I haven't booked my own flights in years, and will be heading to Orlando this Christmas for a Disney World Vacation with the family. When is the best time to book these types of flights? I've heard earlier the better, but realistically, should I be booking the flight now, or can it wait until say July or September?

Oh, and I'm coming from Southern California, if that makes any difference.

There is going to be differences on opinion on this but my 2 cents is to book as soon as your trip dates and reservations are solidified. With carriers adding new surcharges and higher fares, buy as soon as you can so that you are locked in.

I did this recently myself - got 4 tickets on Ted for a very reasonable rate. Then just recently, UAL announces fuel surcharges being added to new bookings. At the same time, if I would have waited for the recent release of fares for airlines such as Southwest, I would have paid even more. (Was kinda shocked in seeing Ted beat out SWA in pricing from Chicago to MCO.)

In essence, the days of the cheap airfare is gone. Now is about finding airfare that you can actually afford.

I agree with Gusman. In January, I booked my flight the moment I was able to on Airtran from Indianapolis to Orlando. No kidding, the day after I booked, the price went up almost $50 per ticket and it never came back down.

I have to disagree with you guys. Sorry. I am going myself at the end of this year, and there is no way I would buy now. I just checked and from SFO the round trip is 400 bucks. I have never paid that much. I've gone to WDW a few times in the past few years, and each time I've checked airfares 6 months in advance, and consistently thereafter. Every single time the price has dropped at least once after the 6 month mark. Every time. Of course the final decision is yours, Tim. However since you're asking for opinions, I would advise on waiting a bit. Just check prices every day or as often as you can. It takes 2 minutes. There is no 'exact time' to buy, but I tend to find good deals about 3 to 4 months out.

If you do buy early, however, still check flights often. If the price drops after you purchase you can get a travel credit for the difference (provided it's the same airline/flights).

I've gone to WDW a few times in the past few years, and each time I've checked airfares 6 months in advance, and consistently thereafter. Every single time the price has dropped at least once after the 6 month mark. Every time.
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If you do buy early, however, still check flights often. If the price drops after you purchase you can get a travel credit for the difference (provided it's the same airline/flights).
Your comments from your experience are certainly noteworthy. Personally, I have always seen an upward price trend as the wanted dates approach, but then again this may be one of those "your mileage may vary" sort of things. :) I would bet that it varies by airport, airline, and demand. (For example, you and I are comparing SanFran and Chicago.) The changes in the air travel industry are not going to help things either. Its all about the variables.

As for getting a credit for rebooking with a cheaper fare, that can happen. But if it does and someone takes advantage of such, make sure you know the terms of conditions of how that credit can be used. You dont want to be stuck with a credit that you will never use or have other fees associated with it. Southwest has a great policy when it comes to credits, but others may not be so forgiving. And from what it sounds like, some carriers such as UAL are going to start increasing their fees associated with certain ticket changes.

With that said, Tim, where are you flying out from? Maybe someone can give some insight in regards to your local airport. Trending can really be a helpful guide on this topic.

When I buy my tickets I usually check travelzoo.com or wait until a good deal from farecompare.com comes out. I have been really lucky in that department getting rates as low as 212.00 per ticket (that is with the taxes and such). I live in the San Antonio, Texas area, and have gotten good deals flying into CA as well as OH. So... I say sign up with farecompare or check on travelzoo often to see what the prices are.

You dont want to be stuck with a credit that you will never use or have other fees associated with it. Southwest has a great policy when it comes to credits, but others may not be so forgiving.

I agree, which is why I prefer to wait a bit. But if buying early, it's always wise IMO to still check fares after purchasing. Worse comes to worst you end up with a credit you never use.


With that said, Tim, where are you flying out from? Maybe someone can give some insight in regards to your local airport. Trending can really be a helpful guide on this topic.

He said So Cal, so that probably means LAX is going to be his cheapest bet. I flew to MCO outta LAX back in '06. Last time I got a non-stop flight. :crying:

With that said, Tim, where are you flying out from? Maybe someone can give some insight in regards to your local airport. Trending can really be a helpful guide on this topic.

I live in Oceanside, so that means either San Diego or John Wayne, but I can also make it up to LAX no problem either.

Thanks for the advice everyone, but if someone else wants to chime in, feel free to do so :)

You can sign up for regular fare tracking emails on Kayak.com

Also, Farecast.com (http://www.farecast.com/) gives a good indication of how costs are trending for domestic US flights.

Given the way the travel market is right now, I would say the fares are only going to go up as carriers get slammed with higher fuel costs.

AirTran Airways are having web specials. You can always subscribe to their list and get notices when they have sales.

I booked mine already and when I went back just to check on my flight...on the way home...the flight I booked with was almost filled!

I'm glad I did. I took the web special and I'm happy with it.

I also like to pick my seats ahead of time because I'm traveling with my children.

So, opinions can vary...just go with your gut feeling. ;)

JetBlue just released its tickets (at least to TrueBlue members) through the rest of the year.

Because we needed to use points for two segments of our trip, buy one-ways for the return of those passengers, and buy three round trips--all on the same flight and sitting together, I booked the seats as soon as I could.

I did not want to risk not getting the flights I wanted, and really, considering that some of the travel is over Thanksgiving, it seems only wishful to think that the prices would come down.

For our Sept trip, my parents are coming from Minneapolis - one day, tickets were $325, the next, $410+ . There are so many variables! I was able to get tickets Reno to MCO for under $400 each, which I thought was miraculous. With the changes in the industry, I think Gusman is right that ticket prices are going to keep going up and up and up. I usually by tickets for Christmas time travel in August, but that's to MN. I would suggest the same - get a fare tracker to watch things for a few days, and if things look reasonable, pounce! Good Luck!

Jennie

Jennie, I'm in Minnesota too, like your fam. It is INCREDIBLY expensive from here. Air Tran is usually the best bet, but finding non-stops are quite difficult. You can try Sun Country too. With Northwest (our biggest airline) mergine with Delta, we just don't know what that means for the rest of our flights. It's so up in the air.

OT--For comparison, my October trip was $260 rt. I'm going to MouseFest in December and with the fuel costs going up, up, up, I watched the fares go up too. I KNOW it was incredibly early, but I went ahead and booked non-stop on NWA(now Delta) for $309. I thought that was highway robbery. It went down the next week, (argh), and then skyrocketed. I haven't looked since.

If you find a rate that you think is reasonable, TAKE IT. Things are too up in the air to expect a GREAT rate unless you're at a major hub with a discount carrier.

We bought our airplane tickets in February for $440.00 a piece and today the same flight is $724.00. Glad I didnt wait until now to buy or we may have not gone.

I'm going early Dec, flying out of San Francisco, and the fairs just went down from 400 a person to about 285.. Now I'm deciding if I should wait or grab these.. it's the time I want too, departing at midnight my time to get to Orlando by 10am.. this is the time we always do.. ahh decisions!

If it is the times you want, at the fare you want, then buy them and dont look back.

I keep hearing in the news the additions of new surcharges for fuel and the like, so I would not delay. Once you buy tickets, they cant add on any additional surcharges.

(Unless you go beyond luggage allowances and the like...)

I have found 5 roundtrip tikets from phoenix to orlando for 950, and thats fantastic...only thing is I have never flown Airtran. The times are what we want, but does anyone have any concern over airlines going out of business. I am tempted to wait for SW to release January flights, but also dont want to lose a great rate.....any thoughts from well seasoned travelers.....

...but does anyone have any concern over airlines going out of business. I am tempted to wait for SW to release January flights, but also dont want to lose a great rate.....any thoughts from well seasoned travelers.....
- Use a credit card (not a debit card) to book your flight and if an airline does go under, you will at least have some recourse to get your money back. If it happens while you are on your trip, you may get stuck paying a higher fare to get back but sometimes that happens. In some cases travel insurance -may- help. The thing is that if you fly with a major carrier, then your risk of getting stuck is low. Sure, things can happen, but there are also some things you cannot control.

As I mentioned before, if you feel like you are in reach of a really good fare, then go for it. If you want to compare with SWA, see what they charge for the flight now, going out as far as you can in their calender. That will get you some idea of costs for comparison. (In looking at SWA's web page now... it looks like you found a winning fare on AirTran)

I know that we all would like the rock-bottom fare. The thing is that it is a balance between what carrier you want to use, the times they fly, and the fare itself. The key thing is that if you think it is a good fare, then buy them. Then you at least have the tickets just in case prices do go up. If prices go down, well, sometimes it happens. But I think in this day and age, that is not going to happen all that often.

Granted, this is just my opinion.

I read though that paying with credit card only buys you 60 days, so after that window it doesnt do you any good....Thanks for your help, can I trust Airtran?

I read though that paying with credit card only buys you 60 days, so after that window it doesnt do you any good....Thanks for your help, can I trust Airtran?
Never heard of a 60 day window. Out of curiosity, did you get this info from your credit card company or some other source. If not your CC company, I would contact them directly to ask about how they can protect you in that sort of situation. At the same time, some cc companies may be better than others when it comes to covering such incidents.

As for AirTran... They are no more protected from the current economic issues than any other low-cost carrier. Unless someone else has anything they would like to add, I have not head of any published issues that they may be having in regards to the company itself. So, in essence, I dont see why they would not be a good choice.

...only thing is I have never flown Airtran. The times are what we want, but does anyone have any concern over airlines going out of business.

As far as I know, Airtran is a growing airline and in no jeopardy of going under at this time. I fly them regularly from Dallas to Orlando, and I really enjoy their free XM radio (bring your own headphones - much better than their free earbuds). The planes are fairly new 737's, and just as comfortable as most other airlines (meaning cozy, but not too cramped).

Good luck!

We are going to WDW in the beginning of November and Southwest is currently only booking through October 30. Does anyone know when I might expect them to release November dates? Thanks in advance!

we're flying down to WDW from boston in late october and booked our flight through airtran back in march...6 round trip non-stop tickets were $1,600+/- including insurance ($15 per ticket) and the $6/seat charge for preselecting your seat location...i checked last week out of curiosity and 6 tickets on Southwest were $2200 and Jetblue were $2000...

we called Southwest and they wont be releasing past October till July sometime.
Thanks about Airtran, bought my tickets after it had gone up $10 in 5 days, but for 5 oof us, that was an extra 100, glad I got them.
And I heard about the 60 days on another forum in a discussion about a similar topic and your protection when paying by credit card.