Long Islanders - $270 r/t Southwest ISP-MCO good fare?

[momofmikey]

Hoping someone can help. My sister is going to WDW end of July 2012. Southwest has $270 roundtrip from Islip to Orlando. She wants to jump on it b/c she thinks it's a great price. We always drive so I don't know much about airfare, but I think she could do better if she waits a little longer.

Anyone have experience with Southwest fares? Do you think she should jump on it, or wait a bit longer? I know she could always get a credit once the fare goes down, but they don't visit every year, so it really wouldn't be worth it.

Thanks!

 

[LexiC123]

It depends on the dates of travel - that might be the going rate for July 4th week - but I'm pretty sure she can do better for other times of the month. This past summer, it was not uncommon to see $99 and even $79 one way fares.

One thing she might want to consider is to book only her outbound flight now. Then she can monitor the flights to see if the price drops. She can then re-book the outbound flight at the lower price, and apply the credit towards the fare for the return flights.

I did this last year and it worked out really well. It does require that you check the fares frequently - at the very least, every Tuesday/Wednesday, when they're usually at their lowest. I booked my October flights in April, at $144pp, one way. In June, the prices dropped to $79pp, so I had $130 in credits to apply to my return flights.

 

[momofmikey]

Thanks for the reply - no, she's flying out end of month.

That's a great idea about booking the one way and waiting - I'll pass that along. She's just so nervous about it going up. She's never paid that "cheap" a fare before... last two times she went, one was Easter break and the other was a very last-minute trip with not much choice of fares. So she thinks this is great!

 

[DVCismyhappyplace]

It depends on the day of the week and what time the flights are. She should definitely keep checking the flights. I just had a drop of $40 in my January trip and was able to rebook the flight and get the lower price. I have to use the $40 credit within a year of the date I first booked, but that won't be a problem since I fly frequently.

 

[LSchrow]

we go r/t isp to mco 2-3x a year.
i haven't gotten a one-way fare under $99 for a few years, most have been $109- 144.
personally, if i am comfortable with the fare, i book it. and i don't have time to stalk fares anymore, so rarely rebook.
$270 is a fair fare (sorry, had to say that). imho, chances are she "might" save a few dollars by waiting, or she might have to spend more (i've seen our one-way flights go up, and stay at more than $50 higher than what i've paid within a week of booking.
i would book it