Getting Cheaper Airfare?

[huckabear]

We'll be headed to Disney 3/31-4/6. Oh my goodness, the airfare! Even living near an airport that's a major Southwest hub isn't that helpful. Traveling the week before Easter is so expensive, but it's the only time we can go. And we only have one airport option to fly out of.

So in terms of saving money, how long should we wait to see if prices come down at all? There will be 5 of us, so while we know it's not going to be cheap, I'd like for it to be more reasonable. I am just afraid of waiting too long and there not being any flights!

 

[mrsfascinating]

The airfare game is not what it used to be. The sooner you book usually the least expensive the ticket. That's not to say that they may not offer a special fare closer to the date because they need to fill seats. We are going 4/3-4/9 when tickets 1st came out a couple months ago from the airlines that allow you to book 11mths out the tickets were running well over $300. I was not paying that so I waited and last week when airtran released there rates I got the RT tickets for $221 with fees and tax. I have since gone back and checked and had I waited they would have been close to $300 again. So if the price is resonable now go for it, if not wait ,but realize you may pay more.

 

[amy-momofthree]

I believe southwest gives you a credit if the fares drop from the time you book until the time you travel.

I would also check delta's website on Tuesday and Wednesday. Someone told me that fares drop on these days. I was able to get RT delta from Nashville to Orlando for $126. This was on a Tuesday afternoon and was 2 months out.

Good luck!

 

[ancestry]

The problem, in my opinion, is the time when you are trying to travel. You are traveling at a peak travel time and at a time that is also most likely spring break for many schools. The chance of air fare coming down during a holiday period like this is slim to none. I expect that it will only continue to rise.

The trick when buying airfare during a holiday period (Christmas, Thanksgiving, Spring Break, Easter, etc.) is to buy it as soon as it is released.

The airfare for our spring break period up here is through the roof and our spring break period isn't even near a major holiday.

 

[DisneyMomJen]

If you can change your dates slightly, see if you can go on the Thursday before. When we have gone for Spring Break we have always had to go on a thursday for the airfare to be decent. If we left on Friday or Satruday it went way up. For next Spring Break which is the same timeframeas yours, I bought our airfare in May. I could not believe how low it was when it first came out. I waited a week and had to pay a little more, but definitely alot lower than what I expected.

 

[kermit116]

Shop for airfares on a Tuesday or Wednesday for the (likely) best deal. By this I mean, try to be booking your ticket on a Tuesday or Wednesday, not traveling those days necessarily.