How early can you book flights?

[djandnic]

Our cruise isn't til 3/06, but prices from Phila to San Juan about $340 right now. RCCL want 499 pp. Just how early can I book and any advantages/disadvantages to booking now or waiting?

 

Joan

[KruznKel]

I booked my flight 2 weeks ago for my 03/06 saililng and it has gone up $100 since I have booked... You may luck into seat sales but its a gamble.. your call.. I do not like to have to sit and wait ...

[JJPNYC]

Airline pricing today makes no sense what-so-ever. My best recommendation is to follow prices for a while to get a sense of what the range of prices are for your particular route and then when you see a price that you are comfortable with, go ahead and book it (keeping in mind though that it may drop more, or may go up). At this point, I've given up sense trying to rationalize why airlines price like they do and just book a ticket when it's at a price that I feel is a good price for that particular route.

 

Jeff

[hdawson]

Low cost airlines publish their schedules about six months out, so don't look for the great fares now. Having said that there is the question of fuel costs which remains unanswered. True, there is no rationale to airline fares.

I booked air recently to Merida, Mx. The next night, on the same site, the fare went up $100. Now on most sites the fare is up over $200. I guess I just lucked out and found a single sale seat or maybe a glitch in the system.

[folashade]

Airline pricing today makes no sense what-so-ever. My best recommendation is to follow prices for a while to get a sense of what the range of prices are for your particular route and then when you see a price that you are comfortable with, go ahead and book it (keeping in mind though that it may drop more, or may go up).

Jeff

 

For myself I don't book flights that far in advance. Most airfares will continue to be high until 60-90 days from your planned dates. What you can do is go to expedia or travelocity and set alerts. They will send you alerts on when the price drops to an amount that you set. i.e. if a flight is currently $300 you can set an alert to notify you when the flight drops by $25

[4merlurker]

I find it best to book as early as possible. Most major airlines will let you book at 330 days. I always book 8-10 months out and have never paid more than $150/pp nonstop RT to Florida. (usually AA) There are 5 of us so airfare can make or break our vacations.

[seagulls]

I live in Myrtle Beach and have one heck of a time getting a fare that is reasonable when we cruise out of Ft Lauderdale. Spirit has had a plane do this route, but only seasonally. Last time we booked them, three weeks before flight time they changed their schedule and had us flying from Ft Lauderdale to LaGuardia and from there to Myrtle Beach. As this was March we could have been stuck in LaGuardia in a snowstorm or worse, luckily we lucked out with the weather. Next year we are cruising in February and when I called Spirit they told me that they do not know if they will be having a plane doing this route and we will have to wait until July or thereabouts when they post their new schedule. If they do not put on a plane we will have to fly one of the major airlines, do a change somewhere and pay big buxks for the privilege.

[kelmac]

You can book 331 days out. Look for a "fair" price you can live with. With fuel costs going way up, last years $265 round trip will cost $340. I noticed our flights for our 3/27/06 cruise were coming down this week, so I booked with American. More than last year, but within reason ($331 R/T), plus I get the exact connections I want. The waiting game can cause a few anxious moments.

[hdawson]

Seagull. YOu have AirTran (seasonally) and they usually have good prices.

[seagulls]

Thanks Hdawson, I just checked AirTran and they will not begin service until March. I then tried Spirit and they told me they do not plan to fly this route this year. Ho hum, the cheapest I can find is US Air with a cost of $258.30 before taxes per person and we have to go from Myrtle Beach to Charlotte and from there to Ft Lauderdale. Does anyone know how to check up on sales that the airlines may have from time to time? I know better than to go to those obscure sites without internet security.

[hdawson]

I suspect a drive to Charlotte is in order.

[seagulls]

Hdawson, you are right and it will cost $516.60 for the two of us PLUS taxes, LOL!

[KruznKel]

Thanks Hdawson, I just checked AirTran and they will not begin service until March. I then tried Spirit and they told me they do not plan to fly this route this year. Ho hum, the cheapest I can find is US Air with a cost of $258.30 before taxes per person and we have to go from Myrtle Beach to Charlotte and from there to Ft Lauderdale. Does anyone know how to check up on sales that the airlines may have from time to time? I know better than to go to those obscure sites without internet security.

I am not sure which engines you use to search for flights.. but I use travelocity or expedia.. I know when we booked our flights about 3 weeks ago they have gone up alot as of today.. so best bet is to check daily and grab what you think is a good deal.. another option is checking surrounding airports.. Thats what I did... Hope you find something you are happy with... Enjoy your cruise no matter :)