When to book air

[myisland00]

Hi! I just put a deposit down for our cruise on July 9th from Miami. It seems like the airfare is rather high right now out of Las Vegas, should I wait until I make my final payment in May or book it now? Also, is it a big hassle to get to Miami from Fort Lauderdale? I worry because I am traveling with my kids. Any advice is appreciated! [emoji2]

 

 

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[nobog]

Welcome to CC.

 

The general consensus here is if you find a price you like - book it and don't look back.

 

There are many options to get from the airport to the terminal. Although it sounds expensive look for a private limo - not much (if any) more than a cab and with kids will make the journey much more enjoyable.

 

Have fun on your cruise!

 

JK

[klfrodo]

Hi! I just put a deposit down for our cruise on July 9th from Miami. It seems like the airfare is rather high right now out of Las Vegas, should I wait until I make my final payment in May or book it now? Also, is it a big hassle to get to Miami from Fort Lauderdale? I worry because I am traveling with my kids. Any advice is appreciated! [emoji2]

 

 

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July 9th of this year? :eek:

You should have bought air or started looking into it 6 months ago.

It's not going to get cheaper.

[Kamloops50]

July 9th of this year? :eek:

You should have bought air or started looking into it 6 months ago.

It's not going to get cheaper.

 

I agree with this . Air usually is more expensive as get closer to cruise date.

I usually buy airfare as soon as it becomes available for my . Never than 6 months before the cruise.

[Ashland]

July 9th of this year? :eek:

You should have bought air or started looking into it 6 months ago.

It's not going to get cheaper.

 

I agree...however...the OP just deposited/booked her cruise...why would she have been looking at air 6 months ago :confused:

[myisland00]

July 9th of this year? :eek:

 

You should have bought air or started looking into it 6 months ago.

 

It's not going to get cheaper.

 

 

Looks like I am doomed! Lol. I better get it booked. Thanks for the advice!

 

 

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[CruiserBruce]

And look over on the Florida Departure board. Lots of info on shuttles, which is probably the best way to travel from Ft Lauderdale to Miami.

[klfrodo]

I agree...however...the OP just deposited/booked her cruise...why would she have been looking at air 6 months ago :confused:

 

reading sarcasm isn't a strong suit huh?

[LakeWobegon]

Which airline? Many have a policy where if price goes down, they will credit you the difference in the form of a voucher toward a future trip.

[FlyerTalker]

Which airline? Many have a policy where if price goes down, they will credit you the difference in the form of a voucher toward a future trip.

Only if the fare differential is greater than the change fee. Which is unlikely at this date.

 

To the OP: Did you look at air pricing before you booked the cruise? Or did you just expect a lower price?

[jagoffee]

Looks like I am doomed! Lol. I better get it booked. Thanks for the advice!

 

 

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It is certainly possible that the air prices will come down over the next month, so I am not sure you are doomed.

[Keith1010]

We have learned it is impossible to predict. We do the research and then lock into a price and book tickets.

 

Keith

[wowzz]

It is certainly possible that the air prices will come down over the next month, so I am not sure you are doomed.

 

It is certainly possible that the air prices will go up over the next month as well.

[biker1972]

Right now you could book with low price carriers such as Spirit or SWA for a cost of about $1300 to $2000 for a family of 4. Their schedules are not going to fit with travel the day of embarkation when flying from Las Vegas so you might also have to consider an overnight.

 

Jet Blue has non-stop flights on a red-eye that can get you into FLL early on the 9th (06:34) for about $1300 for 4.

 

AA has a number of flights to MIA that will work for you. These are running a little over $1600 for 4.

 

You need to be making searches and getting prepared for the cost of air being close to the cost of the cruise.

[Imasima752]

Which airline? Many have a policy where if price goes down, they will credit you the difference in the form of a voucher toward a future trip.

 

Is American one of the airlines? I recently bought tickets and the price has since dropped $205 pp.

[LakeWobegon]

Not sure. I would call American. Worse they can do is say they don't do that or no or they may even issue you a voucher if peeved enough. Wouldn't hold my breath though. I wasn't aware of the change fee dependent. I will have to see if Delta does that. Their policy said they would issue a credit if the price dropped. But probably need to read deeper.

 

To OP, I was in the same predicament for Easter week. I thought prices were high from Mpls to Miami at about 8 months and I would wait. They just kept getting higher. At six months out, I bought two straight through tickets in coach for $900 a piece. Could have taken connecting flights at not so great times to drop price to $700 a piece. But we had two rewards tickets that were "free." So I guess it all evened out. And two months ago I checked and saw that my $900 tickets were now $1,400. Supply and demand.

[6rugrats]

Is American one of the airlines? I recently bought tickets and the price has since dropped $205 pp.

Many airlines will so this. But, first you must pay the change fee (and this includes DL).

 

Don't know the fare rules for your tickets, but the change fee usually starts around $200 a ticket, and goes up from there. Some tickets don't allow any changes at all.

 

An airline is not going to issue a voucher if "peeved enough".

Edited March 20, 2016 by 6rugrats

[myisland00]

I ended up booking

 

 

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[myisland00]

Thanks for the advice everyone! I ended up booking a southwest vacations package with the holiday inn express airport/cruise. I was really worried about arriving in FLL at 12:45am, but I called the hotel and found out they have free transfers 24 hours a day. Even with the hotel and transfers to the port of Miami it is still less expensive than flying into Miami. I am no longer doomed! Lol.

 

 

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[Ashland]

reading sarcasm isn't a strong suit huh?

 

A relatively new poster asking a question....I guess your (intended) sarcasm was appropriate after all :rolleyes:

[Imasima752]

Not sure. I would call American. Worse they can do is say they don't do that or no or they may even issue you a voucher if peeved enough. Wouldn't hold my breath though. I wasn't aware of the change fee dependent. I will have to see if Delta does that. Their policy said they would issue a credit if the price dropped. But probably need to read deeper.

 

 

 

To OP, I was in the same predicament for Easter week. I thought prices were high from Mpls to Miami at about 8 months and I would wait. They just kept getting higher. At six months out, I bought two straight through tickets in coach for $900 a piece. Could have taken connecting flights at not so great times to drop price to $700 a piece. But we had two rewards tickets that were "free." So I guess it all evened out. And two months ago I checked and saw that my $900 tickets were now $1,400. Supply and demand.

 

 

Thank you. I will check the price again before I call. The worse they can say is no which won't bother me since I already accepted the situation. Now if they say yes, that would be a welcomed surprise [emoji846].

[Imasima752]

Many airlines will so this. But, first you must pay the change fee (and this includes DL).

 

Don't know the fare rules for your tickets, but the change fee usually starts around $200 a ticket, and goes up from there. Some tickets don't allow any changes at all.

 

An airline is not going to issue a voucher if "peeved enough".

 

 

I had no idea airlines did this and I've booked many flights over the years. This is why I love the CC community.

[waterbug123]

I had no idea airlines did this and I've booked many flights over the years. This is why I love the CC community.

 

Don't get too excited yet. Let's say you bought a ticket and paid $500. Suddenly you see that you could get the same ticket for $342 so you call the airline. The change fee is likely $150, leaving you a net credit of $8, issued in the form of a voucher that you have 1 year to use.

 

Ok, you say, but what if the price goes down a LOT; then it would be a big credit and it would be worth it. Yep, it would. But how much do you really expect that $500 ticket to drop in price? It's highly unlikely that you're going to log on one day and see it for $150.

 

International fares are typically more and often seem to fluctuate more so the potential savings might be more, but the change fees are usually higher as well. Delta, for instance, is $300 per person if I recall correctly.

[pinotlover]

Additionally, be aware that when you cancel one ticket and attempt to rebook, you may not be able to get your old seat back. Because of the timing of the different systems, one's previous seat may not show up as available for booking. By the time you later get back into the system, your previous seats may be gone!

[6rugrats]

Additionally, be aware that when you cancel one ticket and attempt to rebook, you may not be able to get your old seat back. Because of the timing of the different systems, one's previous seat may not show up as available for booking. By the time you later get back into the system, your previous seats may be gone!

 

IME, this is not how it works if you are able to refare. You simply call the airline, they can keep your seat for you. It's rare anyway that the fare drops low enough to make it worthwhile. Note that with UA anyway, you must actually pay the change fee, it's not deducted from the fare difference. You then are issued a voucher for the fare difference.

 

So, if your $500 fare drops to $200, you pay the $200 change fee and are issued a $300 voucher. I don't know how the other legacy carriers handle these transactions.

 

The only easy airline that charges no fees for this is Southwest.

Edited March 21, 2016 by 6rugrats