Need Advice From West Coast Frequent Fliers to Orlando

[Castillo Mom]

This will be our first time flying to Orlando. I've been watching the rise and fall of airfare since I booked our trip last December and came to the conclusion that $200 round trip would be a great deal from LAX to MCO. Currently the rates are as low as $179 RT. My dilemma is that we prefer to fly with American Airlines which offers direct flights (don't want to risk losing luggage). Currently a nonstop flight is $263, a bit higher than I planned on paying.

My question is, should I hold out a little longer to see of fares go down, wait until Southwest offers fares (which should be out in February for my dates), or bite the bullet and purchase the tickets now since my travel dates are firm?

 

[rsschneck]

If you like American and they have a direct flight that is precisley what you want you might want to book it. However, you are still a long way from going to WDW looking at your countdown clock. Airfare around the $200-$225 is what I look for. So, $263 is a little high and it really depends on how amny tickets you need to purchase. I am still waiting to book my March flight. Once Southwest releases there dates then the other airlines tend to follow suit.

The other option is to check with American to see if they will give a voucher if your $263 drops in price. If they will give you a voucher for the difference then go for it!

 

[Armadillo4]

$260 r/t from LAX to MCO is certainly not a bad fare, especially being a non-stop flight. I've known people who've paid $350 for this route. I'm flying from LAX this coming weekend (whoo-hoo!) on Song for $240. What airline(s) is offering $179? That's probably the best I've heard in a long time. I've only seen Southwest go as low as $199 from LAX and there's one or two stops along the way. I don't mind paying a little more for a non-stop flight, but I don't have to buy tickets for a family either. I guess it depends on your budget.

rsschneck has good advice about vouchers. You can usually book a flight if you think you're getting a good fare. If the fare drops, the airline will usually give you a voucher for the difference. However, you do have the advantage of planning well ahead of your trip. So you certainly can wait a bit and see how the fares play out.

-Carlos

 

[Castillo Mom]

Carlos, I was off by a few dollars. I checked Travelocity this morning and the fare is $173 and is being offered by American Airlines, Delta (Song), United, Northwest, AirTran, and ATA. This is for travel through February 11th. Looks like a bit of an airfare war because when I checked a couple of days ago, only Spirit was offering that rate.

The base price for my travel dates is $240 bringing it to $281 all of the associated fees. We're a family of five so I'm thinking it may be more difficult to find seats when a really cheap deal comes around as opposed to it being just my husband and I.

I guess I'll play the waiting game until Friday and then make my decision, keep waiting or take the plunge.

 

[Castillo Mom]

Originally posted by rsschneck
If you like American and they have a direct flight that is precisley what you want you might want to book it. However, you are still a long way from going to WDW looking at your countdown clock. Airfare around the $200-$225 is what I look for. So, $263 is a little high and it really depends on how amny tickets you need to purchase. I am still waiting to book my March flight. Once Southwest releases there dates then the other airlines tend to follow suit.

The other option is to check with American to see if they will give a voucher if your $263 drops in price. If they will give you a voucher for the difference then go for it!

Didn't notice your countdown clock at first. Bon voyage!

 

[glewis1123]

We fly from San Jose to MCO - we have no non-stop flights from SJC. We typically pay (American and United) between $180 - $200 RT in May.

If you can get a non stop for that price I think its a good deal