Cheap flights from San Antnonio?

[HomeschoolMama]

I know it's early, but the best price I've found to fly in Jan. is $384 each way! For 5 people? Not going to happen...
Has anyone else flown out of SA for less than $250 total? Also- how far in advance can I expect the lowest fare?

 

[MrMarv]

You can fly round trip & non-stop between San Antonio & Orlando for $320.00, as long as you leave Orlando no later than January 11th, according to their website.

 

[disjest8]

Hi HomeschoolMama,

We fly to Disney from SAT about twice a year and I have never paid more than $325 round trip and the average is around $220 round trip. If your trip is scheduled for before Jan. 11th, are you looking at flights on Southwest? If your trip is scheduled for after Jan. 11th, then the fares might be higher right now because Southwest has not opened their schedule beyond Jan. 11th. Also, just an FYI - Southwest offers a nonstop flight between SAT and MCO. I don't know how old your fellow travelers are, but the nonstop sure makes it easier with small children.

If you are open to renting a car rather than using Magical Express and you don't see a decrease in the SAT to MCO fares, I would check airfare from SAT to TPA (Tampa) as well. The drive to Disney is not bad at all and the Tampa airport is much easier to navigate than MCO.

Either way, I highly recommend that you wait to book your air until Southwest opens up the schedule for the time you plan to fly. Feel free to PM me if you have additional questions.

-Kristi

 

[disjest8]

I just saw your dates. You should be able to book on Southwest for about $320 round trip right now. My guess is that the fares will probably drop at some point, but since Jan. 3rd is still considered part of the Christmas holiday period, you might not get a fare that is much lower than $320.

I also checked the Southwest fares from SAT to TPA and they are higher right now. Do you have DING downloaded? We probably won't see any DINGS for January for a while, but it won't hurt to watch.

Also, knowing that your dates are 1/3 - 1/8, I take back what I said about waiting to book your air. I would probably book now on Southwest to make sure that you get the flights you want since you are flying so close to the holidays. Sorry if I've confused you.

 

[MrMarv]

I really goofed; Tampa's airport is almost a cakewalk compared to Orlando's, and it's about a 90-minute drive from TPA to WDW, depending on how fast you drive.

 

[HomeschoolMama]

If I can't get the fares down to close to $200 r/t, hubby will flip and it may put our trip in limbo. Do you know when the holiday season is over for Southwest?
I do have ding installed, so we'll see.

 

[mareed]

I don't know if it's a possibility, but SW has flights from Houston to Orlando for Jan 3-8 for $243 round-trip. I think it's a 3-4 hour drive from San Antonio to Houston, so I don't know if it would be worth it for you or not. Perhaps you book tickets from Houston and continue checking for San Antonio and re-book if San Antonio drops in price. I'd think that Houston and San Antonio are typically available at the same price, but San Antonio is just a bit high right now. My guess is that it will drop to under $250, but of course that's just a guess.

 

[HomeschoolMama]

Thanks for the tip. I think I'll have to watch and decide about Oct/Nov what to do.

 

[MrMarv]

That's pretty common in many parts of the country; driving anywhere from 75-200 miles can easily save you $300.00+ when flying round-trip from a Southwest city vs. a non-Southwest city.

I'm not sure why that difference in prices between Houston/Orlando and San Antonio/Orlando exists right now (although Continental's hefty presence in Houston could be part of the reason), so just keep an eye on both cities until its time to buy your tickets, and good luck.

 

[HaleyB]

Sign up for the SWA Ding fares and then keep an eye on it.

For travel through Oct 31st San Antonio to MCO is $119 each way (todays Ding fare). I am in Austin and San Antonio often gets better fares, but Houston is always the lowest, I have seen Houston as low as $89 each way in the fall (which is when we like to go to WDW).

Any chance you have time to drive there? We also have 3 kids, and it is always cheaper by about $400-$600 to drive. I Priceline a hotel in Mobile, AL and always get the same place for about $45 a night. It is about 17 hours driving from Austin (not counting stops). We did it straight through one time, but never again!