Flight prices - is it just me?

[Havin'fun]

Funny I am working on trips to Asia for cruise in Feb. and multi city destination (Jakarta Indonesia 7 hours away) is $800 cheaper than the IAD/Tokyo roundtrip if it is a layover and not a stopover even though the actual flight is exactly the same IAD to NRT. It can be any factor from fairy dust to luck of the draw.

 

For fun next time try pricing the ticket on Thursday instead of Friday and see if it is cheaper? Cheaper with hotel/food for 1 night?

 

I usually try to come in a few days earlier. This cruise I am running close on vacation time for the year so extra days are not an option. Don't get me wrong, I chose to pay what I did, we are able to afford it. I just think it's a bit high. It is what it is. ;) Enjoy the Asia cruise!

Edited June 12, 2014 by Havin'fun

[Globaliser]

They are crazy. Between united and jet blue, we could get apprx $100 each way to Fort Lauderdale. No more deals like that. We paid just over $300 for round trip Miami in January.

I've said this before in other threads and I'll say it again. US domestic air fares are not crazy now. They have been crazy for years, in that they were far too low. But they're now returning to saner levels. The idea that you can reliably expect to pay $100 to fly for three hours is unsustainable, even if the mad pricing over the last few years has conditioned many in the market to think that that was a normal state of affairs.

[jcc1025]

Everyone needs to do a reality check. Everyone but the airlines were happy about $99 fares to Florida. The reality is that the airlines were going bankrupt at these fares. The mergers were largely a result of bankruptcy. Does everyone really expect to fly at $99 on an airplane that costs between $75 and $125 million with gas at $4/gallon? Airlines are just starting to make a profit and it's largely from bag fees not the ticket price. Everyone should be prepared to pay the true cost of flying.

 

So true, reminded me a quote from an airline executive who said the airlines were always going to be held hostage by the dumbest guy in the business. There is a break even and those low cost guys have long ago learned that. I don't blame them for wanting to make a profit, its just that that cost has gotten to the point that west coast residents can't make it to RCCL ports. Even Southwest is not all that cheep. We are going to Galveston in November and even with bag cost matched Southwest.

[Bowie MeMe]

You really have to check around. I still prefer to buy from the actual provider of service (airline/hotel/rental car) as all providers are trimming it to the limit (it hurts profit unless the plane/hotel is full and the cars are on the road) and if they overbook thinking someone will no show and everybody is there! then I want the provider knowing I am his customer not expedia's or credit card's or certainly not CheapoAir! -- the consolidator cheap ticket providers.

 

Check the ITA matrix by putting in your city pairs -- it shows what is the cheapest combination. If more than one airport in good range of house then check both of them. Day of the week can be a big factor BUT a night in hotel is expensive too (I NEVER come in the day of cruise -- too much cost to the nervous system:eek:) Even time of day (late night arrival/early start!). Try close by airports if there are some but know where you land and how you get to port. Know that airlines already know there is a ship in and prices went up accordingly. Know that in 2014 I have not seen very much in the way of special fares close to the date. Prices on all flights international and domestic that I am watching are not changing much and when there is a change it is UP.

 

Consider a credit card that allows a free bag! You are probably going to use a CC anyway so that can be one factor in choosing. Good luck -- it is not just finding a flight anymore. Yeah it is! You need to be in a certain place at a certain time for a certain vacation -- buy the ticket and relax! Can't afford it and can't find a way around it -- then you can't afford the vacation.

Edited June 14, 2014 by Bowie MeMe

[SportsMomof4]

I am completely disgusted & discouraged about this. We have a cruise for 8 booked for 12/27/14. Flights R/T from NYC to Orlando the day after Christmas are $550 to $600 pp. On Southwest (small airport 10 minutes from me), R/T to Orlando is over $800 pp!!

 

To Jacksonville from NYC on Delta, it's $219-$254 pp which obviously is a no brainer lol. But, unfortunately when I booked the cruise, I booked & pre-paid 2 rooms at the Residence Inn Orlando.

 

What I'm being told is going to Orlando will be out of the way. It's much easier to go straight to PC. So once I purchase the tickets I need to call Marriott & plead my case & see if they will transfer the prepaid fee to a JAX hotel or Cocoa Beach.

 

So frustrating that the rates are ridiculously high :mad::eek:!

[FlyerTalker]

Not sure where to start with this one....

I am completely disgusted & discouraged about this. We have a cruise for 8 booked for 12/27/14. Flights R/T from NYC to Orlando the day after Christmas are $550 to $600 pp. On Southwest (small airport 10 minutes from me), R/T to Orlando is over $800 pp!!

Gasp....you mean Southwest isn't the cheapest? BTW, holiday travel times are always more expensive, due to higher demand. Did you just buy this cruise now -- if not, then you had time before this to get your air tickets. And if it is a budget/cash flow issue on ticket payment, well, enough said.....

But, unfortunately when I booked the cruise, I booked & pre-paid 2 rooms at the Residence Inn Orlando.

Prepaid hotel works when you do it AFTER you have the actual transportation locked in.

What I'm being told is going to Orlando will be out of the way. It's much easier to go straight to PC.

Sounds like we haven't looked at a map. Orlando is an inland city. Like flying to London to catch a cruise that actually sails from Dover/Southampton.

So once I purchase the tickets I need to call Marriott & plead my case & see if they will transfer the prepaid fee to a JAX hotel or Cocoa Beach.

Unlikely. I have rarely seen prepaid rates for Marriott hotels in the USA unless they were booked through a third party (which is like consolidator tickets for air). In addition, know that most hotels are actually owned by smaller operating companies under a corporate banner. Why Acme operating company would transfer your prepaid funds to Zenith operating company flies in the face of logic.

So frustrating that the rates are ridiculously high

Ridiculously high in terms of your expectations. Not so much in terms of operating realities and market consolidation.

 

Let's summarize it really bluntly. You bought a cruise at a high demand travel time. You bought a cruise that has logistical issues from MCO to the cruise port (at least relative to a SoFla cruise). You apparently didn't research air pricing before plunking down cash for the cruise. You prepaid hotel before you had your other travel arrangements locked in. And now you're disgusted.

[fbgd]

Colonel Jessup has spoken! :D

 

Booking prepaid hotels before sorting out flights does seem like putting the cart before the horse by several orders of magnitude!

[SportsMomof4]

No budget....no cash flow issues. Just really taken back that the flights to Orlando are that much.

 

I supppose i did things backwards but Marriott refunded the 2 rooms so I'm happy :)

 

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[kenish]

Just really taken back that the flights to Orlando are that much.

 

I supppose i did things backwards but Marriott refunded the 2 rooms so I'm happy :)

 

 

Good that you were able to cancel the room. That was pretty rare and you're lucky.

 

I'm curious that you feel airfares are disgusting / surprising / take you aback. That means they're far more expensive than some expectation. Thought exercise....what were you expecting to pay, or what goods or service were you comparing airfares against ?

[grandma*knows*best]

?..I have rarely seen prepaid rates for Marriott hotels in the USA unless they were booked through a third party (which is like consolidator tickets for air).....

 

FYI, my husband and I stay in Marriott hotels quite often and it's common to be offered a pre-paid rate when booking through Marriott.com these days. I never take it.

[kenish]

FYI, my husband and I stay in Marriott hotels quite often and it's common to be offered a pre-paid rate when booking through Marriott.com these days. I never take it.

 

Ditto here. Most hotel chains offer no cancel / no change rates directly on their website. They are directly selling surplus inventory instead of using Priceline and similar outlets.

[FlyerTalker]

Thanks for the update. Mea culpa. I had not seen this at any USA Marriott before, so the education continues. Maybe I'm just buying my Marriott stays at times when there isn't that excess which allows for the prepaid rates. But it makes sense now that you mention it. Hotels in Asia have been doing that for years.

[Sailor_Sally]

.

Sounds like we haven't looked at a map. Orlando is an inland city. Like flying to London to catch a cruise that actually sails from Dover/Southampton.

.

 

 

Orlando may be inland but it is the airport to fly into if you are cruising from Port Canaveral . Jacksonville is much farther from the port .

[FlyerTalker]

Orlando may be inland but it is the airport to fly into if you are cruising from Port Canaveral . Jacksonville is much farther from the port .

Yes, MCO is one of the airports you could use, and is the largest. However, Melbourne (MLB) is closer and has mainline service on Delta. So MCO is not the automatic choice.

 

My original point was that Orlando is NOT just a hop, skip and jump, as you would find with the SoFla airports and ports. It is a significant distance away, and I was using London as an analogous example. And to follow up on the JAX question, you also have Daytona Beach in between JAX and the cruise port.

[marco]

It's a mystery! The flight we wanted is abut $325 on our preferred day. It can be had for $103 the day prior! All supply and demand. As we're staying with family and don't need accommodations we'd have to pay for, needless to say, we're going a day earlier!

[FlyerTalker]

It's a mystery! The flight we wanted is abut $325 on our preferred day. It can be had for $103 the day prior! All supply and demand. As we're staying with family and don't need accommodations we'd have to pay for, needless to say, we're going a day earlier!

No mystery. You answered your own question.

 

No matter who tries, including our Congress, you just can't repeal the laws of supply and demand. Like trying to repeal the law of gravity. The best one can do is to understand S&D and work with it to your own advantage, whenever possible.

 

Remember....all life is a continuing series of cost/benefit decisions. From getting out of bed, to going to work or not, to speeding on the freeway. And much much more. But then, that's the economist in me coming out.

[klfrodo]

 

Remember....all life is a continuing series of cost/benefit decisions. From getting out of bed, to going to work or not, to speeding on the freeway. And much much more. But then, that's the economist in me coming out.

 

I like "Risk Management" better:)