Advice for Midwest to San Juan

[avgsuperheroine]

We fly to DC, Boston and Orlando relatively frequently, but this coming January we're doing a cruise out of San Juan. Usually I pick a price I know is pretty good, and when it's available I jump on it.

 

I don't know what constitutes a good price for OMA or MSP to SJU. There are 5 of us so a price difference could mean a good deal of money.

 

Do any of you fly from the midwest to PR, and what price would you consider to be pretty good?

 

With a cruise this far off, is it better to buy now or wait a little closer?

[Clarea]

We fly Southwest from STL, and usually pay $350 - $400 pp, round trip.

[TeresaJ]

We are flying from MSP to SJU in March and prices are high. For nonstop flights I am seeing anywhere from $660-1,000pp. To do flights with a connection it is about $580. Sun Country has come in the cheapest nonstop with Delta being the highest.

Maybe January will be cheaper for you because March is peak spring break season.

 

Upcoming:

Jewel of the Seas March 2016

Harmony of the Seas March 2017

[TruckerDave]

Not knowing the exact dates you are going it is hard to tell. I just did a quick OMA-SJU check on United for the entire month of Feb and the price (for an 8 day trip) ranges from about $450 to $1000 and the price form MSP the range was about the same. (for example the 5th-13th was $524 while the 12th-20th was $975. Even better was the 23rd to Mar 2nd was only $446.) So without knowing your exact dates a "good" price is impossible to know.

[avgsuperheroine]

We are flying from MSP to SJU in March and prices are high. For nonstop flights I am seeing anywhere from $660-1,000pp. To do flights with a connection it is about $580. Sun Country has come in the cheapest nonstop with Delta being the highest.

 

So Sun Country does nonstop out of MSP? You're going after we are though and I get "no results found" if I try to find nonstop. Maybe it's the time of year.

[avgsuperheroine]

I guess when I say "good price" I'm assuming that its similar to going to Orlando, and maybe it isn't. We go in the winter and to MCO I can almost always find flights for $200. So if it gets at or near $200 I just purchase.

 

That is, I guess, what I'm trying to determine. If flights now for what I want are around $550 but someone who goes there often could say something like "we fly MSP to SJU in Jan/Feb and we can usually get flights around $400" then I might wait. If they said "we usually have to pay around $800" I may just buy them now.

 

A lady in our community said they love going to San Juan, and used to be able to get tickets for around $270-300 pretty regularly but now she rarely finds them under $450.

[TeresaJ]

So Sun Country does nonstop out of MSP? You're going after we are though and I get "no results found" if I try to find nonstop. Maybe it's the time of year.

 

Yes they do. I believe they only fly nonstop flights on Saturday and Sunday though so it you're flying on another day it probably won't work for you

 

 

Upcoming:

Jewel of the Seas March 2016

Harmony of the Seas March 2017

[TruckerDave]

I guess when I say "good price" I'm assuming that its similar to going to Orlando, and maybe it isn't. We go in the winter and to MCO I can almost always find flights for $200. So if it gets at or near $200 I just purchase.

 

That is, I guess, what I'm trying to determine. If flights now for what I want are around $550 but someone who goes there often could say something like "we fly MSP to SJU in Jan/Feb and we can usually get flights around $400" then I might wait. If they said "we usually have to pay around $800" I may just buy them now.

 

A lady in our community said they love going to San Juan, and used to be able to get tickets for around $270-300 pretty regularly but now she rarely finds them under $450.

 

You are not going to find flights to San Juan for $200 in Fed so you might a well just forget that idea. Also, what you friend paid in the past has no bearing as to what you will pay for next Feb.

 

If you find a price you are good with, buy them. Don't wait hoping the price might go down, because there might only be 1 seat at that fare bucket and once that is gone you could be stuck with $800 tickets and you will be kicking yourself for not grabbing them at $500 when you had the chance.

[waterbug123]

I guess when I say "good price" I'm assuming that its similar to going to Orlando, and maybe it isn't. We go in the winter and to MCO I can almost always find flights for $200. So if it gets at or near $200 I just purchase.

 

 

Correct. Flying to Orlando is entirely different from flying to San Juan. For one thing, San Juan is a lot further away. Also, there is a lot more competition into MCO. A lot of people have the option to drive there, so will only fly if the price is right, but everyone has to fly to San Juan so the airlines really have a captive audience for that route. Also, Orlando is a huge conference location and winter is peak season for business travelers heading there for such events, so again- supply and demand often result in more competitive airfare.

[skf]

JetBlue has fares from FLL to SJU in the $140 range.

[waterbug123]

The OP is flying from the midwest though, so would first have to get to FLL.

Edited June 22, 2015 by waterbug123

[kenish]

Correct. Flying to Orlando is entirely different from flying to San Juan. For one thing, San Juan is a lot further away. Also, there is a lot more competition into MCO. A lot of people have the option to drive there, so will only fly if the price is right, but everyone has to fly to San Juan so the airlines really have a captive audience for that route. Also, Orlando is a huge conference location and winter is peak season for business travelers heading there for such events, so again- supply and demand often result in more competitive airfare.

 

Agree. Business travel has much better revenue or "yield" than leisure travel. Since the percentage of business travel is much lower to SJU than MCO, leisure fares to SJU must compensate for that. Also, an aircraft sent to SJU from a hub (DFW, IAH, ATL, etc) is tied up 5+ hours longer than if it were flown to MCO or FLL. The plane is available for 2 more flights in the latter case. All of this makes flying to SJU more costly; a similar thing goes on with fares to Hawaii.

[avgsuperheroine]

I guess what I meant by it being "similar" is not that the flights are $200 (I know they'll be more), but that they're available at a consistent price that is "reasonable" for the location and "likely to find". So by saying a friend used to use 280 as a threshold and now uses 450 as a threshold is an example of having a "trigger price" that you know is good.

 

I wouldn't want to pay $600 now and find out later that frequent travelers to PR would say "we often can find tickets there for around $400 if we wait till 4-5 months out".

 

It's good to know sun country does nonstop on Saturdays, we may be able to make that work. With three young kids layovers are really a pain.

 

We should probably just buy soon--I remember going to Miami once and the tickets jumped $200 ea when we were ready to buy and they never did go back down again. Thanks for all your help!

[titanic27]

I guess what I meant by it being "similar" is not that the flights are $200 (I know they'll be more), but that they're available at a consistent price that is "reasonable" for the location and "likely to find". So by saying a friend used to use 280 as a threshold and now uses 450 as a threshold is an example of having a "trigger price" that you know is good.

 

I wouldn't want to pay $600 now and find out later that frequent travelers to PR would say "we often can find tickets there for around $400 if we wait till 4-5 months out".

 

It's good to know sun country does nonstop on Saturdays, we may be able to make that work. With three young kids layovers are really a pain.

 

We should probably just buy soon--I remember going to Miami once and the tickets jumped $200 ea when we were ready to buy and they never did go back down again. Thanks for all your help!

 

 

Bought our flight for our Jan cruise when they came out paid 450 now 680$ non stop from Boston.

 

If you are buying 5 tickets look if arriving on the friday and leaving on the monday.

 

I

[sr71pav]

I think the prices right now to SJU are absolutely insane. We're trying to figure out flights for a cruise Jan-Feb from Indianapolis and I can't find anything remotely reasonably priced. The ones that are ~$450 want to take me to Chicago, Newark, NYC, etc. in January. I just don't think so. Coming back, finding more than a 30 minute layover is like pulling teeth. I thought with Southwest opening up their flights last week, there might be something decent. The only option they have leaves at 7:50am!

 

The prices are so bad, we're considering cancelling our Disney cruise (looking forward to it!) and going on NCL or RCCL out of Florida instead.

 

Yes...I'm ranting. :mad:

[waterbug123]

I think the prices right now to SJU are absolutely insane. We're trying to figure out flights for a cruise Jan-Feb from Indianapolis and I can't find anything remotely reasonably priced. The ones that are ~$450 want to take me to Chicago, Newark, NYC, etc. in January. I just don't think so. Coming back, finding more than a 30 minute layover is like pulling teeth. I thought with Southwest opening up their flights last week, there might be something decent. The only option they have leaves at 7:50am!

 

 

So what would you consider to be reasonably priced? Keeping in mind that you have set up a lot of parameters that must be met on top of getting a "reasonable price".... can't connect through various major airport hubs, can't leave early in the morning, can't have a short connection time. Then again, I'll bet EVERYONE would like a later departure, a longer connection, avoidance of northern hubs in winter....which means the laws of supply and demand are at work again. ;)

[sr71pav]

I think you missed one aspect. Leaving to get to the cruise early isn't as big of a deal. Coming back, though, I don't think 7:50a works as the ship probably hasn't even cleared customs yet.

 

Every other time I've headed south like this, linking through ATL, MCO, FLL, DFW, IAH has never been an issue. I wouldn't even mind CLT (just never flown through there). I don't mind the higher price if the flights themselves are reasonable. It's just the connections (location and/or extremely tight layover time) are insane for some reason. Here's an example. The cheapest workable itinerary (i.e. actually leaves SJU after the ship gets back into port) is $526. For this glorious option, I get to have a 1h12m layover at ORD (no winter problems there, ever :rolleyes:) after a flight that is typically 30+m delayed. If that connection is made, it gets into SJU at 1:50am.

 

The return is its own bit of entertainment, flying through CLT with a 31m layover. I wish I could say there was another option on the return, but, unless I want to stay overnight (10+hr layover) in MIA, there just isn't.

 

Now, if the cruise got back the day before (Feb. 6), for about $450, I would have a 2+ hour layover at IAD on the way back.Southwest doesn't even have an option on the 2/7 that leaves after 8am. There are two afternoon options on 2/6. It's like Feb. 7 fell into a hole in everyone's schedule.

 

I will always pay more for convenience, but this is paying more for inconvenience.

 

Our solution was to book a second cruise out of FLL and track flights as we get closer, then choose.

Edited July 4, 2015 by sr71pav

[CantanaLobo]

.... can't connect through various major airport hubs, can't leave early in the morning, can't have a short connection time. ..

There is a simple solution to all those issues. Misses the mark on "reasonable price" though. :)

[FlyerTalker]

There is a simple solution to all those issues. Misses the mark on "reasonable price" though. :)

Reminds me of chatting with a couple on a Seabourn cruise a couple years back. We were to be ending the cruise in Manaus and I was curious how they were routing home. Didn't expect the answer of "I don't know...we just let our pilot figure those things out. He'll be waiting for us with a car at the dock."

 

Duh!!!

 

(It was only a G-IV)

[CantanaLobo]

... It's like Feb. 7 fell into a hole in everyone's schedule...

If you're running an airline, you might consider the Super Bowl a black hole. If not many are flying on Super Bowl Sunday, there's no reason to schedule a lot of flights.

[sr71pav]

If you're running an airline, you might consider the Super Bowl a black hole. If not many are flying on Super Bowl Sunday, there's no reason to schedule a lot of flights.

 

You must be right. I admit that I never even thought about the Super Bowl.

[CantanaLobo]

There may not be a Super Bowl effect Spot checking SJU to some hubs for non-stops shows the same number of flights as the Sunday before. E.G. SJU-EWR has 3 flights on United on both 1/31 and 2/7. 4 for AA/US SJU-CLT. What is kind of interesting is that on both Sat 1/30 and 2/6, the first flight SJU-CLT leaves at 1:40 PM. On both Sun 1/31 and 2/7, that first flight leaves at 7:40 A.M. Why? Dunno. I'm obviously not a flight scheduler.

[SilkySal]

I think the prices right now to SJU are absolutely insane. We're trying to figure out flights for a cruise Jan-Feb from Indianapolis and I can't find anything remotely reasonably priced. The ones that are ~$450 want to take me to Chicago, Newark, NYC, etc. in January. I just don't think so. Coming back, finding more than a 30 minute layover is like pulling teeth. I thought with Southwest opening up their flights last week, there might be something decent. The only option they have leaves at 7:50am!

 

The prices are so bad, we're considering cancelling our Disney cruise (looking forward to it!) and going on NCL or RCCL out of Florida instead.

 

Yes...I'm ranting. :mad:

 

I booked a 1-way to SJU on SW from Indianapolis on a Thursday in early March for $211 with 1 plane change in Tampa. Happy with that!:D