Will the flight prices get better?

[kreckl]

I'm not seeing great rates for our trip in late August
Typically we fly Jet Blue but can be flexible if something is much cheaper.
Last Sept we got 3 non-stop flight for $570 ( !!! ) but this year looks so much higher. Should I wait?

 

[sam_gordon]

I'm not seeing great rates for our trip in late August
Typically we fly Jet Blue but can be flexible if something is much cheaper.
Last Sept we got 3 non-stop flight for $570 ( !!! ) but this year looks so much higher. Should I wait?

Yes, wait.
No, buy now.

Honestly, if the cost (although higher) is something you're willing to pay, go ahead. NO ONE can tell you what rates will do. There will be people who tell you "wait until 7 weeks out from your trip". However, while that may have worked for them, where you're flying from, to, and when are all variables that affect what costs do. There will be people who tell you "rates will only go up". Again, that might be true for them, but it's no guarantee.

The best thing you can do is if you find a price you're willing (not happy) to pay, book it, and don't look back (unless you're on SW that will issue "store credit" if the prices drop).

 

[rwdavis2]

You are essentially asking if anyone can predict lottery numbers. As Sam said buy when you can live with the price.

 

[Dis703]

Honestly, I never saw JetBlue prices go down once released. I watched them the last few years for our FL flights and the released at the lowest rate and crept up from there. Once in a blue moon they'd get a tiny bit cheaper (never back to the lowest point but not the highest) and it would go right back up again.

Unless it has changed though JetBlue offers a flight credit one time if your flight rate goes down and you call them. If you think you'll use it that may make it worthwhile to just book now.

 

[kreckl]

I'm not looking to predict the lottery numbers- although that would be great. I know there are some typical trends- days that are better to book, travel over, etc. and I was asking for some help. Thanks for those who did!

 

[OurLaughingPlace]

I'm not looking to predict the lottery numbers- although that would be great. I know there are some typical trends- days that are better to book, travel over, etc. and I was asking for some help. Thanks for those who did!

I feel your pain! It's a tough decision for sure. We booked Southwest for our late August trip when their flight schedule opened up February 18th. Usually we pay about $1000 round trip for 4, but this year it cost us about $1300. It hurt (especially adding on the exchange with our low Canadian dollar - ouch! ) The only thing making me feel better is seeing that one leg of our flight is marked 'sold out' and the other has gone up $72 per person already. Good luck to you - it's really just a guessing game I think.

 

[sam_gordon]

I'm not looking to predict the lottery numbers- although that would be great. I know there are some typical trends- days that are better to book, travel over, etc. and I was asking for some help. Thanks for those who did!

The "trends" don't necessarily match what you will experience either. "Book Tuesday", "Book Wednesday", "Don't book on Saturday", "Stay over a Saturday night", "Don't fly on Monday", etc all really mean nothing. I will tell you when I was pricing flights for our July trip, the prices 1) Only went up, 2) Didn't seem to change based on day of the week of booking, and 3) Slightly changed based on the day of travel. It SEEMED like weekdays were slightly ($10-20 maybe) cheaper to fly than weekends. BUT, we're going to Florida, a typical vacation destination.

Personally, I used Google flights https://www.google.com/flights/ to do price checks, then booked through the airline. Unfortunately, they don't price SW, so if that is an option for you, go to their website.

 

[chloelovesdisney]

We're also going late August and I'm surprised by the flight prices. When I booked the hotel I checked the flights and found them for $240-$260 round trip. The following week I went to book the flights and they had already jumped up at least $50. This week I found a good price going to Orlando so I booked that, now I am watching for return flights that I think are reasonable. There are a million flights from Orlando to NYC that day, I figure sooner or later some of them will come down and then I'll pounce, lol.

 

[kreckl]

Me too! I checked Aug flights when we were deciding whether or not to go then- they were ok. Now they are bad

 

[focusondisney]

Honestly, I never saw JetBlue prices go down once released. I watched them the last few years for our FL flights and the released at the lowest rate and crept up from there. Once in a blue moon they'd get a tiny bit cheaper (never back to the lowest point but not the highest) and it would go right back up again.

Unless it has changed though JetBlue offers a flight credit one time if your flight rate goes down and you call them. If you think you'll use it that may make it worthwhile to just book now.

That changed awhile ago. JetBlue will give you a credit if the price goes down within 14 days of booking. Apparently to refund you if the price goes down after that, it is considered a change & they will charge you the $70 change fee, which of course negates any price drop.

OP, I agree with the PPs who said book what you can live with. I have been booking 2 or 3 trips to Orlando a year for a few years now. So I am almost always looking at airfares. We fly out of Buffalo & prefer JetBlue but will also fly Southwest. I can't find a pattern to fares. Yea, they have sales on Tuesday & Wednesday. But not often for the nonstop flights we want. I have seen SW & JB with high prices on release dates which then go down & I have seen low prices at release which only go up. I just booked our Sept. trip last week. JB was running about $160 each way. Checked on a whim late Thursday night (11PM) & it was down to $120. I booked it quick in case it went back up, but it is still that price. We booked SW back at $120 too, we liked their time better. Actually, I have booked late on Thursday nights several times after seeing price drops at that time. I have also seen them drop on a Sunday afternoon. So you just never know when it will happen. Stalk the airline websites & get a feel for a good price on the flights you want & book when you can live with the price. Good luck!

 

[alliecat523]

You've got some time so I would wait and just keep an eye on things. I booked in January for a March trip and was shocked at the prices. Kept checking back and was able to go from $500/person down to $300. Still not my best deal ever, but I was ok with it especially being Spring Break.

 

[brockash]

I'm not seeing great rates for our trip in late August
Typically we fly Jet Blue but can be flexible if something is much cheaper.
Last Sept we got 3 non-stop flight for $570 ( !!! ) but this year looks so much higher. Should I wait?

I will say for our Disney trip last year I bought Jet Blue early at $400/tix, the prices went up for a long time (like often over $500), but about 3 weeks before our trip they dropped drastically ($300/tix). I was pretty annoyed that I could have saved $400 if I would have waited, however there's no guarantee and I don't think I could have waited that long not knowing for sure. I just booked our Jet Blue tix for this Aug./Sept. for $375/tix, while not great it was something I was willing to pay, so I did. So far they've only gone up, but I just bought 2 weeks ago, so we'll see.

 

[disneydacey]

I'm in the same boat for our October trip. Jetblue is easily $150+ more than it has been in the past. I'm going to wait it out and hope it comes down