DVCers - When do you get plane tickets?

[wtpclc]

OK, so I made my ressies at the 11 mo window as a good little DVCer should. It's killing me to not have my plane tickets yet, but I keep thinking there'll be specials for early January (after New Years). Do you wait until like 6 months out? Do you get them ASAP? Do you wait until the last minute?

I could not wait until the last minute, because it would drive me nuts, but I'd like to know what others do.

TIA!

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Since many good airfares don't allow free changes, I wait until I get the vacation time approved. That usually happens the first week of January. I then buy all tickets for the year.

MG

 

[Rash]

I usually use expedia.com and check once right away to get a feel for the current fares. Unless it's a fantastic fare, I'll check once a week from there. You'll get a feel for the average fare that way, and when it drops you can jump on it. I've waited until as late as two months before the trip, but never later.

 

[dianeschlicht]

I usually wait until at least 6 months before I start to check daily. Then if I see a good rate, I snatch it up. This year, because we are arriving New Years Eve Day, I was able to get good fares that day, but my DD, who must go home on the next Saturday had to pay more for RT tickets than ours. We aren't coming home until the Tuesday after.12/31-1/10

 

[wtpclc]

Flying out Jan 6 or 7 means I can't really wait until Jan 1 to make ressies. Luckily, our vacation gets approved upon request. I just need to make sure that I ask for X-mas week and my WDW trip enough apart that my boss won't see that I'm off a week, working a week, off a week.

I was thinking rates would become more realistic in the 6 mo window. At least I know I'm not being overly anal checking every couple weeks.

Diane - You'll be there when I'm there! Come watch us WISHers do the marathon!

Anyone else with the secret to good airfaire? I won't tell. really!

 

[dianeschlicht]

We would LOVE to see DISSERS run in the Marathon! Last time we were there during the marathon, we were boarding the bus for Epcot about the time the runners were getting back. I always can tell the runners the next few days, because they are walking a bit slowly!

 

[DebbieB]

When I take my mom, usually around 2 months, I'm afraid we'll have to cancel with her health problems. I lucked out on our trip 2 weeks ago. I was watching the fares, Air Tran was around $247. One day around the end of February it dropped to $201, I said what the heck, I'll buy them. Good thing, because it shot up to $600 per ticket!

 

[slk537]

I try to buy them the second we know when we're going and have the lodging and vaca time approved. Last time we lucked out and instead of buying on a Friday at $235, we waited until Monday and got $180. I was stunned! This time, because we are leaving the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, we are going to take the "puddle jumper" out of our home town to the twin cities where we'll switch planes to get to MCO. That way we can go through security, etc., in our tiny airport and not have to battle the crowds.

However - that adds on to an already expensive flight due to the holiday. Argh. But again - as soon as I have that confirmation in my hot little hand, I will really feel like we're going home.

 

[justcruisin]

I have an idea of what I think it should cost ... say $200, when I that price, I book it.

 

[beccasmom]

You may be lucky for early January. We paid $133/pp rt for our trip this February 1-8 from PHL. We used USAirways, but SW was the same price. Up to mid-February - President's Day weekend - fares are usually fairly good. If I remember correctly, this fare was published around mid-December; we planned our trip around it, not the other way around. That would be too late for you - yikes!! - but you may be able to snag a similar deal earlier. Happy hunting!

 

[llp479]

I usually buy the minute the air fare is available. In the 8 years we've been going to WDW, I have usually gotten the best fare this way. This year, however, I was shocked when I checked fares for the end of March 2006. They were all over $500 from ORD to MCO. I know what a "good fare" is, so I checked daily. Then I found out that if I bought the tickets one at a time I could get a much better fare. So, I bought one ticket a day for five days, linked the reservations and was all set.

We're doing the four day cruise for this trip, so I didn't have the flexibility in the arrival times.

 

[DonnaL]

The first week of January is usually a good week to go.....airfare after the 1st
tends to be at good prices. This past year I made ressies for six of us out of
Allentown, PA on Southeast Airlines for 1/1 thru 1/9/05....made the ressies in 9/04.....I believe it was about $200 pp.....then Southeast went under OVERNIGHT in beginning of December!!! I got online and found Southwest out of Philadelphia had prices under $200 for my dates....made the ressies on 12/2....then two weeks later prices went EVEN LOWER. SW gave me a credit for the difference.....I think it was $120.00 on all six tickets....it ended up costing $820.00 total for six of us in January.....then DH and I used the credit for our anniversary trip last week and those tickets also turned out REALLY inexpensive also because SW had a sale going on when I booked about two months before the trip....I think it was about $127.00 round trip each because our out of pocket expense was $135.00 (using the $120.00 credit from January). Can't beat Southwest!!!!!!

 

[wtpclc]

Thanks for the advice everyone! I found a decent price for non-stop out of Grand Rapids, which would be great! However, we'd have to stay Friday night and points are limited next year. Even the 1 stop the next day isn't bad. I can't do SW, because I don't want to go to Metro.

What's really weird is that I can add a car and get a lower price. Now if I could just add 1 night hotel and have it be cheaper, I'd be golden!

I do have a feel for a good deal and will just keep checking. I'm just afraid that teh 1 non-stop a day might fill. I tend to worry too much!

Thanks again!

Diane - I'll see you on the course!

 

[athenna]

I am so frustrated checking air fare right now. I usually fly Delta, or Song, have heard good things about Jetblue. Trying to find decent airfare for 3/06. I like to get plane tickets right away after making DVC ressies. I refuse to make connections, bad experience on my 1 and only flight involing connections last month. Now that I fly 2-3 x a year, I don't want to spend a fortune on airfare. Yesterday the flights I was checking on Song went up a few dollars a tickets between yesterday morning and yesterday afternoon! Jetblue prices for 3/06 don't come out until 7/05, but I'm afraid if they don't have good flight times and or reasonable prices, the Song flights will be gone and or the price will have gone up way by then.
UGH!

 

[ShuisFan584]

We usually buy them about 6 months in advance but this year was a little different. My mom is usually able to get them for about $220 a person, but it wasn't that easy this year. We're going in August and around February they were at about $250. She was waiting for them to go down and they kept going up and up until they reached about $315! Eventually they went down to $280 about 3 weeks ago so she finally bought them. It's a good thing she did because now they went up again and keep going between $285 and $300. She didn't want to wait too long because we're leaving in less than 3 months and she doesn't want the seats to fill up.

 

[cruise-o-matic]

Bought our tix for December a few days after making our ressies.

Flying Delta direct out of RDU. Since RDU has SW, the tix were $60 cheaper than out of GSO. We prefer Delta b/c they fly direct and have little planes, so that they are quicker to load/unload and you can wheel your luggage to the tarmac and they'll check it there. When you land, get your bags and bypass baggage claim.

 

[idratherbeinwdw]

I always fly Jet Blue. I keep a watch for when the fares are first released, and if they seem decent I book right away. Then I keep checking periodically. If the fares go down I get a credit for the difference towards my next trip, good for one year. Since I go to WDW at least 3 times a year I don't have to worry about them expiring. And it seems cheaper the next time I fly since I have to lay out less money when I have a credit to apply.

Doing it that way is a no lose situation. If the fare goes up I feel happy I got it for less, and if it goes down I get the credit. Of course if you're not going back within the alloted time you lose the credit. so I realize this won't work for everyone.

 

[CRSNDSNY]

OK, so I made my ressies at the 11 mo window as a good little DVCer should. It's killing me to not have my plane tickets yet, but I keep thinking there'll be specials for early January (after New Years). Do you wait until like 6 months out? Do you get them ASAP? Do you wait until the last minute?

I could not wait until the last minute, because it would drive me nuts, but I'd like to know what others do.

TIA!

We usually purchase our tickets 2-3 months out. That's when we've found the best deals. I also do a lot of ticket price monitoring for a few months before then just to be able to narrow down the best deal in relation to flight times.

 

[cruise-o-matic]

Even after we bought our tickets, I keep checking to see if the prices fluctuate. No more than $2 up/down.

Of course I check today and our return flight time is gone. It was a perfect 4:25 flight which would land us at RDU at 6:03 and we'd be home by 8. Now the only afternoon flight is 2:45 which cuts 2 hours off park time, plus it lands us in RDU in time for that lovely RTP rush hour. The next flight is around 7:45, but that would put us home around 11 on a school/work night.

 

[BriarRose59]

Since we travel on miles most of the time, I book it as soon as I book the room.