Delta more expensive even this far ahead?

[MSUjohn]

10 minutes ago, mikaula said:

I agree airfare is crazy. I’m looking at around $800 to fly from LAX to MIA or FL for our cruise. I’m seriously considering changing to a different cruise date. There are 3 of us going and it sure adds up. 

that i what a $380.00 flight normally?

[mikaula]

On 9/27/2022 at 10:31 AM, MSUjohn said:

that i what a $380.00 flight normally?

I can’t believe the prices right now. Do I gamble and wait to see if they drop or book at this crazy price in case it goes up?  

[6rugrats]

On 10/12/2022 at 12:47 PM, mikaula said:

I can’t believe the prices right now. Do I gamble and wait to see if they drop or book at this crazy price in case it goes up?  

Is this for a April 2-9 2023 cruise?  Easter is April 9th this year, so there won't be any bargains.  I see prices on DL for around $538 RT.  Try changing your dates or departure/arrival city to see if you can find something cheaper.

Edited October 15, 2022 by 6rugrats

[HomerGuy]

On 10/12/2022 at 12:47 PM, mikaula said:

I can’t believe the prices right now. Do I gamble and wait to see if they drop or book at this crazy price in case it goes up?  

 

I'm in the same predicament.  Trying to get from DTW to Port Miami for a cruise in early March, and flights are just insane.  DTW-MIA is nuts ($1150).  We've been focused on DTW-FLL, which saves a few bucks, but even the crappy flight times are $800+.  We used to get flights in the $300 range pre-covid, so major sticker shock.

 

We can save some money on airfare by staying a few days after the cruise, but that savings gets eaten up pretty quickly by post-cruise hotel and activities.

 

We have until just after Thanksgiving to make a decision.  Fingers crossed that airfare prices come down.  But I have a feeling we are going to end up cancelling the cruise.  We'll lose $400, which is unfortunate, but spending a couple extra thousand is just not worth it to us.  The value just isn't there at that price, and we'd rather pivot and put the money towards a different vacation option.

 

This is the first time we have booked a cruise so far in advance that airfare wasn't available at the time of booking, and I think it will be our last.  Or if we do book super far in advance, only book with ports that are within driving distance.  Lesson learned.

[mikaula]

We are bringing our granddaughter on her 1st cruise and she’s beyond excited so it will be hard to cancel. 

[6rugrats]

On 10/17/2022 at 10:24 AM, HomerGuy said:

 

I'm in the same predicament.  Trying to get from DTW to Port Miami for a cruise in early March, and flights are just insane.  DTW-MIA is nuts ($1150).  We've been focused on DTW-FLL, which saves a few bucks, but even the crappy flight times are $800+.  We used to get flights in the $300 range pre-covid, so major sticker shock.

 

 

Don't know your exact dates, but you should look at Spirit.  I wouldn't recommend them for many reasons, but it's a fairly short flight.  They have some pretty low fares for your routing in early March.

[OnTheJourney]

On 10/17/2022 at 10:24 AM, HomerGuy said:

We have until just after Thanksgiving to make a decision. 

Although stressful, I'd probably give it some time yet and see what happens with prices. Unfortunately they typically go up closer to the date but you never know especially if the plane isn't filling up. Just read that AA is getting rid of their first class seats for international flights since people aren't paying the increasingly expensive costs. Sounds like they will be converting most of them to business class suites. Hoping you don't have to cancel the cruise. 

[Hlitner]

As one who has been traveling/cruising for the past year, we have oft suggested that folks need to use some out of the box thinking when dealing with some of the current travel challenges.  From Detroit to MIA is expensive although one could try to find a reasonable deal on Spirit.  Another option is to jump in your car, drive about 4 hours to Chicago, do a park/fly deal and fly out of Midway (or ORD) to Miami on Southwest!   It sounds crazy to drive 4+ hours, but the savings (not to mention non-stop flight) might make it a good move.  We have an upcoming cruise where we need to get to Buenos Aires and we decided to drive over 4 hours (to JFK) so we could get a reasonably priced flight that was non-stop.  These days, non-stop flight are a good hedge against lost luggage and missed connections.

 

Living in the northeast with many airports within a few hours drive, we always evaluate options from all the possible airports and also look hard at Southwest (a favorite domestic airline).  Keep in mind that some airlines like Southwest and Spirit may not show-up in many online booking engines.

 

Hank

[MSUjohn]

On 10/17/2022 at 10:24 AM, HomerGuy said:

 

I'm in the same predicament.  Trying to get from DTW to Port Miami for a cruise in early March, and flights are just insane.  DTW-MIA is nuts ($1150).  We've been focused on DTW-FLL, which saves a few bucks, but even the crappy flight times are $800+.  We used to get flights in the $300 range pre-covid, so major sticker shock.

 

We can save some money on airfare by staying a few days after the cruise, but that savings gets eaten up pretty quickly by post-cruise hotel and activities.

 

We have until just after Thanksgiving to make a decision.  Fingers crossed that airfare prices come down.  But I have a feeling we are going to end up cancelling the cruise.  We'll lose $400, which is unfortunate, but spending a couple extra thousand is just not worth it to us.  The value just isn't there at that price, and we'd rather pivot and put the money towards a different vacation option.

 

This is the first time we have booked a cruise so far in advance that airfare wasn't available at the time of booking, and I think it will be our last.  Or if we do book super far in advance, only book with ports that are within driving distance.  Lesson learned.

i know right? i usually fly into FLL over Miami (i like the airport more), and i use to be able to get that flight for $198 rt on delta.

 

"HomerGuy", as in from homer?  

[waterbug123]

On 10/12/2022 at 12:47 PM, mikaula said:

I can’t believe the prices right now. Do I gamble and wait to see if they drop or book at this crazy price in case it goes up?  

 

This seems like a good time to bring back this little 3 question decision making matrix I used to post frequently.  You ask about gambling to see if the price drops, but people sometimes forget that that gamble is also a gamble that prices will go even higher.  So ask yourself this:

 

1. Am I willing and able to pay even MORE if I wait (gamble) and prices rise? 

If the answer is no, then in turn ask yourself: 

2. Am I willing to cancel the cruise if I wait and prices rise? 

If no, then you have no choice- buy the tickets now. 

If yes, then take the gamble and see what happens.

 

If your answer to the first question is no, then ask yourself this question: 

3. Am I willing and able to pay the current price? 

If yes, buy now. 

If no, cancel the cruise.

 

Note that the question about being "willing and able to pay" doesn't necessarily mean you are happy with the price.  It's more about if it comes down to either paying or canceling, are you technically willing and able to pay that price?  Some people may grumble, but financially they can afford to suck it up and pay the price.  For others, the budget is tight and strict and they literally cannot or will not pay a particular price.  No one can accurately predict the future, so ask yourself these questions without framing them in your mind with what you HOPE happens, and look at it as if you had to make the decision and cough up the money today.  Hope that helps!

[HomerGuy]

On 10/22/2022 at 11:56 PM, MSUjohn said:

i know right? i usually fly into FLL over Miami (i like the airport more), and i use to be able to get that flight for $198 rt on delta.

 

"HomerGuy", as in from homer?  

 

We've flown into FLL and MIA, but it's been so long that I really don't remember anything about either one.  Good to hear that FLL is nice option.

 

Haha no, we are actually close to Fenton.

On 10/22/2022 at 9:31 PM, Hlitner said:

As one who has been traveling/cruising for the past year, we have oft suggested that folks need to use some out of the box thinking when dealing with some of the current travel challenges.  From Detroit to MIA is expensive although one could try to find a reasonable deal on Spirit.  Another option is to jump in your car, drive about 4 hours to Chicago, do a park/fly deal and fly out of Midway (or ORD) to Miami on Southwest!   It sounds crazy to drive 4+ hours, but the savings (not to mention non-stop flight) might make it a good move.  We have an upcoming cruise where we need to get to Buenos Aires and we decided to drive over 4 hours (to JFK) so we could get a reasonably priced flight that was non-stop.  These days, non-stop flight are a good hedge against lost luggage and missed connections.

 

Living in the northeast with many airports within a few hours drive, we always evaluate options from all the possible airports and also look hard at Southwest (a favorite domestic airline).  Keep in mind that some airlines like Southwest and Spirit may not show-up in many online booking engines.

 

Hank

This is good advice, and something that we've looked into for the first time ever with the current flight prices being what they are.  We actually found a decent option on Southwest CMH -> FLL that saves a significant amount, but my wife is concerned that a 4 hour drive followed by a 2.5 hour flight might be pushing our luck with a 1.5 year old in tow, which is a concern I can appreciate.  As luck would have it, we are scheduled to take the baby on her first flight next week.  We will see how the baby does on that flight, and if good, I can see us giving the CMH option a better look.  If it is a disaster, I think the CMH option will be out.

 

On 10/24/2022 at 11:30 AM, waterbug123 said:

 

This seems like a good time to bring back this little 3 question decision making matrix I used to post frequently.  You ask about gambling to see if the price drops, but people sometimes forget that that gamble is also a gamble that prices will go even higher.  So ask yourself this:

 

1. Am I willing and able to pay even MORE if I wait (gamble) and prices rise? 

If the answer is no, then in turn ask yourself: 

2. Am I willing to cancel the cruise if I wait and prices rise? 

If no, then you have no choice- buy the tickets now. 

If yes, then take the gamble and see what happens.

 

If your answer to the first question is no, then ask yourself this question: 

3. Am I willing and able to pay the current price? 

If yes, buy now. 

If no, cancel the cruise.

 

Note that the question about being "willing and able to pay" doesn't necessarily mean you are happy with the price.  It's more about if it comes down to either paying or canceling, are you technically willing and able to pay that price?  Some people may grumble, but financially they can afford to suck it up and pay the price.  For others, the budget is tight and strict and they literally cannot or will not pay a particular price.  No one can accurately predict the future, so ask yourself these questions without framing them in your mind with what you HOPE happens, and look at it as if you had to make the decision and cough up the money today.  Hope that helps!

This is a helpful decision tree.  For us, the answers are:

1.  No, I'm not willing to pay even more for airfare if prices rise.

2.  Yes, we are willing to cancel the cruise.

3.  No, not willing and able to pay the current price, which means we will likely cancel the cruise.  We'll wait till we get closer to the final payment date before we cancel just to see what happens, but I don't have high hopes.

 

I know I sound like a broken record here, but I am just flabbergasted by airfare prices.  Are people really paying $1500 to fly from DTW to FLL, which is today's current price on Delta?  I guess so, or they wouldn't be priced that way.  Hopefully prices come down eventually, or we will be doing a lot more road trip vacations going forward.

[FlyerTalker]

47 minutes ago, HomerGuy said:

I know I sound like a broken record here, but I am just flabbergasted by airfare prices.  Are people really paying $1500 to fly from DTW to FLL, which is today's current price on Delta?

 

I really have to see those dates.  I cannot believe you are paying $1500 per person to fly between DTW and SoFla?

[HomerGuy]

1 hour ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

I really have to see those dates.  I cannot believe you are paying $1500 per person to fly between DTW and SoFla?

 

Oh I know.  I can't believe it myself either.  Here are some screenshots.  One is $1,682 PP and the other is $1,252. 

 

Now I will admit there are some cheaper times on these days, but my gosh someone must be buying at this price because the prices keep going up.

 

[Zach1213]

While still crazy, it's pretty easy to find DL nonstop DTW-FLL on those dates for...a bit cheaper. And still decent times. $852pp for an outbound leaving at 1:45pm (nonstop to MIA), and an inbound leaving at 4:55pm (nonstop to DTW). For four people, that adds up to a savings of $1600ish compared to the fares you're listing above. To each their own, of course, but arriving a few hours later and leaving a few hours later is worth $1600 to me 🙂

[FlyerTalker]

Are you buying through a cruiseline portal?  That's why you are getting those prices -- they do NOT have the inventory available to the general public through the airline.

 

Doing a basic ITA Matrix search, I found this for your dates:

 

 

Don''t buy from the cruiseline.

 

And FWIW, there are a bunch of other options available.

 

 

[6rugrats]

If you don’t insist on DL, both JetBlue, Spirit and AA have much cheaper flights for these dates.

[MSUjohn]

DTW to FLL on delta.

 

this use to be a bargain. there has been cases in winter of me (on Wednesday) flying to FLL and back on the same day for $198.00.

[HomerGuy]

18 hours ago, Zach1213 said:

While still crazy, it's pretty easy to find DL nonstop DTW-FLL on those dates for...a bit cheaper. And still decent times. $852pp for an outbound leaving at 1:45pm (nonstop to MIA), and an inbound leaving at 4:55pm (nonstop to DTW). For four people, that adds up to a savings of $1600ish compared to the fares you're listing above. To each their own, of course, but arriving a few hours later and leaving a few hours later is worth $1600 to me 🙂

 

Yes there are definitely cheaper options on those dates (still very expensive though compared to pre-covid) and I would totally book a different time to save $1600.  We're also considering driving 4 hours to another airport to save some $$$.  Honestly if Port Miami wasn't a 21 hour drive with two kids I would road trip it and avoid air travel altogether.

 

17 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

Are you buying through a cruiseline portal?  That's why you are getting those prices -- they do NOT have the inventory available to the general public through the airline.

 

Doing a basic ITA Matrix search, I found this for your dates:

 

 

Don''t buy from the cruiseline.

 

And FWIW, there are a bunch of other options available.

 

 

Those screenshots were direct from the Delta.com website.  I posted them because you seemed incredulous that airfare could be that high, and wanted to show that I wasn't making things up.  I am aware there are cheaper options on those dates.  I posted those as an example of how absurd airfares can be in this current environment.

 

I'm casting a wide net, considering driving to airports other than DTW, with the goal of trying to find direct flights sub-$500, including a couple of checked bags.  We monitor prices every day.  Like MSUJohn said, airfare from MI to FL used to be a bargain, so even spending $500 is more than we anticipated.  Times have certainly changed.  

 

If it was just my wife and I traveling, we would deal with crappy flight times and connections, but with a couple of kids in tow, it changes the dynamic.  We are trying to be flexible to find the best deal, but also need to be realistic too.

[Zach1213]

If you're purely looking for cheapest fare, check out Flair Airlines from Toronto to Ft. Lauderdale nonstop - $219 roundtrip on those dates. Keep in mind there will be additional fees, and they are a low cost carrier with limited options if something happens. But it's definitely cheap. 

[Globaliser]

28 minutes ago, HomerGuy said:

Yes there are definitely cheaper options on those dates (still very expensive though compared to pre-covid) and I would totally book a different time to save $1600.  We're also considering driving 4 hours to another airport to save some $$$.  Honestly if Port Miami wasn't a 21 hour drive with two kids I would road trip it and avoid air travel altogether.

 

Those screenshots were direct from the Delta.com website.  I posted them because you seemed incredulous that airfare could be that high, and wanted to show that I wasn't making things up.  I am aware there are cheaper options on those dates.  I posted those as an example of how absurd airfares can be in this current environment.

 

One thing that I think can't be relied on any more is the assumption that a flight that is advertised and on sale is a flight that the airline actually intends to operate and for which the airline actually wants to take bookings. That used to be a reasonable assumption, but at present I think that both of these things can be very doubtful unless the flight is in the near future. One phenomenon that I have seen quite a lot is a flight that is on sale but only in the most expensive booking class in each cabin, which is typically only bookable using a fully-flexible fare. That's sometimes an indicator that the airline is very iffy about whether the flight will operate, and it wants to discourage people from booking it unless they too are very iffy about whether they will take the flight. Things that we used to be able to infer from availability and fares simply can't be taken for granted any more.

 

One clear absurdity, though, was really the existence of $200 round-trip fares for journeys like DTW-FLL. On any view, that was irrationally cheap as a fare level that you could rely on (ie at any time other than in crazy sales etc). I've said this before - but today, that might not even pay for the fuel needed to transport you that distance.

[waterbug123]

Two thoughts based on the screen shots you posted:

 

1.  Early-mid March dates to Florida are notoriously higher due to spring break, especially college spring break.

 

2.  When you are searching for 4 tickets, the airline website is going to show you the cheapest fare bucket in which they currently have 4 seats for sale,  Ex.  Say fare bucket A is cheapest, B is next cheapest and C is the most expensive, and the airline currently is offering 1 seat in fare bucket A, 1 seat in fare bucket B, and 6 seats in fare bucket C.  You come along and ask for 4 tickets.   It's going to price all 4 in fare bucket C.  So you might try searching for just 1 or 2 tickets, then search again for remaining tickets after purchasing the first 1 or 2, because they often replenish those fare buckets immediately after selling out.  Seems crazy, but that's how it often works.

[HomerGuy]

Just wanted to say thank you for all of the airfare tips.  I learned a few interesting tidbits about booking airfare that I did not know. 

 

Delta did eliminate some of the flights on our preferred dates, which as other posters alluded to, was likely the reason for the insanely high pricing on a few of the flight options.

 

In the end, unfortunately we had to cancel the cruise.  While the price of airfare is still very high, the final nail in the coffin was my wife sustaining an injury just before Thanksgiving.  She spent a week in the hospital, has been discharged, and will have a slow recovery at home.  Because of all the missed time at work, she will end up burning through all of her PTO, which unfortunately doesn't leave enough for the cruise.  Thankfully all of this happened before our 90 day final payment date, and we were able to cancel with minimal monetary loss.  I guess this trip was just not meant to be.  But we look forward to cruising again!

Edited December 5, 2022 by HomerGuy
misspelling

[DogLover]

@HomerGuy Truly sorry to hear of your wife's injury and cancellation of this cruise. Sending healing karma her way and hope you will sail again sometime soon. 

Best to you and yours this Holiday season!