Airline Reservations from Bos

[CorbsVWL]

I was just currious how far in advance people usually book their airline reservations from Boston?
We are planning a trip for next April and can technically book flights but am unsure whether airlines have all their flight schedules determined yet.
Flight prices already seem a bit high (~$400+).
I was able to book a flight this past Feb. for April 2001 for $250.
Can't figure out the airfare game.

Thanks!

 

[Cora]

book ASAP. Friends of mine booked for next April and are going out on Thurs 4/11, and returning on the Sat, 4/20. According to their travel agent there was very little left on the Sat return and they are returning from Atlanta (Delta Hub). They are going out of Providence.

I booked as soon as I could for the Sun, 4/14 and returning on the Fri, 4/19 (we're going Sun - Fri to use less DVC points). I was able to get non-stop out of Logan on Delta Express for $278 roundtrip each.

I always book the first available time I can when it's school vacation.

My suggestion, find a good rate and grab it. Have you also tried Member Services, sometimes their bulk rates are very good!

Cora

 

[SHELL]

I always book exactly out as far as I can which I think is like 330 days or so. Delta seems to have the best fares. Plus if the prices go down then you can get a rebate anyways. We usually pay about $200 pp for roundtrip from Boston ro Orlando.

 

[wdwoldtimer]

We fly out of Logan and have made reservations anywhere from 7-8 months out to 1 month out. I would guess that for something like next April which is 10-11 months out, the airline is just estimating what the price will be...and to be safe, they will estimate on the high side. If it's during a vacation week, however, the prices are high and availability gets taken up quickly.
Generally flights are in the $180-$300 range, but it also depends on the dates. And pricing for airlines is done completely by black magic. (NOT Disney magic!) You can call the same airline two times in 10 minutes and get two different prices. You can make a reservation months in advance and get higher prices than you do if you make it a few weeks before...and vice versa.

If you wait a while and try later on, you'll might get a better price. You might also get nothing. Try online airfare searches like expedia.com. Persistance pays off. Don't be afraid to keep calling, ask for lower fares etc. They will always try to sell you the least restrictive, most expensive airfare at first.

 

[BobH]

I just booked on American around the 1st of May and paid $193 for a June 2 trip to Orlando. I booked 6 months ago for my daughter on Delta Express and paid $215. I think anything between $180 and $220 is reasonable. Watch travelocity for airfares and then jump on a fare when they get low. I usually start looking for a good fares 6-8 months out and I can usually lock in a decent rate at lest 3 to 4 months away from travel. Check Providence TF Green airport as well. Sometimes flights to the same destinations will be offered for a lower price. Can't figure this out but I have seen a difference in price of several hundred dollars.

Addition: I agree with the others on school vacation weeks. Book as early as possible. I will use frequent flyer miles for tickets when the cost is unreasonalby high. Good luck.

 

[Linda/MA]

I booked the American flights (non-stop) for this past April vacation week as soon as I possibly could. I got burned a couple of years ago when I tried to book in August for that week. Nothing was available and we had to fly from Monday-Monday. We paid about $250 each R/T for the AA flights. There seem to be no deals that week. I booked through travelocity.com and got a better deal than booking directly with the airline.

 

[CapeCod53]

If you are talking April vacation week, you have most likely missed all the good flights. You really need to do this at the 330 days out, which is by Memorial Day. You can worry about the price later, you need the seats asap. Would Providence or Manchester, NH work for you if Logan is booked? We got non-stop early morning flight to Orlando & late afternoon return flight by booking the 330 day. We had learned from previous attempt in August to get good flights for April. Wasted 2 whole days traveling having to make connections & got stuck in Atlanta for 5 hrs. Might need to try for Mon-Mon for leave earlier Thur-Thur.

 

[mattjs]

We booked in November 2000 for an April 2001 (Easter week) trip and got the 7:30 AM American Airlines non-stop for just over $300. Really like that flight cause we're at the resort by 11:30 AM. In January, February and March 2001 we watched the fare rise to $800+ so, for that time of year, I'd book at least 4 months out.

By comparison, the same flight for a mid June 2000 trip was under $200. And we bought those tickets about 3 weeks before we left.

And one last comparison, we booked (yet again) the same flight for September 2000 for a fare around $260. We actually bought them about 3 months out for a fare of around $300. A month later it actually dropped to around $260 and I stopped by the counter at Logan to get vouchers for the difference.

We usually use www.expedia.com to track the fares for at least a couple weeks before we buy any tickets.

 

[diana's mommie]

BOOK ASAP. I am a travel agent whose agency does not do airline tickets. School vacation are always the highest because alot of the cruiseline gooble them up. You can not compare the vacation price to any other time it is like apples and oranges.