Delta Ticket Prices???

[Erica Ladd]

I almost bought MCO return tickets from delta last week for December 8. Then yesterday the price jumped up by $85. I don’t fly delta a lot - it’s still 2 months away. Is there a chance they will go back down or will they just keep getting pricier?

 

[michellej47]

I have been checking every day and the prices have been so high. We are giving it about a week to see if they drop down and if not, I'm flying another airline. I hate it because we always fly Delta, but for the dates I need, American is almost $200 cheaper per ticket.

 

[AgentMama]

I don't usually fly Delta, but for the limited times I have, they seem to stay high once their pricing goes up (that could be a function of when I start looking since I only use them when I can't find other options).

 

[Erica Ladd]

Delta has the best nonstop time. There are cheaper flights but they leave mid morning rather than later in the afternoon

 

[Ricguz]

Try pricing on a Tuesday not a weekend

 

[shoreward]

With DL keeping their middle seats open until at least the first week of 2021, they are selling about 30% fewer seats than carriers like American and United, which are booking all seats to capacity. AA and UA can sell more seats at a lower fare, while DL may need to charge more, per seat, to generate the same revenue on the same route, same size plane. This also means that DL's lower fare buckets are selling out more quickly, than other airlines which are not blocking middle seats, as DL has fewer seats to sell, right now.

It's somewhat reassuring to block middle seats on flights, but someone is paying for that option.

 

[Ricguz]

I almost bought MCO return tickets from delta last week for December 8. Then yesterday the price jumped up by $85. I don’t fly delta a lot - it’s still 2 months away. Is there a chance they will go back down or will they just keep getting pricier?

From Boston in December 8 it’s 146 RT if you book today.

 

[Erica Ladd]

I’m coming from RDU. And I was afraid the reduced capacity might keep the prices high :;(. The same flight the next day is what I was planning to pay last week. Hoping for a drop tomorrow!!

 

[OKW Lover]

Yes, the price may come down. It might also go up. There's no way for the consumer to know as Delta adjusts the prices multiple times a day based on booking patterns.

 

[Erica Ladd]

Looks like I’ll just keep checking!

 

[GADisneyDad14]

I’ve paid more for two Delta MCO flights post COVID than I ever have before. Feels like I’m paying for me and half of that empty middle seat next to me.

The airlines and car rental places are awfully good at right sizing capacity to keep prices up.

 

[Bjkandma]

We only fly Delta. Know this may sound strange, but try on a Tuesday around 3-5 am. That is the best time and price we find.

 

[shoreward]

I almost bought MCO return tickets from delta last week for December 8. Then yesterday the price jumped up by $85. I don’t fly delta a lot - it’s still 2 months away. Is there a chance they will go back down or will they just keep getting pricier?

In case you did not check Southwest, your dates are currently showing a nonstop for $79 each way, including up to 2 checked bags. If the times don’t work for you, maybe you compromise and book Southwest one way and Delta on the other way, which would help make up the fare difference. Connecting flights are available for a few dollars more, at different times.

The caveat is that like all airlines, their schedules are constantly in flux.

Southwest’s middle seat blocking has been announced to be in effect at least till 11/30/2920, but unknown after that.

 

[Erica Ladd]

We almost always fly SW. they had the perfect return flight time until recently when they got rid of it (it was in the evening). This particular flight is just for my kids and they all said they’d rather leave earlier than have a layover/change flights. All of us fly down together on Spirit (I had a credit and we leave around 11am rather than 6am with SW and all kids agreed that was better). DH and I will stay an extra few days ( look for another thread from me about what DH and I should do after kids leave!!!)

Thanks for all the input. I’m gonna set an alarm and see if Delta drops their price around 3-5 am tomorrow!!!

 

[spiders]

It’s hard to tell with Delta. Pre-COVID, Delta would be less likely to price match fares. It’s one of the things they started to do when AirTran was eating their lunch. They didn’t want to sell a $60 ticket on a MCO-ATL flight because they were hoping saving the seat would lead to later sale to someone who wanted to ultimately fly somewhere much more profitable (e.g. Lisbon but now you can’t get them to Lisbon because you gave up a seat on the first leg for $60). Now with COVID, who knows.