then Pearson. It just made our trip more enjoyable.

Yes it all us carriers charge for bags. We are flying JetBlue and they do not charge for the 1st checked bag or drinks and snacks. I have always had great service with them.

 

[kuhltiffany]

It depends when you are travelling too. For us, flying from Buffalo saves us at least half, sometimes it's as much as 1/4 of the price from Toronto. The price of parking/hotel in Buffalo is the same as parking alone in TO. It also makes going through customs easier too. I just booked our flights in Oct, $1030 return for 4 of us on Southwest!

 

[westcoastgal]

If it were 4 or 5 of us, I'd choose Buffalo too but it's usually only 2 or 3 of us. Luckily, we never have to pay to park at the airport and are dropped off and picked up. I agree that being there 3 hours early sucks but I'm usually there 2 and half if I'm lucky and that's where Air Canada lounge service helps us out.
Can I ask your flight times for those booked on Jet Blue and Southwest? Direct or indirect?
Maybe I should take another look for another trip we are planning and to give my friend going in November an idea of prices and flight times as her dates aren't bookable yet.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

We saved about $1000 flying out of buffalo (5 people). The parking there is also a lot cheaper. I have found crossing the bridges very easy. We also don't have to leave that much earlier then flying out of Toronto since you only need to be there 90 mins not 3 hours before the flight. It was also really nice checking our bags right at the resort for our trip home. But my favorite part of flying out of buffalo is just how less stressful it is. The airport is a lot smaller and less busy then Pearson. It just made our trip more enjoyable.

I will second this, and ditto it for the Syracuse airport. We have flown out of both and found not only a substantial savings on flight prices as compared to flying from Pearson, but also navigating the airports are a breeze (Pearson, in contrast, is a nightmare). We have all said we'd rather fly from Syracuse in particular (just because it avoids the traffic woes of Toronto for our commute) even if prices were the SAME as flying from Toronto.

Can I ask your flight times for those booked on Jet Blue and Southwest? Direct or indirect?

All of our flights, whether from Syracuse or Buffalo, have been non-stop (direct). We have not flown Southwest (I detest their open seating policy) but we have used both Jetblue (our favourite ) and Airtran.

For Christmas, our flight departed Buffalo at 7:55 am and had us on Orlando soil at 10:30 am. I think our flight home left at 4:30 pm (we landed at about 7 pm in Buffalo).

We are flying from Syracuse for our trip this August, again non-stop both directions and both ways on Jetblue. We were super happy to get a mid-afternoon flight to Orlando on a Friday (which means we don't need a park and fly hotel) and an early afternoon flight home on a Saturday (which has us back in SYR at 3 pm, allowing us to make it home at a reasonable time in evening). Those are the IDEAL times for our family.

We paid $330 pp for this coming August. This includes seat selection and checked baggage, as well as snacks on the plane.

I just ran the dates with Air Canada. Prices are $575 pp and we would have to take a 7 am flight home (or an 11 pm....even worse). And baggage, seat selection and food are all additional costs, if I am not mistaken.

Westjet is $484 pp return, with abysmal times.

 

[wdwmom3]

We are taking a late afternoon flight to mco this time. But there was an 8am flight the same day that was only about $15 a person more when we booked. Last time we went our flights left around 10am. On our way home we are taking a mid afternoon flight but could have taken an evening flight that was cheaper (we didn't want to be home late as we have to be at work the next day).

We don't stay at a hotel when we go so not sure what the hotel prices are like, but we paid $55 for a week of parking at the lot right at the terminal. There are other lots a little further away that are even cheaper.

 

[Sue M]

We are flying direct from Toronto to Orlando in late September. I refuse to go from Buffalo with little kids unless there was substantial savings and there aren't. Plus, once I factored in drive time, parking a car, and that when we come home, we just want to get home, and not through the border, it was a no brainer for us. I have a friend going to DW in November who disagrees and is going to fly from Buffalo but I honestly don't see the savings unless you are a large family, and then I would or even drive.
I have used Yapta and love it. I am so glad we bought our tickets when we did as they have been going up since. I purchased and then told my friend who's going with us, to buy as my research and hunch told me that prices would go up. She waited and ended up paying $40 more each ticket but since, they have gone up and up anyways. I paid $432 per person.
The deciding factor for me was flight times. I hate wasting full days on travel. I chose the morning flight there so that when we land, we still have a full day and our departure is 8:30pm at night, giving us a good portion of the day in Orlando before heading to the airport. Maybe I am wrong but from Buffalo, I was seeing indirect flights, or direct flights that were pricey, flight times I wouldn't want to do and baggage fees the same or higher than Canadian airlines.
Perhaps I should've waited closer to departure? My American friends say that with the current furloughs happening in the United States and cutbacks, they expect the airlines and transport employees to be affected, possibly resulting in higher airfares. Only time will tell but a few of them have already been affected directly at their jobs and have been cutback to try and balance the budget which Congress was unable to do. This gives me no faith in waiting to see if prices from Buffalo would go down super low. On the other hand, things surprise me all the time.

I agree, when you see a good fare, book it! I regret not doing that for our August 2013 trip, when I saw good fares back in Dec.
But I have booked for next Jan when I saw good fares! Even though its far ahead. I think some of the best fares are released early, and the better flights too.
For us flying out of Seattle does save us around $200 each, with factoring in hotel. It's low $300s flying out of Seattle (3hr drive) and $625 + flying out of Vancouver. I don't mind the hotel stay when we return, then head home the next morning fresh, with a stop at the Washington outlet mall

Who knows what's going to be happening at the borders and airports with security and customs, scary. They may start sched DME for a 5 hr Pre flight pick up!!!! Crazy

 

[cslittle999]

We're flying AirTran in August out of Buffalo for $230/person. Both flights are direct. The flight down leaves at 8AM and arrives at 10:40AM. The flight back leaves at 6:35PM and arrives at 9:10PM.

For our family of four, even including an overnight hotel stay in Buffalo, we're saving around $600 over flying out of Toronto. The flight departure times are better too.

 

[westcoastgal]

Actually flight times are very similar from Toronto there's 6:30 am, 8:30am and 10:30am direct departures and returns are direct and start in the morning, there's afternoon 2 or 4pm and evening, 8:30pm which I chose.
I never considered Syracuse. Overall, I am still not convinced and may just have to try it.
I was born and raised in Vancouver and did a vacation from Bellingham to Las Vegas once and Seattle to Mexico. I abhorred the extra border crossing and getting home. I don't want to overnight in a cheap motel either. I think I am a) very lazy and b) very spoiled. However, I will try it one day and probably change my mind as Buffalo isn't Bellingham.

 

[jpessa]

I flew direct from Toronto last November. It was convenient, true. However parking at the airport is ridiculously expensive. You also have to be there so early in case "crossing the border" at the airport has a long line. However, yes it was convenient that on our return we were already "almost home".
I'm going again in September, this time just me and DD, and we're flying out of Buffalo. Direct, great flight times, and because I booked with Southwest instead of AirTran, I get 2 checked bags free per person (even though the flight is operated by AirTran). I paid $220 per person. Saving $430 was totally worth it for me because that was the difference between 4 days and 6 days at the World (I had a fixed budget for this one).
If money wasn't an issue, I'd fly out of Toronto. But let's face it, money is always an issue because maybe I could spend that $400 on Character Dining, souvenirs, of the Disney Photo Album!
And of course, I like that they will now magically wisk my bags to my room from the airport and I can check in from my resort on the way back!
You gotta go with what is important to you: savings vs. convenience. I like savings, but that being said I don't think I will ever drive!

 

[Sprockie]

We almost always fly out of Syracuse. We always get a park and fly hotel the night before or the night after our return - doesn't matter when our flight leaves. Last time (January of this year), it was $119.00 for the park and fly and our truck stayed safe and sound at the hotel and we took their free airport shuttle to and from. I get Best Western gift cards ($100) from airmiles so that helps with the cost.
We love flying from Syracuse because it's less than 2 hours from where we live. You cross the border and there's no other customs holdups at any airport with a domestic flight. You don't have to get there hours before your flight because Syracuse is a small airport and again - domestic flight.

 

[Disneylover99]

We're flying AirTran in August out of Buffalo for $230/person. Both flights are direct. The flight down leaves at 8AM and arrives at 10:40AM. The flight back leaves at 6:35PM and arrives at 9:10PM.

For our family of four, even including an overnight hotel stay in Buffalo, we're saving around $600 over flying out of Toronto. The flight departure times are better too.

We are also flying AirTran in August and October (yay, with cheap flights out of Buffalo, I can afford two trips ) with these exact departure times.

We love to stay overnight in Buffalo before our flight. We never consider it a pain or a waste of time. It's part of our vacation! We check in early, go shopping, grab a bite to eat and go for a swim or relax in the hot tub. Then we get up, have a quick (complimentary) breakfast and go across the street to the airport.

Direct flights, early departure down, late arrival back, August trip $199 pp rt,
October trip $220 pp rt. What's not to love?

 

[DisneyFleet]

We're flying AirTran in August out of Buffalo for $230/person. Both flights are direct. The flight down leaves at 8AM and arrives at 10:40AM. The flight back leaves at 6:35PM and arrives at 9:10PM.

For our family of four, even including an overnight hotel stay in Buffalo, we're saving around $600 over flying out of Toronto. The flight departure times are better too.

We too are flying out of Buffalo leaving July 29 and returning August 5th with $230 RT per person for a family of four. What hotel are you staying at before? I have heard Quality Suites is good but since this is the first time we will be doing this, just checking around.

 

[Disneylover99]

We are staying at the Days Hotel Buffalo Airport, 4345 Genesee St.
$159 per night with 14 days of parking
$119 per night with 7 days of parking
We stayed here last year and were very happy with their breakfast and shuttle service.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

We too are flying out of Buffalo leaving July 29 and returning August 5th with $230 RT per person for a family of four. What hotel are you staying at before? I have heard Quality Suites is good but since this is the first time we will be doing this, just checking around.

We had a great experience at the Days Hotel Buffalo Airport in December . Excellent location (right across the road from the airport), great shuttle service, very clean rooms, free breakfast that starts at 4 am, large pool and hot tub, and super friendly staff. You can see pics from this location in my trip report (click on the link in my signature).

 

[dmbcanada]

Also found great prices flying AirTran via Buffalo. Gave up on Detroit and Delta, their prices have gone up to equivalent to Air Canada and Pearson.