Purchasing airline tickets

[Aliceacc]

I know I'm getting way ahead of myself; we aren't going to Disney till August 2012.

But I know that airline ticket prices fluctuate widely. When is the best time to buy them?

In the past I've bought in January for August travel, and been happy with the prices I've gotten. But is there a particular day/time when prices tend to be lower?

Also, we've been happy in the past traveling Wednesday to Wednesday. As teachers going in August, we have lots of flexibility-- is there a reason you would suggest changing our planning?

 

[jessp1021]

We are going this August and I bought ours in March and I think I got a pretty decent deal..less than $1000 for a family of four?! Good luck!

 

[Frannie115]

Right now on Expedia you can book through Feb. 2012.

In the past I've found that I'd get better deals the closer to our trip I booked flights. Now that may not be the case anymore.

 

[Aliceacc]

Right now on Expedia you can book through Feb. 2012.

In the past I've found that I'd get better deals the closer to our trip I booked flights. Now that may not be the case anymore.

That would scare me. With 3 kids and reservations at WDW, I want to KNOW that we have seats on a plane.

 

[StarNova]

Aliceacc, we were shopping for airline prices this spring. Our trip to Disney is this summer. We found the best deals on Airtran and Southwest airlines. I also really like airfarewatchdog.com. Since you sound like me (we bought our tickets some time ago), I think you may want to set a price in your mind and wait until you find it. You've got lots of time. I would also try the airline's website directly. Sometimes you can get a great deal. We also checked several different airports that were within an hour or two drive from us. There was a sizable difference in the cost of fares between different airports (on the same carrier).

 

[cassandrap83]

We have been frequent flyers for the past 4 years or so. I have consistantly gotten the best fares about 3 weeks out.

I almost always fly Southwest or Airtran because they will credit you the difference if the price goes down. Not sure if other airlines do this.

Tuesdays, by far, are the cheapest days to fly in/out.

I get the best fares from www.expedia.com & www.southwest.com

 

[seashoreCM]

In investor's lingo: Buy on a dip.
In shopper's lingo: Buy when it's on sale.

 

[Aliceacc]

My issue with Southwest is the whole seating thing. We're 2 adults and 3 kids; if we end up sitting in 3 separate parts of the plane, it's a problem.

We've done well with Jetblue out of JFK in the past. And my kids appreciate both the TVs and the snacks.

To be honest, the reason I'm asking is that I'm nudging some friends through their own first Disney trip. (Well, first in a few decades and first with kids; same thing.) Their budget is tighter than ours-- besides, I'm not spending more money than the guy next to me

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Airlines do not sell tickets more than 330 days prior to the flight date. If you are doing a round trip, the return date must be within the 330 day period.

 

[StarNova]

If they want designated seats, I would stick with JetBlue and Airtran. Southwest is festival seating. We usually check-in online the night before so we don't have an issue with separating our group. With such a long period of time until the vacation, you can get a wonderful deal if you get in on the first day of reservations from SW.