Flight Prices - OMGeesh

[Wish Upon A Star]

I cannot believe the cost of flying . . .I'm in sticker shock!

We fly BDL to MCO a few times every year, I have flights for 9/30 and 12/30. Our flights pp/rt for the 9/30 trip were 209/pp, even our 12/30 flights were 262/pp and that is during a busy time!

So, for ha ha's, I was checking flights for an 11/30 quickie weekend trip to see Candlelight Processional and its looking like 352/pp?

All I can say is WOW!

 

[kaytieeldr]

I cannot believe the cost of flying . . .I'm in sticker shock!

We fly BDL to MCO a few times every year, I have flights for 9/30 and 12/30. Our flights pp/rt for the 9/30 trip were 209/pp, even our 12/30 flights were 262/pp and that is during a busy time!

So, for ha ha's, I was checking flights for an 11/30 quickie weekend trip to see Candlelight Processional and its looking like 352/pp?

All I can say is WOW!

Delta has a couple of $238 r/t itineraries that weekend. But while $352 is higher than you're accustomed to paying, it's still less than eighteen cents a mile.

Current airfares, as surprising as they can be, probably more reallistically reflect the airlines' costs in providing transportation.

 

[Wish Upon A Star]

Only issue with Delta is that they stopped flying non-stop out of BDL.

I'll just have to keep watching and waiting . . .

 

[jeff968]

Keep watching. I snagged our February (President's) tickets out of NYC for $280 PP NS RT recently and was happy with those. Out of JFK though.

 

[pooch]

from BDL to MCO 11/29 to 12/4 is $200. I booked maybe 6-8 weeks ago. Keep your eyes open. I've found that the prices tend to do a quick (so you have to be watching) dip at about 2 months out. My DD is coming home from Orlando for a visit in a couple of weeks and I got her flight here for $72!!

 

[Wish Upon A Star]

from BDL to MCO 11/29 to 12/4 is $200. I booked maybe 6-8 weeks ago. Keep your eyes open. I've found that the prices tend to do a quick (so you have to be watching) dip at about 2 months out. My DD is coming home from Orlando for a visit in a couple of weeks and I got her flight here for $72!!

Thanks, so there is hope . . .

 

[Jestocost]

I cannot believe the cost of flying . . .I'm in sticker shock!

We fly BDL to MCO a few times every year, I have flights for 9/30 and 12/30. Our flights pp/rt for the 9/30 trip were 209/pp, even our 12/30 flights were 262/pp and that is during a busy time!

So, for ha ha's, I was checking flights for an 11/30 quickie weekend trip to see Candlelight Processional and its looking like 352/pp?

All I can say is WOW!

Tickets from STL to MCO for next spring break are $274 EACH WAY. I would have been thrilled with a $352 round trip.

 

[Wish Upon A Star]

Tickets from STL to MCO for next spring break are $274 EACH WAY. I would have been thrilled with a $352 round trip.

WOW . . .that seems off . . .are flights normally that high out of STL? ]

We are only looking to do a weekend trip, so for me to pay $352/rt just for a 2 night/3 day trip is not something I'd do . . .I have to remain frugal in some aspects . . .

 

[pilferk]

I cannot believe the cost of flying . . .I'm in sticker shock!

We fly BDL to MCO a few times every year, I have flights for 9/30 and 12/30. Our flights pp/rt for the 9/30 trip were 209/pp, even our 12/30 flights were 262/pp and that is during a busy time!

So, for ha ha's, I was checking flights for an 11/30 quickie weekend trip to see Candlelight Processional and its looking like 352/pp?

All I can say is WOW!

Same airport, same situation.

We drive down, A LOT, because the flight prices can be nuts. Right now, they're REALLY nuts.

We booked back in February, with Jet Blue, and got decent non-stop fares for early December. Those have jumped, quite a bit, since we booked.

Also, keep in mind: Late November...the airlines have premium prices in place for all those people flying back from Thanksgiving (Nov 22nd) holidays. They should drop just a couple days later.

 

[pilferk]

Delta has a couple of $238 r/t itineraries that weekend. But while $352 is higher than you're accustomed to paying, it's still less than eighteen cents a mile.

Current airfares, as surprising as they can be, probably more reallistically reflect the airlines' costs in providing transportation.

Which is, fundamentally, the problem.

Because, for a family of 5, that would mean we're paying $1800 round trip (plus potential baggage fees, depending).

I can drive for just over a third of that (including gas, one overnight hotel stay each way, and food). That leaves about $1000 to cover our "time".

Which means the airlines have to "convince" me that the convenience and shorter transport time are "worth it".

At THOSE prices...they aren't.

 

[Wish Upon A Star]

Same airport, same situation.

We drive down, A LOT, because the flight prices can be nuts. Right now, they're REALLY nuts.

We booked back in February, with Jet Blue, and got decent non-stop fares for early December. Those have jumped, quite a bit, since we booked.

Also, keep in mind: Late November...the airlines have premium prices in place for all those people flying back from Thanksgiving (Nov 22nd) holidays. They should drop just a couple days later.

My husband refuses to drive . . . I don't think it would be that bad, but then I'm reminded of our Virginia Beach vacation in 05 where I literally yelled out "Slow down, I don't want to spend the Holidays dead"

 

[Wish Upon A Star]

Which is, fundamentally, the problem.

Because, for a family of 5, that would mean we're paying $1800 round trip (plus potential baggage fees, depending).

I can drive for just over a third of that (including gas, one overnight hotel stay each way, and food). That leaves about $1000 to cover our "time".

Which means the airlines have to "convince" me that the convenience and shorter transport time are "worth it".

At THOSE prices...they aren't.

I won't even pay the $352/rt/pp for just 2 people . . .I just refuse to do it . . .Not even the AP's will make me do it . . .NOPE . . .

 

[pilferk]

My husband refuses to drive . . . I don't think it would be that bad, but then I'm reminded of our Virginia Beach vacation in 05 where I literally yelled out "Slow down, I don't want to spend the Holidays dead"

We've done it 6 times now since 2000, from NW CT to Orlando and back.

It's really not that bad....

We typically leave around noon (on a weekday) and drive for about 9 hours, into Northern NC (Roanoke Rapids), stop and sleep, and then make the rest of the drive (about 9 more hours) the next day.

On the way home, we leave around 2 PM on a Saturday, stop around Wilson, NC, and finish the drive the next day.

And we've got 3 kids in the car.

I'd say our average speed is around 75mph. The only tricky part of the whole drive is the Beltway in DC..and there's ways around it (Capital Parkway) if you're so inclined or there is significant traffic.

 

[pilferk]

I won't even pay the $352/rt/pp for just 2 people . . .I just refuse to do it . . .Not even the AP's will make me do it . . .NOPE . . .

We won't either. Which is why we drive so often.

We found Jet Blue flights for just over $200, non-stop, round trip, 12/5 - 12/15. $200 is pretty close to our max..but we're taking my SIL this trip, so driving would have been a little crowded (6 in our van, for 18 hours....maybe a little too much family "togetherness").

 

[Jestocost]

WOW . . .that seems off . . .are flights normally that high out of STL? ]

We are only looking to do a weekend trip, so for me to pay $352/rt just for a 2 night/3 day trip is not something I'd do . . .I have to remain frugal in some aspects . . .

SWA is the only carrier providing non-stop service between MCO and STL at this point (not counting a once-a-day AirTran flight that seems to come and go at random). One-way fares were as low as $174 for one or two flights BUT those includued connections (one as short at 35 minutes in Nashville) and/or were very early or very late. The cheapest non-stops were $213 one way and were either very early or very late.

The lowest we have paid for a non-stop flight in the last few years has been around $350 round trip. And only once in the last few years have we ever seen fares go down after we booked on opening day.

 

[Wish Upon A Star]

SWA is the only carrier providing non-stop service between MCO and STL at this point (not counting a once-a-day AirTran flight that seems to come and go at random). One-way fares were as low as $174 for one or two flights BUT those includued connections (one as short at 35 minutes in Nashville) and/or were very early or very late. The cheapest non-stops were $213 one way and were either very early or very late.

The lowest we have paid for a non-stop flight in the last few years has been around $350 round trip. And only once in the last few years have we ever seen fares go down after we booked on opening day.

That's not good . . .we used to have Delta, SW and then JB. Delta stopped providing non-stop out of BDL, so SW and JB have been playing the price game. And usually the non-stop JB flight times don't work out for me.

 

[pilferk]

That's not good . . .we used to have Delta, SW and then JB. Delta stopped providing non-stop out of BDL, so SW and JB have been playing the price game. And usually the non-stop JB flight times don't work out for me.

We got a 7AM non-stop out of BDL by JB. That's actually EXACTLY what we're looking for.

Our return (MCO to BDL) is at about 6 PM. Again, exactly what we'd like.

Those get us a decent amount of time IN Orlando on arrival and departure days.

Still...getting to BDL by 5:30-ish AM (we live about 40 min away) can be fun.

 

[Wish Upon A Star]

We got a 7AM non-stop out of BDL by JB. That's actually EXACTLY what we're looking for.

Our return (MCO to BDL) is at about 6 PM. Again, exactly what we'd like.

Those get us a decent amount of time IN Orlando on arrival and departure days.

Still...getting to BDL by 5:30-ish AM (we live about 40 min away) can be fun.

I see the 7am ones, but the flights returning are 2:30 . ..for the dates I'm looking at. We do the early morning out of BDL and late arrival out of MCO too!

We are 40 minutes away from BDL ourselves . . .

 

[pilferk]

I see the 7am ones, but the flights returning are 2:30 . ..for the dates I'm looking at. We do the early morning out of BDL and late arrival out of MCO too!

We are 40 minutes away from BDL ourselves . . .

I think they've changed the schedule...not sure of the effective dates...which I just noticed.

GRRR.

So..now our flight out is 10:55 AM.
Flight back is 2:35 PM.

Not quite as nice....but it looks like Jet Blue is either redoing their schedule OR cutting down on their flights between BDL and MCO (which I find hard to believe).

 

[Greysword]

Of course, it is all relative.

We are going about that time frame, and our tickets are a nice reasonable $457 out of Portland, OR on Delta. No driving from here, though, DD would not survive the trip . While United was a bit lower ($369?), the service is much better on DL.