Southwest albany ny to fort laud.

[Dave4120]

Hello...being that we do not fly that much, I am hoping some of you can provide me with some helpful details.

 

Last year when we cruised in early May, we flew Southwest for the first time from Albany NY to Fort Lauderdale. I booked the flight about 3-months out and we ended up paying $104.00, plus the taxes for each leg of the flight.

 

Southwest, just posted their May, 2011 flying schedule which was nice to see, because we are cruising again in early May.

 

However, at 7-months out, the same flights are at $149, plus tax each way as their lowest fare.

 

I was wondering, if I should book the flight now? Does anyone feel the $149 fare each way will drop when I am 3-months out? Or do flights normally go up from this point forward?

 

We can also fly Jet Blue, but they are only showing fares through May 3rd and we need fares for May 1st and 20th. I'm sure Jet Blue will be close to Southwest prices, and even though we love Jet Blue, it is nice to fly Southwest with a non-stop direct flight compared to changing planes with Jet Blue at JFK.

 

Any advice or help you can provide would be appreciated.

 

Dave

[RuthlessBunny]

It's hard to predict fares. Wednesday is typically the day that fare specials are in effect, so see what fares are. I booked my air 5 months in advance. I think that's plenty.

[baby]

dave

 

do you live in Albany

 

I am from Albany with family - while I now live in

Connecticut I feel like I live in Albany becuase I am there all the time

 

 

Carol

[BobT172]

I live in Troy and have taken SWA from Albany to FLL many times... I would book the flight...I doubt very much if the fares will go down.

 

You don't say where you live but I could not imagine that going to JFK to fly Jet Blue is going to save you much money..if any.

 

I don't know how many bags you plan to check but SWA allows two bags free...Jet Blue just one.

[Dave4120]

Hi Folks....We live in New Hartford which is the Utica area. It is just about the same distance for us to drive to Albany or Syracuse. We fly Jet Blue out of Syracuse, and tried Southwest out of Albany for the first time last year. We love Jet Blue, but hate the JFK stop over each time. Southwest does have one flight per day down and back that is non-stop which we took last year and was great.

 

I have seen Jet Blue lower than Southwest on occasions and vice/versa. Another tough decision.

 

Thanks for your help and input.

Dave

[Dave4120]

Hi Folks....We live in New Hartford which is the Utica area. It is just about the same distance for us to drive to Albany or Syracuse. We fly Jet Blue out of Syracuse, and tried Southwest out of Albany for the first time last year. We love Jet Blue, but hate the JFK stop over each time. Southwest does have one flight per day down and back that is non-stop which we took last year and was great.

 

I have seen Jet Blue lower than Southwest on occasions and vice/versa. Another tough decision.

 

Thanks for your help and input.

Dave

[BobT172]

Southwest does have one flight per day down and back that is non-stop which we took last year and was great.

 

That's what we like about the SWA flight.... there in 2 1/2 hours...no possibility of missing a connection...no chance of bags missing the connection..etc.... especially with all the everyday delays in the New York corridor, you just fly over it all with the SWA flight.

 

Worth any extra $$$, if any, and less stress.

 

Good luck.

[jillyfish]

Which is more important to you; the difference of $200 that you paid last year compared to this years current price or getting the non-stop flight from Albany on SW?

 

I would keep an eye on it for a while but it is not my gray hair or blood pressure. :D

 

From past fare watching experiences, prices for the Spring/May will probably stay pretty steady until after the holidays. You will have to weigh the importance of getting the flight you want with waiting it out to see if the price goes down.

[BobT172]

One thing to remember... and I am not pushing SWA... but if you book a flight and find it later is a lower price, you can rebook it at the lower price and the difference is held by SWA for you to use on a future flight. I don't know if Jet Blue has a similar option.

[Dave4120]

Thanks Bob for the information. Jet Blue does not have that policy. If that is the policy of Southwest to at least credit the price difference toward a future flight, it's a win, win situation. I would technically be getting the lower price even if it is a credit to use later. How can I go wrong.

 

Thanks again for the information and bringing up some points that I never even considered.

[QueScaisJe]

Just note that the $$$ credit is valid for one year from the time of booking. I mention this only because you said you don't fly much. Also as of Jan 2011 the credit can only be applied to the same traveller as on the original booking.

 

Otherwise you're right, it's win-win. Book the Southwest flight now. Monitor the fares and if you find a cheaper flight between now and then (even not SWA!), you can book the other and get the credit. You can even use this strategy if only one segment is cheaper, e.g. fly JetBlue outbound, Southwest back if that is cheaper or more convenient.

[Yellow Lab's Rule]

Dave - I'm flying Southwest out of Albany in Dec to FLL. We paid $145 each way. We booked back in Aug. Jetblue out of Stewart Newburgh had a better price but the times coming back didn't meet our schedule, the flight out of Stewart is non-stop with free luggage.

[tdeyette]

Sounds like you folks are getting some good fares.

 

We will be flying SW out of Albany mid Feb and the rate down is 149 but coming back is 340!

 

no matter how I sliced and diced it the rates are about the same at this busy time of year.

 

however we do have direct flights and the 2 bags each does help...

 

I will keep an eye on the fare prices though (good tip)

[NoWhiners]

Hello...being that we do not fly that much, I am hoping some of you can provide me with some helpful details.

 

Last year when we cruised in early May, we flew Southwest for the first time from Albany NY to Fort Lauderdale. I booked the flight about 3-months out and we ended up paying $104.00, plus the taxes for each leg of the flight.

 

Southwest, just posted their May, 2011 flying schedule which was nice to see, because we are cruising again in early May.

 

However, at 7-months out, the same flights are at $149, plus tax each way as their lowest fare.

 

I was wondering, if I should book the flight now? Does anyone feel the $149 fare each way will drop when I am 3-months out? Or do flights normally go up from this point forward?

 

We can also fly Jet Blue, but they are only showing fares through May 3rd and we need fares for May 1st and 20th. I'm sure Jet Blue will be close to Southwest prices, and even though we love Jet Blue, it is nice to fly Southwest with a non-stop direct flight compared to changing planes with Jet Blue at JFK.

 

Any advice or help you can provide would be appreciated.

 

Dave

 

dave

 

Lots of good advice here. if you want to roll the dice, sign up for DING on southwest's web page and use albany as your home airport, also use FLL as one of your preferred locations. you will get email notices about fares at these 2 airports delivered to your email.

 

or you can book the fare now and relax!!

 

good luck

ML

[Dave4120]

WOW!...thanks everyone for all of the great tips. One other question.

 

If I do book my flight now on Southwest, and I see that the price does indeed drop, you have all indicated that I can re-book and will receive the difference in price as a credit.

 

But aren't there fees or penalties if you cancel a flight and re-book? Or, am I not fully understanding the re-booking process?

 

Thanks again,

Dave

[Yellow Lab's Rule]

In case you don't know about it, www.bing.com has a know when to buy airline ticket tool, it's a great reference. www.bing.com then on the left side click on travel and then type in the dates you want to travel, it will say to purchase, wait, etc. based on historical travel fares.

[NoWhiners]

In case you don't know about it' date=' www.bing.com has a know when to buy airline ticket tool, it's a great reference. www.bing.com then on the left side click on travel and then type in the dates you want to travel, it will say to purchase, wait, etc. based on historical travel fares.

 

But tool says it only works for round trip travel--not a problem for dave but maybe for others?

 

ML

[BobT172]

WOW!...thanks everyone for all of the great tips. One other question.

 

If I do book my flight now on Southwest, and I see that the price does indeed drop, you have all indicated that I can re-book and will receive the difference in price as a credit.

 

But aren't there fees or penalties if you cancel a flight and re-book? Or, am I not fully understanding the re-booking process?

 

Thanks again,

Dave

 

There are no fees involved... that's another reason I like SWA..no change fees and no nickel diming you to death.

 

To rebook an itinerary when you find a lower fare, you sign in to your SWA account with your FF number and password, select the itinerary, select "change itinerary" and follow your nose from there...it is real easy...even I can do it...

 

after you make the change, you will get a screen that shows how much was put into your account. Run a copy and save it...you will need to know the confirmation number of the original flight when you go to apply the $$$ to a future flight.

 

BTW, when you book your flight, you will have the option to select an "Early Bird" boaridng pass. For $10, the system will automatically assign you a boarding number so you don't have to check in on line 24 hours ahead... it will be the lowest number possible and is automatically assigned 36 hours ahead

[Dave4120]

Thanks again Bob for all of the info. It has been very helpful.. I will be booking through Southwest again some time this weekend.

 

Dave

[Dave4120]

Thanks again everyone....I checked the Southwest website just after midnight, Friday night and the airfare from Albany to Fort Lauderdale on May, when we leave and come back dropped from $149 each way to $139 each way. I figured, it will probably not go down any lower than that, so I should gobble it up, which I did. Considering the other airline fares, this fare seems pretty low and reasonable.