FloatMe Posted December 11, 2015 Report Share Posted December 11, 2015 Off topic I know, but most of you folks have traveled more than us. For lack of anything better to do (at least that I wanted to do), I just checked fares from columbus, oh to Ft. Lauderdale for the 1st week of November, 2016. I know the rule of thumb is 45 to 90 days out for the best fares, but I found perfect flight times for $335 RT. That seems pretty good. Pull the trigger? Or practice patience? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted December 11, 2015 Report Share Posted December 11, 2015 Actually, I have found that waiting almost never produces a reduction. I have friends that swear that airfares are cheapest 60 days before the cruise but I have never found that to be the case. The airfares that I booked for the Blog group tour in July have steadily climbed since I booked. Presently, they are more than $300 more than I paid in July. I would feel terrible if I advised you to jump on it and then the prices went down...but honestly, I have never been the beneficiary of a lower airfare price by waiting. It has always just cost me more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monctonguy Posted December 11, 2015 Report Share Posted December 11, 2015 I don't know US airfare prices that well, except that they are WAY cheaper than flying from Canada any day. That being said, I haven't found a particular time that seems to be cheaper or not and I have booked many many flights in the past few years. I usually use either an airline here in Canada (westjet) that has a price drop protection in the form of a credit for your next flight with them, or I book through Flight Network which will credit your account with them if your flight fare drops no matter what airline you book with through their site. Not sure if you have options like that down there...but if so, at least you know you have some protection from price drops! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted December 11, 2015 Report Share Posted December 11, 2015 If you can fly Southwest, you can book now and then re-book if the price drops with no penalty. I recognize this is not an option for everyone. Galveston Steve 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhiteSoxFan Posted December 11, 2015 Report Share Posted December 11, 2015 My experience is that it depends on where you are flying and on what days. Flying to MIA and FLL on weekends during peak cruising season is the time that you will never see the price go down. Way too much demand. Lesser ports and flying in or out midweek may yield you a better chance of the price reduction in that 45-90 day range. Matt 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michelle Posted December 11, 2015 Report Share Posted December 11, 2015 if you have tracked airfare from MSP to Florida in general I think that rate is goodSundays are the cheapest days now to buy airfare so you might want to either watch it the next few days BUT my rule is do not buy airfare until you are for sure going on a trip Sometimes people say they are going on a trip then something comes up and if you have the airfare this far out - you are stuck with airfare (well credit) And you are only allowed to change that current ticket up to one year from the day you purchased it -for most airlines - Make sense? And buy insurance - on the airfare if its this far out in case you do have to change it and have a valid reason sometimes that insurance will cover those change fees. food for thought Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocLC Posted December 11, 2015 Report Share Posted December 11, 2015 if you have tracked airfare from MSP to Florida in general I think that rate is good Sundays are the cheapest days now to buy airfare so you might want to either watch it the next few days BUT my rule is do not buy airfare until you are for sure going on a trip Sometimes people say they are going on a trip then something comes up and if you have the airfare this far out - you are stuck with airfare (well credit) And you are only allowed to change that current ticket up to one year from the day you purchased it -for most airlines - Make sense? And buy insurance - on the airfare if its this far out in case you do have to change it and have a valid reason sometimes that insurance will cover those change fees. food for thought This was the same advice my agent gave me. In addition, by buying the insurance to cover the airfare portion, we only had to pay for that coverage and then can add the cruise fare later once final payment is reached and we still qualify for the preexisting condition waiver. We bought our airfare for Europe nearly a year out as I was able to get roundtrip airfare for next July/August from Los Angeles for under $700 roundtrip on British Airways. I knew there was no way I could beat that fare after paying nearly $400 more per person this past year. michelle and Matt 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FloatMe Posted December 12, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 12, 2015 Thanks, All great food for thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amejiajr8 Posted December 13, 2015 Report Share Posted December 13, 2015 on February 18 southwest will release their flights schedules for Aug 6th thru Nov. 4th. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Posted December 14, 2015 Report Share Posted December 14, 2015 If you can fly Southwest, you can book now and then re-book if the price drops with no penalty. There is a small caveat, though: the price difference when you re-book your flights is only available as a credit that only the ticket holder can use and it must be used within one year of the original ticket's purchase date. Although I still greatly prefer Southwest due to their liberal policy regarding credits, I have lost some price-adjustment credits because I wasn't able to use them in time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocLC Posted December 14, 2015 Report Share Posted December 14, 2015 There is a small caveat, though: the price difference when you re-book your flights is only available as a credit that only the ticket holder can use and it must be used within one year of the original ticket's purchase date. Although I still greatly prefer Southwest due to their liberal policy regarding credits, I have lost some price-adjustment credits because I wasn't able to use them in time. As have I as use is defined as completing a flight using the credits, not just booking a ticket with them. And it's from purchase date of the original ticket, not the reservation dates themselves, so unless you fly a lot you may not benefit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcarney Posted December 14, 2015 Report Share Posted December 14, 2015 Another tip: check out all the airports within an acceptable driving distance from you. For example, my "local" major airport is DTW (Detroit). On our last cruise, when I priced airfare from there it was in the $800-$900 range, and with 4 of us the cost approached the same amount as the cruise. I wound up locating a tiny airport (MBS) about the same distance drive away with airfare around $450, plus significant savings in parking fees (and the bonus of being able to park within a 2 minute walk of the front door of the airport!). Security was a breeze - with only 24 or so people on the flight, you basically "high fived" the TSA agent as you got on the plane, LOL. For our upcoming cruise, pricing out of DTW was insane, so I checked out all the other major/minor airports within 3.5 hours drive - Chicago, Indy, Cleveland. We wound up saving enough flying from Cleveland that we'll be able to drive down the evening before and check out the town, sleep at the hotel, and take a leisurely flight to Tampa - and still have extra money saved vs. DTW. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted December 14, 2015 Report Share Posted December 14, 2015 There is a small caveat, though: the price difference when you re-book your flights is only available as a credit that only the ticket holder can use and it must be used within one year of the original ticket's purchase date. Although I still greatly prefer Southwest due to their liberal policy regarding credits, I have lost some price-adjustment credits because I wasn't able to use them in time. Good point. It certainly does predicate upon flying often enough that you will be able to use those credits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocLC Posted December 14, 2015 Report Share Posted December 14, 2015 Bcarney, excellent point. We saved over a $1,200 by flying round trip to Boston rather than into Montreal. It made sense as we wanted to spend some time in Boston which is where the cruise ended. Thus, we stayed a few days in Boston, drove to Montreal by way of Ben and Jerry's, and then cruised back to Boston. It was a long drive, but worth the savings. In Juky, we're sailing to Europe from Los Angeles even though we live in Northern San Diego. The airfare is nearly half what we'd pay from San Diego and it's one less connection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FloatMe Posted December 14, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 14, 2015 Another tip: check out all the airports within an acceptable driving distance from you. For example, my "local" major airport is DTW (Detroit). On our last cruise, when I priced airfare from there it was in the $800-$900 range, and with 4 of us the cost approached the same amount as the cruise. I wound up locating a tiny airport (MBS) about the same distance drive away with airfare around $450, plus significant savings in parking fees (and the bonus of being able to park within a 2 minute walk of the front door of the airport!). Security was a breeze - with only 24 or so people on the flight, you basically "high fived" the TSA agent as you got on the plane, LOL. For our upcoming cruise, pricing out of DTW was insane, so I checked out all the other major/minor airports within 3.5 hours drive - Chicago, Indy, Cleveland. We wound up saving enough flying from Cleveland that we'll be able to drive down the evening before and check out the town, sleep at the hotel, and take a leisurely flight to Tampa - and still have extra money saved vs. DTW. $800 - $900 would probably keep us taking the cruise. Wow. I may regret booking this early but I couldn't pass up the certainty of a decent price. I also knew the the international boat show is the following week in Ft. Lauderdale, which I'm inclined to think won't help air fares? Upgraded to comfort + for $350. I did look at flights from cleveland and Cincinnati, I think we are pretty fortunate here in Columbus. We seem to have reasonable fares. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcarney Posted December 14, 2015 Report Share Posted December 14, 2015 $800 - $900 would probably keep us taking the cruise. Sorry, I should have mentioned that it was airfare to San Juan, not any of the Florida ports. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FloatMe Posted December 14, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 14, 2015 Sorry, I should have mentioned that it was airfare to San Juan, not any of the Florida ports. That would still be rough. We just did Adventure in April and our flights were in pretty reasonable. We would certainly think about driving a bit to get cheaper fares. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monctonguy Posted December 14, 2015 Report Share Posted December 14, 2015 I wish we had those options flying from Canada. Every airport here is about the same price give or take $. No competition or options. I often see deals from Cleveland or Detroit or New Hampshire even to Florida for a 3rd to half the price of what I pay flying out of here. If only I lived closer to the border or these cities it would be a great option. Airfare is always more than the cost of the cruise for me for each of the 7 cruises I have done so far. It averages about $700/person. That's booking way in advance., economy class, plus luggage fees, no seat selection and at least 1 if not 2 stops along the way. That being said I have managed to find some half decent flights to San Juan in April..but I have to drive 3 hrs to another airport...overnight it, pay for parking and gas and I think its cause its American carriers I am flying with as to why it is reasonable. DocLC 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted December 14, 2015 Report Share Posted December 14, 2015 I wish we had those options flying from Canada. Every airport here is about the same price give or take $. No competition or options. Have you considered driving across the border? I have Canadian friends who live in Ottawa and they drive to airports like Syracuse or Buffalo, where they can take cheaper "domestic" flights. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monctonguy Posted December 14, 2015 Report Share Posted December 14, 2015 Yes, I did once out of Bangor, ME which is about a 5hr drive.....now those flights are just as expensive. I would have to drive at least 12hrs each way to get cheaper flights. if l lived closer to the border I would for sure. I don't mind driving and travelling in the US to get cheaper flights! Matt 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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