Cheap Flight Tickets

[daystar91]

I have only flown once in my entire life and a travel agency did all the work for us.. I need some advice on finding cheap tickets. We want to go to Florida in March, I've price tickets out for my family of four and the total was almost 1800.00...To me that's a lot...Any suggestions on how to look for cheaper flights?

 

[CalDisneyMomof2]

I have only flown once in my entire life and a travel agency did all the work for us.. I need some advice on finding cheap tickets. We want to go to Florida in March, I've price tickets out for my family of four and the total was almost 1800.00...To me that's a lot...Any suggestions on how to look for cheaper flights?

When are you planning on going? I use the sky scanner app. I think you'll see flights at their cheapest in another two months or so. I check the app every day though.

Edit to ask: are you making two different trips? Your ticker says January but you said March.

 

[daystar91]

We plan on going March 15th. We were going in January but had to change plans because of my niece school schedule.

 

[daystar91]

My sister said someone told her the closer to the date we buy tickets the cheaper, is that true?

 

[Marionnette]

My sister said someone told her the closer to the date we buy tickets the cheaper, is that true?

No. It's the exact opposite. You are less likely to get a good price close to your dates.

You want to travel during spring break. Fares are going to be high. Can you depart on a Tues., Wed., Thurs.? Weekend travel to/from vacation destinations tends to be more expensive than mid-week.

 

[CalDisneyMomof2]

We plan on going March 15th. We were going in January but had to change plans because of my niece school schedule.

Can you arrange your days differently and have your niece meet up when she can? Just adjusting your days can save you hundreds. And the PP was correct that purchasing your flight close to the date is not necessarily the cheapest. About 3-4 months out is what I find to be the best in price.

 

[wishes114]

I am hoping prices go down for our late January/early February trip. We are flying out of Minneapolis or Chicago and right now, we are looking at a $350 ticket each for the four of us. No way! Last year we paid a little less than $200 each. Hopefully the prices come down SOON!

 

[rachel09985]

It is like a part time job to look for cheap flights! I literally look at least once or twice a day for different flights.

Some tips I have..

Don't buy them too far in advance. I have found that two months in advance is the best time!
Check on a tuesday or Sunday. I feel that the flights can go down one of those days.
Fly out on Sunday-Thursday. It is more expensive to fly out on a friday or saturday.
Check one way only for different airlines. Sometimes it is cheaper to get one way there on one airline but take a different airline back.
Check Southwest.com if they fly out of your aiport. They aren't on expedia, so check them directly.

 

[wishes114]

Thank you! Those are some great tips. We have SW points to use, so I hope to use those. Just waiting for them to come down a bit. I know they will...I just have to be patient. We are considering leaving on a Thursday instead of Friday to save some money.

 

[wishes114]

I am hoping prices go down for our late January/early February trip. We are flying out of Minneapolis or Chicago and right now, we are looking at a $350 ticket each for the four of us. No way! Last year we paid a little less than $200 each. Hopefully the prices come down SOON!

 

[daystar91]

Thank you everyone... I'm hoping by January they will be cheaper and then purchase them.. We have talked about leaving on a Sunday and coming back on a Friday..Is it cheaper to fly late night?

 

[daystar91]

I have another question. So if I find a cheaper flight leaving but I find a different airline cheaper for the way home , do I have to stick with the same flight roundtrip?

 

[NinaBella]

My sister said someone told her the closer to the date we buy tickets the cheaper, is that true?

Research shows the best time is about 54 days out. Here are two articles on the topic.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/01/best-time-to-book-a-flight_n_4875266.html

http://www.airfarewatchdog.com/blog...-book-your-flight-exactly-54-days-in-advance/


Another tip is to try different airports. If you want to go to Disney look into Tampa International Airport as well. From your home, check larger airports, not small airports. This may mean you drive to a larger town for your departure flight. For example, if you live in Florence, South Carolina that airport is expensive to fly out of, but driving to Columbia airport is cheaper.


It is cheaper to fly on a Tue, Wed, Thur than it is a Fri, Sat, Sun.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Flying on Tue or a Wed are cheaper days to fly.

Get a Southwest Visa card. and spend $1000 in your first 3 months of having the card and get 25,000 miles. I did this when they had the offer for 50,000 and me and hubby just flew to Orlando and only spent 17,000 of those points. Total flight cost was $20. for the taxes.

Also with SWA if the flight price goes down you can rebook and get a credit for the fare difference. There on no change fee's for switching or rebooking flights. Everyone gets 2 checked bags for free and with other airlines charging $25 - $35 per bag that is a huge savings for your family.


Plus you get one point for every dollar you charge to the card.

 

[CalDisneyMomof2]

I have another question. So if I find a cheaper flight leaving but I find a different airline cheaper for the way home , do I have to stick with the same flight roundtrip?

Absolutely not. I do two one ways ALL the time. Please download the sky scanner APP. It will tell you the cheapest flights instantly even if that means using two different airlines. I never actually use the links to purchase from them. I usually buy through the airline's website. Download the APP, plug in a few different dates and a few different aIrports and do it every day. It takes 30 seconds. If you see a drastic drop in price when you search one day from a previous day, jump on it.

 

[daystar91]

Thank you everyone....I just down loaded the skyscanner app so I'm hoping in time I will find a flight that will fit our budget...