Sold Out?

[vicky33006]

Hi everyone!

So I'm planning our next trip to Disney on April 17, 2015 for our April break. I'm a single mom and very careful with money. I refuse to go into any kind of debt for a vacation. Because of that, I likely won't be able to pay for our flights until early February. I'm worried the flights will be sold out. We've only ever flown SW, and I'm not unwilling to go with another airline, I'm just concerned about the prices of flights. So how likely am I to be able to get something a couple months out? This is stressing me out a lot! I went on to check March today just for laughs and quite a few of the flights were sold out already :-(.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

If you're flying at a popular time, yes, flights can sell out. They will also likely be a lot more expensive if you wait to purchase tickets.

You could charge tickets and pay off the cost before April.

 

[vicky33006]

If you're flying at a popular time, yes, flights can sell out. They will also likely be a lot more expensive if you wait to purchase tickets. You could charge tickets and pay off the cost before April.

I don't think it's a very popular time but since schools are on vacation in this area we might be on trouble. I mean I guess I could do it, but it will dip heavily into my Christmas fund and I hate that. I don't want flights to sell out though. This is a tough one. Thanks!

 

[zilp]

I tend to buy airline tickets as soon as I can. That is something that may sell out or increase in price especially if it is a popular time of year. If you feel you are getting the tickets for a good price, jump on it.

eta, I noticed that you are from MA. IMO February vacation weeks sells out a lot faster than April vacation weeks.

 

[laughinplace199]

Airfares for April vacation tend to be very high and will get higher the longer you wait. Although other parts of the country don't necessarily have the same week off, the airlines know which weeks are popular in different regions of the country and price accordingly.

Can you let your child miss a day or two of school? We always found it much more affordable to overlap with April vacation but not fly on the exact dates. We'd often leave the Wed before and come home the Wed of vacation week, or leave Tues or Wed of vacation week and come home Tues or Wed of the following week.

Just curious, why are unwilling to fly other airlines? I'd fly jetblue over SW any day.

 

[siskaren]

Just curious, why are unwilling to fly other airlines? I'd fly jetblue over SW any day.

The OP didn't say she was unwilling to fly other airlines; she said she's not unwilling to fly other airlines:

We've only ever flown SW, and I'm not unwilling to go with another airline, I'm just concerned about the prices of flights.

 

[laughinplace199]

The OP didn't say she was unwilling to fly other airlines; she said she's not unwilling to fly other airlines:

Whoops! My bad. Guess I should put my glasses on!

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

Since Spring Breaks are spread out across the country, that entire period is considered high demand and are more expensive. The longer you wait the more expensive it will be and the less flight options you will have. Your chances of a discount with Disney are decreased also.

 

[emily94]

April is a very busy time to fly because of elementary, middle, and high school spring breaks, especially since you're flying to Orlando. And IMO, it would be better to book now and have the tickets rather than wait and potentially pay a lot more!

Have you tried JetBlue? They fly direct from BOS to MCO, are their fares cheaper than SW's for your dates?

If you book on SW now and you notice that the fares go down, you can call and they will give you a credit!

 

[vicky33006]

Ahhh. This is stressful! Originally I had planned on a late June trip, but was kind of talked out of it on another post. Now I feel like we should go back to that option. Would flights be any better at that point?

 

[emily94]

Ahhh. This is stressful! Originally I had planned on a late June trip, but was kind of talked out of it on another post. Now I feel like we should go back to that option. Would flights be any better at that point?

Check out Airfare Watchdog!

*not an ad or anything, just had some good luck with it in the past!*

 

[vicky33006]

Airfares for April vacation tend to be very high and will get higher the longer you wait. Although other parts of the country don't necessarily have the same week off, the airlines know which weeks are popular in different regions of the country and price accordingly. Can you let your child miss a day or two of school? We always found it much more affordable to overlap with April vacation but not fly on the exact dates. We'd often leave the Wed before and come home the Wed of vacation week, or leave Tues or Wed of vacation week and come home Tues or Wed of the following week. Just curious, why are unwilling to fly other airlines? I'd fly jetblue over SW any day.

He can miss a day, but I'm a teacher and can't miss even a day around vacation times.

 

[Wish I lived in Fl]

He can miss a day, but I'm a teacher and can't miss even a day around vacation times.

I am sorry but the cheaper vacation fares usually sell very quickly.
For 2015, Easter is April 5th so it will pull some of the demand away from the Patriot Day/ week off vacation but if you have to wait to buy airfare it may be too expensive when you are ready to buy.

 

[aribelle]

I totally agree with not going into debt for a vacation, but paying a higher price isn't a help to the budget either.

If you KNOW you are going to go, then I would buy it on a credit card and start working on paying it down as much as you can, so that you don't lose on a low airfare. Lately the fares have been going up ridiculously on Southwest the closer you get to the date. Sometimes it can change by $100 or more simply because the "wanna get away" fares are gone.

This is one of those times that you know you're going to spend the money anyway, so if buying early means saving money it would make sense to use money you have saved to buy it before the price goes up.

There is a difference between going into debt, i.e. paying for everything on the card and spending the next 2 years paying it off, and realizing that by paying for it now you'll get a lower price and you will STILL have it paid off before you leave. Short term debt for long term savings.

 

[emily94]

If you're considering the credit card idea, maybe apply for an airline card, i.e. Southwest Visa. They may offer some sort of reward for opening an account?

 

[deedeetoo]

I hate to break this to you, but April vacation is the most expensive time I have ever seen to fly to Orlando from MA. Almost everyone in the state and a few surrounding (I think ME is on the same schedule) have exactly the same week off so everyone wants to fly out one specific weekend and back home the next. As someone else said, if you can move your flights a few days in either direction, the price drops dramatically.

I have intended to book this week several times in the past, planning to book the days that flights opened. They have always been too expensive for me even on the first day (like $500 pp roundtrip), and then they only go up. End result is we have never gone over April vacation.

 

[jodifla]

Yes, I just looked, and while we fly from Michigan, the flights in April that are normally $260 are $826.

I would look at those flights now, and figure they will only get much much higher between now and April.

 

[aribelle]

I hadn't really meant she should apply for a credit card, but Southwest VISA does have a 50,000 point bonus if you spend $2,000 within 3 months of receiving the card. I use my credit cards to pay for everything I can, then pay it off IN FULL each payday....so it's still "paying cash" in essence because you are NOT incurring any fees.....but I get a lot of points for paying for flights, hotels, Disney.

Oh...and you don't have to have high income...I applied on my own, just to see what they'd give me after reading they give them to anyone,.....I do NOT work outside the home, so have no income.....I still got a $4,000 line of credit. Of course, my hubby applied for a Disney VISA too and got $15,000....but he has an income, lol.

50,000 points can get you several flights....especially if you're willing to go the "Wanna get away" route.....from Phoenix to MCO it's about 12,000 points one way, so 50,000 would get me two round trips. Obviously where you are flying out of, and how soon you make the reservations, will change the points you may need over mine. If I wait more than a month or so after they announce flights (usually about 6 months in advance) it goes closer to 15,000.

 

[emily94]

I hadn't really meant she should apply for a credit card, but Southwest VISA does have a 50,000 point bonus if you spend $2,000 within 3 months of receiving the card. I use my credit cards to pay for everything I can, then pay it off IN FULL each payday....so it's still "paying cash" in essence because you are NOT incurring any fees.....but I get a lot of points for paying for flights, hotels, Disney.

Oh...and you don't have to have high income...I applied on my own, just to see what they'd give me after reading they give them to anyone,.....I do NOT work outside the home, so have no income.....I still got a $4,000 line of credit. Of course, my hubby applied for a Disney VISA too and got $15,000....but he has an income, lol.

50,000 points can get you several flights....especially if you're willing to go the "Wanna get away" route.....from Phoenix to MCO it's about 12,000 points one way, so 50,000 would get me two round trips. Obviously where you are flying out of, and how soon you make the reservations, will change the points you may need over mine. If I wait more than a month or so after they announce flights (usually about 6 months in advance) it goes closer to 15,000.

I was more suggesting that opening the card and using it for OP's vacation may alleviate some of the flight costs because you could get some points just for opening. I think that opening a SW Visa may be a great idea for someone just starting to plan their vacation as they probably could spend $2,000 in the first three months to get those points! As long as they are able to quickly pay it off, no one wants to be in debt because of a vacation...

Luckily OP seems very aware of her budget!

 

[TJA]

JetBlue has the free luggage too (1st piece free per person), so check JB too. On the JB site, you can view the seats to see how full the plane is. If it's pretty full, then most likely prices won't be coming down at all. My early April flight on JB has risen a little since I booked, but the plane is still half empty so I'm betting my price will drop as times goes on (that's how it normally is for me).