What's with the outrageous airfare ticket costs?

[Mom2micayla]

Granted, I haven't bought an airline ticket in about a year, but dang! I am looking at booking for our WDW trip next March and even flying from Phoenix instead of Tucson, I'm looking at $400, minimum. In the last 48 hours I've even seen tickets go up $50. My parents are flying from IN to watch the kids for DH & I while we're on our anniversary trip, and if they want to fly directly here from their local airport (Evansville- smaller airport), it's $600. I've never paid that to fly from Tucson to Evansville, not even at Xmas time. What's up with these crazy prices? Is it because it's March and around spring break? Should I hold off and wait until closer and hope they prices drop? I'm afraid to do that and then they keep going up.

(btw, no Southwest from Evansville, and historical rates on SW to MCO from both Tucson and Phoenix still run close to $400 on average, so I don't see a point in waiting for SW dates to open up)

 

[Planogirl]

I heard on the news just a few days ago to expect airline prices to go way up. They said that the fare wars were ending and that financially strapped airlines were planning to charge much more than they had. So now flying is not only uncomfortable and unpleasant but expensive too.

I'll stick to driving personally.

 

[bettymae1121]

You're looking too far ahead. Generally, airlines don't start discounting tickets until they get about three or four months out for travel, sometimes even closer to the departure date than that. The airlines wait to see how well the flights are selling at the "regular" price before deciding if to discount the fares, and by how much. If the flights are selling tickets at a brisk pace at regular price, they likely won't discount it much, if at all. If the flights are totall empyt 12 weeks out, they'll start to slash prices.

There are always exceptions to the rule, but generally I don't see great deals before that. I work as a corporate travel agent and see A LOT of airfares on a daily basis!

So...keep an eye on prices just to be on the safe side, but for travel next March you probably won't see good deals until this fall or early winter. Keep in mind that March is spring break and everyone goes to FL then, so there isn't as much downward pressure on fares as there would be at other times of the year. That's not to say you won't find a deal, just that it might not be the greatest deal of all time. Also, airlines are hedging there fuel costs, they are betting jet fuel is going to go up, so prices might not be as good going forward as they've been in the past.

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

This may come as a shocker... but it actually COSTS money to operate and staff an aircraft. If airlines had been pricing fares on a scale that reflected the true costs associated therewith, we'd have been paying much higher fares all along.

It's time to wake up and smell the Jet A.

 

[GOOFY4DONALD]

Not to hijack but there seems to be many knowlegeable people here. I am flying to MCO the first week of December (Dec 4 actually). When should I look to buy my tickets for my family of 5? I don't mind waiting so I may get a better deal but I don't want to have a trip paid for and then not be able to find a flight.
Thanks

 

[Tinkerbelle9980]

Good luck with getting a flight from Evansville. They are our closest airport but we never use it, because of prices and stops. We would rather drive to Indy or even St Louis. They do tend to get a little cheaper about 3 months before, so you might just keep watching them.

 

[ICF]

You're looking too far ahead. Generally, airlines don't start discounting tickets until they get about three or four months out for travel, sometimes even closer to the departure date than that. The airlines wait to see how well the flights are selling at the "regular" price before deciding if to discount the fares, and by how much. If the flights are selling tickets at a brisk pace at regular price, they likely won't discount it much, if at all. If the flights are totall empyt 12 weeks out, they'll start to slash prices.

We had been watching air on SW from Indy to Orlando for the 4 of us in early June.

Back in Decemeber, I think it would have cost us $950 or so to go. The rates of slowly gone up and today it would cost us nearly $1700...even a few weeks ago it was about $1500.

The rates for them never went down and went up a little every few weeks when I would check. We decided that even $950 or so was too much to pay when we also need a rental for the week, but I kept waiting for "cheap" fares, but they never came about.

 

[bettymae1121]

We had been watching air on SW from Indy to Orlando for the 4 of us in early June.

Back in Decemeber, I think it would have cost us $950 or so to go. The rates of slowly gone up and today it would cost us nearly $1700...even a few weeks ago it was about $1500.

The rates for them never went down and went up a little every few weeks when I would check. We decided that even $950 or so was too much to pay when we also need a rental for the week, but I kept waiting for "cheap" fares, but they never came about.

That can happen when the flights are selling well, if lots of people are willing to pay $400 for a ticket, the airline has no reason to discount it, and if they raise the price and people still buy it, all the better! There isn't a guarantee that the fares will drop around 3 months out, but if it's going to happen, that's the likely time frame. It could happen sooner, it could happen later, it may not happen at all. But in my 13 years of expeiance, that's the most likely time.

What I tell my clients (when they care, usually it's business travel that I book and the clients aren't all that price sensitive) is that when you find a price you can live with for the dates/times you want, go for it. Unless the trip is 100% optional and you'll only go if you can get that $99 fare, it's a risk to wait. You may get lucky and score that deal, or you may find the prices go up or the flights are sold out.

 

[lovesmurfs]

Not to hijack but there seems to be many knowlegeable people here. I am flying to MCO the first week of December (Dec 4 actually). When should I look to buy my tickets for my family of 5? I don't mind waiting so I may get a better deal but I don't want to have a trip paid for and then not be able to find a flight.
Thanks

You might want to post on the Transportation Board -- they might have some insight. I'm always guilty of buying too far out, because I get worried that I won't get the flights I want.

 

[Mom2micayla]

Good luck with getting a flight from Evansville. They are our closest airport but we never use it, because of prices and stops.

Boy that's the truth! I lived in Evansville for 20 years and it's always been $$. I expect it to be higher from there, of course, because of how few airlines and flights fly in and out of there. But $600 is very high for that airport. Looks like from Indy it's around $400. My parents are not fans of flying out of nearby airports, unfortunately. If it were me, I'd be all over Indy, Louisville, etc.

Well I guess I'll just bite the bullet and pay for our tickets now before they go up again. I'm going to assume they won't get cheaper given the time of year we're traveling.

 

[wdwfan16]

Granted, I haven't bought an airline ticket in about a year, but dang! I am looking at booking for our WDW trip next March and even flying from Phoenix instead of Tucson, I'm looking at $400, minimum. In the last 48 hours I've even seen tickets go up $50. My parents are flying from IN to watch the kids for DH & I while we're on our anniversary trip, and if they want to fly directly here from their local airport (Evansville- smaller airport), it's $600. I've never paid that to fly from Tucson to Evansville, not even at Xmas time. What's up with these crazy prices? Is it because it's March and around spring break? Should I hold off and wait until closer and hope they prices drop? I'm afraid to do that and then they keep going up.

(btw, no Southwest from Evansville, and historical rates on SW to MCO from both Tucson and Phoenix still run close to $400 on average, so I don't see a point in waiting for SW dates to open up)

The airlines are finally charging what it really costs to move you from point A to point B.

 

[jennyopenny]

I am too nervous to wait on my airfare. It scared me that the flight might go way up.
We are going from DFW to Disney on American~I found the flight for a family of five (2 adults, three kids, 13, 4, 4) for around $980.
It seemed like a good deal to me.

 

[wdwfan16]

I am too nervous to wait on my airfare. It scared me that the flight might go way up.
We are going from DFW to Disney on American~I found the flight for a family of five (2 adults, three kids, 13, 4, 4) for around $980.
It seemed like a good deal to me.

Thats less than $200/pp round trip. That is a good price.

 

[jennyopenny]

Thats less than $200/pp round trip. That is a good price.

Is it wrong that DIS Budget Board validation is the best kind of validation?

 

[CherylA]

Is it wrong that DIS Budget Board validation is the best kind of validation?

Not at all! I love the budget board for that. I just bought my tickets for $99 each way from Connecticut for late November and I'm quite happy with it. Funny that 3 years ago I was paying $99 round trip!

 

[andrews_dad]

Allegiant just had Allentown PA to Orlando for $29 each way. Southwest from Balt to Orlando can still be found for $89. So, in my area deals are still alive.

 

[dhardawa]

I'm seeing rates from Louisville to Orlando on SW as cheap as $112 each way. That is pretty reasonable, if you ask me.

 

[Thumper_Man]

This may come as a shocker... but it actually COSTS money to operate and staff an aircraft. If airlines had been pricing fares on a scale that reflected the true costs associated therewith, we'd have been paying much higher fares all along.

It's time to wake up and smell the Jet A.

The airlines are finally charging what it really costs to move you from point A to point B.

Not trying to break your spirits here, but I got to agree here. Airlines have been losing money. Just like any business, in order to stay in business; they need to do what they need to do. So if it means raising prices to make money instead of losing money, then that's what needs to happen.

There was another thread similar to this one a while back. Someone commented that we've grown so accustomed to having cheap flights, now that they're raising prices, it comes as a shock.

There are still some great deals out there. Just have to keep checking periodically for them . We recently landed one to go to Vegas, so I know they're out there.

 

[crisi]

Minneapolis to Orlando has always been expensive.

Oil prices are supposed to go up this summer, if the airlines think they'll be paying more for fuel, they'll charge you more.

 

[eliza61]

This may come as a shocker... but it actually COSTS money to operate and staff an aircraft. If airlines had been pricing fares on a scale that reflected the true costs associated therewith, we'd have been paying much higher fares all along.

It's time to wake up and smell the Jet A.

The airlines are finally charging what it really costs to move you from point A to point B.

a few more things

1) summer season is the height of travel season, usually means fuel cost go up.

2) recession is easing and people are spending more. expect every one to pull back on all those deals they needed to give out last summer to get people to part with their dollars.

3) airlines have been trying to come up with creative ways to charge more without raising ticket prices. bottom line is the supply of "extras" they can charge are running low. They've bottomed out on just about every thing they can stick a surcharge on.

4) prices were fundementally to low to allow them to operate profitably. Expect them to continue to rise.

These are just my ramblings on them, I don't work for the airlines so I'm speculating.