How much is too much?

[KBoopaloo]

I am planning a trip for 15 family members to WDW in April 2011 during the Massachusetts spring break week. We know that flights will be super expensive, but the cheapest nonstop available right now is $637 per person which just seems so crazy to me!

I was just curious of what other people's threshold is for airfare costs - basically at what point do you say the airfare is too much and cancel your trip?

 

[Tecbot]

our flights are normally around $700 pp rt from Canada with westjet finally having a non-stop I dont even mind paying this price on my next trip.

It was the 1 or 2 stops that killed me should spend 7 hours flying and in airports but with delays and overbooking normally spend 12-18 hours or a extra day in airports or hotels. Last time we left for the airport at 4am and got into Orlando at like 10pm we had a hour delay taking off then missed our connection and had to wait for a few hours for the next plane which was painful as half the flight was waiting to get on that flight too but got on that one or it would of been next day flight we only had 3 in our party the only ones who didnt get on was a large family going to orlando.

Next time im going is in april 2011 too but would probably take me over a week to drive there and back alone so a 5-6 hour non-stop flight is really cheaper and worth $700 for us we have 9 in our party 3 of us are going for a month and the rest are going for 2 weeks.

I doubt I would pay more than $700-800 for a flight for me would probably just fly out somewhere cheaper

 

[BridgetBordeaux]

That is about 5000 dollars each way.

Maybe check with a travel agency and see if they can put together a tour for 15 people for less than the 637. It might be worth asking.

What if you flew part of the way a drove part of the way?

If you stumble across a low fare it might be worth losing a day or two in extra travel time.

 

[ancestry]

Well when we go I have a maximum price in mind that I am willing to pay which depends on our financial situation and the market average. For me that is usually about $250 per person from Maine. You may want to ask your family members what the maximum is they are willing to pay for the airfare portion of the trip.

I wouldn't pay $637 per person under any circumstance. We would either drive, take the train, or wouldn't go at all.

 

[BigTigger]

I'm from MA too and can give 3 potential pieces of advice from 15 years of dealing with February and April airfare price gouging:

1) Set alerts everywhere you can (airlines, yahoo, kayak, etc.) to notify you of airfare sales and you should be able to get this down to under $300 all in per person. Of course, if you must fly Saturday morning between 10 am and noon on 4/16/2011, then you may just have to pay $600 per person.
2) Shift your schedule a bit and leave on Tuesday 4/19 and return on Tuesday 4/26. Tuesdays and Wednesdays are the cheapest travel days. As an alternative, go Thursday to Thursday as these are cheaper than Friday to Monday fares too.
3) Go to Disneyland instead. Crazy as this may sound, we could always get non-stop airfare to one of the LA area airports for under $300 when Orlando and Tampa were through the roof.

I'm not sure where in MA you are, but include Hartford (BDL) in your airport search as it has SWA and JB now and sometimes they don't seem to have the mess that BOS, PVD, and MHT have for airfares during school break. Also make sure you have TPA as a Florida choice besides MCO as they can be much cheaper and the drive is pretty easy to WDW from TPA.

Best of luck!!

 

[Minnie J]

Certain days also they hold specials. I would sign up for their airfare alerts and then find something

 

[DjdBrit]

I am from MA and have flown out of Logan to MCO a few times. Because of the way Easter and April break fall I have opted to go to WDW In AUG. In the past I have paid between $200 and $450. We have always travelled as a party of 6 and I really can't bare to pay $450 for each of us. I would think that for Easter/April vaca 2011 paying $600 PP wouldn't be a stretch

 

[Alesia]

$10,000 is definitely too much!

Have you looked into chartering a flight?

 

[debster812]

BigTigger has some great advice. We historically fly from BOS to RSW (Ft Myers) every year in Februay, and some years we sneak back in April. In February I won't consider a flight with a stop or a connection, unless that stop is in Atlanta or further south. The weather can just be WAY too dicey. And even if we get stuck in Atlanta, we're only a day's drive away.

In April, your options open up a little bit more, as the weather is less of a factor. I mean, it's always a factor, but it can be less of an issue in April.

If you can get an early JetBlue flight out of Boston, connecting through JFK or DC, you might be OK. I'd shoot for the 1st or 2nd flight of the day though, before things start getting delayed.

The other thing that we do is try to get out of town a few days prior to the actual start of vacation. This year we're flying out on February 16th, and coming back on February 24th, flying Delta on the way down, and Jet Blue on the way home. Both ways non-stop. We only paid about $320 for each ticket.

Good Luck to you OP--it may take some legwork, but you might just find something.

 

[PixieDustandEeyore]

our flights are normally around $700 pp rt from Canada with westjet finally having a non-stop I dont even mind paying this price on my next trip.

It was the 1 or 2 stops that killed me should spend 7 hours flying and in airports but with delays and overbooking normally spend 12-18 hours or a extra day in airports or hotels. Last time we left for the airport at 4am and got into Orlando at like 10pm we had a hour delay taking off then missed our connection and had to wait for a few hours for the next plane which was painful as half the flight was waiting to get on that flight too but got on that one or it would of been next day flight we only had 3 in our party the only ones who didnt get on was a large family going to orlando.

Next time im going is in april 2011 too but would probably take me over a week to drive there and back alone so a 5-6 hour non-stop flight is really cheaper and worth $700 for us we have 9 in our party 3 of us are going for a month and the rest are going for 2 weeks.

I doubt I would pay more than $700-800 for a flight for me would probably just fly out somewhere cheaper

Im from Ottawa and only paid $300 RT pp what airport are you going from?

 

[Brian Noble]

It really depends on your airport, and which week you can go. From DTW holiday weeks (President's, Easter), weekend-to-weekend travel, I generally want to keep nonstop flights under $400 all-in, and connecting under about $325. I'm willing to pay a little more to not miss school/work. I've also stopped taking odd-time flights to save a few bucks, for the most part.

 

[jlewisinsyr]

$10,000 is definitely too much!

Have you looked into chartering a flight?

If you think $700/ticket is too much, a chartered flight would be at least twice that. For 15 people you would need a large jet, a standard business jet would be too small, further increasing the costs.

 

[KBoopaloo]

Thank you everyone for your tips and input! I have some alerts set up but will sign up for more.

I have tried the Group travel departments for JetBlue and Delta without much luck as of yet. I have considered trying a travel agent to see if they could get us a better deal.

The majority of us (11 people) are flying out Friday 4/15 and returning Thursday 4/21...flying home on Friday 4/22 made the price jump at least another $200 pp. The other four members of our party are flying Saturday 4/16 to Thursday 4/21. We know their flights will be much more expensive but they are teachers and cannot leave any earlier before break. Our plan is to pool the total cost of all 15 flights and split it 15 ways.

I am hoping to get this sorted out when AirTran and SW open up their flights through April since then I will know ALL the options. Does anyone know when that will be?

Thanks again!

 

[Sherrkel]

I feel your frustration; I had been watching airfare for my DH's family (18 of us) for our President's week trip in February - from the first fares published (Delta) the NS RT flights were $1,000 each (BOS to MCO)! I held out for JetBlue - they were @ $800 each!! We were not sure we'd be able to make the trip then - I hate flying as it is and was just more nervous than normal thinking we'd have to settle for flights with a layover- which were around $400 RT.

I held out for Southwest to release their dates - and with a little shuffling of dates we were able to secure NS RT flights for @ $350 each (MHT to MCO) - and no baggage fees.

If you choose to wait for Southwest - try looking now at their normal flight schedules and get an idea for what you may want to book. Then when you find out their next release date be up early in the morning (they released their last round of fares on 8/17 at @ 6am) and be ready to book right away if you find what you want at a reasonable rate . . . their rates climb higher and higher rapidly during the morning as fares are purchased.

Good luck and hang in there!

 

[NYDisneyKid]

what about driving?

 

[KBoopaloo]

what about driving?

My family members are just not long distance drivers. They wouldn't even consider it. But I appreciate the suggestion.

 

[Tecbot]

Im from Ottawa and only paid $300 RT pp what airport are you going from?

I normally fly out of the Saskatoon airport in Saskatchewan but am going to be flying out of Edmonton, Alberta just cause it has non-stop now and its the same price as my last 3 trips down to Orlando. This will be 4 years in a row going and the price has been basically the same +/- $50 going in Jan/Aug/April/Feb doesnt really matter what time of year flights seem the same price I prefer jan/feb as last 2 times i went everywhere was a ghost town which i like but everyone wants to go when its hotter out and during spring breaks cant wait to stand in lines all day instead of walking onto everything. I have relatives in Ontario and yes they rub it in how much less it is to fly or drive down there.

If the op has prices that are way cheaper at different times of year i would rather go during those times but if thats basically your price year round then thats all you can do besides drive part of the way/all the way or fly out of different cities where its cheaper.

 

[Jaime4004]

Yikes! We will only go if the fares are under $250/pp. I would wait for the southwest fares also, you can usually find deals if you keep checking back...

 

[pooch]

we go in Sept/Oct out of BDL and my limit is $200 R/T with fees!!

 

[DjdBrit]

I just priced April vacation week for us (also in MA) we are a family of 5 and it was $5,600.... not happening! Thats going to be the price of my 11 day trip in Aug with airfare.

Good luck I really feel your pain here.