Large group airfare advice

[britt54311]

We are planning on going to WDW end of Jan 2022. We have a group of 14 (10 adult, 3 children and infant) traveling. I am making all the arrangements, including airfare.
Does anyone have any suggestions how I should handle getting airfare and getting the best deal possible? Should I do group airfare? Which airlines are best for large group?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!
Thk you

 

[_19disnA]

Every large airline probably has a means to book group discounts.

Here is the link for Delta as an example. You can check other airlines serviced by your local airport to get similar information. All of them can provide the details on pricing/seating/baggage/payment.....etc.

Group Flights: Your Group's Perfect Trip Starts Here : Delta Air Lines

 

[AlohaNow]

My husband handled group airfare on Southwest to get our scouts to Sea Base in Florida. <edit> Since you have a bit of lead time right now I’d check each airline’s website for the specifics of how their group airfare works. If they don’t have full info online then pick up the phone. It seems most airlines consider 10 people on the same flight a group. Have fun planning your trip!

 

[easyas123]

If flying Southwest, you will be given a boarding group so you can all board together. Any other airline, be sure to ask about seating costs (you definitely don't want your family group split up and seating all over the plane).

Will just add that w/ Southwest each person will have to print their boarding passes at the airport prior to going thru security individually. At least - this was how it was in March of last year when I took about 30 people out to a convention in LAS.

As the previous posters recounted, it is actually a fairly easy process. Good luck!

 

[js]

For four years I oversaw my son's HS baseball trips for his team to Disney's WWoS (usually between 25-35 people).

I can tell you that when you book a group rate with any airline (well at least the legacy ones), you pay the
median price for each ticket (highest/lowest). If you are going with your family, I would either have each "group" book on their own when they are ready or you will need to do the same as above. Book your seats and as you are aware, there are different prices for each group being purchased (for instance when it says..."there are three seats left at this price").

For your "small" group, I wouldn't go through group bookings. You may not even get your seats assigned immediately. I would just do yourself, put the flights for each on your card and get reimbursed. If you do not want to do this, give each family group the flight information and tell them to book when they feel comfortable on the price. You can always get their
confirmation numbers once they do and print their boarding passes, make sure all together etc. and put that on your phone app.

 

[britt54311]

Thank you for everyone's response. I think I may try booking myself as we have a few who are unsure yet and I would hate to fall below 10 people.
Question... should I book when flights first open up or monitor flights? We are looking at flying on either American Airlines, United or Delta.

 

[sam_gordon]

Question... should I book when flights first open up or monitor flights?

Start monitoring now. Either get an online company (google flights, hipmunk, etc) to track rates for you, or build a spreadsheet yourself.

The hard part is knowing when to pull the trigger. NO ONE can tell you with any accuracy when this will be. Don't listen to the people who say "I always get the best prices 7 weeks out" or "It's always cheapest when they're released." When your flying (both time of year, day of the week, and time of time) affects the price. The departure and destination airports affect the price.

My best suggestion is to start tracking the prices. The legacy airlines should have their flights released now so you can start looking. That doesn't mean flight times/connections won't change. At minimum, look at prices at least every other week (check on different days also). At six months before your flight, if you haven't booked tickets yet, start looking weekly. At four months before your flight, start looking daily.

The airlines have gone to "no change fees", at least for a given time. You'll need to look and see what happens if prices drop after you book. Can you change to the lower fare? What happens to the difference (I'm guessing a credit, but not sure). How long do you have to use the credit?

Assuming you can get a credit if the fare drops, keep stalking that airlines fare after you book. If you can't get a credit, stop looking at prices after you book. However, periodically (start with every couple of weeks, then once a week, then daily as you get closer) check your flight and make sure the airline hasn't made a change. DO NOT COUNT ON THE AIRLINE NOTIFYING YOU OF A CHANGE.