Have you used Hotwire for airfare?

[VickiVM]

We're not flying until next May/June and obviously airfare is still
high. I've found r/t from San Antonio to Orlando for over $300. I was on Hotwire and found flights running for $199 r/t from Houston (a 3 hour drive from our house) for the same dates. Does this sound reasonable?? How good is Hotwire? I realize that the times are iffy, but they say no red eyes or flights with more than one connection...or maybe that was two. Also, I'm sure they're non-refundable, so buying this far out is risky.

Any Hotwire experiences??

 

[Kitster]

Nope, I would never give anyone that much control over the airline company and times of my flights. I like knowing when and on which airline I'm traveling BEFORE I pay for non-refundable tickets.

I would suggest that you sign up for frequent flyer miles with one, or more, of the national airlines. Then register to receive their special airfare emails. We just booked RT airfare from LAX to MCO ( connecting thru Chicago outbound 12/8 redeye, direct flight for return 12/12 7am) for $212.30 per person, all fees and taxes included. We got the notice from American Airlines yesterday and started checking flights. In fact, we had our entire 3 day trip booked in less than 1 hour (airline tickets, hotel reservations and rental car).

BTW, have you considered flying out of Austin instead of Houston? SWA flys out of Austin.........for that matter SWA flys out of San Antonio too

 

[Kevenswife2]

I purchased my air tickets for my upcoming trip through Hotwire. $138 per person (taxes, fees, and everything inc.) roundtrip from Columbus, Oh to MCO on Thanksgiving Day. They're through Delta with no layovers or stops (straight flight). At the time, the going rate for the same tickets on Delta's website was $99 more. Arrive in Orlando at 6:20 pm (not too late) and depart on Dec 4 at 6:40 am...a lot earlier than I like, BUT I saved a lot of money. We wouldn't have been able to afford this trip if I hadn't gotten such a good deal on air tickets.

Since my tickets are through Delta, I was able to get on their website and pre select our seats. I like that as I know we'll be able to sit together.

DD22 just decided she wants to come with us for a couple of days. I had to buy her ticket through Delta as I wanted to be sure she was on the same flight as us going down. Her ticket cost $286 roundtrip.

I use Priceline and Hotwire for much of my travel ( air, hotel, etc). I couldn't do as many things if I didn't save some money in the process. So far, I've never had a problem.

I think in your case I'd wait until closer to your date of travel. Check the airlines websites frequently. I think I read they change prices at midnight on Thursdays...so keep looking. If it gets too close to your dates and you haven't found a price you like, then I'd look into Hotwire.

You might also try BookingBuddy.com or SideStep.com. Both help you compare prices without having to go to each seperate website.

 

[jimmiej]

VickiVM, since I'm from your area, let me tell you my experiences. First of all Austin is almost always less expensive than SA.

I've used priceline many times from Austin & SA to Orlando, Chicago, & Orange County, CA. Never paid more than $200 pp. I've always had decent times. Never arrived later than 4:20 pm. If not knowing times & carrier bothers you, try orbitz.com.

If SWA doesn't come down on the Austin to MCO leg of my Feb. trip, I'll probably try priceline myself.

 

[VickiVM]

Thanks for the replies...I'll definately wait it out, but have no clue what the airlines are doing these days - no guage of what's reasonable or pricey. Southwest was always my choice when I used to travel at work, but the choices of times to MCO are few and they won't post May/June flights till just a couple of months out - give or take.

I plugged in Austin before (last year when we went to WDW at Christmas), but didn't come up with any signifcant savings. We drove anyway.

I'll keep checking just to keep any eye on the fares to get an idea of what range I'm looking at.