Dumb questions about finding the best airfare

[SeaSpray]

Hi there:

I have NO idea how to go about getting the best possible airfare to Orlando from Logan (Boston). I am afraid of booking online and not getting a "real" ticket. Is booking online the only way to get the best price? We're considering a trip in December, and/or next May. When should I start looking at airfares for the May trip?? Any and all info on finding good airfares is greatly appreciated. By the way, I've been checking a few web sites for airfares, and they all have these "rules" restrictions that are scaring me. I don't want to buy tickets that will end up costing me a fortune if, for some reason, I had to change or cancel. Thanks in advance!!

 

[DebraK]

Hi,
I am also an "infrequent flyer". In the past I always called the travel agent
for airfare and they took it from there.I see now that is not always the best way to get a good price.I am also looking for affordable airfare for a WDW trip in May. I hope some of the "Dis Vets" offer some good advice for both of us.Glad you posted the subject.
Debbie-Indiana

 

[cherylp3]

For SeaSpray:

You may want to use Manchester NH or Providence RI as well. These airports aren't far and they are easier to get in and out of than logan.

You don't have to choose etickets when buying online, you can choose paper tickets if you wish. Use orbitz.com aas a price guide then if you see an airline offering good flights and prices you can go to their website and book it from the airline companys website

If you choose to try NH or RI also price using southwest.com as well.

Cheryl

 

[SeaSpray]

cheryl, thanks for the info. I just was on orbitz.com and believe it or not, the cheapest I found for the dates of May 4-11, 2002, was $158 per person, round trip, out of Boston. Both Providence RI and Manchester were more $$. Now I'm wondering if this $158 price is considered good or not..... What happens if the price falls between now and then? What happens if it goes up? Any more help is appreciated!

 

[apagano]

Is booking online the only way to get the best price?

The key to finding the best fare is to exhaust all possible options. Check several websites, call the airlines directly, and check with a travel agent. Most of the time the fares will be in the same ballpark, but sometimes the airlines run "web only" specials.

When should I start looking at airfares for the May trip??

Normally the airlines run big sales 2-3 months in advance of the days you want to travel. I usually follow the fares for a few weeks before I purchase to get a general idea of the fare structure on a particular route.

I've been checking a few web sites for airfares, and they all have these "rules" restrictions that are scaring me. I don't want to buy tickets that will end up costing me a fortune if, for some reason, I had to change or cancel.

Discount airfares nearly always have restrictions on them as a condition for giving you the cheaper fare. If you want tickets without restrictions you will have to pay full fare, which is usually quite expensive.

I just was on orbitz.com and believe it or not, the cheapest I found for the dates of May 4-11, 2002, was $158 per person, round trip, out of Boston.

$158 is a great fare to Orlando from most northern cities. Frankly, I'm surprised you found something this cheap so far in advance. If you book now and the fare drops you can get a voucher for the difference, but that only works if you plan to fly the same airline again soon. I would keep an eye on the fares for a while to see what the average is for that route. Even if the $158 fare goes up, it is bound to come back down in the next 9 months.

 

[SeaSpray]

apagno, thanks for the helpful info. Now I'm wondering if I should grab those $158 fares! That includes tax. What do all of you do....book your airfare or book your rooms first? Since I would have my choice of price of hotel (anything from the value resorts to the deluxes), I'm thinking I should check into and book the airfare first. My thinking is, if I don't have a way to get there, it doesnt matter what hotel I've reserved. Does this sound logical??? lol

 

[denisenh]

Hello! I book airfare first. I don't book anything very far in advance. We generally decide on trips just weeks in advance and its usually after I have found a great airfare on SWA. I see what is offered as far as dates for getting great airfare and then start searching for a common denominator as far as dates that won't be hard for DH and I to get out of work and also take into account kids days off from school.
Sometimes I see the airfare, give my DH a call ask him if its OK with him and then book the airfare. Then I look around a bit at rental cars and resorts. We decide and book a resort and then a rental car.
I understand that feeling of being worried about having to cancel and of course life can be unpredictable but we have never been unable to go through with our plans. You can change things around if you have to. What would be the worst that could happen? You lose some money? Yes, it is money which is important but its not like someone will come around and chop your legs off. It is only money and chances are you will go as planned anyway so why worry? Hope this helps you!

 

[cindala]

We book our airfare first, before booking a room or car rental.

The fare of $158 RT from Boston sounds like a great one to me. If it is a direct non stop flight, it sounds even better.

Good luck!

 

[rjordan]

SeaSpray, that airfare price is great! I would grab it. It sounds like a "web-only" fare though. I always book Delta on-line and have had no problems. Go directly to Delta's website, they have lots of direct flights. Our airfare went down $24 per ticket after I had already bought tickets online, and Delta issued me vouchers. Again, $158 is a great price. We're paying $220 in January. We paid $225 in May, 2001. Good luck.

 

[Beverly Lynn]

I book room first then air. but I am comfortable with waiting till the last possible moment to get my air. some people have to get their air asap and can't wait for the better sale to come out. I would take an e-tkt because you do not have to worry aobut losing that tkt. if you do it will cost you to replace it. for next may the better sales are not out yet and won't be for quite a while. they have had some good prices on dec travel out but there are still many more to come. the 158 fare is actually a good one. especially if its non stop svc. there is nothing wrong with buying your tkt online. they often have better rates online as opposed to calling the 1-800 nbr to buy it.

 

[SeaSpray]

Thanks everyone, for your input! I found the $158. round trip, NON stop airfare on Delta for next May 4-11, 2002 on the www.orbitz.com web site. It DID say "web only fare". What exactly does this mean?? So, basically, you all feel this is a safe way to get airfare? I've been on the internet for almost 8 years now, but sometimes I'm still afraid to buy things online. LOL Especially something like airfare. Also, would I have to pay for the entire amount right now? I guess they don't take deposits and hold the tickets, do they? Thanks again for all of your help!!!!

 

[apagano]

A "web only" fare means that you can only get that fare through the internet. If you called the airline or used a travel agent the fare would be higher. I always book my flights through the internet and have never had a problem. I've used Travelocity, Expedia, CheapTickets and individual airline sites, and all have worked out for me. Orbitz even e-mails you if the flights change after you book them (which is inevitable when you book so far in advance). Since $158 sounds like a good fare you might want to book now. The only drawback is that your credit card gets charged immediately, so your tickets will be paid for long before you actually use them.

As for what to book first, that really is up to you. I normally book hotels first because I care more about having a decent place to stay than I do about which airline I fly. On the other hand, it's frustrating to have the hotel locked in only to find out that you're flying on airline "blackout" dates or that the fares are cheaper on Tuesday and you're leaving Monday. Normally this only matters if your trip revolves around a major holiday.

 

[SeaSpray]

apagano, thanks again so much for the info. We just went to WDW this past May, and we had a wonderful trip, stayed at CBR and GF and went all-out on meals, shows, etc. Next year, it will depend on our finances as to where we stay, hopefully one of the monorail resorts and/or CBR. If worst came to worst, I would stay at Pop Century. So... that is why I'm considering securing our airfare first. I'm not planning this trip around a holiday, but I DO want the first week of May. Hmm...maybe I should reconsider this, though. What I want is: a non-holiday week in the spring where it's warm enough to swim but not *hot* out. Maybe early April would be OK. My sons go back to school in 2 weeks and I will get their school schedule then. As long as there is no major testing going on, I am basically free to go any week in the spring. I take my sons out of school for vacation, so other than Easter and Spring break, I will have other weeks to consider. I know it's early to start planning for next spring, but the $158 fare sounds like a good deal, and then I have all this time to watch for the deals on the Disney resorts to pop up.

 

[briternik]

I booked my airfare for my family's June 2002 trip yesterday with Priceline. I got it for $115/ RT plus $25 bonus money. I got great travel times! I don't understand why more people on these boards don't use them, espescially now that they sell travel insurance for $10 per ticket, in case something unforseen comes up and you have to cancel. The going rate for this flight was $327 on Orbitz. I am estatic!

 

[safetymom]

One of the reasons I don't use Priceline is if something happens the airlines are under no obligation to put you on the next flight. A friend of mine missed the flight, showed up at the airport and the agent told him tough luck with that ticket. He had to buy a full fare ticket to get home because he bought through Priceline.

So I say buyer beware. If something should happen you may need to pay out more money or be stranded somewhere. This would especially bother me since I live in a cold climate where flights can be cancelled. Spending a few extra dollars puts the responsiblity on the airlines to get me home quickly without spending more money.

 

[akasleepingbeauty]

I absolutely refuse to use Priceline for airline tickets. The main reason is that you cannot specify times of day or number of connections. We have a small child and we do not fly on connecting flights where there are direct flights available. We also like to make the most of our time on vacation and potentially losing a day on each end by ending up with lousy flight times just doesn't make sense for us.

We got $101 roundtrip direct flights on Delta for our trip next March. I doubt we could have done that well or much better with Priceline and we got exactly what we wanted including picking our seats etc.

Priceline is certainly a legitimate option but I think there are enough unknowns when booking airline tickets with them to justify many choosing not to book through them.

 

[apagano]

I also don't use priceline for the reasons mentioned above. I usually have a preference of flight times whenever I go anywhere and I don't want priceline dictating my itinerary for me. I'm afraid of either losing a day off my vacation or having to take more time off from work than originally planned because of inconvenient flights.

 

[minster22]

The $158.00 roundtrip direct flight is a great price especially if it is the times that you want to fly. We have already bought our tickets for April22-May 2 using vouchers from our last trip.For us it is more important to have a direct flight at times of our choosing than to save $20 or $30 . Many times the really low fares have one or more connecting flights and a 3hr trip becomes 5 to 7 hours IF everything goes right. That is not my idea of a bargain. Check both Orbitz and then the Delta websites. If you can get the same price on Delta, you can sign up for Skymiles and automatically get 5000 miles , also if the price does go down from the $158 you can get a voucher from Delta and I am not sure if that is an option with other websites. A friend of mine is looking at airfares for school vacation week here in MA and the direct flights are half sold out and going for $300 to $400. Just changing her dates from Sat to Sat over to Tues to Tues she found flights for $198. Good Luck....

 

[hercamore]

I bought tickets online last month for the first time thru American's website. It was so easy. Made the reservations, and I printed out the email ticket info they sent me.Your charge card is charged immediately for the full amount.

We used the tickets two weeks ago when we went to Orlando, and no problem whatsoever. It seems to be the way to go these days.

 

[SeaSpray]

Thanks, everyone, for your input and comments! I spoke directly with someone at Delta, and he said they have never had problems with tickets purchased through orbitz, but he warned me again buying through priceline ONLY because if there is a problem, they can't do anything to help the customer. If I do buy online, it'll be through orbitz, or directly through an airline's own site. So far, I'm still getting the best price for the week I want to go, through orbitz.