Would you book airfare this early for a May trip?

[helenk]

I've been watching the airfare from Phila to Rome and Venice to Phila just to get an idea budget wise for our trip in May 2010.
Today I noticed that the price from Venice to Phila went down about $200 per person, and there are 2 of us travelling.
I am so tempted to book now, but wonder if this might be too early. There are plenty of seats available on the flights so at this point I do not need to worry about the flight selling out.

 

[Tozzie]

I've been watching the airfare from Phila to Rome and Venice to Phila just to get an idea budget wise for our trip in May 2010.
Today I noticed that the price from Venice to Phila went down about $200 per person, and there are 2 of us travelling.
I am so tempted to book now, but wonder if this might be too early. There are plenty of seats available on the flights so at this point I do not need to worry about the flight selling out.

If you are comfortable with the price I would say book it. The seat mat isn't a true indication of how full a flight is so there may be more tickets sold than you realize, also airlines only sell a certain number of seats at a given price and when they are gone the fare goes up. I have found flights I am comfortable with and as soon as I get my passport , I am going to have ABD book them. I am letting ABD book mine this year as I don't want to hassle if they cancel the trip. GL with whatever you decide.

 

[Navywifebreezy]

I say book it and then use I believe it is Yapta (will have to look it up) you put in your flight info and if it drops you get a notification so that you can get your credit with the airline.
I booked flights to Hawaii in Jan for 5 people I got them for 604 per person.
I used the site and the tickets went up the day I purchased them I kept putting them on hold until I saw the price increase (like 4 days just kept putting 5 tickets on hold) They kept going up though. about 45 days out (we flew in Late July/Aug) and they were more than double that.
So if you think it is a good deal book them and get notifications.
Good luck

 

[Tozzie]

I say book it and then use I believe it is Yapta (will have to look it up) you put in your flight info and if it drops you get a notification so that you can get your credit with the airline.
I booked flights to Hawaii in Jan for 5 people I got them for 604 per person.
I used the site and the tickets went up the day I purchased them I kept putting them on hold until I saw the price increase (like 4 days just kept putting 5 tickets on hold) They kept going up though. about 45 days out (we flew in Late July/Aug) and they were more than double that.
So if you think it is a good deal book them and get notifications.
Good luck

Bad advice, most airlines do not give credit when the fare drops. so only book if you are comfortable with the fare

 

[rkdahl]

I'd book an International segment sooner than I'd book a domestic segment, but I think this far out is early for even an International. Things are always subject to change though but I'd wait till later and just keep watching it. Sale fares can happen that last just over a weekend and can be quite large drops (or increases).

Good Luck

 

[sayhello]

Bad advice, most airlines do not give credit when the fare drops. so only book if you are comfortable with the fare

Actually, most airlines will give you a credit, but they'll charge you $150 or so (per ticket!) for the priviledge, so unless the drop in price is significant, it's rarely worth it.

Sayhello

 

[Techtravler]

Bad advice, most airlines do not give credit when the fare drops. so only book if you are comfortable with the fare

I agree here, I would not count on ever getting a better price because the fare dropped or there was a sale. Usually that would be considered a change and a change fee would be in order. This fee would most likely eat up any discount and more. This is if the airline would even do it.

I would agree about booking if you are comfortable with the fare you are finding now. I do think it is early and better rates may still come.

I have not booked our July Costa Rica trip yet, I think it is too early for the most part. Some Airlines have not even released rates yet and none of them seem to be having sales yet.

 

[Princess Disney Mom]

It the fare is good, book it!

 

[Diskidatheart]

It really depends on how much of a gambler you are. If you are comfortable with the price of the flights then go ahead and book it now and sleep comfortably knowing you have everything booked. If you feel the prices are too high, then wait, but beware, they may not go down and in fact go up. I booked my flights for the adults only Italy trip as soon as I could. I was actually able to use frequent flier miles and booked envoy class on the return trip for less miles than what it would have been for coach. If I didn't use miles, I was willing to pay the $800 roundtrip per person. My logic was that prices were fair for that trip and may go down another $50 - $100 per person, but they're also likely to go up $200 per person. It wasn't worth the wait to save the $100- $200 per person. Just my opinion.

 

[mkmommy]

One thing to consider is additional fees that may be added between now and next year. I read yesterday that British Airways is going to start charging $32 each flight for seat assigment on international flights starting Oct 7, so I am sure that all the airlines will start doing that.

 

[Diskidatheart]

One thing to consider is additional fees that may be added between now and next year. I read yesterday that British Airways is going to start charging $32 each flight for seat assigment on international flights starting Oct 7, so I am sure that all the airlines will start doing that.

On a positive note, when I booked through USAirways, they changed their baggage policy for international flights. Your 1st bag per person is now free for coach fare. For Envoy, you get your first 2 bags per person free of charge. I'm not sure if other airlines have followed this policy, but that is a cost to consider also.

 

[helenk]

I am so torn, but I think I may wait a bit. My daughter has her finals the beginning of December and I want to be sure that everything is a go for her to graduate in May.