Airfare to MIA

[MingusBigBand]

I am curious when I should book my airfare and what is a good price. My cruise is the first week of September and I have the option of leaving from PHL, EWR, LGA or JFK. Would prefer to leave from PHL. I won't book a return from MIA earlier than 1130 am. What is a good price?

 

Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2

[CruiserBruce]

If you do some research on the Cruise Air board, here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=128

you would find the cheap fares are gone already. The only thing you can do is quickly get an idea of what the fares are doing, buy when you are comfortable, and don't look back. No way around doing the research. There is no "magic" time to book airfares.

[paul929207]

Have you tried one of the online TAs? You can get quotes with them

[Keith1010]

On your return from Miami, don't book a flight before Noon.

 

Keith

[Northshorecruisers]

There are sites such as Airfarewatchdog dot com that you can sign up on. Or, contact a TA that can see what they can do for you.

 

For your return flight, I wouldn't go any earlier than noon or 1pm. I'm sure the ship will be in first thing in the morning but sometimes getting off the ship and lines for customs can take quite awhile. Plus almost everyone will be heading for the airport and lines there can be long as well.

[sjcruiser]

Southwest just dropped the prices of their flights from PHL to FLL for the last week of August/first week of September. We jumped the gun a few weeks go to get the nonstop flight we wanted going down to FLL with transport to the Port of Miami. If we would have waited we would have saved $90 total for the both us roundtrip.

 

We're using SW/Airtran going down, and US Airways coming back, both out of FLL.

 

We use and recommend SAS (http://www.ridesas.com) to get from FLL to MIA.

 

 

I am curious when I should book my airfare and what is a good price. My cruise is the first week of September and I have the option of leaving from PHL, EWR, LGA or JFK. Would prefer to leave from PHL. I won't book a return from MIA earlier than 1130 am. What is a good price?

 

Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2

[MingusBigBand]

I found $224 non stop from EWR. Hadn't planned on landing in FLL but SAS seems reasonable and reliable.

 

Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2

[beachbum53]

Start by looking at what airlines go from where you prefer to start to Miami (or FLL). Then look at returning flights. It can be a little time consuming, but go to each airline's web site, rather than through a site like Expedia, etc. Some of the on line discount sites don't always post all available flights/flight times. Although there may some exceptions, it's usually cheaper to book two one-way flights than a round-trip. Also, by booking two one-ways, you'll have a greater choice of flight times (both going and returning). Trying to determine the right time to purchase airfare is a little tricky. Once you've narrowed down the airline(s) you want to use, based on flight times, start checking prices at least two or three times a week. Prices tend to be a little cheaper Tuesday through Thursday, then go up Friday through Sunday. Mondays can be a little inconsistent. Most on line travel experts seem to think the best time to seriously check prices is 30 to 45 days prior to your departure date. It's hard to say what prices you'll encounter late June through mid-August, since summer is peak travel time for most people on vacation. As CruiserBruce said, buy when you find a price you're comfortable with, then stop looking. Unlike the cruise lines, there is no price drop form that you can submit like you can with the cruise line for some sort of credit.

[serene56]

Use a site like Yapta.com and do a search on all flights available to you.

 

Click on the ones you are interested in. If you have to do one way trips to save money-- do it,

 

NEVER ever book fares on the weekend. Tuesday and Wednesday are the cheapest days.

 

Fly in the night before your cruise. Sept is high peak hurrican season

[MingusBigBand]

Great info. Thank you. I particularly like the idea of booking two one way flights as it can be very difficult finding round trips that fit your schedule.

 

I'm guessing it would make more sense to stay the night before in FLL and take SAS the next morning right to the port in Miami as opposed to spending the first night in a hotel close to the port and then needing to get transportation over to the port?

 

Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2

[navybankerteacher]

Great info. Thank you. I particularly like the idea of booking two one way flights as it can be very difficult finding round trips that fit your schedule.

 

I'm guessing it would make more sense to stay the night before in FLL and take SAS the next morning right to the port in Miami as opposed to spending the first night in a hotel close to the port and then needing to get transportation over to the port?

 

Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2

 

Except for Jet Blue and Southwest, you will find that two one ways will cost more than a round trip - often by a lot.

 

It is worth spending some time on line to get a broad view of flights and costs from and to various airports - remembering that adding $100 to ground transportation cost to save $50 on airfare doesn't pay. You can always second guess yourself, so, after doing your research and finding the most convenient and reasonably priced air fare at the time of your search -- go ahead and book it. Fares might (but probably will not) go down as flight time nears, so, after tracking prices for a few days, go ahead and book, then forget about it.

[serene56]

Except for Jet Blue and Southwest, you will find that two one ways will cost more than a round trip - often by a lot.

 

I have never found that to be the case.

Last year I got two one way tickets-- and rerouted my way back home from aruba for a weekend stay in Orlando and saved 300 doing it that way,

[CruiserBruce]

Except for Jet Blue and Southwest, you will find that two one ways will cost more than a round trip - often by a lot.

 

 

This used to be true. No longer true...at least not on United. Was just researching SFO-FLL trips. Two one way trips were the equal of a round trip, or in two cases, actually less. Depended on routing.

[navybankerteacher]

This used to be true. No longer true...at least not on United. Was just researching SFO-FLL trips. Two one way trips were the equal of a round trip, or in two cases, actually less. Depended on routing.

 

In any case, this is why OP should spend time researching all options.

[6rugrats]

I can't agree with some of the advice you've received in this thread.

 

OP - use this site to research airfare. You can search comparing different cities, and look for dates with the lowest fares:

 

http://matrix.itasoftware.com/

 

If you are interested in Southwest, you will have to search their fares directly on their webpage as they don't appear on the one above. When you find a good fare, go directly to the airline's webpage to book.

 

There is no "best" day on which to purchase airfare. Two one-ways should be the same price as a roundtrip for a domestic trip. The danger in booking two one ways is if you must make changes, you'll pay the change fee (for airlines that charge them) for each way, instead of one price for a round trip.

[trish1c]

Take a look at the sites with airfare trackers / trend monitors. They will tell you whether prices are expected to go up or down.

Use a site like kayak.com that lets you check multiple APs. From Philly to Miami if you check the box for surrounding APs you will get all the ones you mentioned & probably ABE & BC/MD hubs as well as FLL.

As someone else mentioned Southwest doesn't participate on those sites so you should check them directly.

I'm usually happy if I get R/T flights to FL from our area for under $300 pp.

[beachbum53]

Except for Jet Blue and Southwest, you will find that two one ways will cost more than a round trip - often by a lot.

 

It is worth spending some time on line to get a broad view of flights and costs from and to various airports - remembering that adding $100 to ground transportation cost to save $50 on airfare doesn't pay. You can always second guess yourself, so, after doing your research and finding the most convenient and reasonably priced air fare at the time of your search -- go ahead and book it. Fares might (but probably will not) go down as flight time nears, so, after tracking prices for a few days, go ahead and book, then forget about it.

 

I can't agree with some of the advice you've received in this thread.

 

OP - use this site to research airfare. You can search comparing different cities, and look for dates with the lowest fares:

 

http://matrix.itasoftware.com/

 

If you are interested in Southwest, you will have to search their fares directly on their webpage as they don't appear on the one above. When you find a good fare, go directly to the airline's webpage to book.

 

There is no "best" day on which to purchase airfare. Two one-ways should be the same price as a roundtrip for a domestic trip. The danger in booking two one ways is if you must make changes, you'll pay the change fee (for airlines that charge them) for each way, instead of one price for a round trip.

 

I suspect that the cost of two one-way tickets vs. round-trip being less, equal or more probably depends on where you're flying from, and which airline(s) you choose. I've done a lot of research for us. We fly out of Columbus, Ohio. For us, it works out to be quite a bit cheaper to fly one-way from Columbus to Miami on American Airlines, and return on Delta. However, it is important to explore all options to determine what works best for you.

[TruckerDave]

The OP listed quite a few choices for departure (all of the NYC airports and Philly). You also need to figure in the cost of getting to the airport. (The flight out of JFK might be $50 cheaper than PHI but if it costs you $60 for transportation then what have you really saved. for example). Also you need to figure in the cost of baggage. I am no fan of Southwest, but depending on how many bags you have that could add up and off set any savings for other airlines. Transportation from either FLL or MIA to the port. Cost of hotels in south florida.

 

Make sure you add up all the costs, not just airfare. While Southwest might have the cheapest ticket, you might find that USAir (with its Philly hub) is the overall cheapest option. (for example)

[mathladyca]

The tues/wed booking info is now considered an urban myth by frequent flyers. Check out TA flight forum to verify this.

[TruckerDave]

The tues/wed booking info is now considered an urban myth by frequent flyers. Check out TA flight forum to verify this.

 

Booking not so much. (though Sat/Sun booking can be higher). But flying mid week can be much cheaper. I have found that booking about a month out is about the sweet spot for me.