What's up with the Airfare prices?

[The V Gang]

Is it me or are the airlines continuing to jack up there prices? Last year we flew from NJ to Orlando with Jet blue and paid about $200. We always look for early flights out and a late flight back to maximize vacation time.

I've noticed two things while checking on airfare for our late April 2014 trip -

1) Airfare is 20 to 30% higher than it was last year.
2) Early morning flights are over $80 more per ticket than late afternoon flights ($131 vs $212). A substantial difference when you are buying 7 tickets ($400!).

Last year we chose to fly out the night before and use $300 in airfare savings towards an extra night. Hoping prices drop so we don't have to do that again this year....

 

[ain0004]

I think every airline charges more. Nov 2012 156/person . Oct 2013. 220/person. And that was flying to Tampa. It was another 50/person to fly into Orlando. This is flying out of DTW. I can live with 200/person but with its 250 or more my happy butt is driving. Airlines are like any other business they charge more so they make more .

 

[hill6]

The day of the week also has a lot to do with it. Just booked EWR to FLL for May 2nd (9 am flight) for $130 a person and got same fare for return from MCO on May 10th (7 pm flight).

 

[DebbieB]

Out of Pittsburgh, haven't seen $200 RT in a long time. Typically $250-$300 or more.

With all the mergers, less competition means they can charge higher prices.

 

[wed100105]

We are most likely driving this year because of it. We have paid $186 (July 2010), $280 (spring break-March 2011) $180 (July 2012), and $210 (January 2013). Those are all out of a small local airport flying into either MCO or Sanford.

This year the prices are around $500 pp round-trip. Granted, we aren't flexible with our dates this year and have to fly over spring break. Still, the low discount carriers (Frontier and Allegiant) have $250+ (plus bags) for our dates. It's nuts. This is the first year we are going to drive. The cheapest I have found is flying out of St. Louis (3 hours away) for $331 pp round-trip. When you add gas and parking, it will be well over $1600 for transportation plus another $236 for a standard SUV rental while we are there. (DH will not budge on having a rental car.)

I have booked a premium car ($420) and a standard SUV ($509) for 11 days and we'll drive it. (I'm hoping that this will drop as the dates get closer.) I estimate that driving is going to cost us $1050 for our trip. I can't see flying for $800 more and having to drive 3 hours each way to and from the airport.

As a side note, we've always had good deals on rentals and I'm not seeing any decent prices right now.

 

[mikehn]

Everything about going to Orlando has gone up, airfare, car rental, accommodations, park tickets, the recession is long over.

 

[The V Gang]

The day of the week also has a lot to do with it. Just booked EWR to FLL for May 2nd (9 am flight) for $130 a person and got same fare for return from MCO on May 10th (7 pm flight).

Curious. ..when u fly out to FLL do u rent a car? We've always flown EWR to MCO. Driving to Atlantic city to take Spirit air would save us about $400 (even w bag fees) but it's a 90 min ride

 

[Donna M]

We head to WDW every year either during Feb. school vacation or April's and have usually paid between $250-$300 per flight, closer to $250. This year we are going in Feb. and I got our flights, at our preferred airport for non-stop for $201 I can't remember ever paying that low a price. They are on Southwest out of Manchester, NH and I got them when their window opened for booking.

Car rental is higher than I have ever seen and I'm hoping the price will come down the closer we get to the trip. I was able to get Firefly for $152 for the week but I'd be happier with more of a name brand company. I also booked them a long time ago.


I feel very lucky.

We even got round trip, non-stop out of the airport two towns away going to Sanford for $99 for their start up promotion. We couldn't pass that up.

 

[The V Gang]

We head to WDW every year either during Feb. school vacation or April's and have usually paid between $250-$300 per flight, closer to $250. This year we are going in Feb. and I got our flights, at our preferred airport for non-stop for $201 I can't remember ever paying that low a price. They are on Southwest out of Manchester, NH and I got them when their window opened for booking.

Car rental is higher than I have ever seen and I'm hoping the price will come down the closer we get to the trip. I was able to get Firefly for $152 for the week but I'd be happier with more of a name brand company. I also booked them a long time ago.

I feel very lucky.

We even got round trip, non-stop out of the airport two towns away going to Sanford for $99 for their start up promotion. We couldn't pass that up.

You sure are lucky!

Nearest place to catch a SW flight is NY for us.

I checked prices for jet blue again last night. Difference between a 9 am flight and 7pm flight on 4/26 is $900+ for our family of 7 but the savings come at the expense of one full day of vacation

Flying out the night before would cost the same and we could use some of the savings to stay at a cheaper resort like AOA that night then transfer to BWI CL for the remainder of our trip in the morning.

 

[TeachTink]

Out of Pittsburgh, haven't seen $200 RT in a long time. Typically $250-$300 or more.

With all the mergers, less competition means they can charge higher prices.

You're right. I just booked a Southwest flight from PIT to MCO for May, flying on a Wed and Sun, and I paid $290 round trip pp.

 

[gdrj]

Airfares out of DC having been crazy and volatile for Easter. Had planned on flying on a Sat AM and returning Sun PM a week later. Over $500 for each of us round trip. If we were willing fly late Sat and early Sun rates were better but end up losing almost 2 days of Mickey time!

Looked to Fri night to check rates and on Fri the best rates were in the AM of course which doesn't help due to work. Found rates in the $400 range.

Yesterday in early evening checked again and found RT $256 (Fri. night) and booked it (non-stop flights to boot), later last night same flights had bumped up to almost $400. I just hit it lucky I guess. Last year same experience, and pricing never really came back down.

For the first night since we wont land until 830 PM we will get a modest hotel for 1 night and spend an extra $30 on rental car. Still come ahead and have a full day in the sun on Saturday.

 

[goofystitchfan]

We are going to WDW in April the week of Easter. (typically we go in November, however with kids in High School and Middle School I can't have them miss days any more). We paid $240/pp rt. I purchased our tickets on Jet Blue in July when those dates opened up. I look now and the same flights are costing $1300/rt pp now. Definitely booking early pays off. If prices do happen to go down, the will give you a credit. We had looked into going in February during school vacation, yes the flights were cheaper, however the risk of flight problems due to snow was not something we were comfortable with. As it turns out, lucky thing since we have had such a bad winter so far.

 

[ptlohmysoul]

Is it me or are the airlines continuing to jack up there prices? Last year we flew from NJ to Orlando with Jet blue and paid about $200. We always look for early flights out and a late flight back to maximize vacation time.

I've noticed two things while checking on airfare for our late April 2014 trip -

1) Airfare is 20 to 30% higher than it was last year.
2) Early morning flights are over $80 more per ticket than late afternoon flights ($131 vs $212). A substantial difference when you are buying 7 tickets ($400!).

Last year we chose to fly out the night before and use $300 in airfare savings towards an extra night. Hoping prices drop so we don't have to do that again this year....

Same with us. Last year we flew Jet Blue for $200/person from DCA to MCO. We're going the same exact times on the same days of the week. I was able to get flights there for $99/pp, so booked that separate as a one-way and waited for flights home to go down. Flights home were $178-$198 pp. Finally, when I was getting ansy (4 weeks before leaving), the price dropped to $128 pp, so I booked that. It went even higher after that.

 

[The V Gang]

Same with us. Last year we flew Jet Blue for $200/person from DCA to MCO. We're going the same exact times on the same days of the week. I was able to get flights there for $99/pp, so booked that separate as a one-way and waited for flights home to go down. Flights home were $178-$198 pp. Finally, when I was getting ansy (4 weeks before leaving), the price dropped to $128 pp, so I booked that. It went even higher after that.

I like the idea of booking separate flights! Didn't think to do that. Thx!

 

[jrsharp21]

Been trying to find a deal on flights from Houston to Orlando or even to Tampa. Right now most tickets are $375+ per ticket for the days we need to fly. If we can find tickets in the $200 to $250 range I would be all over it. But so far nothing. Not on SW, JetBlue, Spirit, etc.

 

[maryj11]

I looked tonight and flights I have been searching finally went down. I bought them for 312.00 round trip non stop. Higher then I have paid in the the past but it is the lowest I have seen it so far. I think last time we went in 2012 we paid 280.00 round trip.

 

[gdrj]

Airfares out of DC having been crazy and volatile for Easter. Had planned on flying on a Sat AM and returning Sun PM a week later. Over $500 for each of us round trip. If we were willing fly late Sat and early Sun rates were better but end up losing almost 2 days of Mickey time! Looked to Fri night to check rates and on Fri the best rates were in the AM of course which doesn't help due to work. Found rates in the $400 range. Yesterday in early evening checked again and found RT $256 (Fri. night) and booked it (non-stop flights to boot), later last night same flights had bumped up to almost $400. I just hit it lucky I guess. Last year same experience, and pricing never really came back down. For the first night since we wont land until 830 PM we will get a modest hotel for 1 night and spend an extra $30 on rental car. Still come ahead and have a full day in the sun on Saturday.

Just an update I have watched the airfares for the flights I booked. The fares have jumped all over the place but never getting back below 350 rt. they have gone up and down like the Dow. Rates have been 500, 425, 450, 350, and as of tonight 660.

 

[MonorailCentral]

Also flew from DCA last year for $188 ea. This year the fares were over $260. Ended up booking out of BWI for $25 cheaper.

 

[supergoofy]

Trying to fly out of Portland Oregon and its just flat expensive and long.


Unless I want to pay huge money there is a lay over some where along the lines.

It's either PDX to Texas to MCO or PDX to Denver to MCO and coming back I have seen Los Angeles or San Francisco before hitting Oregon.


Will be a long flight to say the least.

 

[FiggyFan]

Just booked roundtrip flight on Southwest out of Flint (MI) for May $20 cheaper each way than what we paid back in Oct; ($91 vs $111 ). That will pay for a nice dinner during our trip.