Question about SW Fares

[eyeshadow]

Hello,
I have never flown before or been to WDW. I am in the beginning stages of planning a trip late August. 2 days ago SW online fares were $94.00 from Chicago to Orlando. Today they are $112. I am clueless as to how the prices work or fluctuate. My trip is exactly 4 months away. Would you recommend I book now?

Any credit I would get if the rates do drop would not be used so that would be wasted. But if 112 seems descent I am willing to book. I just don't know what is a good rate, what isn't, and also the likelihood of the rates going down.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Jestocost]

You just need to determine what the fares are from your airport to MCO and what fits your budget, then buy the tickets when the two are in sync. If your goal is to time the fares to get the lowest possible cost you almost certainly will fail to acheive that goal and drive yourself crazy in the process. At least with SWA if fares go down after you book you aren't going to be paying any penalties to rebook at the lower rate. Instead, you can rebook at the lower rate and get a credit (good for travel within one year) that you can apply to a future flight. And no fees for checked bags.

 

[3happydancers]

Hello,
I have never flown before or been to WDW. I am in the beginning stages of planning a trip late August. 2 days ago SW online fares were $94.00 from Chicago to Orlando. Today they are $112. I am clueless as to how the prices work or fluctuate. My trip is exactly 4 months away. Would you recommend I book now?

Any credit I would get if the rates do drop would not be used so that would be wasted. But if 112 seems descent I am willing to book. I just don't know what is a good rate, what isn't, and also the likelihood of the rates going down.

Thanks in advance!

Although I cannot speak for the prices out of your area, my family flies out of Long Island. Right now, the flights we booked for late August has done nothing but gone up. This is not to say that they won't drop again or that we won't get a DING, but for us, I did not take the chance given the economy and all. We booked going down to Orlando at 89.00 nonstop and coming home 134.00 (higher because we fly Labor Day Weekend) nonstop.

The prices are now 137.00/153.00. I booked when I felt I could live with the price and it was within our budget. If I get a credit in the future, then I barter with my hair stylist. You stated you would not use the credit but maybe you can find someone you work with or in your neighborhood who you can also barter with.

 

[bellebookworm9]

I bought our tickets for our upcoming trip the day they came out, and paid $298 for 2 people round trip. Since then, all they have done is gone up, and the flights I paid for would now cost me $623. I would book now before they go up any more. If they come down you can always rebook, and get the credit.

 

[goofy4tink]

If it were me, I would book..today! That is a decent fare from your area.

 

[PammieJ]

I just booked on SW today from Manchester, NH to Orlando for our trip in Sept. I played around with other airlines (Jet Blue, Air Tran), and from other airports (Portland, ME and Boston), but when I consider the convenience of non-stop, the time of day of the flights, the parking or shuttle costs, and the overall price, SW is really the best choice. Still, it was 650.00 round trip for DH and I.
I had waited for the SW fares to come available for fall, and in the meantime passed on a JetBlue offer from Portland for 478.00. Am I crying? A little bit, but I really do like flying SW.

Can't wait!

 

[Jeri Lynn]

I've been watching the fares out of Hartford and Providence and they have been real high. Today they changed somewhat (not all that great) and I booked our return leg of the trip from Orlando to PVD for $135 one way....still hoping for a half decent fare on the trip down.

I got spoiled paying $79 each way!!

 

[NEV2OLD4DIS]

I would also recommend buying tickets now. Even though that price may not be the lowest available before you travel, there is a good chance of prices going much higher. I'd especially go for it if it is for the flight times that you want.

We are in central MA, and we can fly out of Providence, Hartford or Boston due to all being within an hour and 10 min. away, or go to Manchester which is about 1 and 1/2 hours away, or even little Worcester which is less than 15 minutes. This allows us to really be able to compare fares, but we were comfortable booking at $104 each way out of Prov. for our summer trip after seeing fares much higher since booking last month. It doesn't compare with the $59 and $69 each way in the past, but it's better than I thought I'd end up with for awhile.

Are you signed up with SW Ding? It is a gamble to wait it out, but sometimes the fare they offer are excellent. I don't know that we would use a credit unless it was large enough for my DH and I to get away for a short trip alone, but I sure watch for lower rates being that we have a family of five traveling. Also, rates often seem to be lower during the middle of the week, but more often than not, they go up on the weekends.

Have a magical first trip to WDW!

 

[Tara]

Hello,
I have never flown before or been to WDW. I am in the beginning stages of planning a trip late August. 2 days ago SW online fares were $94.00 from Chicago to Orlando. Today they are $112. I am clueless as to how the prices work or fluctuate. My trip is exactly 4 months away. Would you recommend I book now?

Any credit I would get if the rates do drop would not be used so that would be wasted. But if 112 seems descent I am willing to book. I just don't know what is a good rate, what isn't, and also the likelihood of the rates going down.

Thanks in advance!

That's a good rate - I'd book it rather than waiting and hoping that you see $94 again...$18 per ticket isn't much and not worth the agony of watching it continue to go up IMO.

For comparison, I'm flying out of Albany 8/27 and returning 9/1 and my fares are $216/$157 now, which is a bit higher than when I purchased a couple of weeks ago.

 

[wdw&sonny]

Nothing new. Just confirming what others have said. <$250 RT is a good price from Chicago.

Fares will likely go up for a while for your dates...probably until early or mid July and then may decrease...It all depends on an overly complex algorithm of number of seats sold.

 

[DISNEY FIX]

That's a good rate - I'd book it rather than waiting and hoping that you see $94 again...$18 per ticket isn't much and not worth the agony of watching it continue to go up IMO.

That hits the nail on the head.

 

[abbie13_15]

Ticket prices are crazy right now! My mom and I got ours for around $200 in January. Now my sister is talking about going and it will cost her over $600!!!