Help! Best Airfare from Portland Oregon

[htegler]

We are planning a trip to WDW in December 2008. Does anyone have any suggestions about how to obtain the lowest fares be it package deals, book our own, via AAA, via Disney, etc.

 

[all4fun]

We fly out of PDX. We usually start looking online at kayak, orbitz, expedia about 6mos in advance and if we can get airfare under $300 a person including all fees then we're doing pretty good. Usually, we end up buying airfare at about 2-3mos prior to the trip for fear the rates will only be on an upward swing. We always buy directly from the airline site, whether it be Delta, Frontier, etc. Sometimes there are extra points given for ordering directly and we always sign up for the airlines freq flyer program. Currently we're using a Frontier CC to build points which we will use at some point to help defray airfare costs on a trip. Sorry no other "tricks" although I'd be interested to read what others like to do!

Whatever you do, once you make your purchase, stop looking! It'll only drive you nuts if you see a better fare.

hth

 

[htegler]

Thank you so much for the information. We will start 3-6 month in advance of our trip.

 

[klmall]

And definitely read the Transportation Board frequently for tips and stories such as flying into Tampa if Orlando fares don't turn up and so on.

 

[checkwriter]

Try playing around with a site called kayak.com, or another called sidestep.com. Both allow you to select a variety of departure and arrival airports, and will search a bunch of airlines and travel websites for good deals. Also, keep in mind that booking directly with airlines will usually save you money if you have to make changes. If you use a Travelocity-type site, you may have to pay the travel site in addition to paying the airline, which is a pain.

 

[Disneyfanfour]

We fly out of PDX, too! I thought I was doing good looking for airfare back in March for our December '07 trip, but the airmiles and prices just kept going up. The guidebooks actually say to start booking up to 300 days or something like that before your trip! Southwest doesn't let you book that early, but I believe other airlines do. We can sometimes get a cheaper flight flying into Tampa, about an hour and fifteen minutes away. The car rentals are right outside the doors, which is awesome. This year will be our first year flying into MCO and using ME, so we'll see. But we've always rented a car in the past and really like Tampa airport.

Good luck and start looking as soon as you can. I've heard the prices and miles don't go down the closer it gets. Plus, you risk arriving really late with a last minute trip.

 

[TheGoofFather]

My family will be flying out in November to WDW and we are taking Southwest.

I shopped around for cheap airfare for a over a month and my best deal by a decent margin was to go through Southwest's website. I usually prefer the airlines websites over the alternative sites...

My wife is not the biggest fan of SW, so I really tried hard to look at the competitors but I ultimately came back to them as they had the best deal at about $250 per person. We also really liked some of the flight times as well, because we could get shorter flights with less stops and more agreeable departure times. With children of 11, 9 and 4 years in age we really like to have the flight be under 7 hours in duration! We also want to avoid plane changes along the way too.

Good luck!!!

 

[kay**blue]

I fly from Portland as well. I found out that Alaska has a nonstop from PDX to MCO and back - one flight a day each way. I actually bought a one-way for our trip in a couple of week for $99 each before taxes and fees from the Alaska website. Traded in my Southwest ding fare tickets already prurchased for a credit. We're using Jet Blue credits for the trip back.

If it's available, the Alaska fare is outstanding and nonstop is AWESOME!

 

[Diznotyzed]

We just flew Alaska's new non-stop (got in on the $99 each way start up promo). It was so wonderful, less than 5 hrs in air! We know we won't always get this deal, but will certainly try to swing non-stop in the future. Warning - the return flight is early but even this has it's advantages, like short security lines.

 

[goofytwo]

I got an e-mail today advertising that AirTran has a sale from Portland to Orlando going on for the next few days. You may want to take a look at their web site and get an idea of what sale fares are for this year at the same time you are planning for next year. I have always had the best luck just looking and booking on my own for the airfare portion.

 

[Diznotyzed]

I got an e-mail today advertising that AirTran has a sale from Portland to Orlando going on for the next few days. You may want to take a look at their web site and get an idea of what sale fares are for this year at the same time you are planning for next year. I have always had the best luck just looking and booking on my own for the airfare portion.

I didn't think AirTran flew out of Portland, OR so I just looked at the website and it lists Portland, Maine but no Oregon.