saving on airfare

[jeepgirl30]

Do airlines offer any discounted tickets for children? I think not but why not ask!

DD will be 5 at time of travel and DS will still be 2.

We are flying out of PGH so our options are limited. I'd like to do no more than one layover.

We are looking at going sept-oct.

I've never done priceline for flights. Can you specify times or length of layovers?

My parents were going to do this vacation with us. They would drive down with the kiddos and meet DH and I in FL. However my fabulous BIL throw in a hiccup and now they need to be in FL for mid oct to watch my nephew. We wanted to go during value season so they can not drive the kids now. They volunteered by the way I would never have asked that! They wanted to visit friends and "show off" the grandkids on the way home. DH couldn't take that much vacation so we were going to meet them. DH will not fly alone!

I was out of work last year so this really has to be a budget trip. If I can't find a way to save on airfare DH said we will have to wait for another year. The thought of that has me close to tears. I want so much for DD to see "her" princesses.

 

[jel0511]

Unforunately the only discount airlines offer are for children under the age of 2 occupying a seat. Otherwise airlines charge the same fare for children as they do for adults, sorry.

As of Priceline, the reason you can get such good deals is that you don't have any input into flight times, layovers, etc. You could end up flying out of PGH at 8PM with a connecting flight arriving at MCO after midnight. On the way home, could end up on a 6AM flight out of MCO. IMO, not a good option when traveling with children.

 

[DISNEYDREAMS]

Try hotels.com I got really good prices flying out of Pittsburgh to Orlando in august. I think it came out to around $70 each way so $140 total per person. This was a roundtrip ticket on airtran. Hope this helps.

 

[aka-mad4themouse]

Southwest will begin flying out of PIT in May. They do not have any schedules or fares published yet. Look for them to announced soon. Since they've come to Philadelphia, we've seen fares on both SWA and USAir as low as $49 each way to MCO. They offer discounted fares for children under 2 but they will ask for proof of age. A child two or older must fare the regular fare.

 

[jeepgirl30]

It looks like airtran has maybe pulled out of pgh. The cheapest i'm seeing now is $223.

I am excited for Southwest to come. I'll keep my fingers crossed for some amazing pricing!

 

[dis-happy]

You could happen to "mention" to your dh that it will be waaaay more expensive to wait a year because your now 2 year old will be a 3 year old, requiring his own ticket into the parks. Maybe that will be all the nudge he needs....

 

[The Disney Bunch]

Some airlines offer discount tickets for kids- you have to ask. I don't know about priceline though - I don't think they offer it since their rates are cheap to begin with.

 

[scanmom]

If your parents were going to drive with the kids, and now cannot, why don't you and DH drive with the kids? You would save alot of $'s, and if planned well, could spend quality time with the kids. Assuming you have the time, you could make a few "pit stops" at other sites along the route. Driving is a great way to experience the different parts of our beautiful contry. We ALWAYS drive, and we have 4 kids in tow. Just bring snacks, and books/toys/portable DVD player and anything else that would entertain the kids! You could end up having the time of your life!

 

[Conkozan]

Is Southwest an option? We have gotten low flights from them

 

[DISNEYDREAMS]

keep checking hotels.com and the airtran website as they may not have their fares posted for Sept/Oct yet. With Southwest coming in that will also give you other options. Hope this helps

 

[MyGoofy26]

The great news is you have PLENTY of time, if you just have the patience to constantly search fares.

When I'm planning a trip, I check at least twice a week (sometimes almost every day if I'm having a slow week spending a lot of time online talking to friends) I always go to Travelocity and do a search by flexible dates and put in my month(s) that I'm looking at travelling. It'll bring up a list of carriers and the fares, from cheapest to most expensive. When I find a good sale fare that has dates available that work with my schedule, I'll go to that airline's website and search for that same flight. I've always gotten the same fare by booking directly with the airline, but save the $10 fee that Travelocity charges (as do many travel agents and most other sites) But it takes patience - it's well worth it when you find that amazing fare. In December we flew round trip for $98 (before taxes and fees) out of Pittsburgh. Next month I fly to Italy for 3 weeks for $393 after all taxes and fees.

Also keep in mind, that if can be SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper to fly midweek to midweek - so if you can manage that, you're already a step ahead of the game. We took a late flight on Thursday night to save half the price in airfare that we would have had to pay to leave Friday morning.

You can also sign up for a fare watcher on Travelocity, if you don't want to spend so much time checking fares. Just list your home airport, the destination, and your maximum price and you'll get an email as soon as the rate drops to the point or below.

So don't lose hope yet - there is no logic to airfare. . the rates jump and fall so dramatically that if you're diligent you can get the kind of fare that makes you want to dance (like my under $400 to Italy - I'll be bragging that one for years, ha!)

 

[disneyeveryyear]

When we flew down in December (out of STL), I saw our tickets on travelocity. They offered a kids rate. When I contacted American Airlines, they didn't offer it. I could only get it on travelocity.

Saved a significant amount of money.

 

[Taja]

It depends on the markets, but Southwest tends to offer lower fares for travel on Saturday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Not always true, but if you have a little flexibility, play around with your dates and see what rates are available.

Just remember that Southwest is a bare-bones carrier. No entertainment, and food service usually consists of peanuts or similar snacks!

 

[CarolA]

I would not recommend priceline. There have been problems with advance seat assignements on PL and you need to have a parent with each child.

 

[sandi2005]

Southwest will be in Pittsburgh February 17 (I think) to announce the four or five destinations that they will begin flying to in May. I'm guessing (hoping!!)that Orlando will be one of the destinations. I'm sure that will add more cities throughout the year....