December Airfare

[dizprincess27]

I have been watching airfare for over a month now to book my December flights (12/17 to 12/23) and I can still get AirTran for $199 RT with taxes but not incl baggage and I can get SW for $243.00 RT with no baggage. The question is how long should I wait to book? Do you think the fares will go down or is it a total gamble? What should I do and who should I book with?

 

[Anal Annie]

I've never gone anywhere over Christmas but I think both of those sound reasonable for Christmas time. I wouldn't expect them to come down anyway. Go up yes, down, no. I would grab one or the other (probably AT because I would want to select my own seats and I'm willing to pay for them if I have to) and I would try to limit my checked bags. I just purchased air for spring break and got it for $209 with taxes roundtrip on Jet Blue. The price was comparable to Air Tran's but we get 1 free checked bag and assigned seats for free with JB. I think you're looking at decent fares and I would book one.

 

[robinb]

Fares will go up so I would book soon. I would personally choose the Airtran rate because I can pack in carry-ons, even in December. If you KNOW you will check at least one bag each I would go with Southwest and be done with it.

 

[annnewjerz]

I have been watching airfare for over a month now to book my December flights (12/17 to 12/23) and I can still get AirTran for $199 RT with taxes but not incl baggage and I can get SW for $243.00 RT with no baggage. The question is how long should I wait to book? Do you think the fares will go down or is it a total gamble? What should I do and who should I book with?

Not sure if you know this or not, but Southwest allows up to two checked bags per person for free, whereas many other airlines charge in the ballpark of $25 each way for a checked bag.

We faced the same situation with our flights in February. We could have gotten a Spirit flight for about $45 cheaper per person, but knowing we will bring at least one checked bag for our 8-day trip, we decided it was just worth it to pay the extra up front and not have to worry about trying to cram everything into one suitcase if it didn't fit.

 

[dizprincess27]

Thanks everyone! The SW fares are $243.40 rt and no baggage fees. I was hoping to keep it under $200 but I suppose it's not bad considering it's the week before Christmas. I remember the days where you could get a RT tix for under $150 but I guess those days are goine unfortunately

 

[DisneyOHFan]

Thanks everyone! The SW fares are $243.40 rt and no baggage fees. I was hoping to keep it under $200 but I suppose it's not bad considering it's the week before Christmas. I remember the days where you could get a RT tix for under $150 but I guess those days are goine unfortunately

If you book it on SW and the fare goes down, you can change your reservation and get a credit back for future travel. We do that all the time. You just have to check every day and "catch it" if it does go down.