Freeeeeaaaking out about March airfare

[tanyabanana]

Just when I thought I was halfway good at planning things..March airfare is biting me in the hiney. I had budgeted that we would purchase air in January, thinking that 2 1/2 months out would be about the right timing. Now I am so worried that I may have busted our budget, and the budget of everyone in my family that is going with us (group of 10).
This past year I flew several times, but before that it was about 15 years ago.

My question, if any of you have experience with this, is how much should I anticipate the airfares increasing? There is really no way money-wise to purchase before then as we are paying off our condo rental and then the holidays. We have already cut Christmas as much as possible, telling the kids this trip is their Christmas (although we have a few small gifts under $20 for them to open).
Thanks for reading and thanks in advance.

 

[Jillpie]

I don't know how to break this to you softly and lightly...but March and April are HUGE Spring break months for Disney, and I am talking huge. Those prices will not come down, if anything they will go up. April folks are going thru the exact same thing right now. So I do wish you luck, and buy now rather than wait, trust me.

 

[MAH4546]

I don't know how to break this to you softly and lightly...but March and April are HUGE Spring break months for Disney, and I am talking huge. Those prices will not come down, if anything they will go up. April folks are going thru the exact same thing right now. So I do wish you luck, and buy now rather than wait, trust me.

Prices will go down. They always do. Prices for spring will be cheapest in December.

That being said, it is still more expensive to fly during spring break than off-peak, but they will go down from what they are now. Airlines start prices up high 6-8 months in advance to take advantage of early planners. When seats remain empty, ticket prices start lowering 2-4 months before the flight. It is almost always optimal to purchase domestic tickets around 75-90 days in advance.

The only true exception is Thanksgiving weekend.

 

[tanyabanana]

Thanks for the replies...I will take a breath and wait and see for sure.
(Crossing my fingers and sending a good thought to the airline powers-that-be )

 

[pam931]

I noticed that you are in Colorado. One thing to remember is that you are also flying out of an area that's high demand for spring break travel -- lots of people come to CO to ski over spring break. So you have a double whammy -- high demand on both ends of your trip.

If you have any flexibility -- flying in and out on Tues, Wed. rather than Sat, Sun. that may help.

Also, I know you said you can't buy tix until Jan., but is there any way you can keep a number in your mind that works for you and if it comes up, buy right away? Sometimes really good fares are available for 24 hours or less so you need to be able to move quickly.

Good luck.

 

[mareed]

I realize no-one has a crystal ball, but I personally don't think airfares will go down for March. I'm not exactly sure of your trip dates and location, but I checked March 13-21 from Denver to Orlando on Southwest, and I found $330 round-trip. I really think this may be the best you'll find, and that if you wait it could go even higher. I think enough people are flying that Spring Break flights will sell out even at the higher prices.

I have flights I booked around Thanksgiving and XMAS/New Years that I booked on Southwest when dates were first released, and those flights have only gone up in price now, and I really don't think they'll go down. I think Spring Break weeks in March will be similar.

But then, hopefully I'm wrong and you'll be able to get lower priced flights and I'll be able to get a credit on my March flights (to LA for DL this time!).

 

[Jillpie]

Prices will go down. They always do. Prices for spring will be cheapest in December.

That being said, it is still more expensive to fly during spring break than off-peak, but they will go down from what they are now. Airlines start prices up high 6-8 months in advance to take advantage of early planners. When seats remain empty, ticket prices start lowering 2-4 months before the flight. It is almost always optimal to purchase domestic tickets around 75-90 days in advance.

The only true exception is Thanksgiving weekend.

Coming back to respond from last night...I forgot to check where OP is from, I posted so assuredly that rates will not come down because if you are from New England going down during Spring break I can say for sure, they are not coming down. I see it every single year. Jetblue and Delta will stay way up there, does not budge and they fill every seat eventually at the high numbers. Now the OP is from Colorado, so I have no idea how the rates are from there, so maybe they are more flexible?

 

[AllesonWonderland]

OP--maybe you want to create another thread asking DEN flyers (or whichever airport you use) what kind of airfare prices they have? If local people see their airport in the title, you might get more responses. I know Southwest just opened up the rest of March last week...we got $59 flights each way for our Spring Break flights out of Kansas City. (Worth a 4 hour drive for lower rates and a direct flight) Good luck to you--hope you find a fare you can live with, I know the 'when to buy' game can be very stressful! Maybe check out bing travel or another website that tracks fares for some insight. (I put in March 20-27 for flights and they suggest waiting to buy) You can also sign up for alerts on Travelocity, etc. to be notified when airfare drops by a certain amount or hits a price you choose.

 

[Disneylvr]

Prices will go down. They always do. Prices for spring will be cheapest in December.

That being said, it is still more expensive to fly during spring break than off-peak, but they will go down from what they are now. Airlines start prices up high 6-8 months in advance to take advantage of early planners. When seats remain empty, ticket prices start lowering 2-4 months before the flight. It is almost always optimal to purchase domestic tickets around 75-90 days in advance.

The only true exception is Thanksgiving weekend.

Exactly! Last year we purchased our airline tickets for March 2009 in December 2008. I still have the confirmation saved as a reminder for our March 2010 trip. The airfare this past March was still more than I was used to play (it was $259 RT from STL to MCO) but still within our budget. Airfare for March 2010 is still over $400 even on Southwest! I am playing the waiting game right now.

 

[mareed]

Exactly! Last year we purchased our airline tickets for March 2009 in December 2008. I still have the confirmation saved as a reminder for our March 2010 trip. The airfare this past March was still more than I was used to play (it was $259 RT from STL to MCO) but still within our budget. Airfare for March 2010 is still over $400 even on Southwest! I am playing the waiting game right now.

I don't think you can use last year's experience as a predictor of what you'll see now. Flights have been cut, prices are higher, but from what I've seen, flights are still being booked and are being filled up even at the higher prices. And last-minute prices just skyrocket instead of lowering!

By my experience may be different from others. I pretty much exclusively fly SW as they're the main and really only carrier out of the airport close to me. I find my best prices booking right when they extend dates, and then occasionally rebooking if prices go down, but for the most part, I'm glad I purchased right away because prices only go up! I will say that I'm generally stuck with the very busy travel times like Thanksgiving, XMAS/New Years, & Spring Break, so I'm sure that comes into play!

 

[robint]

OP--maybe you want to create another thread asking DEN flyers (or whichever airport you use) what kind of airfare prices they have? If local people see their airport in the title, you might get more responses.

I'm from Denver. I got tickets on Southwest when it opened for about $330 rt ($1330 for all four of us) for Spring Break (3/19-27), and was very happy to do so. The same tickets are now going for over $2100.

Anytime I'm going to the east coast (usually Boston), I'm happy to get under $250, and THRILLED to get under $200, and that's going during non-holiday periods.

Most of the tickets on travelocity have been around $350, and that's for connecting, long-layover tickets.

 

[Disneylvr]

I don't think you can use last year's experience as a predictor of what you'll see now. Flights have been cut, prices are higher, but from what I've seen, flights are still being booked and are being filled up even at the higher prices. And last-minute prices just skyrocket instead of lowering!

By my experience may be different from others. I pretty much exclusively fly SW as they're the main and really only carrier out of the airport close to me. I find my best prices booking right when they extend dates, and then occasionally rebooking if prices go down, but for the most part, I'm glad I purchased right away because prices only go up! I will say that I'm generally stuck with the very busy travel times like Thanksgiving, XMAS/New Years, & Spring Break, so I'm sure that comes into play!

You know what, I am going to stay optimistic. I am not using last year's experience as to how much airfare is going to be, but as to when it might be at it's lowest price for our dates. We also typically don't fly Southwest. I do expect to pay more this year than last due to the flight cuts. I have a max amount in my mind that I will pay for a RT ticket from STL to MCO and when/if it ever goes that low I will buy tickets for our family. If fares remain as high as they are now, then we will be canceling our trip or driving. I still think it will go lower than $400 though! My advice to the OP is just hang in there for a little bit longer.