Flight Reservation timing question

[ArchPsyduck]

My wife and I are planning at trip to WDW for September of 2015. We normally drive in; however we are considering flying this trip. From reading online, it is best to reserve airfare around 50-60 out from travel date to get the best offers. I can book my trip at the 180 day mark through Disney, including airfare.

Would it be better to reserve both resort and flight at the same time to make sure dates line up; or wait to book a flight separately?

 

[rpcvpanama]

I don't know if the 50-60 day mark is necessarily a good rule of thumb anymore. If you want last minute deals and the dates don't matter then go for it. However, I usually start stalking the airlines pricing as soon as I have my dates determined. We generally fly SW and once their flights start filling up they start raising the prices. IMO, it doesn't hurt to start looking now, if you see a good price then book it.

 

[DisMama5]

I agree with PP. Flights are tricky now. Sometimes "waiting it out" isn't the best way to get a deal. We've tried that twice and were kicking ourselves for it. We've come to find out, atleast for our travel time (typically October) that it is cheapest to book when the flights first open up for our time frame, or as far out as possible. Sometimes if your lucky you can find a good deal close to leaving with jet blue or sw but those don't always include all airports. I would say the further out the better the price because that's what we have found with our travels.

 

[Happyjen27]

It sometimes depends on the airline. Discount airlines like JetBlue and Southwest it's cheapest when they open their new "window" to the next batch of flights. For traditional airlines, that 60 days might hold true, but might not. I like to book my entire trip including flights when the new JetBlue window opens up so that my Disney Trip Insurance also covers the flights. I haven't noticed the flights to be more expensive through Disney.

 

[Altoqueenkelly]

I personally wouldn't bundle my flight with my package... you will likely pay "rack rate" if you do this and I am not sure how flexible changes are. I always book our flight separate from our package and then call Disney to give them the flight info for ME. I like being able to use discounts and flight points and the like. Plus, we are flying Southwest and can change our flights and get sales for no fees

 

[mm1971]

My wife and I are planning at trip to WDW for September of 2015. We normally drive in; however we are considering flying this trip. From reading online, it is best to reserve airfare around 50-60 out from travel date to get the best offers. I can book my trip at the 180 day mark through Disney, including airfare.

Would it be better to reserve both resort and flight at the same time to make sure dates line up; or wait to book a flight separately?

We usually book them separately and tend to find better deals that way on airfare. We usually fly either Southwest (get the opportunity to rebook and get a credit if prices drop) or JetBlue (TV's and a little more room). We did book all tougher when Disney/SW used to offer the "kids free" or similar promotions. The prices were so good, it really didn't make sense to book elsewhere. Haven't seen any of those for several years though.

 

[Hootch]

if Southwest flies out of your local airport, check every once in a while for ticket sales. You may find some solid rates a few months in advance. There was a Fall last year. We cut our costs by about a third when the Southwest sale came up. September is not a real heavy tourist time for Florida between hurricane season and the kiddies back in school in most areas.

A lot of people book their resorts in anticipation of "free dining" in September. Whether or not you are interested in free dining, if you have a must have resort, I would book early and look to adjust your package (if necessary). ADRs for a lot of restaurants will also book up quickly.

 

[gtpoohbear]

For our first trip in 2008, we bought our airfare through Disney as part of the package, and had all sorts of issues. Now I always buy my airfare directly through the airline. You will almost always get the best deal that way, and only have one company to deal with if you have problems.

I also wouldn't wait any longer than you have to for booking airfare. I almost never see the fares be cheaper than when they first come out. Occasionally there will be a sale and they'll drop by a few dollars, but by the 60-day mark, they've usually doubled what they were initially.

Packages for 2015 should be available later this summer, I would go ahead and book room/tickets/dining then, and buy your airfare as soon as it comes out. Southwest is one of the latest to release dates, usually about 6 months out. Other airlines you can book closer to a year in advance.

 

[nkereina]

We booked our flights a month ago for our trip in November and prices have gone up considerably since. Book when you see a fare you can live with, and don't look back!

 

[whatisgoofy?]

Just chiming in with the previous posters...when we went to WDW last October, we booked our flight on JetBlue in March and got a great price. In fact, the fares on he same flight increased steadily from then on, and were never as low again. I agree with the poster who said to shop for a fare you can live with, and go for it. Have a great trip!

 

[ifjf414]

My wife and I are planning at trip to WDW for September of 2015. We normally drive in; however we are considering flying this trip. From reading online, it is best to reserve airfare around 50-60 out from travel date to get the best offers. I can book my trip at the 180 day mark through Disney, including airfare.

Would it be better to reserve both resort and flight at the same time to make sure dates line up; or wait to book a flight separately?

We are going in September of this year. We bought tickets a month ago on Southwest. Then a week or two ago the prices dropped. Luckily we were using miles and we could switch without a problem.

If you know generally when you want to go you could book the resort with an extra day or two at each end and then once you know your flights you could change dropped the un-needed days.

 

[ArchPsyduck]

If you know generally when you want to go you could book the resort with an extra day or two at each end and then once you know your flights you could change dropped the un-needed days.

That is a really clever idea!

 

[JoshuaShaw]

We booked our flights a month ago for our trip in November and prices have gone up considerably since. Book when you see a fare you can live with, and don't look back!

This. While I've usually found the best deals 2-3 months before a trip, it certainly isn't a guarantee. I check airfare weekly (Tuesdays & Thursdays) the instant I know I'll be traveling and once I find a price I feel is reasonable, I jump on it.

 

[Mikie]

My wife and I are planning at trip to WDW for September of 2015. We normally drive in; however we are considering flying this trip. From reading online, it is best to reserve airfare around 50-60 out from travel date to get the best offers. I can book my trip at the 180 day mark through Disney, including airfare.

Would it be better to reserve both resort and flight at the same time to make sure dates line up; or wait to book a flight separately?

DH travels a ton through work and finds the 50-60 day thing to generally be true for traditional airlines (he usually flies American, a little United) However, the key word is "generally". . . For business, he has the luxury of waiting for that cheaper window and once in a while if it doesn't work out, company is paying high prices for his ticket, but it balances out in the long run. For an individual with fixed (or nearly fixed) dates it would be too much of a risk for me to wait. Also the flight times for the flights that go down in price are less desirable - not a problem if you're a night owl or early bird but maybe not what you're looking for if you want midday flights.

 

[kathie859]

I wanted to suggest setting up a fare alert on kayak.com. Kayak looks for the best fares with a range of dates and will email them to you weekly or daily. I've snagged a few really decent fares this way.

I agree with handling your own airfare separately. That puts you in control of times and seating. The only time I did a package deal (not Disney) my flights were not good and the seats awful (middle of row and in the back with close connections). Lesson learned.

 

[SPOERLX3]

We are going September of this year and and flying out of Dallas. We have 2 airports: SW flies out of Love field (smaller & closer). The larger airlines, AA, Delta, United all fly out of DFW (much larger and about an hour from our house). I have been watching the airlines like a hawk since March and this is what I have seen.

I have found that Southwest best fares are as soon as they open their booking window (about 5 months in advance).
The day they opened their September flights On April 15 our flights were $116 each way, so $232. We thought those were great rates so we booked.
Now our flights on SW are $298 and have been that price or highter for a while (they seem to fluxuate alot.

AA flights are just the opposite. Their flights have been $350+ rt since they came out, until last week. Then on June 10th their non-stop flights (about the same flight times as ours) dropped to $248 rt non-stop.

When we weigh SW-closer, smaller airport w/no baggage fee's and 1 stop (no plane change) vs AA- larger, further away airport with baggage fee's and non-stop it is pretty much a wash onto which is a better deal.

If I look at cost alone, we are definitely saving at least $200 flying SW with the difference in flight cost and luggage fee's.

Now....when the Wright ammendment is lifted in October and SW is allowed non-stop flights from Dallas, SW should be the much better deal next year for our trip (as long as they don't jack up their prices).