Bought airline tix for 6/2006... am I nuts?

[iteachlit]

I just purchased tickets from PIT to MCO flying on Delta; there's a connection in ATL.

I know that my trip is (very) far in the future, but I thought it was a good deal, so I took it.

I ended up paying $188.30 per person RT. That price includes all of the taxes and fees. As far as I could tell, the best SW rates from PIT have been $79. I don't get many DINGs departing PIT, and when there are some they never are to MCO. At any rate, if I could get a $79 rate with SW, it would only save me about $60 over the Delta fare.

The thing that sealed the deal was the ability to choose specific seats on Delta. This was important because DD7 and DS5 are flying for the first time. My mother in law is also going, so we wanted to be together. The ability to select window seats was very nice.

The flight leaves at 5AM (yow!) and arrives at 9:30 (yay!); the return trip departs at 6:20pm. That is going to give us an extra day in the park!

My AAA TA said that $188 was a great price; she said that was better than what she could do.

So... does any of this make sense? Did I make a logical decision?

 

[SB in KY]

I have purchased air 6 to 8 months in advance... so if you are happy with the price you paid then it isn't crazy. I think it is always nice to get things paid for in advance....makes the vacation a lot less painful!!

Just be aware that it is VERY unlikely (read: not a snowballs chance....) that your flight times, flight numbers, and seat assignments will all stay the same for the next 10 months....the schedule is updated every 2 to 3 months and while it is likely the times may not change very much you will need to check back at least quarterly between now and then to make sure they have not changed your flight times to something far less desirable to you. (if they do you always have the option to switch to another flight that would suit you better at no charge or to get your $$ back without penalty)...also be aware that if your flight numbers change your seat assignments will be tossed and you will be reassigned without notice...so just keep checking back every few months on Delta's web site and you can fix it as you go.

 

[Rootskate]

Well, if you're nuts, so am I !! I have already purchased our airfare for May 2006!!

 

[iteachlit]

Well, if you're nuts, so am I !! I have already purchased our airfare for May 2006!!

Welcome to the club!

 

[Lewisc]

You're a little nuts for basing you decision on your assigned seats. There is a very good chance that a schedule change will void your seats. SW might not have saved you much $$ but I would have held out for a N/S.

 

[PlutoPony]

That far out, the chances of a schedule change are VERY high, as well as the possibility of changing flight number, aircraft used, etc. Many of those changes can negate the seat assignments you already have. You might want to check your reservations regularly so that when these things do happen, you can talk with them immediately and get seats reassigned to your liking.

 

[Wish Upon A Star]

Nooooooooo, not nuts . . . .I always book my flights well in advance . . .

I booked our April 06 flights in May of 05 . . .couldn't resist the $176/rt/pp during Spring Vacation . . .

 

[mainewmn]

This past Tuesday I purchased plane tickets to for January 2006. That’s the closest I ever purchased my tickets, I usually buy them at least 8-9 or more months in advance. This way I have them all paid off for before we go on the trip.

 

[MickeyMonstersMom]

I had a potentially serious problem with schedule changes when I booked far in advance last year. NWA changed my flight times (and numbers) four times, but notified me only twice - I found out the last change only when I discovered a discrepancy between my last e-mail notification and the schedule on NWA's website and called to verify which was correct. Our final itinerary included switching planes in Detroit with only half an hour between flights. I asked if this would allow us enough time, as I would be the only adult with two young children, and was assured we'd be fine (and if I wanted to be the one changing flights, I'd have to pay ridiculous fees). However, though our flight made it to Detroit ahead of schedule, it ended up circling for almost an hour before landing, leaving us with less than ten minutes to ride the monorail to another terminal and catch the connecting flight. I was literally sobbing as we reached the gate and the personnel were closing the door. Hehe, I can feel my blood pressure rising as I think about it again!

I still book as far in advance as possible, but now I stick with TMA's nonstop, set-schedule flights. If I had to book another airline, I'd go for nonstop first, and failing that, I'd look for connections with long layovers. That still isn't a guarantee against future changes, I know.

 

[janets]

Nooooooooo, not nuts . . . .I always book my flights well in advance . . .

I booked our April 06 flights in May of 05 . . .couldn't resist the $176/rt/pp during Spring Vacation . . .

Another post on the board said Song was intermittently dropping fares for next April. Just booked Song out of LGA for April 06 (4/8-4/14) for $165.40/pp/rt. Can't believe it. So we'll be there for Spring Break after all. Now all I need is a hotel...

 

[iteachlit]

When I booked my flight, Delta's web site asked for my email address. According to the page, they will email me if/when any changes are made to the schedule or numbers. I can also reselect my seats if that happens.

I didn't make the decision on assigned seats alone; besides, I don't care if they reassign/change my seats... I can always change them so we are together.

I'm not too worried about the connecting flight. The layover in ATL is 1hr. 20min.; that should give us a safe cushion.

Thanks for all of your comments and suggestions. I'm pretty happy with the rate I got.

 

[karrit2000]

I usually don't book a flight that far ahead. I've gotten many flights on SWA for $49 each way. They give you a credit if a lower fare comes up & you rebook the lower fare. Are your Delta tickets refundable? I'm not familiar with the rates from your Departure city so don't know how good a deal you got. As others have said, Delta keeps changing their schedule so whatever you have booked now will change. Each time they change you will have to choose your seats again. When they did this to me I had to call to get the seat assignments because there was something weird with the computer. The rate you paid is more than I ever pay from the New York area. I'd have taken the cheaper flight over the assigned seats.

 

[SB in KY]

Don't count on Delta notifying you...it is very hit or miss....sometimes they do, sometimes they don't...be sure you check back periodically and check the schedule for flight times AND numbers....a couple of times we have booked several months in advance and I would see a flight that I assumed was the new incarnation of the one I booked (different flight number but only 10 or 15 minutes difference in flight times), and lo and behold they had moved us to another flight that left 4 hours later than the original booking.

Delta is very good about working with you....so as long as you keep an eye on the flight schedule you will be fine....and make sure if they move you that they keep the seat assignments together.

One good thing about connecting in Atlanta....they have about 40 flights a day from there to MCO....so not much chance you will get stranded there!!

 

[Julia M]

When I booked my flight, Delta's web site asked for my email address. According to the page, they will email me if/when any changes are made to the schedule or numbers. I can also reselect my seats if that happens.

I didn't make the decision on assigned seats alone; besides, I don't care if they reassign/change my seats... I can always change them so we are together.

I'm not too worried about the connecting flight. The layover in ATL is 1hr. 20min.; that should give us a safe cushion.

Thanks for all of your comments and suggestions. I'm pretty happy with the rate I got.

I purchased seats on Delta last Feb. for a December flight. I paid about $235 for a flight from SFO to MCO. I am happy to fly SWA to other locales, but won't fly it to Disneyworld anymore. Especially at a peak family traveling time. It was just too crazy.

I just assume that airlines will change things when I book that far ahead, and keep checking myself. If there is a change, I call and ask about it, already knowing what I want the airline to do to solve it. Most recently, I was on a 8:00 flight that changed to 7:45. We were bumped to the 10am flight! I just called and told them I wanted to be changed to the other flight, and it was changed.

If you are happy with what you got, that's all that matters!

Julia

 

[ccw]

I have a funny (and amazing) story about seat selection...and it happened on Delta flights! I booked an incredible round trip fare to Italy last year, booked in April for a Sept. trip using Travelocity. I bypassed the seat selection process because the price was so incredible that I didn't want to get hung up on where I sat and miss the low fare. Anyway, it all went thru just fine but my hubby was ticked that i had not selected our seats. When I called Delta directly to choose our seats (having printed out the seatguru.com map of the airplane and knowing EXACTLY where we wanted to sit) they told me that the seats Travelocity had by default chosen for us were in the BUSINESS CLASS (i.e. FIRST CLASS!!!) section on BOTH transatlantic legs of the trip. Needless to say, i said that would be quite fine! Skeptical husband said that would NEVER happen (and i did not really care because the fare was so good) but, sure enough, we flew to and from Rome, first class, for under $500 for BOTH of us. Long story, but just wanted to say that sometimes NOT being in total control of your seat selection can work IN YOUR FAVOR!

 

[vfb2girls]

I booked our March 2006 airline tickets three months ago. Since NWA is about the only airline that we can use I felt I needed to book early. With the rising cost of fuel I knew the prices would never go down so I went ahead and booked. I could only wish to find airfare as low as some other people find, we ended up paying a little over 800.00 for two tickets! And as of now that price has gone up about 30.00 a ticket. But I have to say that NWA has always given us great service and if there has been any changes with scheduling or cancellations we have gotten not only phone calls from them but e-mails.