airfare $$$- when to book?

[krismom]

I just looked into flights for our March trip....for the 5 of us right now it would be 1,600.00 on Jetblue! Wow! This seems really high... I was wondering when you guys book flights... I guess waiting means the fare could go down. I would love to do Southwest but they don't go out of JFK. Any pointers on airfare info would be great!
Thanks!

 

[dreamscometrue]

I booked our airfare last week and our trip isn't until June 27,2006. I got the lowest price that I have ever found so I jumped on it. $821.60 for 4 of us on Continental out of Newark. Last year when we were going I paid over $1,100. I look at the savings as "souvenier shopping money"

Good luck!!

P.S. I checked the same flights yesterday and they are now up to $861. Another $40 towards my shopping.

 

[MickeyMamma]

We are flying out of NY this Spring and booked Delta Song. It was MUCH cheaper than JetBlue and it is just as nice. (We have flown both.) I think that the Song flights are costing us about half of the rate that JetBlue had. We fly out of LGA.

We just booked this past week because it is a high travel time and we were worried with the rising fuel costs that the price of tickets would just keep going up and up.

 

[Nik's Mom]

I usually start checking as soon as they open up (320 days?) then keep watching. Once it drops below what we paid on a previous trip, I book it.

 

[PJV57]

As another poster said, check the airline(s) regularly (daily if you can). Also go to mousesavers.com (Transportation) for tips.

I recently booked my airfare after checking 3 airlines daily. Delta had a great price for direct flights at the times that I wanted. I've continued checking at Delta and the prices have gone up significantly. (I keep checking because if the price goes lower, Delta will issue a credit but only if I call them.)

I've also read that the best prices seem to be available 6 months prior and then again 2 months prior. Happy hunting!

 

[Colinsmom]

I usually do best booking airfare about 2 months in advance, assuming that there is nothing extreme going on. Though that could be anywhere from 1-3 months in advance; I just keep on checking until I find a deal that makes me happy, then buy it and stop looking, lol!

 

[RAD]

IMHO I think you just need to find flights that you're OK about paying the fare for and do it, else you're always going to be second guessing yourself and drive yourself crazy. I have a co-worker that's doing that now. He's was looking for flights for spring break next year and found flights that fit his budget but said he paid a bit less last year so he waited. That was a week ago and so far the price has gone up every day since so now he's shooting himself for not booking when he did. I know in the past, don't know if they still do it, if I've found a cheaper fare on flights that I have tickets for I call the airline and they refund the difference via vouchers for future flights.

 

[ceecee]

Well, I booked last month for our late September trip (thought gas prices were going up) Paid $99.00 (one way) they are now down to $69.00!
DH heard on Clark Howard's radio show that you should wait until 2 weeks before to buy. We however, are not that flexible when we leave and come home so I like to have them booked. If you see a good fare, buy them and don't check the website again!

 

[bigcrit]

I booked our airfare last week and our trip isn't until June 27,2006. I got the lowest price that I have ever found so I jumped on it. $821.60 for 4 of us on Continental out of Newark. Last year when we were going I paid over $1,100. I look at the savings as "souvenier shopping money"

Good luck!!

P.S. I checked the same flights yesterday and they are now up to $861. Another $40 towards my shopping.

I just saw a flight leaving AC for 160 round trip per person. Don't know how close to AC you are but it may be worth it. I think it was Spirit Air. AC is much better than Newark or Phila.

 

[DisneyaHolic23]

I have read more than once that the specials are released on Tuesday nights at midnight, EST. Since I live on the west coast, I usually start searching at around 9:10 PM our time. I have seen specials sell-out, even as I was booking... It doesn't seem as true of late - deals have been hit or miss.

 

[liamandcaili]

We are going in late November and got a great rate on Song. Around $120 per person, I think. We had to book before August 15. However, in the past, I have found good deals on Cheaptickets and Travelocity. Check for flights using the My Dates Are Flexible option (even if they aren't) and you'll get a sense of what the lowest fares available are. You can then check your dates and see if the fare is available for the days you want. This option will not show rates for JetBlue or Southwest, though. You'll have to visit their websites to check their fares. Also, Hotwire sometimes has good rates. The only problem is that their best rates do not tell you what airline you're flying or what time you'll be departing. I've never booked through them for this reason. It does give you a sense of what you might be able to find if you are persistent though.

We saved a lot of money last April when we went by flying out on Wednesday and leaving Monday rather than the original fly Sunday, leave Friday. The price was about $400 per person for Sunday/Friday and I think we paid $225 for Wednesday/Monday. That was on JetBlue. Since we were going April vacation week, we booked in August, I think.

Good luck!

 

[magnetgirl]

I found these hints on the Southwest site. I found them interesting...

Helpful Hints to Find Fares and Flights:
To find the best fares:
Time of the flight: Select a flight before 7:00am or after 7:00pm. In addition, Saturday and Sunday flights are eligible for off-peak pricing.
Day of the week: Certain Southwest fares are priced lower on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays.
To find an available flight:
Try selecting a flight on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Saturday. These days are traditionally not traveled as heavily as Monday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday.
Midday flights are more likely to have seats available than morning flights (7:00am-9:00am) and late afternoon flights (3:00pm-6:00pm).
The most popular times to travel are Friday night, Sunday afternoon and evening, and Monday morning and thus, it is harder to get the lower fares at these times.

 

[LOVETHATMOUSE]

We are doing the special Memorial Day DCL Cruise and totally forgot we had to fly in Memorial Day weekend. Talk about sticker shock! $240 down and $120 back - $360 x 3 is tooo much! Luckily I checked again this weekend and got $79 doing down, $89 coming back - 168 + taxes - MUCH BETTER!! I think if you check everyday - and yes, it's a P.I.T.A., but it can save you tons!!

 

[NeverlandClub23]

I booked a couple of days ago from Indianapolis to Orlando non-stop for our trip this December for two roundtrip tickets $280. The cheapest I found a couple of months ago was with southwest for $160 but I went on orbitz to see if they had anything and they had them for $140 with perfect times leaving and returning. I usually wait until three months before I go somewhere but that's just my preference. I don't know if it makes any difference price wise. I get nervous waiting until too close because I don't want to pay an arm and a leg or not be able to get a flight.