Airfares -- low or high?

[SaraClarke]

I am a reporter with the Orlando Sentinel, and am looking to talk with people about their airfares (either booked recently or still looking). Since many people on this board are repeat visitors to the Orlando market, I was hoping some people could tell me whether airfares seem higher, or lower, than usual this year.
Feel free to email me if you'd like to weigh in.

 

[Disneyfun1]

airfares are way higher!! we want to go to wdw next month, but the airfare to MCO is 400-500+. I have never paid over $200 in the past. this is rediculous. we wont be going if i dont find a good price!

 

[justplaingoofy]

We visit every year and have noticed a steady increase in the last 3 years.

We fly from Bos-Mco JetBlue and for the last 3 yrs paid $49 each way(2004), last year $59(2005), this year $89(2006.)

Also if you compare the air to other places it has gone up...alot.. We used to be able to fly from Boston-Jamaica for under $400, now alot of the flights are over $600 and they now have connections.

 

[jackmac]

I've flown Bos-MCO about 3 times per year for the past few years. The RT range has been $160 to $220 with the average being about $200. This year price is up to $250 to $300 and availablility is down. I used to be able to get a early morning flight to MCO cheaply, now it's gone way up. It's become cheaper to fly down a day early in the afternoon and stay at a moderate hotel than fly down early morning. This will definately impact my going to WDW as often.

 

[KristinU]

Yes, definitely higher. And it will impact our trips as well. Many of our 2nd/3rd trips in a year have been due to a combination of business travel to FL and the ability to grab a cheap fare to go meet up there. The way it looks now we'll probably just take our annual fall trip and not get in any additional "quick trips". BTW, we're using FF miles for two of the three of us in our family for our annual trip and paying cash for the third since fares are high. It kills me to use FF miles to go to FL from New England butwe're meeting up with my parents down there so our dates weren't terribly flexible once the wheels were in motion.

 

[Cinderella2004]

Sara,

My family and I have a trip planned in August. This is the first year we decided to not take DD out of school, so when Disney announced it's free dining, we booked quickly. I believe that was April?? (someone correct me if I'm wrong).

Well, over the months I'd been watching and watching air fare. Thinking this trip may be cancelled, as I've been able to get great deals in the past,I didn't want to pay anymore than 550. Being close to both Logan Airport and Providence (Jet Blue and Southwest) has proved to be a competitive market.

Thanks to a DING! fare a couple of weeks ago, nothing can stop us now!! We are flying for $316.80 RT for the 3 of us.

So, even though I was stressed out, it worked out. I just had to wait a bit longer than usual to book my air.

 

[jctwizzer]

Just a suggestion: You may want to consult the Sentinel style manual....
then just make something up that fits a pre dertermined conclusion JMHO

 

[MinnieGirl33]

We fly in from PHL.

Rates are most definately up.

Usually pay $79 ea way + tax. Sometimes got lucky with $59. Now are lucky with $99 - $107 ea way.

The stinky thing about it is,like gas prices, we are becoming conditioned to these rates so even IF airlines (gas co.'s) COULD lower rates the won't. Why should they if planes are still full. JMO.

 

[jengelbrecht]

I expected higher prices this year, but we got $117 RT from Meto Detroit with Northwest Airlines. I've read on the boards that quite a few people got great fares flying out of Metro Detroit.
I guess it depends on where you're departing from and your availability to check the prices online several times throughout the day, for weeks or even months before your trip. I've seen my particular flights jump from $117 to $238 and back down to $125 in a 24 hour span. Timing is everything!

 

[JanetK]

They are higher and I think will remain high through the summer. I have booked my flight for Spring Break next year already. I booked in May. I am leaving in March. We are flying American out of O'hare, on a weekend. I watch the oil prices and keep checking. I got round trip, non-stop, for 4 of us for $1200.00. Since then it has gone up to 1852.00 and has been as high as 1972.00. I have also found lower prices on a Tuesday or Wednesday. Last year I booked in August for our spring break trip, but I saw the prices going up and pursued it earlier. I don't even have a room yet.

 

[DisMN]

Airfares are considerably higher for us and we're also "forced" to fly NWA with nary a discount in sight. It used to be that we could find discounts or that the airline would have spur of the moment sales and we almost always found flights for under $270. We're not seeing any flights for next Jan for less than $400 .....the've been high for several months now and I haven't seen them budge downward at all.

It definitely has made an impact on our travel plans. There have been several instances where we considered a quickie trip which we used to be able to find discount airfares for. Those don't seem to exist anymore. We're down to one major trip per year instead of one big one with 1-2 extra short trips.

Totally due to the cost of airfare.

Funny thing is is I'm hearing that the planes have been full. Go figure.


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[Disneyjosh229]

Truthfully, Ive seen airfares around the same price as they always have been (out of Detroit). The past few trips we have paid between $190-$220 p/p consitently, and havent seen much of a change out of the norm. I have been noticing though that many of the Legacy carriers (Northwest and American in perticular) have been trying to lower prices to compete with some of the low cost carriers (Spirit, AirTran).

 

[DJNOWICK]

Best I have ever done from BWI-MCO is $120. I can do about $130 if I am flexible with my dates and work a little harder. You just need to be a smarter traveler these days but if you are, rates are more or less the same but youhave less choice on dates, times, etc. to get the good deals.

Jackie

 

[jengelbrecht]

There just doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to the pricing. Yesterday the fares were high from Detroit to Orlando. Today the RT price (9/9-9/16) on NWA is back down to $117. I'd love to know the formula they use to price their flights.

 

[DebbieB]

Airfares are considerably higher for us and we're also "forced" to fly NWA with nary a discount in sight. It used to be that we could find discounts or that the airline would have spur of the moment sales and we almost always found flights for under $270. We're not seeing any flights for next Jan for less than $400 .....the've been high for several months now and I haven't seen them budge downward at all.

It definitely has made an impact on our travel plans. There have been several instances where we considered a quickie trip which we used to be able to find discount airfares for. Those don't seem to exist anymore. We're down to one major trip per year instead of one big one with 1-2 extra short trips.

Totally due to the cost of airfare.

Funny thing is is I'm hearing that the planes have been full. Go figure.
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The reason they are so high is because of the planes being full. There's no reason to discount when you don't have empty seats. The airlines were in bad financial shape after 9/11 when there were so many empty seats and they had to discount to fill them. It's rough when you are in a city with little competition, they can pretty much name their price.

 

[audipolo]

The reason they are so high is because of the planes being full. There's no reason to discount when you don't have empty seats. The airlines were in bad financial shape after 9/11 when there were so many empty seats and they had to discount to fill them. It's rough when you are in a city with little competition, they can pretty much name their price.

I have to agree with this. The airlines have 'fare buckets' that allow for a certain amount of discounted fares per flight and once these are filled, then the price goes up. Since most of the flights I have been on (both on business and pleasure) this year have been full, I can say that fares may be affected because demand recently has really gone up!

 

[dougsmom98]

I have been looking for fares night and day for the last 2 months hoping to snag something I can live with for either President's Week 2007 or the third week of April 2007 from either PWM, MHT or BOS. I am a teacher and can only go during peak times. Last year I was able to get something reasonable for my family of 6 for Presiden's week but I booked in early June and usually for peak weeks, the early bird gets the worm. This doesn't seem to be the case this year. I will continue to look but unless something comes up around $200, we won't go.

 

[DMRick]

Same. We fly Southwest, and usually pay between $50 - 79 each way, depending on if it's a holiday time. We get the cheaper fares by watching the SW dings and specials. They just had a ding for September for under $50! To get the lower rates, we generally have to fly midweek.

 

[Cdn Friends of Pooh]

Travellers in the US have much cheaper flights than those of us from Canada. Coach fares are ranging between $700 -$1000 return right now for our October trip. With the prices so high, we decided to book first class for $1500 return. Last year at this time we paid $450 return each.

 

[DisMN]

The reason they are so high is because of the planes being full. There's no reason to discount when you don't have empty seats. The airlines were in bad financial shape after 9/11 when there were so many empty seats and they had to discount to fill them. It's rough when you are in a city with little competition, they can pretty much name their price.

Thankyou, that's what we figured as far as the full planes keeping them from offering discounts. As you also noted the problem is twofold in areas where there is no competition, but I do believe they're flying fewer trips per day so that could account for the planes being filled as well. So which came first, the full planes or the high prices? LOL



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