What is up with airfare????

[curlyjbs]

I can not believe the fares! Anyone have a crystal ball? any fare sales coming up? Last year we flew newark nj to orlando for $99 rt. this year it's a one way fare

what is going on?

If I cant find a good fare....we can't go. (had to cancel a bahamas trip for the same reason. sigh.)

curly

 

[DeeCeeSW]

I feel your pain. The fares are so high that we decided to leave from LGA instead of EWR for our next trip. I got a r/t airfare of $150 per person on AA through Orbitz. Even though we'll have tolls to pay and extra gas used (we're leaving our car with a friend so we avoid long-term parking fees), it is still a better deal than leaving from Newark. We are basically getting three seats for the price of two.

$99 each way is actually a pretty good price these days. Hang in there--they may go lower.

 

[lecach]

When we flew to Orlando this past May we paid $104 roundtrip on Delta - direct flight - from Raleigh NC. I am searching for a flight for March and the one I want has changed about 4 or 5 times in the last week. At one point it was around $170, then $220, then $195 and today $231! I didnt buy it at $170 because I thought the price would drop further. I keep checking the available seats and they havent changed. No one has booked a seat on these flights in a week. If they get back below the $200 mark I am just going to go ahead and buy them. But I refuse to pay $231.

 

[dvc guy]

Newark is usually the most expensive of the 3 NYC area airports. Still 99 each way is not a bad price, it depends on when you are going. The best prices are from JFK. It may pay to drive to JFK and leave the car in a long term lot. A bonus is that flight are less likely to be delay at JFK then EWR or LGA. When was the last time that a flight left EWR on time???

 

[CarolA]

Travel is up. Therefore airlines are not as desperate to sell seats at a loss for $99 round trip.
Gas prices are up. Therefore it costs more to run that plane to Orlando.

Overall airfairs are higher this year. you might find a quick sale or if you track SW there might be a sale from Long Island. However, I think the days of LOTS of really dirt cheap airfares seem to be slowing WAY down. Sorry, but at $99 round trip the airlines are losing their shirts. I think around $200 for a round trip is pretty good based on what I have seen for my travel and read on these boards.

 

[justhat]

We're looking at flights from Newark to Orlando in May too and right now the cheapest we've found is $226/RT. I looked at LaGuardia for the same dates (5/20-5/25) and it's $155/RT!! The times are also better from LGA. The only problem is that my mother doesn't want to leave from there again. Since it's so much more from EWR, however, I think I might just book her out of there and then I would fly out of DC with my daughter and my friend who is coming with us (I live in DC but thought it would be easier to fly with my mom since I'll need help with the baby gear). Flights from DCA are $175, which is really cheap considering it's National Airport, not BWI or Dulles. Hopefully my friend can leave at the times I want to go, otherwise I'll be paying that EWR fare for my mom, me, and an infant fare. Also, we have another friend coming from Boston and her flight is $155, and it's further from Orlando than Newark is!! I'm still waiting to book the Newark flights though, since I've never paid that much to fly to Orlando from there and the last time I went in May it was $160. Usually it's been $180-$200 so I think I'll wait awhile. At any rate, I'm thinking it can't go up any higher!

 

[Lewisc]

You have to think of your $99 R/T as an once in a lifetime deal. Airlines would rather cancel flights than sell seats at this price.

Try Jet Blue out of JFK. Try LGA. Try SW out of PHL (if it's doeable). Look at flights into Tampa. Remember full fare is over $1,000. Look at leaving a day earlier or later. I think any fare between $150 and $200 R/T is decent, a fare of under $150 is possible but not realistic.

 

[curlyjbs]

Well, I'm still hoping for good fares out of newark but I did convince dh to give LaGuardia a chance too.

Good luck to us all!

curly

 

[Kimberle]

I agree.

Tickets for spring are DOUBLE what we paid in Sept. It one thing for the fares to go up, but, really, this is ridiculous!!

From Hartford to MCO is over ***$1000*** per ticket!!

 

[anabelle]

I think what makes me mad is that the airfare changes by the hour. Why do they do that ? I doesn't make sense. I am looking for Memorial day weekend and the lowest I can find is $200 round trip from Detroit. That is on Spirit. The last time I flew Spirit we sat in the back and we froze.

 

[HeatherC]

Hi - I'm not sure where you're located, but you may also want to check out Southeast Airlines. They fly from Newburgh, NY to Sanford. My parents live in NJ and usually fly from Newark. We met them in Orlando in November and they decided to try Southeast. They were able to get a rate of $59 each way and said it was awesome. No traffic and no hassles....they literally parked, were checked through security and walked on the plane. I know Sanford is further out, but if the rates are really low, it may be worth a look. I think their website is FLYSEAL.com.

Hope this helps!

Heather C

 

[safetymom]

Airlines have cut the size of their fleets of airplanes and are scheduling less flights.

So they don't have to sell seats at a lower price because they can sell enough seats to fill the planes at the higher prices.

 

[SnackyStacky]

Generally, what I do is set a reasonable threshold. For me, it's usually $180 for roundtrip from Buffalo to Orlando. I then watch the fares and when the hit or go below my threshold, I purchase.

If you watch the fares, and just think they'll keep going down, you're going to miss out. As someone said, roundtrip for $99 just isn't reasonable. It's very rare that you'll catch a sale of that magnitude.

I don't remember where I signed up for it, but I get an E-Mail everytime a specific flight plan hits or goes under a specific dollar amount.

 

[Eeyore1954]

What's up with airfares?

Could it be that the airlines decided they were in business to make a profit and their stockholders decided they'd prefer the company to continue in business rather than go into bankruptcy?

 

[Lewisc]

Originally posted by Kimberle
I agree.

Tickets for spring are DOUBLE what we paid in Sept. It one thing for the fares to go up, but, really, this is ridiculous!!

From Hartford to MCO is over ***$1000*** per ticket!!

FULL FARE, FULLY REFUNDABLE with SWA from Hardord to MCO is $380.70 with all fees. Discounted promotional fares are usually available. Not sure what airline is charing $1,000 per ticket BUT there is really no reason to pay that much.

 

[SnackyStacky]

Originally posted by Eeyore1954
What's up with airfares?

Could it be that the airlines decided they were in business to make a profit and their stockholders decided they'd prefer the company to continue in business rather than go into bankruptcy?

Wow.....maybe I just am reading too much into it, but your post seems to be dripping with sarcasm; unneccesary sarcasm, IMHO.

 

[anabelle]

I know they need to make a profit. I just don't understand why flight prices go up and down during the day.

I also have a set price and it is $180 as well from Detroit. I am just kicking myself because during Christmas (of course I was broke) the flights were at $177 on Delta.

 

[curlyjbs]

Just wanted to let everyone know that i buckled and purchashed 5 nonstop tickets with AA out of Laguardia for a total of $154.20 each.

Please tell me I did good.......


Is there a preferred area on the plane to sit? never knew I had a choice.

curly

 

[Lewisc]

You did good (particularly if you got non-stop with good flight times). If you waited you MIGHT have gotten a flight out of Newark BUT I doubt you would have paid any less.

Originally posted by curlyjbs
Just wanted to let everyone know that i buckled and purchashed 5 nonstop tickets with AA out of Laguardia for a total of $154.20 each.

Please tell me I did good.......


Is there a preferred area on the plane to sit? never knew I had a choice.

curly

 

[Eeyore1954]

Originally posted by SnackyStacky
Wow.....maybe I just am reading too much into it, but your post seems to be dripping with sarcasm; unneccesary sarcasm, IMHO.

Gee... you think so? Thanks for sharing your opinion. Now I'll share mine...

What I find unnecessary are whine-filled posts complaining that the airlines actually expect people to PAY for the service they provide. Imagine the nerve of these companies -- they actually want to (GASP!) make money!

As one who has an investment in some airlines, I think it is high time they started pricing fares to make a profit and stay out of bankruptcy court. People need to wake up and realize that if you want to fly, it's going to cost some $$. Do some research and you can still find bargains around. But above all, save for that vacation.

Or if you don't want to pay for the convenience of flying, drive. Makes it easier for me to snag that seat for my next vacation.