Very frustrated by air fare

[jtowntoflorida]

I've been watching airfares for our October trip to WDW. The fares the week before our trip are very reasonable--$250 or so. The fares the week of our trip are ridiculous--$400+ a person for decent flight times. I don't get it? Why is there such a huge discrepancy?

FWIW, we're traveling October 13th-20th from MSP to MCO. When I stick travel dates in for October 6th-13th, I'm showing good fares, but outrageous fares for our week. Anyone have any ideas why? Columbus Day is October 8th. Is it because of the Minnesota public school fall break that falls on the 17th and 18th? I'm shocked that that would cause fares for a Saturday-Saturday trip to be so high. Ugh.

 

[taitai]

MEA Weekend

Some districts get the whole week off. Others have conferences the Thurs and Fri before and so families just pull their kids for M-W and take off a week as well.

 

[jtowntoflorida]

Wow. We just moved here, so I didn't really think that could be it. We may be taking a road trip back to Iowa and flying from there instead.

 

[Minnesota!]

It is because of MEA. It's why we won't travel over MEA again - the air is crazy.

We ended up, last year, pulling the kids from school that Friday of the week before, too, and I can't recall...I think we flew out Thursday night or early Friday morning. The fare diff between then and the Saturday flight was crazy..

 

[kaytieeldr]

On the other hand, $400 r/t is only fifteen cents per air mile.

 

[brenda1966]

The airlines definately keep track of what's going on in the area, school breaks, holidays, etc. I pay top dollar to travel during school breaks when a week prior or later is cheaper. It's frustrating for sure.

 

[Southernswthrt]

Same is true for Mardi Gras in New Orleans

So we are flying in and out of Tampa instead! Almost half the price of MCO flights. I can take an hour or so drive to save that kind of money, especially since my daily commute to work is about an hour each way!

 

[vacationclub]

Supply and Demand. They look both at historical traffic for any time of year, and also gauge current demand. Flights for one week could be higher than the next or previous because they already have a lot of people buying, and early. So, computers that are programmed to adjust for this, will.

You think airfare is frustrating....try rental cars. The computers that adjust those prices can change them nearly 50%, up and down sometimes twice a day.

 

[magicaldisney]

Flights in general are much higher. For our upcoming trip, we are paying much more for our flights out of MSP than we ever have before.

 

[vacationclub]

Flights in general are much higher. For our upcoming trip, we are paying much more for our flights out of MSP than we ever have before.

I think it just depends where you are and where you are going. I'm still paying the same amount that I did 20 years ago if I book early enough. Some may see higher prices on some routes due to airline consolidations.

 

[jeff968]

It is the same thing with President's week here in the Northeast (third week of February). I always purchase our flights at least 9 months in advance. They are 3 times as much as the week gets closer. BTW, what does MEA stand for?

 

[vacationclub]

Flights in general are much higher. For our upcoming trip, we are paying much more for our flights out of MSP than we ever have before.

I think it just depends where you are and where you are going. I'm still paying the same amount that I did 20 years ago if I book early enough. Some may see higher prices on some routes due to airline consolidations.

 

[Minnesota!]

It is the same thing with President's week here in the Northeast (third week of February). I always purchase our flights at least 9 months in advance. They are 3 times as much as the week gets closer. BTW, what does MEA stand for?

MEA = Minnesota Educational Association or something like that. It's no longer techically called MEA, but whatevs...it has been MEA for as long as I can remember and most people still call it that. It's 2 days of Education Conferences for teachers in MN. All over the state...Thurs and Fri of the 3rd week of October, kids have off and teachers are encouraged to attend workshops, etc.

 

[jtowntoflorida]

We ended up, last year, pulling the kids from school that Friday of the week before, too, and I can't recall...I think we flew out Thursday night or early Friday morning. The fare diff between then and the Saturday flight was crazy..

So, based on you comment, I just checked flights leaving on the 12th instead of the 13th. I cannot believe the difference in price! We can get a late flight out of MSP on Friday that doesn't get us into Orlando until midnight, which would be awful for the kids. But then we could sleep in/rest up on Saturday and maybe still do a half day in a park. There's a return flight that's direct at a perfect time, too.

The only problem is that we're staying at BLT using rented points, and I'm not sure if we could add a day this late in the game. Off to see, though...

Thanks for the tip!

 

[jacksonsmom]

why don't you think about staying at the airport in Orlando when you come in at midnight? That is what I would do.
That way you can get to a bed fairly quickly after getting off the plane, then in the morning go over to Disney when everyone is awake and fed.

 

[Lewisc]

Higher fares during peak demand is what allows airlines to charge low fares the rest of the time.

I'll second the idea of an airport hotel. Consider "bidding" with Priceline. Bid on a 3.5* hotel. Figure $44-$60. Alternately shop for deals which include breakfast. DON'T BID ON ANYTHING BELOW 3* and carefully check the shuttle if you're booking direct. Some of the lower rated hotels in the airport zone stop don't offer a complimentary shuttle 24/7. Service at some hotels stops at 11p. The fact that a hotel lists an airport shuttle doesn't mean it will be available when you land.

You can check the Hyatt right in the airport. No shuttle required. In the morning bell services will take your bags to the DME luggage area. Makes a lot of sense since DVC accommodations are rarely available for early check in.

 

[Minnesota!]

So, based on you comment, I just checked flights leaving on the 12th instead of the 13th. I cannot believe the difference in price! We can get a late flight out of MSP on Friday that doesn't get us into Orlando until midnight, which would be awful for the kids. But then we could sleep in/rest up on Saturday and maybe still do a half day in a park. There's a return flight that's direct at a perfect time, too.

The only problem is that we're staying at BLT using rented points, and I'm not sure if we could add a day this late in the game. Off to see, though...

Thanks for the tip!

No problem! I hope everything comes together for you!

And I agree with the PP's...if you can't get BLT, consider an airport hotel..either the Hyatt or something just off of the airport. Shuttle it, get some sleep, get showered, check out, go back to Airport and hit DME

Or, do a value resort for the night. Grab your luggage, hit DME, check in, get some sleep, check out, and WDW will transfer your luggage to BLT for you. You just need to get there to check in

 

[dudspizza]

So, based on you comment, I just checked flights leaving on the 12th instead of the 13th. I cannot believe the difference in price! We can get a late flight out of MSP on Friday that doesn't get us into Orlando until midnight, which would be awful for the kids. But then we could sleep in/rest up on Saturday and maybe still do a half day in a park. There's a return flight that's direct at a perfect time, too.

The only problem is that we're staying at BLT using rented points, and I'm not sure if we could add a day this late in the game. Off to see, though...

Thanks for the tip!

Get an airport hotel for the night you land..... use their free shuttle to/from the airport and take DME on Saturday.

MEA as older folks know it is the annual Education Minnesota conference held in St. Paul. Teacher are encouraged to attend this jam packed event. Many families take vacations at that time since their kids only miss 3 days of school instead of a week.

It is the first days off for most school district since the start the day after labor day.

For what it is worth, teacher go back to work in 13 days and kids start here in Minnesota in 21 days......

Duds