Help! Flights are so expensive!

[LauraLouLovesPooh]

I myself am having this same problem. We are scheduled to go in mid September and are finding the rates considerably higher than those of last year. I just checked again and if we leave a day early and return the same day as planned we can go round trip $328 per person. Still high but I am thinking about booking it before gas prices rise even higher (as they are expected to) this summer. Let's just hope they come out with free dining so the cost of this trip is not astronomically higher than last years.

Praying for a little Disney (and maybe Continental) magic

 

[Feckless]

I know how you feel. I was waiting for a seat sale and missed a couple of mid-price opportunities. I booked our trip for off-season times and I'll bet I'll regret booking, but I felt like I had to because otherwise it seemed like we wouldn't get the flights that we wanted - the only ones that were popping up with substantial reductions were the off time flights. I ended up deciding to pay a higher price for the good flights... We arrive at 1 p.m. and get to enjoy our first day, and leave at 2 and so we can enjoy our last. I figure that since we are staying Deluxe it will be worth it to pay the premium on the flights. It sucks though - we are paying $1200 more for the flights than we did in 2009 and that included a 2 week rental car! There are NO deals like that available now and I am trying my best not to think about it.

 

[DisneyAddict_M]

I just booked my flight last week and I saved a lot of money by flying out on a Tuesday and returning on a Wednesday.

Checking sites like kayak.com, and then when you find a good deal, go the airline website directly and book through them (to save on fees) is another idea. You can also sign up for alerts on some sites, like TripAdvisor, that will email you when they have a special.

As others mentioned, trying flying out of an alternate airport sometimes works too.

Good luck!

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Consider flying into Tampa. We just did and saves a TON of money. Tampa is only 1hour and 15 minutes from WDW. Its an easy ride over. We got an Alamo rental car for $85 for the week and it was a mid size. We flew on Southwest. The Tampa airport was a nice quiet airport unlike Orlando that is crazy busy. We dropped the car, checked in and breezed through security in a matter of minutes!!

 

[Aliceacc]

Make www.kayak.com a favorite on your computer. Then do the same with www.jetblue.com and www.southwestair.com if they fly out of local airport(s).

Check them every single day, sometimes multiple times. Keep in mind that neither Jetblue nor Southwest charge for that first bag (Southwest doesn't charge for any checked baggage) so factor that into your calculations.

When you see a price you like, buy there and then. Don't take time to think about it; the odds are good that the same fare will not be there the next time you look.

As teachers who vacation over the summer, we have the freedom to fly midweek, so we always do.

Also, keep in mind: new regulations mean that the price you see posted is the total, including all taxes. What used to cost $225 or so now costs more like $250, simply because the new price is the total amount you actually pay.

 

[kermit116]

Trying looking at & booking flights on Monday nights or Tuesdays - that's when most airlines will release new fares and you'll have the best shot at a fare reduction. You can also sign up for fare updates online with Airfare WatchDog - you put in your home airport and you'll get emails with low fares.

As a rule, airfares have gone up over the past few months, so you may not be able to get the same low fare you got last year.

 

[ddz0247]

United finally lower the price for Easter weekend price. We were able to book flight 4/5 - 4/13 for less than $300 but have to fly in later night. Our original plan date 4/7 to 4/14 is still over $1,000 an never drop to less than $600. They have about 10 flights each day and most of them are pretty empty. I don't understand why they price the flight outrageous high. Orlando is for family vacation and how do you think regular famialy are able to pay $1000 ticket, or even $600. I just don't get their rational.

 

[Aliceacc]

United finally lower the price for Easter weekend price. We were able to book flight 4/5 - 4/13 for less than $300 but have to fly in later night. Our original plan date 4/7 to 4/14 is still over $1,000 an never drop to less than $600. They have about 10 flights each day and most of them are pretty empty. I don't understand why they price the flight outrageous high. Orlando is for family vacation and how do you think regular famialy are able to pay $1000 ticket, or even $600. I just don't get their rational.

Honestly, our ability to get to Disney isn't their concern. They'll price the flights as high as the market will bear. As long as people keep booking flights, they're good to go.

They're in buisness to stay in business, not to make it easy for us to get to Disney World. Sad, but true. And with the price of gas going ever higher, I don't see prices dropping anytime soon.

 

[nene0182]

I am about to make all of you feel good. In 2009 I loved the fact that we paid 489pp. Right now we are at 689pp. If we can't get out of here closer to 500pp we might have to forget this year.

We are at $680pp right now through our local airport!

We live in Iowa also, and we tend to fly out of Minneapolis or Des Moines and have never paid nearly that much. I know our local airport would cost a ton, and would connect in Minneapolis, so I don't even look into that.

Like I said above, we are at $680pp from our local airport. I looked into flying out of MSP and the cheapest is $378 with a connection in Chicago or Milwaukee. Non stop is $640. (Just searched priceline real quick) And we would still have a 5+ hour drive a parking to pay for at the airport for the week we are gone.

Right now we are looking into flying Allegiant, so flying into Sanford and renting a car. It's still a huge savings for us. We are just waiting until their October flights are released to see what days they pick

 

[Stan's MaggieMouse]

Jet Blue opened flights for September and October at noon today and I bought tickets for my September trip at 12:05. Got out for just over $250 a piece. Not only did we have our pick of seats but now I don't have to stress over it anymore. I don't expect the flights to get any cheaper than they were today. Of course my husband has not been stalking airfare because he's not going on this trip so he almost had a heart attack when I told him what I'd spent. He said that all three of us flew last time for that price and we did but that was then and this is now.

 

[packofjedis]

My husband's nephew graduates from high school Memorial Day weekend. I'm not sure if we're all going or just my husband. Driving is about $400 (15 hours each way!), one plane ticket is $400 right now. So I'm leaning towards sending my husband by himself.

Regardless of flying or driving, we'll be going down on Friday and coming back on Sunday - no time to stay and visit. And worst of all, in December I found a plane ticket for $310 and didn't buy it.

I'm going to keep looking. Maybe like others have said, tickets will come down as it gets closer. But with gas rumored to go up to $5/gallon this summer, it's not likely.

 

[eaj1228]

So excited. I was able to get a decent fare from Seattle to Orlando on Southwest for October. $387 roundtrip. My dates just opened up and I had to jump. Thrilled to have two free checked bags too. I have never travelled with Southwest before so not having an assigned seat makes me kind of nervous.

 

[FINFAN]

Airtrans rates dropped a smidge today..I booked one way with them for now for our DD's graduation. I didn't book DS yet, gambling with him to see how much school he can miss that close to his own graduation. However, I at least bit the bullet for DH and myself~$140 p person one way. We have to fly into Sarasota due to a time crunch, so our airline options are pretty limited. We are more flexible on airports locations for the return home, since DD will have a lot of stuff to bring back we are hoping to fly SW , since they do not have luggage fees...watching their rates daily.

 

[pannm]

Priceline has been the biggest help for us! We use it all the time and save a lot of money. People only pay the 'listed price' when they want things to be convenient for them...if you can be flexible it saves you money. Even if it saves $100 a ticket, it's still very worth it. Tickets for us were $400 at the cheapest no matter WHAT combination I tried- different airports, different dates- you name it. We went to priceline and I got tickets for $270 round trip! And, we are happy with the flight times. our departure is early, our arrival is at 3. Then when we leave, we depart at 4pm and arrive back at home around 10:45. Couldn't have asked for better.

When ever we do priceline, we add a day to our vacation- just in case we get stuck with the flight that leaves orlando at 6 in the morning the day of our departure! We added two days this time and our flights were great, so we got some extra swimming time!!!

 

[FINFAN]

Priceline has been the biggest help for us! We use it all the time and save a lot of money. People only pay the 'listed price' when they want things to be convenient for them...if you can be flexible it saves you money. Even if it saves $100 a ticket, it's still very worth it. Tickets for us were $400 at the cheapest no matter WHAT combination I tried- different airports, different dates- you name it. We went to priceline and I got tickets for $270 round trip! And, we are happy with the flight times. our departure is early, our arrival is at 3. Then when we leave, we depart at 4pm and arrive back at home around 10:45. Couldn't have asked for better.

When ever we do priceline, we add a day to our vacation- just in case we get stuck with the flight that leaves orlando at 6 in the morning the day of our departure! We added two days this time and our flights were great, so we got some extra swimming time!!!

I checked PL for the airfare and they are the same as what I booked thru Airtran direct in our case..
I wish I could priceline the hotel we are after, but since they only guarantee for 2 adults it gets tricky for us. Even the place we want to stay at is up $30 a night from the same time last year The rental car is brutal too. For the 3 of us to attend this graduation is costing 1/2 of our DS yearly tuition at Community College..that's nuts.

 

[pannm]

I checked PL for the airfare and they are the same as what I booked thru Airtran direct in our case..
I wish I could priceline the hotel we are after, but since they only guarantee for 2 adults it gets tricky for us. Even the place we want to stay at is up $30 a night from the same time last year The rental car is brutal too. For the 3 of us to attend this graduation is costing 1/2 of our DS yearly tuition at Community College..that's nuts.

Yes, but if you are doing a 'name your own price' then, you will get it cheaper. The listed price on priceline is not the 'best value'. The site says "Name your own price and save up to 40%" but I usually start by trying to knock off 25% and naming that offer. Even if you save $100 by naming your own price, it's very much worth it.

You can also name your own price for car rentals. Type in your dates- look at the prices for car rentals, then take off 20-30% and name your own price. You can even pick the type (category) of car you want.

The only thing is that once you name your own price, it's booked and paid for. There are no refunds. That's why you need to be flexible if you want to save money.

Priceline (name your own price) has always worked well for us...we've always saved money!

 

[frannn]

We really would have preferred to wait and see for a bit, since the fare was almost 70/pp more than what we're used to. Problem is that even if gas prices don't get crazy, enough people believe they will to purchase all the lower tier fares. So, the total was about 812 total for three of us from NY. Luckily, I had about 47 in credit to counter the higher fares. I figure the extra is just insurance, and if the prices down, I'll just have a head start on next year.