Airfare ?

[JKen2]

Can anyone give me any insight on when I can expect the airfare from the Northeast (Boston) to Fort Lauderdale; begin to drop for April spring break? You can normally get a flight for about $200-$250pp. A flight now is $500-$700. Thanks!

[megr1125]

honestly, no....if we could predict the airlines' fare structure, we'd all be veru rich!!:D

 

April is still spring break for many.(as you said)......you can try Southwest and jetBlue if they've opened bookings yet ... (not sure....you can seach TRAVEL TOOLS on southwest.com and for jetblue, sign up for true blue and you'll get an email...)

[NHcruisergirl]

If you are looking at school April vacation week it very well may not drop. Generally if you look at weeks prior and after a school vacation week the prices are lower and spike the vacation week. So frustrating for us who are locked into school vaca weeks to travel! :mad:

[Eng23]

Can anyone give me any insight on when I can expect the airfare from the Northeast (Boston) to Fort Lauderdale; begin to drop for April spring break? You can normally get a flight for about $200-$250pp. A flight now is $500-$700. Thanks!

When the price for a barrel of oil drops below $70 per barrel.(which will be no time soon) You are looking to travel during a peak time of year which means fares are likely to stay high. If they are high now they will probably only go up the closer to the travel dates you are seeking.

[waterbug123]

Can anyone give me any insight on when I can expect the airfare from the Northeast (Boston) to Fort Lauderdale; begin to drop for April spring break? You can normally get a flight for about $200-$250pp. A flight now is $500-$700. Thanks!

 

Why do you think a price drop will definitely occur?

[JKen2]

Why do you think a price drop will definitely occur?

 

Supply and demand! If an airline is not selling a seat at $1000 a pop, the price will drop. I don't know if it will definitely drop, but they need to fill seats. I haven't vacationed on a school break in 10 years and I do expect to pay more, but not that much.

[6rugrats]

Can anyone give me any insight on when I can expect the airfare from the Northeast (Boston) to Fort Lauderdale; begin to drop for April spring break? You can normally get a flight for about $200-$250pp. A flight now is $500-$700. Thanks!

I predict it will only go higher and it won't drop. There is absolutely no reason for fares to go lower. Airlines are cutting routes, fuel prices are high, and planes are flying pretty full. You want to travel to Florida during spring break. The lower fare buckets sold out long ago.

 

you can try Southwest and jetBlue if they've opened bookings yet ... (not sure....you can seach TRAVEL TOOLS on southwest.com and for jetblue, sign up for true blue and you'll get an email...)

JetBlue prices are over $740 for OP's dates and routing, and Southwest only has their schedule open through April 13th.

[FlyerTalker]

Why do you think a price drop will definitely occur?

 

Supply and demand! If an airline is not selling a seat at $1000 a pop, the price will drop. I don't know if it will definitely drop, but they need to fill seats. I haven't vacationed on a school break in 10 years and I do expect to pay more, but not that much.

Your expectation has absolutely ZERO to do with what the actual price is. And you really need to go back and retake Econ 101 and understand supply and demand. The reason the price is higher is....drum roll....there is demand!!

 

You are traveling at a peak period. Supply has been reduced with recent mergers and cutbacks. The price will be higher than in the past, and much higher than you expect. What are you paying for gasoline compared to 10 years ago? Or are you still fixated on your previous purchases?

 

As for "filling seats"....it's not a matter of just filling seats. The science of yield management is about getting the most revenue PER FLIGHT, and it is often NOT by filling every seat. It's by maximizing revenue through dynamic pricing algorithms.

 

Finally, ask yourself a thought problem: Why should there be a time when airfare will drop? If there was such a magic time, and it were known, wouldn't everyone wait until then to buy their tickets? Wouldn't that be counterproductive to an airline's desire to maximize revenue?

[monicajay]

Fares out of Burlington, Vermont are astronomical for March and April too. As a frequent traveler to Florida I'm amazed at how high fares seem to have gotten in a short time frame.

[Zach1213]

Supply and demand! If an airline is not selling a seat at $1000 a pop, the price will drop. I don't know if it will definitely drop, but they need to fill seats. I haven't vacationed on a school break in 10 years and I do expect to pay more, but not that much.

 

Take it from a professional road warrior: planes are full. Several years ago, airlines cut capacity to increase margins. As a result, a good chunk of flights are already sold full. Over spring break, it's even more true.

 

Airlines will fill their planes. Don't expect much of a price drop.

[CtheW0rld]

[biker1972]

Everything indicates that there will be a sale scheduled for 12/22/2012! But only if the Mayans were right! :rolleyes:

[FlyerTalker]

Everything indicates that there will be a sale scheduled for 12/22/2012! But only if the Mayans were right! :rolleyes:

However, there may be some significant flight interruptions that day, so call centers will be busy. Be sure to save yourself some trouble and book online. ;)

[waterbug123]

Supply and demand! If an airline is not selling a seat at $1000 a pop, the price will drop. I don't know if it will definitely drop, but they need to fill seats. I haven't vacationed on a school break in 10 years and I do expect to pay more, but not that much.

 

I understand supply and demand but maybe you don't. Yes, if a seat isn't selling, then theoretically the price will drop. But what makes you so certain that the remaining seats won't sell? Just because YOU aren't buying a seat doesn't mean NOBODY is buying seats.

 

Your expectation has absolutely ZERO to do with what the actual price is. And you really need to go back and retake Econ 101 and understand supply and demand. The reason the price is higher is....drum roll....there is demand!!

 

 

Bingo! i.e. SOMEBODY is buying seats at the given price.

[Zach1213]

Yeah...there are very few times of the year when airlines can actually get away with charging enough to cover their costs. Spring break and Thanksgiving are two such rare times.

[kenish]

Adding to the other comments, Florida had a high percentage of leisure passengers buying unprofitably low leisure fares. Florida was one of the first markets to experience big cuts in supply. Some airlines pulled out of secondary Florida cities entirely (PBI, RSW, etc) and all airlines reduced routes and frequencies to allocate aircraft to higher-yield markets.

 

The largest expense for airlines is fuel...they forecast fuel costs and bake it into their fares. I've found the price you pay at the pump (and predict you will pay in the future) is a good benchmark for airfares.

[JKen2]

I understand supply and demand but maybe you don't. Yes, if a seat isn't selling, then theoretically the price will drop. But what makes you so certain that the remaining seats won't sell? Just because YOU aren't buying a seat doesn't mean NOBODY is buying seats.

 

 

 

Bingo! i.e. SOMEBODY is buying seats at the given price.

 

Jeez folks lighten up no need to lash out!! Meg, you asked me why I thought the price would drop. I never claimed to be an expert at eco 101. The airline is providing a product at a very high price for an April flight. When I first posted the price was $770 RT, today it has dropped to $482.20 RT for the same flight. The reason being the supply is great, the demand is not. It's not rocket science.

[Ashland]

We fly from the west coast (my personal example to FLL) most every year during spring break and I usually buy 8 months out....have never seen it go lower just HIGHER !!! Good luck !!!!

[ducklite]

Be flexible. Look at BOS, BDL, PVD, and MHT. Be willing to fly into FLL, PBI, or MIA. Be willing to come in a day earlier or stay a day later.

[waterbug123]

Can anyone give me any insight on when I can expect the airfare from the Northeast (Boston) to Fort Lauderdale; begin to drop for April spring break? You can normally get a flight for about $200-$250pp. A flight now is $500-$700. Thanks!

 

Jeez folks lighten up no need to lash out!! Meg, you asked me why I thought the price would drop. I never claimed to be an expert at eco 101. The airline is providing a product at a very high price for an April flight. When I first posted the price was $770 RT, today it has dropped to $482.20 RT for the same flight. The reason being the supply is great, the demand is not. It's not rocket science.

 

You asked when you could expect prices to drop. And you're right- it's not rocket science.... so how 'bout we rephrase the answer: You can expect prices to drop when (actually, if) supply exceeds demand. You've seen a drop in price already, so apparently sales weren't keeping pace with the airline's projections. As to WHEN, exactly, that happens, there is no way to predict. Prices may drop further, or they may go back up, or they may yo-yo a hundred times between now and then.

[sunshine nana]

I don't think Ferris Bueler is on CC. No need to make people feel bad about asking a question.