I'm running out of patience

[shelby2001]

I've been waiting for good airfare to come out from Providence to Orlando in July for a long time now, best I can do is $215.00 round trip for direct flights, I didn't pay that much for my Christmas trip of 2001 or Thanksgiving of 2002. Sorry I just needed to vent some frustration where are those good sales?

 

[n2mm]

I know how you feel, but I can't even think about my July trip, when I haven't bought my tickets for my May trip YET! I went to WDW 11 times in the last 2 years and have never paid more than $150 rt out of Wash. DC. The flights I want to be on are $240 and have been since January. I've even tried the day before and adjusting my return dates too. .. no good. My daughters leave on 27 April and had to buy their tickets yesterday...at $214 rt, so a little cheaper. Again I say, I'm tire of the airlines saying we're not flying because of the war, terrorism and SARS....I'm not happy being forced to pay these kinds of fares, but most of my other friends are either taking the train or are now driving. Sounds like the airlines are doing this to themselves....sorry, had to vent too.

 

[*Fantasia*]

Hey...don't feel bad...I am paying $330 w/ one stop from Detroit to Orlando! This is the best I can do. We are flying April 17 and depart April 24. Oh well...as long as we're going and planning to have fun...this is all that matters to me right now. I am just lucky that we are going.

13 more days!! Yippeee!!!

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

I understand the frustration, but, thank the war, the increase in fuel prices (which are finally going down a little) and the decrease in some airlines' flights. All this makes for higher than normal fares and lack of sales. I guess we should all be grateful that we are able to go, there are those that would give up a lot to just be home with their families and not fighting this war.

 

[shelby2001]

Yes Gail I do agree with you my DH was gone in 91 and got his honorable discharge 3 years ago so we are lucky to be going as a family, so yes things could be worse than finding good airfare. Maybe I'll just book at the $215.00 get it over with and if it goes lower maybe Delta would give me a credit and this will end my frustration.

 

[sgtdisney]

I don't think we are going to see the low airfares again (at least for a while) like we did last year. The reasons are really as Gail has stated.. The airlines are taking a loss when they sell tickets for the prices they had been last year, 150 and less for longer flights over 800 miles. That is less than the seat cost.. Instead of filling up the planes with people paying lower fares, they are grounding planes and consolidating flights, or as we have been seeing lately, putting smaller planes on routes to some cities and making people connect in the hubs as opposed to going Non-stop. The majors used to subsidize the leisure traveller's fares with the prices they were charging for business travellers but many business people are not flying now.. It doesn't make fiscal sense for the airline to fly 3 planes on a route per day filled with low fares when they can ground planes and make people pay more to be on the 2 (or one) remaining flight.

 

[Aisling]

I have been checking air ticket prices at least 5 times a day for our June 29-July 5 trip. The lowest I could find out of NYC was $235, which is higher than I ever paid before. Yesterday morning, Song was $355 a ticket, and there are 4 of us, so that was out of the question! But lo and behold, I checked again yesterday afternoon and those $355 tickets were $185! And for DH, who will be joining us a day later, his ticket went from $355 to $155! I booked as fast as I could, thinking the web special would expire before I finished typing all the information. So now our air is booked. Phew!
So keep checking the airline sites daily, several times a day, because things do pop up for short times and then the prices go back up again.
Good luck!

 

[n2mm]

Aisling, you give me hope. 4 weeks left to go and everyday I wake up with the hope that today will be the day. I expect to pay more because of fuel prices (even though our gas prices here in WV dropped yesterday, only $1.55 regular), but $100 more per ticket is a little excessive. Will hold out as long as there are seats on the plane. It's too bad that Jet blue doesn't fly to Orlando out of Dulles or that would be an option. Maybe today will be the day!

 

[CarolA]

At 4 weeks I would think you need to start booking. Airfares normally go up closer to the actual travel date. Most discount airfares have anywhere between 14 and 21 day advance purchase requirements to keep business travelers from getting the deal!

I have been watching airfares from Nashville to Orlando for quite a while. I used to routinely see 150. Now it is 190 before some of the taxes. There are less flights and I think that is just the way it will be barring some major world issue. My feeling is that for most people on the east coast the majority of the airfares will run around $200 or over unless one of the discount carriers pulls a sale. The "major" airlines don't seem to be having fare wars this spring. That said, if you want to go to Europe it is dirt cheap! I can get there for just about 100 dollars more than Orlando!

 

[n2mm]

Carol I guess I'm a gambler....after all I commute to Wash. DC everyday on public transportation during war, high threats to our public transportation and nationals capital. All that said, my daughters did just buy their tickets on Wednesday, 3 weeks before their cruise, so I guess it runs in the family. At this point it has been the same fare for so long I just don't know if I'm still planning to go. I canceled my trip in February because of airfare, so been thinking about canceling this one too. I believe things happen for a reason, and have a strong feeling that I don't think I'm meant to go this spring. (with a very ill mother, it's always on the back of my mind when I travel) I guess if I'm meant to go things will work out and if not, there's always another trip in my future when we take our grandson in July (that trip won't be canceled regardless, won't want to disappoint our guy). We are the only ones that we know that are hoping to fly. So far, we have 1 group of friends taking the autotrain and 4 groups of friends now driving. My husband refuses to drive, so that is out of the question for us. What's a girl to do.

PS speaking of flying elsewhere, I have friends going to California for less than the price of our tickets...go figure.

 

[Tess]

I waited and watched, watched and waited to purchase our tix for June. Usually I manage to get our best deals in October before the next June trip. Not so this time around. I finally bit the bullet and purchased in January at $211 per. The price we've been paying has been in the $189-$195 range--rates for Toledo.

Within a week after booking, the prices jumped to $260-$360. They've dropped as low as $230, but not back to $211.

There was, however, one day that the rates dropped to $139 out of Detroit--it didn't last long and the change fees would have been too high to make it worthwhile.

I hope everyone lucks into a good rate soon.

 

[ncligs]

Originally posted by GAIL HAYDEN
I understand the frustration, but, thank the war, the increase in fuel prices (which are finally going down a little) and the decrease in some airlines' flights. All this makes for higher than normal fares and lack of sales. I guess we should all be grateful that we are able to go, there are those that would give up a lot to just be home with their families and not fighting this war.

I agree 100% with Gail's post above.I think the day's of $150 or less flights are over for good. We just booked direct,non-stop, Pittsburgh-Orlando via US AIR for $195(taxes inc) for next Febuaury. I booked it at the 330 day mark(earliest posssible).At least I don't have to check the net every day for the next 6 months. I doubt it would go much lower than what I paid($195).

 

[disnurse]

have you considered boston or hartford?? We live in south kingstown RI and are taking the drive up to logan just to save 100$ per ticket and get direct flights.

 

[LvsTnk]

Wow, I guess we got lucky. I am a chronic airfare checker, so far I haven't been able to beat ATA's prices and non-stop flights. We are paying $175 for RT to LAX from Chicago for Easter, $169 to Orlando for the 4th, and $159 to Orlando in Sept. that's tax included.

I am working on our Christmas trip now and the airfare is sticking at $285

 

[Pumbaa_]

I have a trip in June with friends and we have been doing the same ol' watch the airfare game. I have decided to fly SW and if a special comes up I can rebook and get a credit or refund. The flight from Hartford, CT is at 212 and this round of promos ends on the 7th (i believe). So I am going to bite the bullet, pay the rate and am just so happy to be going. (I miss my 2001 rate of $75 E/T, now that was a bargain!)