Booking Airfare 101 - I need guidance.

[mom2boys]

We usually drive on our family vacations - 8,000 miles from MD to OR and back last summer. THis year we are planning to fly. I haven't booked airfare in over 5 years. So I need a lot help from some veteran flyers.
Our itinerary is to fly from Washington-Dulles (Baltimore/Washington or Washington- Reagan are alternatives) to Albuquerque, NM the last Saturday in June return two weeks later - early July on a Saturday.
There will be 4 of us - 2 adults & two preteens. We will be renting a van/SUV to tour the Southwest/Four Corners States.
What do I need to know? How far in advance should I book for the best fares? Tell me everything.

 

[seashoreCM]

If you have some flexibility with dates, you should wait for an explicit fare sale as opposed to booking at the everyday low price.

My own recommendation is to plan to have two hours to make connections.

Select seats, any seats, as soon as possible if possible. You can make changes later. On many airlines, those without assigned seats have a slightly greater chance of being bumped.

Check back on line every few weeks. Should a schedule change occur you want to be able to choose alternate flights of your choice. (Airlines should do this at no charge for you if they change the schedule.) Often you need to reselect seats at the very least.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[malibuconlee]

Sign up for email alerts from Southwest Airlines. They get some great sales, as well as downloading their DING program onto your computer. They fly from BWI to Albuquerque.

 

[Servants of Evan]

I'd also sign up at Travelocity.com It's free and they'll track up to five destinations for you -- notifying you via email if a price changes by $25 or more. They'll also let you know if you can save money by using another close-by airport for your departure.

 

[seashoreCM]

From hearing sob stories, I have become leery of on line travel agents including expedia .com, hotels .com and travelocity .com. So many people have reported difficulties changing to alternate flights if there were schedule changes, reserving Magical Express which must be done through the travel agency that booked the package, getting refunds, etc., even getting billing errors fixed. Better to book directly with the airline, hotel, etc.