Help Please - Not Sure If Urgent - Airfaire

[Anjelica]

Ok - I have been watching airfare for the past couple of months and I see it climbing to #'s I haven't seen in years. This makes me nervous as my trip is in February (granted, that is a ways away but I have seen tickets go high and stay high for awhile) - however, I have the oppportunity to purchase some decently priced tickets now (which I have a sneaky suspicion will climb if I don't get them soon). So with that in mind here is what I have:

Right now, most commercial airlines coming from St. Louis to Orlando International are around 335.00 per round trip, non-stop tickets. I am traveling with DH and DD so this is right above $1000.00 which is pretty steep. (Non-stop is the only way I am going to go as my daughter is 2 years old).

However, Trans Meridian airlines runs out of Mid-America Airport in St. Louis (10 minutes from my house) to Sanford International for 79.00 one way each ticket. So that takes us to around $571.00 for non-stop for all three of us.

I do worry that Trans Meridian airlines will increase their prices as well because I see the airline trend going that way (gas prices, etc.).

So should I wait or should I go ahead and buy trans meridian tickets? They only have one flight the day we are going and so they have limited tickets, etc.

**No matter which airport we go to we will be renting a car**

 

[Tinkerbell58]

With the price of fuel these days, my guess is that the price will only increase. I booked my flight in February for $73/way for my trip in August on Spirit. That same flight is now $221/way.

If you see a price that you feel comfortable with, book it. You may want to ask the airline if the price does go down, will they issue you a credit for the difference.

 

[Lewisc]

Charter airlines can change flight times, add a stop and even change your flight to one with an indirect connection and you have no recourse as long as your flight lands the same day. They can also decide not to run flights on a daily basis or even drop the route.

The only thing they have to do is offer you a refund if they won't get you to your destination on the same day. You're then on your own to find a flight at whatever fare is currently available on another airline.

Again if they add a stop or an indirect connection you don't have the right to insist on a refund.

 

[GrumpyBa*D]

I can attest to that. just be aware of potential charter problems.
i paid to change our flight to a slightly earliere non stop 7/1....well on 7/8 airt tran dopped both my original flight and the flight i paid to change too.... then without asking they put me on a much earlier flight with a lay over... instead of a 10 minute earlier non stop.... so i paid a change fee for nothing!!!!

 

[Brian Noble]

AirTran is not a charter airline, though, IIRC.

TMA runs a fairly consistent pax service---I think the odds are good that your direct flight won't become an indirect one, because TMA doesn't really operate a hub-and-spoke system, though Orlando/Sanford is "sort of" a hub, and that's where you are going anyway. The more significant potential issue is that they typically only run one flight a day (or even less than one per day) so if there is a mechanical issue, their ability to put you on another flight is limited, *and* they don't have interline agreements with other airlines.

Edited to add: rental car rates are a tad higher at SFB than they are at MCO, so compare those to see what rate you'd be getting. Even so, a $300-$400 difference is non-trivial. You are unlikely to see a better deal, and you may not see anything that is seriously competitive with those rates. If you are going for weekend travel, or are going during President's Week, you might want to jump on these now.

 

[ccgegg]

Anjelica, I'm also trying to find good fares from STL to Orlando. Our trip is this Dec. I share your anxiety that the rates are kind of scary high. I was hoping the Southwest release today would be much better than it was-- $149 each way. Then I see where people are flying from N California to MCO for $99 each way. A competitive market CLEARLY reigns over gas prices.

AA recently released a $203 rt fare but that's only good thru late Sep. Here's hoping they run something similar for mid-Dec (and Feb). I'm trying to be patient, but with the airlines, it's all a big game. Sometimes patience pays off, sometimes you get burned. And getting burned on an already $300 rt ticket would seriously hurt the budget.

PM me and maybe we can help each other out by keeping an eye on things.

 

[DolphinBoy]

I was shocked with the STL airfares as well. I did a quick check on shuttle rates from Sanford and they are about double. I am not headed down till Spring Break. Let me know if you guys find anything out!

Thanks!