flight strategies?

[drcmk]

What is the best strategy for getting the cheapest airfare to Orlando? I plan to fly there in the fall. Does it make the most sense to book early to get good rates or wait it out until shortly before I'll leave? Are there any other methods to get a good deal?

Thank you.

 

[Lora]

We were planning to drive if we didn't get a really great fare. So, we had the luxury of waiting. I don't know where you're flying from, but it seems that the Fall was a good time to get a low fare if you can wait that long to purchase.

(We've flown in Sept. and Oct. Once from Albany and once from Austin. Both times our fares were around $100 RT. Once with Southwest and once with American.)

 

[janette]

Start watching fares so you know what they usually are. Have a price in mind and if you see a good deal buy. I've flown from DFW for as little as $108 round trip, I bought those tickets almost a year in advance and at other times have bought closer. Really never know when the best deal will come up.

 

[cindala]

It really depends on how flexible you are with your dates. For us, booking out as far as possible always yields the best prices. We have very specific days and times to fly, and we are not very flexible. We usually book out about 10 months in advance and get a fare between $169-$185 on a direct non stop flight.

Start looking at the dates you want to go to get an idea of the fares. Sometimes if you play with the dates, the fares will go up or down a little bit. When you find something you are comfortable with, book it. If the fare does go down further, you can always get a voucher for the difference.

 

[Luv2Roam]

I have gotten pretty good $ flights from signing up with Travelocity's FareWatcher. You will get an e-mail with your specific city departure and arrival.
I have not been able to beat these prices, with flying during the time frames I needed. Plus they do all the watching for you.
And so far they haven't been internet only fares.

 

[disneefamily]

Disnee Dad Says..................................Get to know the going prices for your flights. Then when see a deal you will know it and book it. Don't worry about getting the absolute best price possible, because that is almost impossible. And know about the fees. From Sacramento, I book as soon as I see it under $275 roundtrip, all fees included. Last November got roundtrip tickets for $198 but by the time they added port charges, security charges, flight tax, 9/11 fees, electric fees, you really wanted to fly? fees, and you are breathing our air fees, the tickets were a whopping $252!!! Still a great deal, but come on $54 of fees per ticket?

 

[holidaybarb]

Every day I check www.air-fare.com to see what fares have dropped from my city. I think the button says something like "Big Airfare Cuts".

Every week or so I log in as a guest at itasoftware.com and plug in dates/cities to see what fares are available. It allows great flexibility.

Both are great sites in addition to the travelocity farewatcher which does email you when your selected fares drop. There's no fee for any of these.

My biggest coup to date is finding a $279 fare from our midwest home to Honolulu on a scheduled flight. But you have to be ready to book when you find the low fares. Often they disappear quickly- the best ones don't last the whole day . Traveling just seems to be more fun when I know I've done my research and found a pretty good deal.

Good luck!

 

[mom2of2]

This is what I did to get the best fare:

I figured out my "when can we go dates"
I checked travelocity and expedia and signed up for fare watchers.
I then went directly to the airline sights and punched in date after date and got a baseline price.
I was looking to either fly out of PHL or EWR and couldn't find anything under $179
I then checked with ABE and found that I could fly into Sanford for $133---only thing was they don't fly everyday sooo.....
I called and changed my hotel ressies for one day later and because I saved so much money on the flights I was able to actually add 2 more days
With Sanford being a little farther out the cost of the town car is a little bit more then from MCO but I still make out.
Allentown is only 30 minutes away and $7 a day parking.

YEEHAAA Disney here we come!!!!

 

[gbanshee]

The airlines have just started to add fuel surcharges again, so prices really stink now.

gb

 

[bubbasmom99]

Disneefamily.... is that Delta you're flying out of Sacramento? I'm looking at $198 fares right now, but I'm holding out... last time we got them for $158 or something like that....

Originally posted by disneefamily
Disnee Dad Says..................................Get to know the going prices for your flights. Then when see a deal you will know it and book it. Don't worry about getting the absolute best price possible, because that is almost impossible. And know about the fees. From Sacramento, I book as soon as I see it under $275 roundtrip, all fees included. Last November got roundtrip tickets for $198 but by the time they added port charges, security charges, flight tax, 9/11 fees, electric fees, you really wanted to fly? fees, and you are breathing our air fees, the tickets were a whopping $252!!! Still a great deal, but come on $54 of fees per ticket?

 

[Alice28]

I'm a Southwest fan and I knew that they occasionally offered $99 each way from Portland to Orlando so I kept my eye in the paper, their weekly email, and occasionally I would check their website...my advice---check the website!!! I had seen nothing about cheap airfares to Orlando in the paper or in their email, but once I knew we were in our time window (they only book out flights so far in advance- about 5-6 months) I checked their website and got us r/t tickets for $175! (this inc. fees) This is with one stop in St. Louis but we don't have to change planes. And my favorite part is that we arrive in Orlando in the afternoon. Also, I made sure our flight dates were compatible with the cheaper fares- we're flying out on a Thursday and we're coming back on a Saturday. I avoided the Fri/Sun/Mon travel days and I think that helped snagging the cheaper fare. I'm just really happy with the price, with the times and I find Southwest to be friendly and efficient. No frills, but I like it.

 

[disneefamily]

Disnee Dad Says..................................To bubbasmom99, yes that was for a redeye on Delta. Glad to see Elk Grove people post, we're a couple miles north in North Laguna Creek.