What's with the outrageous airfare ticket costs?

[mom of 3G's]

Minneapolis to Orlando has always been expensive.

Yep. I am taking a puddle jumper from the middle of North Dakota to Mnpls and then to Orlando the first week in Dec. I just bought tickets for the 5 of us and spent $2464. That is $493 per person. I had already seen them go up $40 and wasn't willing to chance it so I bought them this week. I am so envious of people talking about their good deals and the variety of airlines they have to choose from. Me??? ... I can choose from Allegiant or Delta.

 

[amymeyer]

oes it have something to do with gas prices too?

 

[alexandmaddie]

Minneapolis to Orlando has always been expensive.

So true...

 

[rszdtrvl]

DH and I just booked our vacation to Las Vegas for January on Monday.

I am the kind who wants has specifications when it comes to travel times, airline, etc.

We ended up getting SEA to LAS + 3 nights at Excalibur & airport transfers (yes, a taxi would be close to the same price, but we like the shuttle bus better) for $535.

To me, that was a good deal. The prices may go down, but even airfare alone was around that price, so add the hotel and transfers, and to me it is a good deal.

 

[hurleysweety]

We always use SW here - mostly for trips to Denver and Orlando. Phoenix to MCO, nonstop, for around $300/each for me and DH, end of May. Booked in February...seen the prices jump $100+ each way. Instead of tix being around $600 with taxes, they would be around $900-100 if we booked today! Yikes!

 

[blondietink]

I don't know if Direct Air is available in your area, but I just got an email yesteerday from them advertizing 50% off airfares well into 2011. Have to book by this Sunday, I believe.

 

[mhsjax]

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.

I agree, and I have to wonder with all of these insanely low fairs that people have become accustomed to, just how are the airlines able to operate. OH wait I know one way, they use young very inexperienced pilots because they are so much cheaper to pay the the experienced ones.

I bet those people in the plane that crashed into the Hudson are glad they had a very experienced pilot. The old saying you get what you pay for does come into play sometimes.

 

[4Seasons]

This article gives some insight:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB200...940747834.html#mod=todays_us_personal_journal

 

[debbiedana]

This article gives some insight:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB200...940747834.html#mod=todays_us_personal_journal

Thanks for posting. Airfare just went to ~$200 from Chicago for late August, and I was thinking that I should jump on it instead of wait until late June or early July (like I usually would.)

I miss the days of $150 round trip to Orlando... most of the time is $279+ now.

I have to go sell some stuff on craigslist now to pay for this trip that DH doesn't know I'm cooking up!

 

[Lucky4me]

I booked a direct flight Rochester ny to MCO for $165 taxes included, for November.
Airtran- which I fly all the time. I can sit like a sardine for two hours no problem.

The pilots don't look a day under 40.

We aren't a major hub, so I had to look every day until this fare came up and I grabbed it for nine of us.
Even tacking on the $15 baggage fee, you still can't beat the price. We paid more in 2001.

 

[MichelleVW]

Yep. I am taking a puddle jumper from the middle of North Dakota to Mnpls and then to Orlando the first week in Dec. I just bought tickets for the 5 of us and spent $2464. That is $493 per person. I had already seen them go up $40 and wasn't willing to chance it so I bought them this week. I am so envious of people talking about their good deals and the variety of airlines they have to choose from. Me??? ... I can choose from Allegiant or Delta.

Oh the joys of North Dakota! We flew to Disney from Minot once and were thrilled that we could find tickets for $460 a piece!! We could choose between Northwest or Northwest!!


To the Op, when looking for plane tickets you have to check all the time for the cheapest price. I bought DH a one way ticket to MCO a few weeks ago for $100, the day before the same flight was $270 and a few hours after I bought the ticket it went up to $230....crazy.

 

[rdevine10]

I am lucky I live in an area with MANY airport choices (fairfield county, CT). We have JFK, LGA, HPN, BDL, Newark, Newburgh within an hour and a half... if I extend it to less than 3 hours I can add a LOT more choices to fly.

With that being said I just booked our Sept tickets yesterday..... Jet Blue, LGA to MCO for $79 pp each way.. total was $717 for 4.... includes bags and seat assignment. and I was THRILLED with that deal. I had checked the same tickets this past weekend and they were running around $98 pp each way. This was our prefered times... OK airport... HPN (White Plains is our favorite). But for the savings (huge at this point), Ill drive another 30 min to LGA

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

Pilots aren't paid for what they do... they are paid for what they know and have learned from thousands of hours flying in every sort of condition. The only things standing in the way of your airline replacing experienced, capable pilots with the cheaper, less experienced variety are the pilots' unions. The same goes for flight attendants and mechanics. (yes, you want them to be experienced, as well!)

I agree, and I have to wonder with all of these insanely low fairs that people have become accustomed to, just how are the airlines able to operate. OH wait I know one way, they use young very inexperienced pilots because they are so much cheaper to pay the the experienced ones.

I bet those people in the plane that crashed into the Hudson are glad they had a very experienced pilot. The old saying you get what you pay for does come into play sometimes.

 

[polineedyan]

Well, the linked article said exactly what i was complaining to the wife about this morning. Usually, prices can recede the closer you get to the departure date. thats not happening with airtran as they raised one of our potential flights today. I went ahead and booked now. totalling about 1700. whereas, had i booked 2 months ago, it wouldve been about 180X6...or 1080 plus seat costs and bags, about 1200..oops on me..

 

[JCMHutch]

One good thing that helps with airfare is getting notifications via e-mails. I get updates from the different website for specials and sales. I also have the Ding app on my iTouch. Unfortunately, tickets to FL from NE seem to be popular and the prices are staying higher.

I haven't been able to find any good prices for travel to MCO, and I spent months following pricing from Manchester, Boston and Providence. I ended up with $347 for Southwest. I did find slightly cheaper flights that had connections and long layovers on other airlines but with bag fees it would of been the same price for the ticket.

I wonder if driving would be better sometimes.

 

[leahjade]

It's like playing craps in Vegas this flight thing! If I booked a month or two ago, I could have saved $500! But I wasn't sure of everyone's schedules. Now I'm waiting and hoping they don't go up, though I soon may suck it up and buy just to ensure seats. I don't want to have to drive!

 

[tinkmom2]

Last year when we went on DCL and Disney I bought my airfare about 6 months out. Then during the summer fares were on sale for $39/person. I could have saved us over $500 in airfare if I would have waited. Our airfare has only gone up about $10 in price since we went last year. Hoping for the same for 2011! We have gotten a Southwest hub here, Midwest is now Frontier, and we have Airtran which I fly. But I am not brand loyal just as in my grocery shopping. If I find a better deal I am going to jump on it!
I agree with the PP about signing up on the airline websites for notifications of deals. Also check the budet board for codes.

 

[MomtoEmIs&Ow]

Really americans are lucky with airfare prices! I live in Ontario, and I think we have the highest airport taxes in Canada For the 5 of us for our trip in late August/Sept from Toronto to Orlando is $1760! (and that is a major sale) Luckily we live 1.5 hrs from Detroit & Buffalo so we can fly out of either airport easily. Our airfare will cost us about $900 out of Detroit!

 

[gretchenohar@hotmail]

We've had good luck in the past on both Jet Blue and SW in that if we booked a flight and a cheaper fare came out, they would give us the cheaper fare (we had to ask for it tho) and they would give us a credit for a future flight for the difference. I was even able to combine the credits (there were 7 of us flying) and use it for a ticket for one of my daughters to use.

 

[heatherleigh]

I really need to purchase our tix now, before it's too late. $1000 just seems like such a huge amount. We are a family of 6 though, so it isn't bad when you break it down. I'm going w/ SW, and we will have to drive an hour to the airport.