Are flight always this high?

[Tigger1]

Airfair is running about $1000 for two of us from OKC to MCO. Dallas to Mco is about the same. DD is in San Diego and her flight could run $700. I am hoping that the airfair goes down. We are going after christmas and coming back the 6th of January. Are fairs higher than usual this year or is this about typical. We have never flown in December.

 

[carissa1970]

Airfair is running about $1000 for two of us from OKC to MCO. Dallas to Mco is about the same. DD is in San Diego and her flight could run $700. I am hoping that the airfair goes down. We are going after christmas and coming back the 6th of January. Are fairs higher than usual this year or is this about typical. We have never flown in December.

They are not always this high. I have noticed that as well. Southwest is running between $350-550 for a one way flight and has been that way for months! It is ridiculous.

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[CarolMN]

I think they are higher this year. We're paying about $100 each more than we paid last year.

 

[CareHeartsDisney]

I've noticed that flights are much higher than last year out of Syracuse.

 

[rlduvall]

Airfair is running about $1000 for two of us from OKC to MCO. Dallas to Mco is about the same. DD is in San Diego and her flight could run $700. I am hoping that the airfair goes down. We are going after christmas and coming back the 6th of January. Are fairs higher than usual this year or is this about typical. We have never flown in December.

I'm out of Tulsa and am having the same issue. And we have fewer airlines here than you do, with even less competition for our $$. But, I have seen some incredible rates from OKC to MCO lately [$240 pp], less than 1/2 what we have to pay from Tulsa [$512 pp] - just not for your timeframe. I have considered it, but just not sure I want to put the family through the 90 minute drive versus the easy 20 minute drive to Tulsa International [because only 1 ticket needed as it's for my solo trip].

 

[Tigger1]

Actually I only checked SW. I really like flying SW as free luggage and the cancellation policy. We were able to switch our flights for the March trip to better times about 4 weeks prior. We even got a credit. That really worked out nicely.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Actually I only checked SW. I really like flying SW as free luggage and the cancellation policy. We were able to switch our flights for the March trip to better times about 4 weeks prior. We even got a credit. That really worked out nicely.

If WN's price is so high, why wouldn't you check prices for other airlines?

 

[ChristmasElf]

Actually I only checked SW. I really like flying SW as free luggage and the cancellation policy. We were able to switch our flights for the March trip to better times about 4 weeks prior. We even got a credit. That really worked out nicely.

American Airlines has such a huge presence in both Tulsa as well as of course Dallas (biggest hub)
Keep an eye on these fares as there are often great prices announced.

 

[rlduvall]

If WN's price is so high, why wouldn't you check prices for other airlines?

While I agree with the theory, in practice in our region [same as the OP] the airlines 'monitor' SW pricing and are usually within just a few dollars either way. Factor in the competition's baggage fees, not to mention their flexible rebooking rules; SW tends to be the airline of choice.

 

[Greysword]

Actually I only checked SW. I really like flying SW as free luggage and the cancellation policy. We were able to switch our flights for the March trip to better times about 4 weeks prior. We even got a credit. That really worked out nicely.

Ah, yes. WN's prices are increasing substantially, especially from the "good old days" when their intent was to grab market share versus make a profit.

WN is facing a number of financial factors that have plagued the legacy airlines for some time. Their fuel hedging is over, they have substantial labor costs that are extremely difficult to resolve (since management doesn't want to upset the unions), and their aircraft are aging. Not to mention the increase in destinations mean more gate fees and State taxes, as well as a lack of a central hub system to take advantage of economies of scale. These are all factors that are causing WN's overall ticket price to increase.

WN does still hold an advantage over many legacy airlines in that their routes are purely domestic. As such, they do not pay international tax, nor do they have to allocate resources for customs monitoring and other such activities. They also do a fine job of flying with fairly full aircraft, due to their reputation as a "low cost" airline to the general public. Plus, they still have many gates at smaller regional airports, which was in line with their original business model that they eventually had to abandon.

They are able to take these cost savings and use them for free bags (which are not really free, WN either eats the cost or includes some in the ticket price which is then taxed and paid for by us).

However, Tigger, I would like to point out that it would be helpful if the original post indicated the topic was specifically about Southwest prices, as I read it as airfare in general. In general, airfare is lower than it was in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s when we account for inflation, even with ancillary fees (bags, seat assignment, etc). Yep, prices seem higher, since WN came in and caused a dust-up in the late 1990s and 2000s, but overall airfare isn't too bad in the longer term analysis.

As for us, WN isn't the lowest price in and out of Portland, OR for any destination. Instead, they are significantly higher than some legacy and fellow low-cost airlines. WN has its place, though, for many markets.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Delta flight 2210 out of DFW 12/27, connecting to 1769.
Return 1/6, Flight 2169 connecting to 1810
$320 each = $640 + one checked bag each in each direction @ $25 = $100
Total $740
Savings from Southwest with "free" luggage $260.

Same dates from San Diego, both Delta and Alaska have nonstop flights for $397. Add another $50 for luggage.

Oh, and if you can move your trip back to December 31 or later, the DFW/MCO fare drops to $215 round trip each.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

........

WN does still hold an advantage over many legacy airlines in that their routes are purely domestic. As such, they do not pay international tax, nor do they have to allocate resources for customs monitoring and other such activities.....

That's going to change once the merger with AirTran is complete and WN assumes their international routes.

 

[bookgirl]

Airfair is running about $1000 for two of us from OKC to MCO. Dallas to Mco is about the same. DD is in San Diego and her flight could run $700. I am hoping that the airfair goes down. We are going after christmas and coming back the 6th of January. Are fairs higher than usual this year or is this about typical. We have never flown in December.

Flying out of WillRogers I can typically find Southwest for around the $300 mark. (I did have one that was $400 but I changed it to a sale price later and used the credit for another trip later). Recently we got a sale for about $250 (Oct).

I often book even when a little high knowing that I fly mutiple times a year and can easily use my credit in the required time.

If I had to guess it's probably the holiday prices combined with no sales on winter flights yet.