Giving up and driving!!

[lacy1101]

I'm just about ready to forget getting a good rate for a flight out of Nashville to MCO and just drive it!! I have never waited this late to get our airline tickets. Thanks to Southwest, we've never paid more than $400-600 for airfare to Disney and I can't seem to find it for this trip under $900 (with anybody). SW keeps offering $39 from Nashville to Orlando, but travel has to be completed by 09/29/05, and we leave on 09/30. We depart for Disney on a Friday and fly back home on a Saturday. Is this my problem? We have always flown down on a Sunday for our past trips and returned on Saturday. This is getting extremely frustrating! I feel like I'm chained to my computer waiting for emails about fare sales and Dings!

Sorry - just had to vent a little this morning!

 

[MAH4546]

I We depart for Disney on a Friday and fly back home on a Saturday. Is this my problem?

No, not with Southwest. There are no Saturdy night-stay requirements and all fares are one-way. Have you only been checking Soutwest? They aren't always the cheapest. Check out Delta and American, although AA would mean a stop in Miami.

 

[alicenwonder99]

Well, you know that as soon as you purchase tix with another airline, SW will ding you with a great rate for your dates! It always happens to me. I get too nervous if I don't have my ressies, tix, etc. in order months ahead of time. I just missed out on a great rate with SW. I purchased nonrefundable tix with AA, and 10 days later, SW came out with a $49 rate...UGH!

Try to hold out a bit longer.

Mary

 

[Disney_1derland]

I'm just about ready to forget getting a good rate for a flight out of Nashville to MCO and just drive it!! I have never waited this late to get our airline tickets. Thanks to Southwest, we've never paid more than $400-600 for airfare to Disney and I can't seem to find it for this trip under $900 (with anybody). SW keeps offering $39 from Nashville to Orlando, but travel has to be completed by 09/29/05, and we leave on 09/30. We depart for Disney on a Friday and fly back home on a Saturday. Is this my problem? We have always flown down on a Sunday for our past trips and returned on Saturday. This is getting extremely frustrating! I feel like I'm chained to my computer waiting for emails about fare sales and Dings!

Sorry - just had to vent a little this morning!

I would strongly suggest you wait until at least August 9th to give up completely. That gives the current sale time to expire and takes you out to the next tuesday which is usually when they release their system-wide sale prices. Also, have you thought about priceline? We were able to get $131 r/t through priceline last year bna-mco. We also lucked out and got a direct flight. I much prefer southwest but in a pinch I'd do it again.

 

[lacy1101]

Okay, okay. Your voices of reason have convinced me to not give up entirely at this point. As pointed out, if I go ahead and book a higher rate with another airline, SW will almost surely come out with a better rate for our flights - that's just the way it goes. My husband tells me that if we drive, he wants to leave to return home on Saturday morning as opposed to leaving Saturday evening if we fly. That's a whole day of Disney!! (Like that's gonna happen! )

Thanks, girls! I'm going to try to not panic . . . for at least another 2 weeks.

 

[lacy1101]

I would strongly suggest you wait until at least August 9th to give up completely. That gives the current sale time to expire and takes you out to the next tuesday which is usually when they release their system-wide sale prices. Also, have you thought about priceline? We were able to get $131 r/t through priceline last year bna-mco. We also lucked out and got a direct flight. I much prefer southwest but in a pinch I'd do it again.

Disney_1derland: Well, today's August 9th and it didn't happen. Not only was the $39 rate not offered for our dates, it wasn't offered at all from Nashville to Orlando. Any more advice for how long I should hold out? Thanks for your help!

 

[Disney_1derland]

Disney_1derland: Well, today's August 9th and it didn't happen. Not only was the $39 rate not offered for our dates, it wasn't offered at all from Nashville to Orlando. Any more advice for how long I should hold out? Thanks for your help!

I'm as depressed as you are. I'm still holding out for lower rates and just watching my flights to see if they are starting to book up. We will fly no matter what so as soon as my flights start to look like they are filling up I will buy no matter the price. For you I guess it comes down to planning to drive unless there is some last minute fare sale. How full are the flights for your dates? That would give you some clue as to whether or not you'll see a fare sale. Go in and put in your dates and choose 8 passengers and see if the current lowest rate is still available for as many as 8. If it's not it's probably an indicator that the flights are selling well enough that they will not need to do a big sale.

Keep watching Ding and remember to check every tuesday for good fares as that is usually when sales are released.

 

[madge]

Has anyone seen a BNA/MCO ding! fare in the last few months, one that wasn't $99 each way? I've also been watching flights out of Nashville--we flew for less than $100 RT in March. I have tickets booked on SWA out of Indy, but I'd much rather drive to Nashville (it's closer ) I did notice that for my travel dates, there's not much left under "fun fares". If I move my departure day back to Sept 30 (we're leaving on 10/1) then there are more choices.

It's frustrating, because the last 3 times we've flown, Nashville has had very good fares!

 

[JoeCathyAngelina]

My plan, along with 99.9% of the people on this board, is to check the flights and dings everyday up to the point where I get the fare I want or break down, get fustrated and buy some tickets.
This time I'm going to hold out for the fare I want or Drive, again. Driving from Boston to WDW with a 3 year old wasn't as bad as I thought it would be and I don't mind doing it again with a 5 year old.
Good luck

 

[Disney_1derland]

Has anyone seen a BNA/MCO ding! fare in the last few months, one that wasn't $99 each way? I've also been watching flights out of Nashville--we flew for less than $100 RT in March. I have tickets booked on SWA out of Indy, but I'd much rather drive to Nashville (it's closer ) I did notice that for my travel dates, there's not much left under "fun fares". If I move my departure day back to Sept 30 (we're leaving on 10/1) then there are more choices.

It's frustrating, because the last 3 times we've flown, Nashville has had very good fares!

Twice this year I've gotten $39 each way, once was a Ding, once was a regular fare sale. Now for my final trip of the year, so far it's not looking good.

 

[LoveToDisney]

I'm holding out...the flights are not filling up and I truly believe SW will have to offer promo rates for October. I think they will wait until Sept hoping that most will purchase at the higher promo rates.

 

[madge]

Twice this year I've gotten $39 each way, once was a Ding, once was a regular fare sale. Now for my final trip of the year, so far it's not looking good.

We booked the $39 fare for Spring Break in late March/early April. If they can offer that fare at that peak travel time, why not in October?

 

[SB in KY]

I booked our flights out of Louisville for $121ppRT including taxes etc for the first week of November....I was about to drive to Nashville for the $39 1wy on SW (would have wound up saving us about about $110 for the family, but decided 3 hours each way to BNA wasn't worth it)

For some reason that weekend at the very end of Sept fell into the cheap fare cracks on SW this year... I saw the $55 each way DINGS on SW from 10/1 through 11/17...but the weekend dates were not available on that first weekend. (that was a couple of weeks ago...maybe 3 weeks now)

The good news is it is not a bad drive from Nashville...I did it with the kids in a little under 12 hours last week. (my mom lives in Nashville and we stopped to visit on the way home)...and you can keep looking for cheap airfare up until time to go...

Good LUCK!!

 

[madge]

Nashville flight-checkers!!!

Check Southwest!!!


39 each way!!!