How far in advance can you check on airfare?

[westjones]

We do not travel much, so I am not very familiar with how things work.

We are thinking of a 3 cruise in September where we would fly down and back so the kids would only miss 2 days of school.

But when I checked a couple websites to see airfare (wanted to know just how much this would cost us because we decide what we are going to do) it said that September 2003 is too far out.

I can understand that, but when do you think I might be able to check so we have an idea how much this trip would cost altogether.

Thanks!
Debra

 

[jel0511]

Usually you can see approx 11 months out, so I'd wait until the end of Oct to see what's available. If you're looking for Southwest, they usually releast their schedules appros 3 - 4 months in advance.

 

[TnRobin]

Would you feel comfortable telling us what airport you will use. I am sure that people around here can tell you thier experiences.

From Nashville - RT airfare cost from a low of $100 and a high of $200.

Southwest is a hub in Nashville and usually offers the best rates to Orlando from here. They book flight aroung 5 months in advance.

 

[westjones]

We would go to the Indianapolis airport and fly into Orlando. I told DH I was guessing around $200 per person for round trip. But again, I have NO idea.
Thanks!
Debra

 

[Towncrier]

Another word of advice. Don't buy your tickets too early. Unlike booking a cruise a year in advance, there really is no such thing as an early booking credit for flights. I cannot begin to tell you how many times I have purchased an airline ticket 4 or 5 months in advance only to see the prices plummet. This is not always going to happen, but if you can stand the suspense, you might be better off waiting a bit for a fare sale.

 

[mcnuss]

I agree with towncrier. As a very frequent traveler, I can attest to the fact that you can do very well around 60-90 days out unless it is a holiday period. One of the problems with booking too early is that the airline is almost guaranteed to change the schedule on you, and it will cause you great stress! Also, the airline is then holding your non-refundable $$$ for months on end. I, personally, would not book airfare until right about when you make your final payment to DCL.

Just FYI - I looked at expedia.com for you and picked a random, off-peak weekend in Jan. and there are currently fares for as low as $146.

 

[westjones]

Thanks for the suggestion! I will wait then, and just 'watch' the rates in the spring, and then book in early summer.
Debra

 

[GinaAnn]

I booked out of chicago ohare on American for $166.The next day it went to $184. Been steady at $180ish for a while. Lots of web specials released about 100-90 days in advance. At least that is what I found.

 

[imgoingtodisney]

I booked back in March for our Nov 29th (day after Thanksgiving) flight from Providence to Orlando. They cost $186each roundtrip.

(Sorry CamColt - I know Logan is closer to your but personally I would pay extra if I didnt need to go into Boston)

 

[CamColt]

We booked our flights as soon as we were able to, August 2001 for our July 2002 trip. It was on Delta, rt Boston to Orlando. I was estimating the normal 200.00 each, but saw a price of 158.00 each! And this was on the regular Delta website, not any of those internet companies(I know they are fine, but Im too nervous to trust them). After that we never saw a price that low again. We got very lucky! So, sometimes buying early is a good thing.

 

[westjones]

I was just playing with the numbers on the DCL website to see the difference in the cost of the cruise versus the cruise AND airfare.

The difference for us (family of 4 from Indianapolis) would be $825.

Now isn't the transfer cost around $50 each (for a total of $200 for a family of four).

Then that would make the airfare $625 for the four of us (an average of $156 each).

I 'assume' this is round trip. How can they price it so far out if the airlines can not do that?

That price doesn't look all that bad compared to some of the prices I have seen for recent flights.

But isn't Disney usually higher than if you do it yourself?

Thanks,
DJ