LAX to MCO in December

[pudinhd]

We will be flying from LAX to MCO in December.

Does anyone have any suggestions on airlines, or when to purchase tickets? I have charted prices 5 times since 1/22, and prices were going down. Now, on AA's website, the price has jumped up to above the price I started at.

We are not frequent flyers, so any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[tink fan]

I've found that AA usually mimics the rates from other carriers - I'm tracking a flight from STL to MCO in Sept and it is $144, the same as Airtrans. AA really starts moving its rates when SW releases its rates for that period. Another thing I like to do is use expedia or another travel search engine to find flights for all the airlines for my dates.

I like to have an idea of how much I want to spend for the flight. In my case it is $200 round trip direct from STL to MCO, especially if it has the times I prefer. I've booked cheaper flights, but it's not worth loosing a good rate. (and AA charges $100 to change a flight, so rebooking isn't an option like it is on SW)

On another post someone mentioned that AA has lower fares on Tuesdays and particularly at 1 a.m. (on Tuesdays I think).

If you have a entertainment book, there is a coupon for 5% off AA flights. Not a huge amount, but if you have the book and are going to use AA...

 

[Bob P]

Hi,

Waiting for airfare is like playing the stock market! Sometimes you look really smart by waiting, and sometimes, well...not so smart. Sometimes the price will go up, and sometimes it will go down.

Are you a gambler? My opinion is: if you are comfortable with the price now you should book it.

 

[pudinhd]

Thanks for your reply! I think we are definitely planning on using AA, since they are the only airline that seems to have us arrive the earliest (4:00 pm), and without any stops. I have also been tracking the fares on Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity, and CheapTickets. I do know that SW hasn’t released their schedule for December yet, so hopefully the prices will drop even more at that point.

Last year I was pricing airfare for about the same time we are going this year, and I found an AA flight round-trip for 2 adults for about $675-ish. My goal for this year is $700 or less, based on last year’s pricing, but I’d think I’d be happy with fares under $400 each.

Thanks for the tips about Tuesdays, 1 am, and the entertainment book! When I saw the prices start to jump, I began to panic! I'll be doing my best not to freak and will keep looking. Not being used to shopping for flights is definitely stressful when you don't know what you are doing... Thanks again!

 

[juliana_sd]

When in Dec are you going? I guess the holidays would really have an effect. I got our tickets for May, also AA from LAX, for about $230 each including all the fees. I'd been tracking the prices for a few months and they took a nosedive almost exactly 3 months out. Good luck!

 

[pudinhd]

Hello! We are flying out of LAX on Sunday 12/7 and returning on Saturday 12/13.

We want to get to Orlando as early as possible, which seems to be a flight leaving at 8:25 am, arriving around 4:00 pm. (I wish there was an earlier flight, but I haven't found one.)

At this time, we are looking at a flight out of MCO around 1:30, but we might choose a later flight to have more time at WDW.

As I posted earlier, I'm looking at some discount sites, but I think I'd feel more comfortable purchasing through AA directly... I just want them to reduce their prices!

 

[juliana_sd]

Those are the flight times we are on, how funny. If you switch to midweek travel, it will save you a good amount. Sun thru Sat is always more expensive. We're doing Wed to Tuesday. So if you can fit that into your schedule it might be worth it. Oh, the prices on AA's site are usually the same as on the other sites. Just easier to use those for comparison purposes. On Orbitz it will show you a "grid" of prices to make it really easy to compare the difference in cost depending on the days you travel.

 

[MrMarv]

Websites such as Expedia & Travelocity are not to be used (in most cases) for buying tickets, but merely for researching airfares and flight times for most of the major airlines except for Southwest.

Once you find the combination of airfares and flight times which is best for you, just go to that airline's website and buy your tickets.

 

[pudinhd]

That is funny that you had those same flight times! Did you do DME? If so, what time did you arrive at your resort?

My great idea was to go to WDW Sunday through Saturday so we avoid being at the parks for full days on the weekends. I thought it would be nicer, and less busy, Monday through Friday. I do see that the flights are more expensive on the weekends. I wish there was a secret to figuring this all out.

I'll see what I can do regarding the possibility of switching our trip around, but I'm not sure if that is going to be possible or not...

 

[pudinhd]

Websites such as Expedia & Travelocity are not to be used (in most cases) for buying tickets, but merely for researching airfares and flight times for most of the major airlines except for Southwest.

Once you find the combination of airfares and flight times which is best for you, just go to that airline's website and buy your tickets.

This actually makes me feel better. I thought I was just being silly by not wanting to book through one of these companies.

I just had a thought... If there is a great price on one of the discount sites, if you call AA, will they match it? Has anyone ever had experience with this?

Thanks!

 

[pudinhd]

In addition to wondering if AA will match a price found on a discount website, I am also wondering is if you purchase your airfare and the price goes down, will AA refund the difference?

If so, maybe I should just get seats on the flights we want now, and call for a lower fare if / when I see one. What do you think?

Thanks!

 

[Disney Hot Mama]

We want to get to Orlando as early as possible, which seems to be a flight leaving at 8:25 am, arriving around 4:00 pm. (I wish there was an earlier flight, but I haven't found one.)

At this time, we are looking at a flight out of MCO around 1:30, but we might choose a later flight to have more time at WDW.

Those times are the same times (plus/minus a few minutes) that we take annually with AA. We always fly in June/July each summer for a week. We have paid anywhere from 225.00 - 405.00 RT per person. This year for some reason AA prices are way up... At last check it was way over 400.00 from LAX to MCO on our selected dates. I checked the Delta site and booked through Delta this year. The price was only 229.00 per person round trip, saved me over 700.00 total for our family. And we are actually taking a non-stop redeye... We get in to MCO at 6 AM and I am actually looking forward to this flight as we will be in Orlando way eariler than normal. Our return flight with Delta leaves around 7 PM vs. the 1:20 time.. We get more hours there too....
So Delta it is for this family in June...

 

[Texasmomof3]

I think it is inevitable that we will see higher airfares due to the rising cost of fuel. It is killing everyone. The only bad part about red-eye flights is I can't sleep - they are always full for some unknown reason ( I guess everyone wants to get there early) They smell like stinky feet, bad breath and released gasses not too mention all the snoring Last one I took it took me 2 days to recover. Maybe a heavy duty sleeping pill would help.

 

[SuzanneSLO]

In addition to wondering if AA will match a price found on a discount website, I am also wondering is if you purchase your airfare and the price goes down, will AA refund the difference?

If so, maybe I should just get seats on the flights we want now, and call for a lower fare if / when I see one. What do you think?

Thanks!

AA has a best rate guarantee if you find a better rate on another website for a publically available fare on the same day as you book at AA.com. You must submit your request by midnight of the day you booked. You will get the better fare and $50 towards a future flight.

If you purchase a nonrefundable fare for domestic travel and you later find the fare has decreased, you have some limited rights on AA. You can get a voucher for the difference in price after paying the applicable change fee (which is typically $100). In addition you must use the voucher and fly within 1 year of your original ticketing date. So if you buy a ticket in February for a Dec trip for $400, typically the price would need to drop to $299 for you to get even $1 back and even then you would need to use that credit for a flight no later than the next February.

-- Suzanne

 

[pudinhd]

AA has a best rate guarantee if you find a better rate on another website for a publically available fare on the same day as you book at AA.com. You must submit your request by midnight of the day you booked. You will get the better fare and $50 towards a future flight.

If you purchase a nonrefundable fare for domestic travel and you later find the fare has decreased, you have some limited rights on AA. You can get a voucher for the difference in price after paying the applicable change fee (which is typically $100). In addition you must use the voucher and fly within 1 year of your original ticketing date. So if you buy a ticket in February for a Dec trip for $400, typically the price would need to drop to $299 for you to get even $1 back and even then you would need to use that credit for a flight no later than the next February.

-- Suzanne

Thank you! Thank you! This is good to know! We definitely won't book hoping the fare will go down, because I can't imagine having the price drop $299!

I just looked up the information about the best rate guarantee and it sounds pretty good. I read as much of the small print as I could stand and I think it all looks good.

I'm actually feeling better about booking our flights knowing this information. Expedia currently shows a difference of $73 less than AA today, but I think we're doing to keep waiting for a bit longer. My travel agent said the lowest fares are normally out about 5-6 months out. Hopefully between now and then we'll find the prices we are looking for!

Thanks again!!

 

[biolabetty]

Those times are the same times (plus/minus a few minutes) that we take annually with AA. We always fly in June/July each summer for a week. We have paid anywhere from 225.00 - 405.00 RT per person. This year for some reason AA prices are way up... At last check it was way over 400.00 from LAX to MCO on our selected dates. I checked the Delta site and booked through Delta this year. The price was only 229.00 per person round trip, saved me over 700.00 total for our family. And we are actually taking a non-stop redeye... We get in to MCO at 6 AM and I am actually looking forward to this flight as we will be in Orlando way eariler than normal. Our return flight with Delta leaves around 7 PM vs. the 1:20 time.. We get more hours there too....
So Delta it is for this family in June...

We took those exact same Delta flights in and out of MCO a couple of weeks ago. I hate flying, but for some reason flying at night doesn't bother me as much. I did manage to sleep on the plane going to MCO. The best part was when we got there and found DME, we were one of 2 families on the bus, and there was no line at all to wait in to check in. They told us the crowd usually starts around 10 A.M.

 

[pudinhd]

I have been telling my husband about all of your helpful ideas. Does Delta offer a best rate guarantee similar to AA? Any thoughts on the overnight flights? My husband hates to fly, which means neither of us are experienced flyers. I am working on pricing Delta flights now, and will continue to do so, along with the AA flight. I do have to say that getting in at 6:00 am is much nicer than 4:00 pm!

 

[Disney Hot Mama]

I have been telling my husband about all of your helpful ideas. Does Delta offer a best rate guarantee similar to AA? Any thoughts on the overnight flights? My husband hates to fly, which means neither of us are experienced flyers. I am working on pricing Delta flights now, and will continue to do so, along with the AA flight. I do have to say that getting in at 6:00 am is much nicer than 4:00 pm!

I can let you know about the overnight flight in a few months.. we leave on June 17th at 10 PM ish arriving at 6 AM. This will be our first red eye. I have not wanted to try one with the kids but they will be 10 & 12 this trip so I thnk they should sleep well on the plane. And hopefully after picking up our car the room will be ready. If not, we will go to plan #2 - check in, unload luggage, groceries and check out the pool for a few hours.. maybe even sleeping at poolside! I am actually looking forward to these flights. The savings per person is still almost 200.00 and multiply that by 4 people and we have saved close to 800.00. The savings with this flight will allow us to either rent a car or check out some new places to eat in the World.

 

[biolabetty]

I personally liked the overnight flight. It was pretty quiet on the plane since most everyone was asleep. We were still tired the day we got into MCO, but we had built in a day that we didn't have to do anything or be anywhere. We got a pretty decent rate from Delta, but one thing I learned about them is they tend to change flight times without your knowledge. Ours was changed only once, but I've heard of other people having theirs changed multiple times. I just made sure that I checked our flights every week or so in case they switched on us.

 

[pudinhd]

My husband is liking the idea of doing a Delta overnight flight... But, he can sleep anywhere! I haven't flown a lot of places, and have never slept on a plane. I would much rather enjoy a full day at WDW, rather than flying in at 4:00 pm, and the ability to fly back home in the evening. I also don't know much about Delta, or AA, for that matter. Any suggestions? Thank you!!!