Help with Air planning

[jewelmicky]

What is the best way to go about arranging air?

something like travelocity, orbitz....or directly with airlines.

I've been looking and seem to be getting better rates direct.

How long should I wait to book?

We are going in mid Feb, and have a big party 7.

I don't want to wait too long but want to get a good rate.

 

[tkldisney]

I always use expedia, travelocity, etc. to do research on flt schedules and pricing, then I book online directly with the airline. If your going in Feb. I'd book flights now because they usually tend to go up as travel dates get closer.

 

[Jestocost]

I always use expedia, travelocity, etc. to do research on flt schedules and pricing, then I book online directly with the airline. If your going in Feb. I'd book flights now because they usually tend to go up as travel dates get closer.

That's a good strategy. The airlines usually have the best rates on their own sites, plus the third-party booking sites charge an additional service fee. In addition, some airlines, like Southwest, can't even be searched or booked through the third-party sites.

Timing is like a game of chicken, however. Sometimes cheap fares come out later or even at the last minute; sometimes fares only go up the closer you get to the travel date. You never can tell, really. One thing that is almost certain is that getting groups of seats together will get more difficult the closer you get to the travel date.

One thing to consider is that many airlines only allow you to book up to six passengers on one reservation through their Web sites. This can make booking a larger group a bit trickly.

Finally, you sometimes can get quoted higher fares than the cheapest available when you are booking larger groups. Say there are five seats available at a discount, but you are booking a group of six. On some airline sites, they will automatically quote you all six at the higher fare. Other sites will show you the five at the lower fare and one at the higher fare. As a result, it may pay to put in smaller passenger counts if the fares seem unusually high.

 

[pumpkinboy]

I always watch flights using kayak.com which lists fares listed on the on-line agencies as well as those available directly through the airlines (with the latter most often being cheaper). When you find a fare and schedule that works for you, you simply click on the link in Kayak which takes you right to booking with the airline or other travel site. You don't buy through Kayak, but rather with the airline or other travel site.

What it does is simply digest all the fares available within your parameters, and give you a listing of your options. It is very flexible and we have saved a LOT watching on Kayak for our tickets. One disadvantage though is that it does not yet give you SouthWest's prices (noone but SouthWest will do that anyway), but it will show you that they serve the route.

For mid-February, I'd say you ought to be getting those tickets soon. We've had our's since May or June. But then again, our February school vacation in Mass and much of the rest of New England makes the fares for that week pretty pricy, so we watch for any openings though the year and pounce when we find something reasonable.

Good luck!

 

[jewelmicky]

i plan on booking tonight or tom.
thanks for the info
sound like you are goin same time/reason we are
i wasn't aware presidnets week was so popular
we have always gone off season but now with kids older have to join the crowds.

 

[dopeyfanatic]

Check all of them. Personally, I have never found the airline to be cheaper booking direct with them. Even my dad who flies often has only a couple times found it cheaper. So check around at different websites and with the airline. It may depend on where you're flying from/to for there to be a difference....

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

Checking and comparing fares via Travelocity or Kayak or another source is a good idea. However...

ALWAYS book through the airline's website. ALWAYS. If you book through Travelocity or Priceline or another site you will lose your ability to alter or cancel your reservations and you will eat the entire cost of the tickets if you do not end up using them.

If you book through an airline's website you maintain control of your reservation; you are able to choose seats (if the airline offers seat selection), change your flight times (subject to change fees) or cancel and use the funds (minus change fees) for another trip entirely.

Oh.. and get your tickets soon!

 

[kaytieeldr]

Checking and comparing fares via Travelocity or Kayak or another source is a good idea. However...

ALWAYS book through the airline's website. ALWAYS.

I find myself in the awkward position of (however slightly) correcting a VERY knowledgeable poster... however, as pumpkinboy points out, kayak.com does not sell anything. It is a travel search engine, not a travel agency.

When you research fares on kayak.com, and select a fare you like - clicking on that fare links you directly to the company offering the fare, and more specifically, to the exact itinerary you researched. You then buy (or not, your choice) the fare directly from that company, NOT from Kayak.

Kayak earns its money based on its visitors clicking through from their site to the (in this case) airline. And, okay, from advertising sales but they're NOT in the same category as Orbitz, Travelocity, etc.

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

If I ever had to purchase airfare, I would know that...

I do know that people buy on priceline and Hotwire and have major issues. Unless you really trust your travel agent, always buy airfare separately rather than as part of a package, and only through the airline.

I find myself in the awkward position of (however slightly) correcting a VERY knowledgeable poster... however, as pumpkinboy points out, kayak.com does not sell anything. It is a travel search engine, not a travel agency.

When you research fares on kayak.com, and select a fare you like - clicking on that fare links you directly to the company offering the fare, and more specifically, to the exact itinerary you researched. You then buy (or not, your choice) the fare directly from that company, NOT from Kayak.

Kayak earns its money based on its visitors clicking through from their site to the (in this case) airline. And, okay, from advertising sales but they're NOT in the same category as Orbitz, Travelocity, etc.