When Do You Book Your Airfare When You KNOW You Are Going?

[bytheblood]

I think the subject says it all. I just wonder how soon in advance people generally book their flights.

Just as an FYI, I am not asking when I should purchase airfare. it is just a general question.

 

[aleshad01]

We have always booked our airfare right away thru Disney. We have found it to be cheaper this way.

 

[bytheblood]

We have always booked our airfare right away thru Disney. We have found it to be cheaper this way.

WOW - Really? Maybe it is where you are coming from? When we have tried booking through Disney, we have found the airfare to be anywhere from $25 - $100 higher per person.

 

[Disneyfanatic108]

We buy the airfare when we feel the price is right for our family. We had a good price once, did not book it, and we lost it. If you are comfortable with the price then book it right away.

 

[goofy4tink]

I know what I'm willing to pay. I know what time of day I want to fly. I book my resort stay first (although I have been known to get such a terrific fare that I booked flights first and then found someplace to stay in WDW!!), then I book my air.

 

[Jestocost]

My "correct" answer isn't even up there.

In reality, my strategy varies based on a number of factors.

If I am traveling at a peak time (holidays, spring break, most of summer, etc.), for example, I will tend to book as soon as I can because the biggest risk is that the flights get filled up and there are no seats. In my experience, fares for those dates rarely--if ever--go down from when they are first released. Also, we usually fly SWA as they are the only airline with non-stops from STL-MCO anymore, and they allow you to get credit if rates go down later.

If I am traveling when I think fares may go down, I may wait longer and keep an eye on rates.

 

[candy0730]

We generally fly SW and purchase tickets as soon as the schedule opens. I have found that the price is usually best then and for us the flight times with SW are better. We fly out of MDW and the other inexpensive option is Airtran but we don't use them since most of their flights have stops.

 

[bytheblood]

My "correct" answer isn't even up there.

You have too many variables for a simple poll. Can't please everybody I guess.

 

[Alexander]

I start looking as soon as I have our dates, and if I see a price I can live with, I book it. If the prices are high, I will play the waiting game. I have booked 330 days and 8 days in advance in the past.

 

[mkoerner]

I generally price our plane tickets first, when we have an idea of when we will travel. Once I find a decent price, I book our DVC or package, then buy the plane tickets right after.

 

[LidoDeck]

We also fly Southwest and almost always book within minutes of the schedule opening. Many times I get fare re-priced later if I can get a significant credit that I can use another time. Once I did get bit in the backside as I applied a little credit along with a big one to book a flight I ended up having to reschedule. My travel dates were limited by the little credit that I would have sooner forgotten than have it impact my future travel. I'm more careful now.

 

[ancestry]

I start looking as soon as I know we will be taking a trip. I book as soon as the cost hits a price I am willing to pay.

I always book airfare first and the resort second.

 

[aleshad01]

WOW - Really? Maybe it is where you are coming from? When we have tried booking through Disney, we have found the airfare to be anywhere from $25 - $100 higher per person.

Yes, before I booked I checked Airtran's website to see how much it would cost and then went thru Disney's website including the same Airtran flight and it was much cheaper booking thru Disney.

 

[aleshad01]

We fly out of MDW and the other inexpensive option is Airtran but we don't use them since most of their flights have stops.

We are flying out of MDW on Airtran and have a nonstop flight. We did the same when we went to Disney back in 2008.