question about airfare, buy now or later?

[wtbl]

my family and i are going on the mariner of the seas on march 5 2006. my question is do i book airfare now or wait till after the first of the year or later. we will be leaving from chiago and going to orlando. right now i can fly ata and get 4 people there and back for around $900 or southwest for about $1200. please help....thanks bill

[imatarb]

I think I'd keep looking...we booked our airfare in late August for our 12/3 cruise, and we stumbled on a deal with AirTran for $79 one way for each of us. Total cost from Flint, MI to Tampa was $500. It was a sale they were running, and I just happened to log on and get it.

 

If you think the price won't go down much more, then I guess I'd book it, but if you can wait, I might see if they offer any 'spring break' specials.

 

Lisa

[Jeepers385]

Bill, that ATA sounds like a good price. I've heard people say that the closer you get the prices go higher but only your pocket knows.

Debbie

[wtbl]

any travel agents out there with a opinion?

[Pooker]

Sounds like a good price to me. I consider $200 roundtrip to be good. Anything less is great! At $900 you are at $225 a person. You have a lots of time if you want to take a chance on something cheaper later on. I always check several of the discount websites and then when I find what I want I see if the airline's website is better.

-dave

[sas80]

We are scheduled to go on the Mariner for a May 14, 2006 cruise.

 

At this point we can get RT on AA for $250.

 

I am not buying tix now because, when I checked that price the cost of gas was up about 75 cents more than it is now. I figure, as the cost of gas goes down so will the price of a ticket....

 

However, I will be booking, at the latest, by end of Feb for the may flight because I know that, as the date draws nearer the price goes up.

 

To get an idea of when your price might start rising, try booking the same days (a su flight in and a su flight back) in 2 weeks and see what it would cost you to fly in 2 weeks.

Then try booking for a month from now, then 32 months, then 3. Simply notice when the price stops being insane and you will have an idea of how far out you should book.

[RDeagazio]

I would not wait and advise my clients the same. The airlines are drastically reducing the number of flights domestically and there will be fewer flights and seats in the future which will greatly limit the number of "cheap fares". If you find a good deal now, I suggest buying the ticket now. Keep in mind that march is Spring Break. combine that with normal cruise traffic and weekend warriors and the flights will be full. Also remember the cruiselines block seats at the lower fare inventory for those who purchase cruise air (the cost is higher because the cruise lines mark up their fares to make more $$).

[newmexicoNita]

if the price is much better than anything you have seen in the past for heavens sake grab it. The only problem and this is very unlikely would be a change in ship intinerary or time of embarkation/disembarkation. then of course you could be stuck with a penalty for changing your reservations. This is what happened to many during the hurricane season. I have clients that had this problem, but it is so unlikely. I would grab the cheap seats now. I would advise my clients the same way. NMNita

[HighLordDave]

Orbitz is one service that you can set up to notify you when your planned flight itinerary hits your "magic number".

 

If you find a good fare now, I suggest you book it. Yes, you might find a lower price in the future, but then again, you might not.

 

I would pick a price you think is reasonable and competitive out of the airports near you and when the price gets to that point, buy your tickets.

[Libracruzer]

As I fly out of a market that has limited seats, I buy my airline tickets when the fare seems reasonable to me. I have bought tickets as much as 8 months out, and never once been sorry. It really depends on your market, as has been previously posted.

 

Hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving,

 

Karen

[wrp96]

I don't think the prices are going to get much better, especially for March which is Spring Break. If it was a route that didn't sell frequently I might wait, but I can't imagine Chicago to Orlando in the middle of Spring Break season is a route that has a problem with seats being sold. I wouldn't take the chance in waiting and not having the flights I want to still be available.

[mii]

I just booked a one way flight on Nov. 17th on Jet Blue for May 2 and I looked today and that flight has gone up $30.00/per person. So that is $60.00 extra that I can have more drinks on board.;)

 

Marilyn

[ZZROX]

I usually buy tickets as soon as they become available. This year for our upcoming Xmas cruise, I was able to purchase RT airfare from NYC to SJU for $190.00 RT. If we had waited, it would have been over $500.00. RCCL was offering air for $650.00 RT.

[Rala]

I just booked Boston to Los Angeles for our March cruise for $250 round trip pp. I say if you find a good fare you can live with, get it now. It might go down a bit, but it could just as easily go up. Not worth the risk of waiting in my book. Good Luck!

[steve20832]

my family and i are going on the mariner of the seas on march 5 2006. my question is do i book airfare now or wait till after the first of the year or later. we will be leaving from chiago and going to orlando. right now i can fly ata and get 4 people there and back for around $900 or southwest for about $1200. please help....thanks bill

 

Get Ding with Southwest Air and they will tell you when they have specials for your area. I'm sure you can get a really good deal if you keep watching. I know last week Southwest had a deal from Baltimore to Orlando for $49 each way. Keep an eye out for a similar deal. I'm sure you can do better than $225 per person with gas prices coming down. Also, Independence Air www.flyi.com has some good deals too but you have to switch planes at Washington DC (Dulles airport.)

[FunCruiser56]

I think that rate is high, Chicago is a major hub. Keep checking travelocity/orbitz and you will know when the price is right. We usually fly out of Omaha and go to Orlando frequently. Went in June for 128 RT. For our flight Omaha/Miami we paid 236 RT including the fees this was about 6 weeks ago for January flights.

I usually start checking about 4 months before a cruise/trip get a feel for the prices and check online sites 3-4 times a week prices change so much. I have seen a price in the morning and a lower price in the afternoon. Just be ready to jump on the price when you find it. Check available seats on a flight too if it is sitting empty then you may start seeing the price drop.

 

Funcruiser

[FunCruiser56]

weird boards, dbl post

[FunCruiser56]

sorry

[FunCruiser56]

?????

[FunCruiser56]

sorry, this posted 5 times!! wish I could have just deleted the whole thing.

[newmexicoNita]

I have been doing the same thing the last couple of days: the system is working so slowly that I hit my button too often thinking it isn't taking. Then all at once I have 4 postings, it's bad enough to liston to my rant and rave once, but 4 times? NMNIta

[Carl Lafong]

Looks like we're from the same area ... We are going down on the 3rd and decided to rent an RV instead of fly. There will be plenty of room if you would like to hitch a ride with us. Look at all the money you'll save! We're getting one of those fancy camoflage type vehicles and it comes with a little kitchen and bathroom so we won't have to make many stops. The women folk can rustle us up some vittles on the way while we take turns driving.

We only have to make one stop and that's in Pigsknuckle Ga. where we have to drop off my wifes Aunt MinnyMae. You won't even know she's there ... as long as she takes her meds. Then it will be smooth sailing the rest of the way ... although I'd like to take a little detour and see some of those alligator wrestling that I've heard so much about. That's what Fla. is so famous for right?

If all this works out we can hang out on the ship together. Don't worry about beer and all that. We're smuggling 12 cases of Blatz and a few bottles of Wild Turkey in my wifes luggage. That should get us through the cruise all right.

What will you be doing about dinner ... maybe we can join you at your table. I got me a brand new tuxedo t-shirt and the little lady will be sporting one of those retro Poodle Skirts. Sure hope the captain don't make a pass at her ... she's a sucker for a man in uniform.

We don't have too many excursions planned, but we really want to get a few tattoos while we're in Haiti. My neighbors insist that we go to downtown Port-A-Prince for our tats and not to worry about the big wall surrounding Labadee ... "Just Go!" they say!

I think we're gonna get along just great ... just send me your address and phone number and we'll get all the plans made!!!

[wtbl]

wow, what a great offer! i'll take you and the little woman up on that offer. while i and you are driving and the woman folk are fixin meals, my daughters besse jane and billie jane can run beer to us while we drive, shucks we wont even stop to pee!! hey, im bringin one of them smokey joes wit, so we can get some of that there gater meat and cook on your balcony. that good eatin. i just told my sister i mean my wife and she is real excited about travlinin with you folks! i think you live close to me, have u ever been down rt 30? i got the house with the bathtub/ mailbox out front. heck im looking foward to the ride down wit you folks more then the boat. i am gonna get a new suit and get my mullet trimmed......right back carl

 

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[wtbl]

thank you all for your opinions. i went ahead and booked. ata round trip for 4 people chicago to orlando 957.60. thanks again