when to book airfare?

[Jenfrog79]

We'll be flying out of either Hartford, CT or Manchester, NH(whichever is cheapest) on 4/19. We'll be booking with a travel agent or a AAA travel agent. Is there a best time to book airfare to get it at its lowest? Is there a particular airline that is the cheapest?

 

[uva185]

Most legacy airlines do not offer the "lowest" fares for their flights until 2-3 months before departure.

That said right now Northwest US Airways and Delta have a $190 roundtrip fare from HPN-MCO. It is valid for travel on Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday. I would go ahead and snag that as availability may become tough.

You can go to Travelocity and use their flexible date search to check availability using a calendar.

 

[Jenfrog79]

i just got a quote from AAA for $535 Per Person from hartford to orlando at the end of april. I went on some airline websites and never saw prices that high. why were they telling me that then? UGH!

 

[pegryfun]

Last year (as well as this year) we made our bookings with AAA and last year we did not include air with AAA because it would cost extra if we booked with them, so we went online and booked it ourself and told AAA which flight so they could reserve DME. The insurance we got through AAA also covered the flight. We went with Jetblue and I am waiting for our dates to come out, which I hope is soon. Then we can make everything final.
So if you go with AAA see what the deal is with your package, first.

 

[GreyGooseCosmo]

I found that AAA was far more expensive than the Travel Agent I usually use.

Plus, booking airfare only nets the agent a pittance of a commission for a lot of work. My agent will book if you ask, but I prefer to do the air myself FWIW.

Have you tried using Kayak.com? I love that site - it searches all the other sites, and feeds back the actual price listed. It does all the legwork for you.

Also, can you fly Southwest? Most people hate them, but their prices are great and include 2 checked bags per person for free!

 

[Jenfrog79]

its strange, thats what the AAA agent quoted me was through Southwest.
We'll be going through a travel agent. I'd love to book it myself but my DH doesn't feel comfortable with me doing it myself

 

[OKW Lover]

I'd be booking very soon. You're going the President's Day week and that's a very busy travel time. Don't expect to find great prices for then because its so heavily traveled.

 

[brownhaired_girl]

There is a site called ITA software. This site doesn't sell tickets but will let you know which airlines are offering the cheapest tickets for your particular dates. I often do a month long search. Then when you have chosen the best time, date and airline for yourself, go to that airline's website and reserve your own ticket. Watch prices for a while to learn what is and isn't a good price for any specific trip.
Good Luck
Sue