Good airfare rate MSP to MCO?

[GoodMommy]

Anybody hear of a good deal on airfare from Minneapolis to Orlando? Sun Country is about the cheapest I've found so far and booked through Hobbit Travel would be about $206 per person for flying roundtrip and nonstop 4/29 and 5/4/07. I'd like to go cheaper if at all possible. Anybody?

 

[may06orbust]

I booked in early January 07 for our May 10-16 trip. I've checked airfare since then and I think that $206 per person is pretty good. I lucked out on a fare sale with American, $187 per person including tax. I would try watching kayak.com or farecast.com to see which way prices are going. Are you flexible on these dates? It may be cheaper to fly on Saturday, 4-28, than Sunday, 4-29. That may help. Good luck!

 

[dudspizza]

I have always used the $200 mark as good airfare including taxes out of MSP. Anything below is a great deal and around that mark is fair. Even up to $220 depending on your days of the week that you fly. Best deals are almost always on Tuesday and Wednesday and sometimes Saturdays. Especially on Sun Country and Airtran.

Have a great trip!

Duds

 

[jekjones1558]

I would take that fare for sure. We are waiting for Nov. fares at AirTran and Sun Country and I will be ecstatic if I can get that rate, since there will be 18 of us. I agree that Sat. is cheaper than Sun. I should have booked Sat. to Sat. instead of Sun. to Sun. but can't change now because all Grand Villas are full.

 

[CarolMN]

If it were me, I'd grab the $206 fare before it disappears and be thrilled to get it. RT, nonstop on SC out of HHH. Hard to beat - especially if you are talking about the morning flight out. That SC flight is currently running $277 if you book via SC website.

In my experience, most of the less expensive fares, when they were available, were for airlines that do not offer non-stop flights.

 

[elgerber]

I agree, $206 out of MSP is great! I have $109 each way plus fees in October, and I was happy with that.

 

[deide71]

I agree, that is a good rate for a NS flight. And I love Sun Country!

 

[dudspizza]

I would take that fare for sure. We are waiting for Nov. fares at AirTran and Sun Country and I will be ecstatic if I can get that rate, since there will be 18 of us. I agree that Sat. is cheaper than Sun. I should have booked Sat. to Sat. instead of Sun. to Sun. but can't change now because all Grand Villas are full.

Ok... here is what you do in your case. Airtran offers group booking and they usually give you a little discount off of the listed price. Watch airtran.com very closely to see when they release their flight schedule for Nov. Immediately call the GROUP RESERVATIONS number at 1-888-419-6109. They will quote you a price and send you out a contract. The good thing is that they only require a portion down and the rest later. They also don't require all of the travelers names until closer to the flight.

I did this our 35 member baseball team and it worked great! Filled up a 1/3 of a plane for spring break to Disney!

Good luck.

Duds

 

[GoodMommy]

Rats, I missed it!!!!!!!! Sun Country just went up to $247 per ticket for the dates that I wanted. Looks like Northwest is cheapest now at around $217. Guess I'll be flying out of the big airport instead.

 

[magicaldisney]

Thanks guys. I'm going to be a silent observer here. We have only lived in Minnesota for two years and I have been unlucky at fares, paying roughly $300 a piece. I hope that the fares you speak of are usual fares for Thanksgiving. I'll be here reading all of your suggestions.

 

[kkmauch]

I'm with everyone else, $206 is GREAT! I just got a fare with NWA that was just under $200 for May, but that took constant checking on their website for the fare to drop. I really left the NWA website up at work and refreshed every few minutes to catch something. You should jump all over this fare!

 

[GoodMommy]

kkmauch,

Was that just under $200 before taxes? I just booked my flight through Northwest last night and got $184.18 per person ($217.29 after taxes). Hope that's still a fairly good deal. I tried to select seats online but it looks like all 4 of us will be sitting separately at least on the 4/29 flight. I wonder, is it worth calling the airline to see if we can get seated together? I would at least like my 9 & 11 year olds near me--they'll be scared. My 13 year old will probably be okay.

 

[dudspizza]

kkmauch,

Was that just under $200 before taxes? I just booked my flight through Northwest last night and got $184.18 per person ($217.29 after taxes). Hope that's still a fairly good deal. I tried to select seats online but it looks like all 4 of us will be sitting separately at least on the 4/29 flight. I wonder, is it worth calling the airline to see if we can get seated together? I would at least like my 9 & 11 year olds near me--they'll be scared. My 13 year old will probably be okay.

Best bet is to get to the airport very early if calling does not help. Also, try checking in at the 24 hour mark and try to change your seats at that time. NWA will release any seats held for elite travelers at that time. You can also pay $10 per seat to guarantee a prime seat..... you can also try to call NWA, but don't hold your breath.

I had some friends who could not get seat assignments until the airport and they showed up less than an hour before the flight... no seats together for them. They had to beg on the plane to get someone to switch. They were mad at the airline when in fact they should have been to the airport way earlier! I was on the same flight and was there 4 hours early to snag exit row seats... then I went off to MOA for some lunch at Rainforest Cafe before heading back to the airport...

Duds

 

[GoodMommy]

Thanks for the advice, duds! I'll try checking 24 hours before or when we check in at the airport. I tried calling NW but haven't been able to reach an actual person yet! I guess this is one of the symptoms of being in the computer age!

 

[GoodMommy]

Good news! I e-mailed Northwest regarding seat assignments. Two hours later, I received an e-mail response and they have put my family together on both flights! We are in preferred seating at no charge. How cool is that? I am thoroughly impressed with them now.

 

[elgerber]

Good news! I e-mailed Northwest regarding seat assignments. Two hours later, I received an e-mail response and they have put my family together on both flights! We are in preferred seating at no charge. How cool is that? I am thoroughly impressed with them now.

Wow, that is impressive, especially for that airline!!! That's great!