Help: Buy Airfare Now or Wait?

[kooljamming]

We are booked for sailing on Golden Princess for August 8th

 

Air from Long Beach on Jet Blue - direct arriving at 10:38 on the 8th:

 

$189 R/T (total, all taxes and fee)

 

Before Tax and Fees; $79 one way and $89 the other

I have never flown jet Blue Before

 

Thanks

[mking8288]

JetBlue flies mostly A320's, comfortable leather seats in economy, more legroom, free DirectTV channels in flight and free snacks, no charge for 1st. check-in luggage and we like them - often ditching our legacy carrier: United. (Checked their prices & it's much higher and ++ luggage fees)

 

The price looked very good, LGB-SEA in peak Alaska cruise season, I would buy them unless you can find much better prices in other regional carriers on a non-stop between LAX-SEA. On the downside, JetBlue only has 2 non-stop daily between the cities and if there is a flight delay or air traffic, your heartbeats will be pacing a bit faster. We flew into SEA last September on JB on Friday & spend a bit of extra time, just for peace of mind. Even then, JB cancelled the original non-stop flight (not enough bookings 4 weeks out) and re-routed us on a connecting flight via BOS that departed 4 hours earlier than planned.

 

Good thing about JetBlue (and United for that matter and one or two other carriers only) is that if the airfares dropped after ticketing & before your flight, if the fares dropped (sales, promo, whatever) - you can call their toll-free customer service # and request a credit voucher for the difference, good for future travel credit (12 months) at no charges. American & others will honor it after subtracting a fee of as much as $150. It's a win-win situation to buy now, lock in the price & keep watch on fare drops and get the credit, before the fares go up again. (Google for the website that does track airfare drop & email you - free - and help you save.)

[kooljamming]

JetBlue flies mostly A320's, comfortable leather seats in economy, more legroom, free DirectTV channels in flight and free snacks, no charge for 1st. check-in luggage and we like them - often ditching our legacy carrier: United. (Checked their prices & it's much higher and ++ luggage fees)

 

The price looked very good, LGB-SEA in peak Alaska cruise season, I would buy them unless you can find much better prices in other regional carriers on a non-stop between LAX-SEA. On the downside, JetBlue only has 2 non-stop daily between the cities and if there is a flight delay or air traffic, your heartbeats will be pacing a bit faster. We flew into SEA last September on JB on Friday & spend a bit of extra time, just for peace of mind. Even then, JB cancelled the original non-stop flight (not enough bookings 4 weeks out) and re-routed us on a connecting flight via BOS that departed 4 hours earlier than planned.

 

Good thing about JetBlue (and United for that matter and one or two other carriers only) is that if the airfares dropped after ticketing & before your flight, if the fares dropped (sales, promo, whatever) - you can call their toll-free customer service # and request a credit voucher for the difference, good for future travel credit (12 months) at no charges. American & others will honor it after subtracting a fee of as much as $150. It's a win-win situation to buy now, lock in the price & keep watch on fare drops and get the credit, before the fares go up again. (Google for the website that does track airfare drop & email you - free - and help you save.)

 

Thanks so much. I am a bit nervous about flying on the day of the cruise. No problem if things go well but any delays and we could be hurting. I will keep looking.

[kenish]

There is a lot of airline competition between SoCal and Seattle. Besides JetBlue, Virgin America flies out of LAX (and I believe SAN). Allegiant is establishing a hub at LAX and Air Canada is starting SNA-YVR flights in a few months.

 

Some of these airlines do not participate in Orbitz, Expedia, etc. (Don't forget to check Southwest too). Check ONT, PSP, and SAN. Probably just as convenient from Hemet and you might find a good fare.

[farmerjohn]

$189 is a pretty good fare between Seattle and the LA basin, especially in summer. I used to be able to get $158, but I haven't seen those fares for several years. You can get $179 if you fly out of LAX and use Virgin America. Their flight times are comparable to Jet Blue. However, having used both LAX and LGB, I would pay $10 per ticket more so that I wouldn't have to go through LAX.

 

If at all possible, I would advise flying up on the evening of the 7th. There are flights late enough so you can work a normal day and still make the flight.

 

Several years ago there was a group of us going on a cruise out of LA. I came down several days early with my family to go to Disneyland, but most of our group was coming down the day of the cruise. Their plane left SEA on time but then had landing gear problems and had to return to SEA. They finally made it to the ship just minutes before sailing. However, none of their luggage made it.:(

 

I was on a flight from SEA to LAX in February. We left the gate and taxied out, only to go back for mechanical problems. We ended up delayed by 1 1/2 hours. I am not trying to scare anyone, but we always fly in a day ahead for a cruise.

[kooljamming]

I think we will book with JetBlue leaving Friday evening from Long Beach arriving at 8:54 pm. It's $79+ each way pp. Our return flight is at $3:50. We will have a few hours to kill post cruise but I don't want to risk booking the earlier return flight at 11:20.

 

Now I need to find out how to kill a few hours without burning a lot of cash. By the end of this trip and this summer I will be 'excursioned' out.

[Putterdude]

Anyone who can tell you what airfares are going to do in the near term has a chrystal ball much clearer than mine. We have a world economic crisis going on, the price of oil fell again today, and travel is dropping. On the other hand we are approaching the peak travel season....I think that if it feels good then you should grab the fare but this comes with no guarantee.:confused:

[kooljamming]

Anyone who can tell you what airfares are going to do in the near term has a chrystal ball much clearer than mine. We have a world economic crisis going on, the price of oil fell again today, and travel is dropping. On the other hand we are approaching the peak travel season....I think that if it feels good then you should grab the fare but this comes with no guarantee.:confused:

 

This is big problem with cruising. You book the "cheap" cruise then you are at the mercy of the airlines. It's our first time flying to port. I can live with $79 each way unless it goes for $29 each way:eek:

[kenish]

I'm planning a non-cruise trip to Australia. If you think fares in the US fluctuate, track fares in Oz sometime, especially between major cities. Qantas is the old incumbent. Virgin Blue is a low-cost startup (I think the name meld of Virigin America and Jet Blue is ironic) and Qantas spun out a low-cost subsidiary, Jetstar, to compete. There are small seconday carriers, and now Tiger Airlines (Singapore) is adding a lot of domestic flights.

 

On top of that, fares are a significantly cheaper paying in AUD than in USD. That adds currency fluctuations to the fare paid...I'm asking airlines and hotels to charge my CC immediately to lock in the exchange rate (1 AUD = 65 US cents). If the AUD gets stronger by June I win...if it gets weaker I lose! :mad:

[flamomo]

I have found flights on Delta r/t Tampa - Seattle for $292, including tax and fees for a September 13 th cruise on the Star.

I am seriously considering going ahead and booking that now. Much as I like Southwest, I don't want to have to wait a couple more months till SW opens the dates I need, and then maybe find out their fares are higher than what Delta has listed now (and Delta's might rise between now and then, so I'd lose out on the under-$300 fare). SW's current flights for that itinerary are higher than what I found on Delta, and may still be higher when they open my dates.

I guess I'm looking for other's opinion on me booking my flights this far out.

[flamomo]

Good thing I didn't book that Delta I posted about above.

I just found acceptable times for just $240 on Air Tran!

Now my question is, has anyone flown Air Tran? If so, where you satisfied?

I never have flown that airline, but with that pricing, I think I might have to give them a try.

[mking8288]

Checkout www.yapta.com site for finding the best fares at the right prices and to track for possible refunds when prices dropped after ticketing. Airlines are flying few daily flights, many at full capacity if not overbooking them - for me, it's a delicate matrix of flight schedule, prices, availability and backup in case of weather/mechanical/human factors if delayed or cancelled.

 

We save by booking 2 sets of one-way tickets, outbound on United & return on JetBlue from another city/airport and saved $$$ about 2 months ago, and got airline vouchers good for future travel (within 12 months) use when prices dropped. Flying out tomorrow and when I checked this morning, our flight is 75% filled only and the one-way price is just $119 - that's $10 less than our final price (that's a last minute fare, had I knew - I'm too busy now packing for the cruise to call United again for a credit on the lower price, again)

[kooljamming]

We decide to go with Jetblue for $79 each way leaving from Long Beach. Total for 4 was $716 (total).

[Tweedy]

I think purchasing airfare is a gamble you have to take when you try to get the best price.

 

We'll be sailing into Fort Lauderdale from Vancouver in October. Since we only needed a oneway fare, I was constantly monitoring airline prices. Over Christmas, I spotted a really good deal ($200Cdn incl taxes) and didn't buy our tickets. Early in the new year I looked again and the price was more then double (+$500Cdn). I was just kicking myself that I didn't buy when I saw the cheap fare. Fortunately, I did manage to get the cheap fare about a month ago.

 

It truly is a gamble. If you see a cheap fare, snag it.

[flamomo]

It pays to keep checking fares, as I found flights on Delta for $240 r/t, as opposed to the original $292 I was thinking about booking. I booked at the lower fare last night.