Is this the best we can do?

[BusyMomof3]

DH, younger DS and I will be flying to WDW from OH over our spring break (3/28 - 4/3). Older DS and DD are going that week with our HS marching band, so we are on a set schedule. We are also trying to keep the costs down as much as possible. So far, we have not had much luck finding affordable flights to anywhere in central FL. The best we've found is to Orlando on Delta (which we usually fly, but we've been looking at everything this time). There are flights available at times that fit our schedule for about $235/person. The only problem is that the return flight has 2 stops. We're OK with 1 stop, but 2 is a bit much. There are other flights available, but of course the price jumps quite a bit. We're also concerned about getting something booked soon, as that is a high travel time of year and prices are sure to go up. Should we go ahead and book the flight with 2 stops and just deal with it, or wait to see if something better comes along? We'd appreciate any thoughts. Thanks.

 

[leebee]

I'd wait...end of March isn't THAT busy, unless it's Easter weekend. Most college spring breaks are over by then, I think. FYI, two weeks ago booked MIL's airfare, tol-mco for 12/9-12/13/04, $197 rt on Delta, incl all taxes. Where are you flying from? Cleveland was cheaper, Cinncinnati the same as toledo (and she FLIES thru CVG, go figure!). Akron is usually cheaper than Cleveland, and I think Southwest flies out of Columbus...might get quite cheap if you can make the drive. Good luck, it's always hard to know what to do.

 

[Captain Blue Sky]

I don't know about waiting; that fare seems pretty low to me, especially for your dates of travel...

Have you tried any of the big online consolidators? Or is this an airline's website price? Or a travel agents price?

If its one of the consolidators, they usually have the best prices available. If its a travel agent, I would suggest trying online.

Air travel is expected to increase substantially by the Spring. If you wait much longer you might not get that low fare.

I would be inclined to purchase the tickets. You could, however, see if the itinerary could be modified. Not the date or city pairs, just the routing. That way, you would have your 1-less stop on the return.

Seems like a good price to me...

 

[pumpkinboy]

Well, I am not sure where you are in Ohio, but I plugged your dates (3/28-4/3) and selected Dayton or airports within 70 miles of it, into Orbitz and got around what you've been quoted but for fewer stopovers; of course these flights leave from Dayton and arrive in Daytona Beach (about 1.5 hrs from WDW). You can do slightly better out of CVG, and maybe even get a non-stop on one of the legs. Then again, if you are near CVG or DAY, you might just want to play around on the Delta site, checking MCO (probably your most expensive option) as well as DAB and TPA.

Good luck to you!

 

[helenk]

Easter is on March 27th so I suspect that the prices will not go down.

 

[BusyMomof3]

Thanks for the replies.

We're in Columbus and would prefer to fly from here b/c of getting our older two kids to/from the band busses on either end of the trip. We're trying to time the flights so that we can drop them off on our way to the airport on 3/28 and get home around the same time they do on 4/3. We are willing to look at other FL. airports, though.

We've been watching Orbitz, Expedia, etc. and the individual airline sights for several months. Prices have come down some recently, but I'm sure they won't stay that way for long. DH checked the seating availability last night for the flights we're looking at and 2 of the 3 planes for the return flight are almost full. We're thinking we should go for it and book them asap.

Anyone else have any thoughts? TIA