When to buy tickets?

[LoveKermit]

I know this has gone around already, but just looking for quick opinions.

We are going next August. We prefer to fly AA. Generally one guy will fly on miles (upgraded to check for free), everyone else on cash.

When do you guys start to book? The flight offerings on miles is not too impressive, so I'm wondering if I need to wait for buying with miles. BUT, the return day is $99 for all flights, so I feel like I should start working on it for the cash people.

I never get to plan this far out so don't know if that $99 will disappear or if more flights will open up on miles.

 

[ancestry]

I'm not sure what to tell you since you have one person one miles and others paying cash which may cause a conflict of priorities.

You asked when to book.....well I normally set a price in my mind that is fair and that I am willing to pay. As soon as the air fare hits that price I book. I don't stress about getting the absolutely lowest but rather just want a "fair" fare. The $99 airfare sounds pretty reasonable to me. With a price that low you may want to ask the miles person if they would be willing to pay cash this time instead of using miles.

 

[LoveKermit]

That's what I'm thinking.

DH will probably not travel with us on the way down, so we might put his whole ticket on miles. We often get stuck paying more miles one way for a more desirable flight time. That upgrade gives us a certain priority that allows us to check a bag for free. That is why that is always appealing. But for $99 one direction, I can afford the $25-30 to check.

On that same note, though, it wouldn't matter if he sat somewhere else on the plane on the way home if we wait to buy a miles ticket until later.

Just had to talk it out.