Chance of flight dropping rates

[jandm]

We are flying on Southwest --doing the "wanna get away" package---I now want to try and get on a earlier flight the day we are leaving. I keep checking the prices to see if they'll go down anytime soon. We are leaving in May, what are my chances of them dropping at all? It's a early morning (7:15am) flight I want. (right now we are scheduled to leave in the afternoon) TIA!

 

[pigletto]

It's really hard to say. They used to drop really low regualrly. In the last while it's not so common. Sign up for the ding alerts on the website and check often. Especially midweek as that is when they seem to drop.

 

[briand1023]

I have been watching flights latelyt and it seems prices are holding steady with few drops if at all

 

[paults]

the Ding hasn't been very good for us for a long time now. I can't remember the last philly flights we got and the ding.

 

[jjsdad]

I know flight costs can be modified with gas prices, but I Thought generally they adjusted as the planes booked. IE if you get in early you get the lowest rate, as the plan fills the prices go up. ?

 

[jandm]

I think with how gas prices are right now, my chances of them dropping at all are slim to none. I checked last week and the flight I want dropped just $10.00...now it's back up $11.00
I've resorted to the fact we'll be on the later one. Just wish I would've planned better when I was booking!

 

[eliza61]

My totally unscientifc opinion is that you won't see a big drop in airfares any time soon.

We're coming into the high travel season so first, airlines really have no incentive to lower prices. next, unfortunately there is simply too much instability around the world today. Nothing gets business paranoid like instability. people simply don't know what's going to happen with the middle east from day to day.

 

[lawgs]

on a side note, you do not have to purchase ( at least for SW ) on the day the fares come out lately, since the higher prices seems to have discouraged many

we used to book travel the first day of release, since back then if you did not, you usually ended up in a higer fare bucket when you did book....

now it can goes days staying at the same initial rate that was showing when the schedule was released

 

[Fionasmommy]

I've been doing the exact same thing! I booked a later flight than the earlier (nonstop) I wanted and I have been watching obsessively for the last few weeks. I've seen them nearly double, and then go down a little bit, but never down to the fare I'm looking for. I paid $165 each way from DEN-MCO, and right now an early nonstop on the same day is at $304 each way! I'm not about to pay $620+ for a roundtrip to Orlando, so I've resigned myself to arriving later in the day.

 

[jandm]

I've been doing the exact same thing! I booked a later flight than the earlier (nonstop) I wanted and I have been watching obsessively for the last few weeks. I've seen them nearly double, and then go down a little bit, but never down to the fare I'm looking for. I paid $165 each way from DEN-MCO, and right now an early nonstop on the same day is at $304 each way! I'm not about to pay $620+ for a roundtrip to Orlando, so I've resigned myself to arriving later in the day.

That sounds just like our situation. We are flying out of KC and I'm kicking myself now for not really thinking it through and doing the early flight. The flight we have now makes one stop, but we don't change planes. The one I want is nonstop. Not to mention, we all just want to get to Disney earlier! If we changed ours it would be about $500 more---not going to do it. Good luck to you!

 

[Redarrow5150]

Well given my profession I watch oil prices all year long and we are just about through summer gas prices. I think the price doesn't have much more upside (around $106 a barrel) and would suspect that prices are going to fall. I think where and if airfare prices rise and fall will depend on demand. At this point I would wait further to see what happens.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

I know flight costs can be modified with gas prices, but I Thought generally they adjusted as the planes booked. IE if you get in early you get the lowest rate, as the plan fills the prices go up. ?

This is true as a general rule and especially when you get close to the flight date. I purchased a ticket to MCO today for a flight in 2 weeks (business trip). Cost was almost .double what I could have paid 2 weeks ago

 

[Fionasmommy]

That sounds just like our situation. We are flying out of KC and I'm kicking myself now for not really thinking it through and doing the early flight. The flight we have now makes one stop, but we don't change planes. The one I want is nonstop. Not to mention, we all just want to get to Disney earlier! If we changed ours it would be about $500 more---not going to do it. Good luck to you!

Yep, we're in exactly the same boat! We have to stop in Austin but we don't change planes. I'd almost rather change so we'd at least have a chance to walk around a bit! I hate the idea of sitting on a plane for 5 hours just to arrive too late to hit the parks, but I'm hoping we can still swim or go to DTD. We're already coming home a day earlier because the fare was much lower, so I can't bring myself to go any later!

 

[DVC Grammy]

I had been watching the SW fares for 3 one-ways from MCO to home, and all they've done is go up, up, up.
I couldn't hold out any longer and went ahead and booked them (at what I thought were exorbitant prices). Well, I wound up glad that I did because, surprise, surprise.....................they've gone up again!
At least now, I feel SO smart!