Tips for a travel planning newbie?

[toomuchcoffeeman]

I'm planning a trip for this Sep. 28-Oct. 4 for my girlfriend and myself, and this will be my first experience planning anything this major. We're trying to work within a budget, so I'm trying to plan everything myself to cut back on costs.

I've got the resort info, and the parks info, but for the flights there and back[we live in Central Jersey] the available information seems somewhat more daunting. With the myriad options in terms of airlines and airports alone I'd be confused, but then the prices seem to follow a pattern that I can't quite grasp.

Am I better off purchasing the tickets as far in advance as possible, or is there an advantage to waiting?
Is there a no-later-than date before which I should get the tickets in order to get the best rates?
What's the best site to get ticket prices? Expedia? Travelocity? Orbitz?
Is there a reason Philly seems to be cheaper than Newark and LaGuardia?
Should I stay away from US Airways[$181 each] as opposed to Continental[$252]?

Any help you travel-savvy folks can give would be much appreciated.

 

[Jestocost]

There's typically no price advantage to booking early. The only reason to book far in advance would be if you are concerned about the availability of seats. You're traveling at what usually is an off-peak time, so that should not be an issue—especially since you have a choice of several airports.

Most fare sales tend to go out 4-5 months in advance, so that would put you in April/May to start looking for those. That's also when Southwest and some of the other discounters get around to posting their schedules and fares. I know Southwest flies to Orlando out of Philly, which could account for the better pricing, but I'm not sure about discounters out of Newark and LaGuardia. I'm pretty sure that LaGuardia does not have any, but I don't know anything about Newark. If I had to guess, I would say that Newark and Philly are your best options for costs and of the two I'd pick Philly. I do have a personal bias against the Newark airport, so take that advice for what it's worth.

My method of operation is to check a site like Expedia or Travelocity to get a feel for what the best prices look like, but to book directly with the airline's Web site. Expedia and Travelocity both charge ticketing fees, which push up your prices ($10 per ticket, I think) and they don't offer the Web specials that the airline sites do. In addition, Southwest doesn't book through either of those sites, so you'll never see their flights and fares. Not sure which of the other discounters book through the travel sites and which don't.

As far as US Airways, I wouldn't book that far out with them given their financial circumstances. There may be a clearer picture of their ability to survive over the next few months, which may say go or no-go as far as booking with them, or there may not be.

It sounds like you're getting a good feel for the rates, so just keep your eye on things and when you see a really good fare book it ASAP.

 

[sue1013]

toomuchcoffeeman I live very close to you so I know the confusion with the different airport prices. LaGuardia and Philly usually have lower prices than Newark. That being said I always fly out of Newark and usually pay a few dollars more. You have to decide what the convenience is worth to you. 20 minutes down 78 compared to an hour or more with traffic to Philly or LaGuardia. You have plenty of time to book. I usually go to Orbitz to get prices put in a fare watcher, they will email you if they find your price but I always book at the airline website.

 

[toomuchcoffeeman]

There's typically no price advantage to booking early. The only reason to book far in advance would be if you are concerned about the availability of seats. You're traveling at what usually is an off-peak time, so that should not be an issue—especially since you have a choice of several airports.

When you say availability of seats, you mean whether or not I can actually get onto the flight, right? If there's only two of us traveling together, will I have to be concerned that we won't have seats next to each other? I must confess that I still need to get over a bit of my fear of flying, and I'm not sure how well I'd fare if not seated next to her.

Most fare sales tend to go out 4-5 months in advance, so that would put you in April/May to start looking for those. That's also when Southwest and some of the other discounters get around to posting their schedules and fares.

Excellent info! This is exactly the kind of info I was looking for! Thanks Jestocost!

My method of operation is to check a site like Expedia or Travelocity to get a feel for what the best prices look like, but to book directly with the airline's Web site. Expedia and Travelocity both charge ticketing fees, which push up your prices ($10 per ticket, I think) and they don't offer the Web specials that the airline sites do. In addition, Southwest doesn't book through either of those sites, so you'll never see their flights and fares. Not sure which of the other discounters book through the travel sites and which don't.

Also excellent info. I wonder if this could go[or already is] in an FAQ someplace?

As far as US Airways, I wouldn't book that far out with them given their financial circumstances. There may be a clearer picture of their ability to survive over the next few months, which may say go or no-go as far as booking with them, or there may not be.

Sounds like I can decide maybe in April or May anyway. But now I'll know what to watch for.

It sounds like you're getting a good feel for the rates, so just keep your eye on things and when you see a really good fare book it ASAP.

Again, great advice, thank you a bunch. This is why I come here.

 

[toomuchcoffeeman]

toomuchcoffeeman I live very close to you so I know the confusion with the different airport prices. LaGuardia and Philly usually have lower prices than Newark. That being said I always fly out of Newark and usually pay a few dollars more. You have to decide what the convenience is worth to you. 20 minutes down 78 compared to an hour or more with traffic to Philly or LaGuardia. You have plenty of time to book. I usually go to Orbitz to get prices put in a fare watcher, they will email you if they find your price but I always book at the airline website.

Hey sue1013, I live in Somerset County, how close are you? I see your point about the travel time to the different airports, that's something I'll need to discuss with my girlfriend. I'll look into the Orbitz fare watchers--I got annoyed with their site when it tried to force me to register just to keep finding fares after the 3rd or 4th search query modification.

How far in advance did you buy your tickets for your easter trip?

 

[the kabuki]

I also check the big search engines(travelocity, expedia, etc.) but do check the airline websites. Most of the time I have gotten the best price directly from their site.

With regards to seats, I think Jestocost meant being able to get seats next to each other, but with only 2 of you, it shouldn't be a problem.

Remeber though, the closer to your dates, the faster those seats start to go. I was looking at one particular flight where the times would have been perfect for our family. Left the house for a few hours, came back and that flight was gone.

 

[sue1013]

Toomuchcoffeeman I'm right next to you in Branchburg. I got my tickets beginning of January for March flights. We were in Orlando in December got those tickets Sept-Oct. Usually 2-3 months ahead.