April 2012 flyers - have you bought airfare yet?

[LittleStinkerbelle]

We're planning to go to WDW during DD's April break next year (starts 4/14 if that matters). We normally don't buy airfare this early (haven't even booked a room yet) but since I'm a newbie to the "flying over school break week" game, I'm wondering if we should bite the bullet. I've been eyeing fares on JetBlue and a few weeks ago there were lots of $114/each way fares now they are climbing to $164+.

So for those of you seasoned April break flyers, have you gotten your airline tix already or are you waiting a bit?

 

[Maxwell]

We bought ours. Had to leave April 11th in the afternoon though. Delta non stop from BOS for $150pp. Back on April 21st on JetBlue at 8AM but have to stop and change in Newark for $157. Non stops are out of sight expensive like $500pp. We were going to wait for SW from PVD but my wife hates SW so we just bit the bullet and booked.

 

[bear_mom]

No, Airtran (or SW) doesn't have their airfare posted yet for the end of April so I am waiting to see what happens when that opens.

Emily

 

[lizzygreen]

I have traveled April vacation week 3 times and always flown Southwest out of Hartford. I always bought my airfare the day Southwest came out with them (actually - my husband "hatched" the computer and bought them as soon as he saw them released) From the moment they came out, prices for that week (flying on the weekends) rose steadily and never came down. April 14-21 is a big vacation week in New England this year, so flights from New England are going to be in demand. I don't know how popular that week is for April vacation in the NY area, but if I saw a reasonable airfare, I would grab it if I knew I was definitely going!

FYI - for April 2012, I now have a choice between Southwest and Jetblue out of Hartford. Southwest has not released their fares yet. Jetblue released them a few weeks ago, and they were ridiculously high from Hartford for April vacation week. It made me worry about what Southwest was going to be when they were released. We ended up deciding to drive 2 hours to fly out of Newburgh NY (near West Point) - It saved us several 100 dollars - including the fact that we are staying in a hotel the night before (which offers a stay, park, fly package).

 

[cheerful chickadee]

We're traveling at the end of april into May so I have gotten airline tix for the trip down on JetBlue but I'm not able to get the trip home yet. This way if another airline is cheaper on the way back we have the freedom of going with another carrier. When the fares first came out they were $120 and now they're $159 and rising so I'm glad I got them when I did. Seems like everything just keeps going up, up, up. I'm hoping I can get with way back at the same price so total it would be $1100 total for 4 tix round trip.

ETA: I went with JetBlue, last week of april at $120pp one way, non-stop

 

[LittleStinkerbelle]

Thanks all for your input - I think we better get crackin' with our airfare.

FYI - for April 2012, I now have a choice between Southwest and Jetblue out of Hartford. Southwest has not released their fares yet. Jetblue released them a few weeks ago, and they were ridiculously high from Hartford for April vacation week. It made me worry about what Southwest was going to be when they were released. We ended up deciding to drive 2 hours to fly out of Newburgh NY (near West Point) - It saved us several 100 dollars - including the fact that we are staying in a hotel the night before (which offers a stay, park, fly package).

We sometimes fly out of BDL and awhile back I looked up Delta's prices for that week (before JB opened) and the fares were crazy high so I'm assuming that's "the" week in the Hartford-area. I think maybe NY gets an earlier break next year because LGA, JFK, HPN don't seem as bad - not as low as non-break weeks but not as bad as I feared.

 

[jilliemom]

We're going the week before you - DD's 1st day off is good Friday and then the following week, so we're planning on going Thurs to Thurs to try to get a lower fare (she'll miss 1 day of school). We fly out of Hartford & as already mentioned fares for SW aren't out yet. I've been checking JB daily but flights are a little high - checked White Plains and they were double! Unless JB goes down, I will wait for SW rates.

 

[LittleStinkerbelle]

I priced out Monday to Monday and got a much better fare - we'd have to take DD out of school for that second Monday. But then I went to the WDW site and found that the lowest room category at BC for that combo of dates is waterview. So any savings on airfare would be negated (and then some!) with the higher room rates. Missing the days of not being bound by the school calendar right about now.

 

[sseem76]

We purchased ours in July. We have round trip on Us air from Philly nonstop $220 a person

 

[momtwoboys]

booked Jetblue out of BDL April 11th and returning the 20th...both nonstop flights and the prices were not toooo bad they are good times and the price came out to about 1,400.00 for 4 people r/t

 

[momtwoboys]

it actually is $323.00 r/t per person which for a school vacation I thought is pretty darn good especially NONSTOP!!!! good luck

 

[stitch34]

I'd say start keeping your eye out for what you feel is a good price and do it.

For spring break/Easter in 2009 and 2010 we booked our air with SWest probably Jan/Feb and got $59 each way.
BUT... wanted to go 2011.... end of September saw $69 each way and though eh, will wait a bit.... come first week of October they went into the $130s each way and never went down... so we never went for spring break.

 

[Lisa0620]

not yet - waiting for airtran/sw release in Sept. but second guessing myself every day!

 

[tspooh]

We purchased ours a few weeks ago. Out of Kalamazoo (our local airport) nonstop to Orlando/Sanford for $188 pp. This is for the first week in April which is our spring break. We will have to rent a car which is fine with us. Much cheaper than Detroit to MCO! This is on Direct Air.

Teresa

 

[Donna M]

We bought our 8 tickets on JetBlue a couple of weeks ago for $2341. We got 6 tickets for $289.40 each and then 2 for $302.40 out of Boston. I wasn't able to buy 8 at one time and was on hold for so long I just broke up the purchase into two transactions online.

The price has gone up to $309 now.

Rental cars are real expensive this year too. I had a $306.39 rental with Enterprise but found a Budget code and now have a compact for $263.74. (Myself and another mom will be in the car to grocery shop, while the dads and kids take ME)


Our tickets are for April 23-28.

 

[cathicool]

We bought our air already-- we are flying Delta, April 3 (late flight) non-stop from LGA to MCO, paid $104pp. Our return is also on Delta, April 14, midday, but from Melbourne Airport to LGA with 1 stop for $120pp. All the nonstops out of MCO back to LGA were $472--one way and it was just too obscene to spend that kind of money....$576pp!

So we are much happier spending $224 r/t....

Good luck...I'd book ASAP......I booked within days of the airfare being released. I haven't seen the prices go any lower.

 

[Tinknalli]

Booked our flights down on 4/13 out of Hartford on 5/19. American Airlines connecting through O'hare daytime flights for $99/pp. Return flights on 4/22 booked through Jet Blue on 7/17 within 15 minutes of them being released. Got $124 /pp non stop mid day flights. In my experience book spring break asap as the prices do nothing but climb after they are released.

 

[DVCKev]

We're going April 12-21, 2012. I go during April vacation and up here in Boston the prices are similarly outragous. So we are comtemplating taking a train to NY, sleeping over, and flying non stop to Orlando the next morning for our next trip and saving almost $2k after the train there and back and the hotel as well over prices from Boston. We might even make a day trip to Manhattan and will probably still save after my wife's spending lol. We decided to wait until SW prices come out and will look at Providence as it is about an hour and a half from my house south of Boston. I'm thinking that the NY thing is what we will end up doing unless a miracle happens at Logan for us.

 

[LittleStinkerbelle]

Thanks all for responding - I am now the proud owner of airline tix for April break week .

After crunching numbers we decided to shorten the trip up to 5 nights - Mon. - Sat. We were able to get JetBlue out of JFK for under $250/pp round trip - non-stop both ways. We also had a travel credit from a price drop for our October trip, so that helped as well.

Now I'm eager to get on and book our package but of course the reservation system is down .