Getting Best Flights at Busy $$$ Time

[Frozen2014]

We have a cruise booked for March break next year (i.e. 2019) and the cruise leaves out of Miami. I know most on here are for Orlando but am posting on the Canadian board since you're all pros at booking Canadian flights to Florida The cruise is a Sat-Sat so looking at flying in the Friday and returning following Sat.

I'm getting stressed and worried my husband will want to cancel our cruise (which in itself is quite pricey) as airline costs for March break this year are nuts. We're a family of 4 and with current prices, we'd be looking at paying more than $5k for airline alone! I posted before about it and many suggested booking on release date so I have a further related question (created a new post as my question would have gotten lost in the previous post).

We're in Toronto so we could leave from Toronto (ideal based on time of year), or Buffalo or Detroit.
We would fly to Miami (ideal) or Fort Lauderdale (or if any other suggestions).

I'm checking different airlines and Air Canada is the furthest ahead with releasing up to Jan 13th, 2019. Other airlines are behind in their release dates with Delta up to Dec 21 2018, WestJet up to Dec 12 2018, and United up to Dec 26th, 2018.

Then for US options (flying out of Buffalo or Detroit....which is not ideal since we can still have snow storms/freezing rain in March), Southwest is currently only releasing up to Aug 6th, 2018 and JetBlue up to Sept 4th, 2018.

So my question is...if its best to purchase on release date, then is Air Canada the best? They will be way ahead of other airlines. Or is one of the other airlines typically cheaper and its best to gamble to wait for its opening day? Or any other suggestions? I should say that we prefer direct flights to avoid the worry of missing a connection. We're also trying to avoid our kids having to miss much school...which is the reason for booking over March break (but Thurs-Sat is not totally out of the question).

 

[ilovetotravel1977]

I would use www.flightnetwork.com to search flights as they have lots of different combinations. That's what I use when researching flights for Miami and FL for cruises.

 

[ilovetotravel1977]

Looks like no airlines are available yet for March. I believe flights are available up to 10-11 months in advance.

 

[Frozen2014]

Looks like no airlines are available yet for March. I believe flights are available up to 10-11 months in advance.

Yes...the dates that I listed are the furthest out that each airline is releasing.

It was recommended to me before that we book on opening day. So my question is related to this....AC will be the first airline to release for our date in March...so do we just book on opening day...or wait for another airline's opening day.

 

[ilovetotravel1977]

I would wait for sure. AC is typically one of the most expensive airlines IMO.

 

[ilovetotravel1977]

Miami flights are more expensive than Fort Lauderdale, sometimes by hundreds of dollars. It might be worth flying into FLL and then taking a shuttle into Miami and getting your hotel there, you'll be much closer to the cruise port.

 

[Frozen2014]

I would use www.flightnetwork.com to search flights as they have lots of different combinations. That's what I use when researching flights for Miami and FL for cruises.

Thanks . I gave it a try. Did search from Toronto To Miami...and results turned up like Niagara to Newark. I get the Niagara one as it's a 2.5 hrs drive, but Newark to Miami is an 18 hr drive. Hmm...

 

[Frozen2014]

Miami flights are more expensive than Fort Lauderdale, sometimes by hundreds of dollars. It might be worth flying into FLL and then taking a shuttle into Miami and getting your hotel there, you'll be much closer to the cruise port.

When doing price checks for March break this year, Miami was actually a bit cheaper....but will definitely check FLL as that's a totally good option too if it is cheaper.

 

[CaperCris]

Check Google Flights also, I scored a great price for this August. Saved over $1000 from our 2015 trip. I use them for any flights i need to book.

 

[Hamptonite]

Check Google Flights also, I scored a great price for this August. Saved over $1000 from our 2015 trip. I use them for any flights i need to book.

Yes - check Google Flights - lots of great deals by flying Westjet into USA then Delta down to destination. Can sometimes save more than 50% on a flight compared to AC.

 

[efrant]

A different kind of suggestion: you and your husband could each get an RBC WestJet World Elite MasterCard. The annual fee is $119, but you get $250 WestJet dollars and a companion flight voucher (which lets you get a companion ticket for $99+taxes/fees) each. So, you would only need to purchase two airline tickets (rather than four), and use two companion vouchers. The total cost would be the price of the two tickets + 2x the annual fee for the credit cards + 2x the $99+tax/fee for the companion voucher tickets less $500 (i.e., the 2x the $250 WestJet dollars).

 

[Frozen2014]

A different kind of suggestion: you and your husband could each get an RBC WestJet World Elite MasterCard. The annual fee is $119, but you get $250 WestJet dollars and a companion flight voucher (which lets you get a companion ticket for $99+taxes/fees) each. So, you would only need to purchase two airline tickets (rather than four), and use two companion vouchers. The total cost would be the price of the two tickets + 2x the annual fee for the credit cards + 2x the $99+tax/fee for the companion voucher tickets less $500 (i.e., the 2x the $250 WestJet dollars).

Thanks...not sure we want another credit card, but it is a very interesting option. And saving $500 is pretty good! With this method, we would need to do 2 separate bookings then, right? Also, by 'companion flight voucher' you mean their ticket costs only $99+taxes+fees no matter what ours costs?

 

[pigletto]

Another idea is to ask yourself how far you are willing to drive to get out of the zone where they overcharge for flights because it’s Canadian March Break. You will need to get away from border cities. We had friends who drove last year to Philadelphia, PA. It was a 6 hour drive but it saved them well over $700 Usd. They are teachers and only had the one week to work with, so they needed the dates that they needed. If you are willing to get 6 hours out, you open up MANY more airports.
Another thing to consider is Spirit Airlines Or Allegiant out of Niagara Falls airport. They have demand pricing and costs go up as the flights start to fill, so you would want to check them on opening day. Again, looking into Tampa, St. Pete’s, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers and Orlando are all options. Yes you would need to rent a car to get to the port, but if it’s saving you $700 usd over flying direct it might be worth it.

 

[Frozen2014]

Another idea is to ask yourself how far you are willing to drive to get out of the zone where they overcharge for flights because it’s Canadian March Break. You will need to get away from border cities. We had friends who drove last year to Philadelphia, PA. It was a 6 hour drive but it saved them well over $700 Usd. They are teachers and only had the one week to work with, so they needed the dates that they needed. If you are willing to get 6 hours out, you open up MANY more airports.
Another thing to consider is Spirit Airlines Or Allegiant out of Niagara Falls airport. They have demand pricing and costs go up as the flights start to fill, so you would want to check them on opening day. Again, looking into Tampa, St. Pete’s, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers and Orlando are all options. Yes you would need to rent a car to get to the port, but if it’s saving you $700 usd over flying direct it might be worth it.

Thank you My only issue with smaller airlines is their flights are usually limited. So if they are cancelled, then we run the risk of missing our cruise. Last time we booked with Air Transat. All was fine but I after we booked it, I noticed that it only ran on Saturdays and Sundays...so big issue if they took off a flight.

I'll check with Philadelphia and other airports on Florida side. Don't mind driving...as long as no winter storm issues.

 

[efrant]

Thanks...not sure we want another credit card, but it is a very interesting option. And saving $500 is pretty good!

There's nothing stopping you from cancelling it after your trip. And if you are saying tickets for the four of you are $5,000, you should save around $2,400 or so.

And the card gives you your first checked bag for free, and the first checked bag free for up to 8 people travelling with you.

EDIT: One thing I forgot to mention is that the card requires a minimum annual income of $80k (or minimum household income of $150k)...

With this method, we would need to do 2 separate bookings then, right?

Yes. Or you may be able to do it in one booking if you call in rather than doing it online.

Also, by 'companion flight voucher' you mean their ticket costs only $99+taxes+fees no matter what ours costs?

Correct. No matter what the cost of your ticket is, the companion ticket is only $99+taxes+fees (for flights in Canada/ContinentalUSA).

 

[Best_Vacation_EVER!]

I would say that this really depends on what you want from the reservation.

For us I would say decide what you want ---- direct flight, type of aircraft/seat comfort (Dh is 6' 7" of legs so he doesn't fit everywhere well .... so this is priority for us), and time of day are our 3 main priorities. If price is the only qualifier (and you don't care if you'll be on a milk run or times/layovers don't matter --- then there are sites that will help you (Kayak, cheap tickets, etc...) . Would suggest signing up for all (WJ, AC, SW, JB, etc....) for notifications about sales. We've had a number of times where we've received good deals on short notice from different airlines...

 

[darwinsrule]

Then for US options (flying out of Buffalo or Detroit....which is not ideal since we can still have snow storms/freezing rain in March), Southwest is currently only releasing up to Aug 6th, 2018 and JetBlue up to Sept 4th, 2018.

Honestly I woud be more concerned about bad weather out of Pearson than BUF. In BUF they are used to snow, Pearson because of the volume of traffic means there are MANY more fights to deal with, and problems can quicky lead to a chain reaction impacting other flights. If you want Pearson you will pay a premium. If you wait you will pay a premium regardless of where you try to fly out of.

About to do our third March Break trip in the last 6 years, one out of PC, the last two out of MIA. Flying SW and JB all out of BUF, we have fares (for 4) ranging from a high of $2,000 USD to a low of $1,200 USD. The $2,000 was in to Orlando. That $1,200 is for this March on SW to FLL. SAT-FRI (5 night cruise leaving SUN). SAT flight has a layover in TAMPA (so we are in FL if there is a problem). Flight back is direct. Flights were bought within 2 hours of SW putting them on sale last summer. We had the cruise booked already but where prepared to cancel if the flights were crazy for pricing.

Looking at trips for March Break 2019/20 right now. Same rule applies. Find a trip, hope for the flights. If it doesn't work out figure out a Plan B. Frankly nothing beats going in late August. We have had airfares BUF to FLL and MCO that have been as low as $800 USD RT for the 4 of us. Those fares make me very, very happy.

 

[isabellea]

Another idea is to ask yourself how far you are willing to drive to get out of the zone where they overcharge for flights because it’s Canadian March Break. You will need to get away from border cities. We had friends who drove last year to Philadelphia, PA. It was a 6 hour drive but it saved them well over $700 Usd. They are teachers and only had the one week to work with, so they needed the dates that they needed. If you are willing to get 6 hours out, you open up MANY more airports.
Another thing to consider is Spirit Airlines Or Allegiant out of Niagara Falls airport. They have demand pricing and costs go up as the flights start to fill, so you would want to check them on opening day. Again, looking into Tampa, St. Pete’s, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers and Orlando are all options. Yes you would need to rent a car to get to the port, but if it’s saving you $700 usd over flying direct it might be worth it.

Another option would be to drive to Montreal (YUL). Our Spring Break is always before ON.

 

[FigmentSpark]

Air Canada bookings open up 355 days before the flight. You could book one way down to Miami at 355 days and then book another one way back 7 (or whatever) days later. In my mind, this is how you'll get the best prices on Air Canada.

West Jet opens later than Air Canada, and their prices aren't much different and, I think a little more.

You could wait until the summer when SouthWest and JetBlue offerings open, but get up early on opening day, if you're doing that and have an account made up already, because I've heard stories of people losing a price as it took too long to finalize their booking. You are also at the mercy of the exchange rate, but people do swear by going out of BUF.

Do your research now. If you fly into FLL, where will you stay and how will you get to the port? Same with flying into MIA. You might find convenience is a tipping point, as I don't think the flights are that wildly different in price. Conversely, the flight timings might make the difference for you. Check the Jan/Feb 2019 flights now to get a sense of the timing and number of flights A/C will likely have.

I collected some sample flight information from Air Canada for this March break for MCO, FLL and MIA at the beginning of last May. If it helps, here it is:



Greyed out means that fare wasn't available by the time I was looking. (2 months from opening day)

 

[Frozen2014]

efrant, thanks for the info about the card. Yes, I did notice the annual income when looking at the card. Will discuss it with DH as an option.

Best_Vacation_EVER, nice alias! True...for us direct is preferable (but we would drive to an airport or from an airport on Florida side).

darwinsrule, funny enough we were also looking at doing a short cruise end of August (or for future...end of Aug is ideal for us timing wise for a Disney World trip). BUT we do worry about hurricane season ...especially when at sea. That's a great price though from Buffalo for March Break. I'm determined to make our cruise (but do worry about DH's reaction). We booked 2 years out and that's a lot of excitement and patience waiting. (But at the same time, haven't told our kids for that very reason)

isabellea, thanks...let me check MOntreal. Guess same risk though with weather.

FigmentSpark, wow, great spreadsheet! Ok so good to know that WestJet isn't any cheaper than AC. So are you saying that AC is better to book flights separately? Thanks for the tip too, for JetBlue and Southwest to already have an account set up and logged in . From your spreadsheet it's amazing (and horrible) how much cheaper it is just a few days earlier. So for your spreadsheet, AC was already out...and perhaps others too like United and WestJet. We would only go as early as Thurs as or son will be in grade 8 and we don't want him missing too much school. And for flights home, we couldn't look at any earlier than 11:30am if out of Miami and I guess 12:30pm if out of FLL.