SW vs AA question

[Seabean]

For years we’ve used Southwest to go from PHL to MCO

Now we’re taking a look at AA

Question… does AA have their fares at their lowest for a given flight at about 6-8 wks prior like SW does?

 

[heynowirv]

I don't know about AA but I can tell you for years we would take PHL to MCO and had a great fare. At some point Philly stopped being a hub to MCO and it changed to BWI out of Baltimore, They offer more direct flights for a much lower fare.I hope that helps if you can, make the drive to BWI .

 

[msmayor]

There's no real formula, other than buy at the price you are happy with.

I bought a R/T ticket for my Sep trip back in April, when the pricing was at $368. At the time, guys I work with who travel regularly were paying over $500 for R/T tickets to FL so I perceived that as a great deal.

I did upgrade the ticket to Main Cabin Extra to choose preferred seating without any fees, get a free checked bag, and free drinks (plus no change fees if I needed to make any switches). That pushed the ticket another $100 but for me, it was worth it (figure $60 to check a bag R/T, and another $50 for seat selection fees in that front section).

Prices did come down...the itinerary is now at $326 for the cheapest ticket. I ended up needing to change my return flight to a later one (yay! More time at Disney!) so no cost to change flights...BUT the best part? The First Class fare came way, way down...and I was able to upgrade that MCE fare to First Class for just $50 R/T.

 

[DebbieB]

Add in bag charges for American.

 

[brockash]

Add in bag charges for American.

Unless you have an AA credit card and then they're free.

 

[Best Aunt]

With AA, you need to make sure it doesn't say "operated by..." when you are booking. some of their flights are actually through small regional airlines, which means smaller planes.

 

[sam_gordon]

With AA, you need to make sure it doesn't say "operated by..." when you are booking. some of their flights are actually through small regional airlines, which means smaller planes.

There's really nothing wrong with smaller planes or using regional airlines.

 

[sam_gordon]

There's no real formula, other than buy at the price you are happy with.

I would slightly change this phrase... "There's no real formula, other than buy at the price you are SATISFIED with."

 

[msmayor]

With AA, you need to make sure it doesn't say "operated by..." when you are booking. some of their flights are actually through small regional airlines, which means smaller planes.

I've had the opportunity to fly on a few of these 'operated by' - it's AA metal though. I've found that these smaller planes can be preferable to the large ones as they will almost automatically 'valet' my bag at no charge...I leave it at the end of the jetway before boarding, and pick it up there on the way out. No fumbling for bags in the overhead, so getting on/off the plane is so much quicker.

 

[sam_gordon]

I've had the opportunity to fly on a few of these 'operated by' - it's AA metal though. I've found that these smaller planes can be preferable to the large ones as they will almost automatically 'valet' my bag at no charge...I leave it at the end of the jetway before boarding, and pick it up there on the way out. No fumbling for bags in the overhead, so getting on/off the plane is so much quicker.

I'll agree getting ON the plane is quicker, and while getting OFF the plane physically is quicker, you then have to wait for your bag in the jetway. That never seems to go well (or at least quick).

 

[msmayor]

I'll agree getting ON the plane is quicker, and while getting OFF the plane physically is quicker, you then have to wait for your bag in the jetway. That never seems to go well (or at least quick).

Maybe it depends on the airport and ground crew. My experience has always been that getting the bag via valet on the jetway is WAY faster than waiting at baggage claim for traditionally checked luggags.

 

[Best Aunt]

There's really nothing wrong with smaller planes or using regional airlines.

I'm claustrophobic and subject to motion sickness. I do better on a larger plane.

 

[holden]

We use AA out of PHL to fly to MCO. I just booked flights around 60 days out. The price had dropped from $386 to $343, so I jumped on it. That's approximately what we've been paying - in the $300 range.

 

[sam_gordon]

I'm claustrophobic and subject to motion sickness. I do better on a larger plane.

Which works fine for you. Totally get that. Doesn't mean everyone needs to avoid smaller planes, which is how I read your post.

 

[Best Aunt]

Which works fine for you. Totally get that. Doesn't mean everyone needs to avoid smaller planes, which is how I read your post.

Oh, my wording could have been off. I think it's important to be aware of plane size, but everybody should make the decision which works best for themselves (or their group). For some people, it's an important factor, and for other people it doesn't matter at all

 

[EACarlson]

Too many factors to judge the best time to buy tickets. I've got SW booked for my MCO trip in October, just about 8 weeks out. Prices are now $100 higher each way than they were when I booked in March. The only real difference in pricing is that I don't believe you can rebook to take advantage of price drops on AA like you can with SW or even Delta.
I flew on the smallest plane in the fleet of any of the major airlines yesterday. They have to valet check regular size carryons because they don't fit in the overheads, on my flight they also sent them all to baggage claim rather than picking them up plane side.

 

[robinb]

SWA will allow you to cancel, even on their cheaper fares and your money will go into your account. AA Basic fare is locked in with NO changes. I am facing this right now since I booked a basic one-way fare (we're taking Delta the other way) and AA is now offering a great RT fare. I could cancel the Delta basic fare and get my money refunded into my account and book the AA RT but ... no ... I'm stuck. *sigh* I knew what I was getting into.