help with booking flights

[mike&amy1508]

OK, I am a newbie when it comes to booking flights; never ever done it before. Could someone please help me through the steps? When should we book if going Jan 6-19, 2008? How and where do we book? Etcetera.
Thanks!!!

 

[bicker]

(All this pertains to domestic air travel.)

There are many schools-of-thought. At the minimum, you cannot make airline reservations before (approximately) February 20, 2007. At that time, many (but not all) airlines release their TENTATIVE flight schedule for the return date of your trip. Keep in mind that this schedule could change over the course of the year, and you could get bumped a few hours ahead or behind for each flight. You can try to get bumped back to a more amenable flight, but that's not guaranteed: You may just end up with a refund and having to start all over again. Flight schedule chanages tend to calm down around five months prior to the flight. Not coincidentally, that's when the airlines that don't announce flight schedules eleven months prior announce their flight schedules.

People disagree when, along this eleven month period, is the best time to buy airline tickets. I think it's pretty random. Sometimes the best deals are right at eleven months. Sometimes at five months. Sometimes later than that. Sometimes somewhere in-between. Generally, with the deepest discounted rates, there is a penalty for changes, including fare changes, so after you purchase your tickets, airfares would have to go down a good bit before it would be worth trying to switch to the lower airfare.

Next you need to determine where to purchase your tickets. Some folks like to buy their airline tickets from where they're buying their vacation package. That's a good thing when the package itself is for something that moves -- something that if you're late you "miss it" -- i.e., a cruise or a bus/train tour. Otherwise, I don't see a benefit to that, as you typically have less choice about which airline, which flight, etc., and less overall control over your reservation. Some folks like to go through a travel agent, but again, I feel that doesn't add much and provides less overall control over your reservation. I like to buy directly from the airline, using a search engine like sidestep.com or kayak.com to search for the best airfares.

I hope this helps.

 

[Jestocost]

The other things that play a major role are where you are flying from and how flexible you can be with regard to flight times. If there are very few flights from your origination point to MCO or to a hub that gets you to MCO, then you need to consider if flights may be sold out quickly and book farther in advance. If there are lots of flights and multiple carrier options, then it's not likely to be as big a deal. Likewise, if you absolutely HAVE to arrive at a certain time (to get in a day at the parks, or whatever) or you HAVE to leave after a certain time (because of work, school, etc.), then you may want to book farther out to avoid the risk that the flight you HAVE to have is sold out. Of course, as Bicker noted, flight schedules can and do change, so your efforts to secure a particular time may wind up being for naught if you book too far in advance.

I tend to start the process of shopping by looking at a site like expedia.com that will show you flight options and prices for a number of carriers. I will almost never book my flights through that site (I too prefer to book on the airline sites directly), but it's a good way to get a feel for who flies to MCO from your city, if you can fly direct or need to go through a hub, and to establish a baseline for what costs might be. That way, you can evaluate any fare sales if and when they become available. Expedia, Travelocity, etc. do not have information on Southwest or some of the other discount carriers, however, so it's not a complete source of information. Those carriers also are the ones that tend to have their schedules out at the five month mark (give or take a month).

 

[scammermom]

Can you give some specifics as to what airport you're going out of and possible dates?

 

[mike&amy1508]

We are planning on flying out of Flint Bishop Airport (FNT) on Jan 6. Times are flexible, but would prefer morning or afternoon. Planning on returning Jan 19, times are flexible.

 

[Jestocost]

Even though Flint is a relatively small airport, you're fortunate to have non-stop service to MCO via AirTran and indirect service on a wide range of other carriers. The fact that AirTran serves you means that you have a better chance of getting lower fares, even if you don't fly on AirTran itself. As of today, the non-stop flight is a 7:00 a.m. departure and there's a fairly late evening return. Otherwise, everything is indirect. AirTran flies one-stop flights through Atlanta, as does Delta, American goes through Chicago, Continental through Cleveland, Northwest through Detroit and Midwest through Milwaukee.

In addition to where you stop, another difference between the options will be the type of aircraft. The AirTran non-stops will likely be on a full-size 737 and even their connections to Atlanta are on 717s, which are decent sized. Most of the other carriers likely will have you on regional jets (Canadair or Embraer) from Flint to their hub, then full-size jets from there to MCO. There appear to be a few flights that will have you on something even smaller (like a Beechcraft) from Flint to a hub. I don't mind RJs, but turbo-props and the like aren't the greatest. If you or anyone you're traveling with is a nervous flier, it's certainly something to consider.

It looks to me like basically all of your options will be available starting sometime around Feb. 20, as was noted earlier. Fare sales won't start for about six months, in all likelihood, and you may never get a much better fare. It's always a bit of a guessing game and you have to be comfortable with the possibility that fares can go down, up or stay the same if you wait.