Airfare Woes

[jsy]

Having a tough time finding decent airfare from Ohio to Ft. Lauderdale in February. The best so far is $255 with a stop each way, no non-stop flights. The taxes are very high, some $46. Continental is over $400. Paid only $233 total for our last cruise in February (non-stop on American) of this year to Miami. I've been checking for about 5 weeks, 4 or 5 times a day. I can get a good price leaving on the 12th (day before cruise) but all the returning flights are early. The airlines know most are returning from a cruise and charge more for a later flight. The latest flight leaves at 10:50 AM but I'm afraid that will rush us. We always get a returning flight after noon. My fellow traveller said I'm looking too early that the prices are high due to the up coming holidays. Said not to check until January. I told her if we wait until January and have to pay top dollar, she has to give us a piggy-back ride to Ft. Lauderdale. LOL! What do you all think? I'm getting frustrated. :mad:

[OTTER]

Don't know if you are able to, but how about going home on the following day? May find cheaper air that way, though now you would have to pay for a hotel. Otherwise, it may be tough to find cheaper airfare.

[Eliot Ness]

I don't think $255 sounds that bad, and it will be a gamble to wait and see if the fares drop or not. We had the same problem getting a return flight- times were either early, late, or expensive...... we went with late.

 

You might want to post the same question over on the Cruise Air forum and see what kind of advice you get:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=128

 

Good luck!

 

John

[sjrieth]

Said not to check until January. I told her if we wait until January and have to pay top dollar, she has to give us a piggy-back ride to Ft. Lauderdale. LOL! What do you all think? I'm getting frustrated. :mad:

 

Fuel prices are significantly higher now than they were last February, and I would finger that as the main reason that fares are higher. I don't think the holidays per se are affecting a February travel date. I don't know if I would recommend waiting too long. February is the height of travel season in Florida. $255 sounds very reasonable to me. Sounds like a Southwest fare :)

 

If you are flying out of FLL, you would probably be OK on that 10:50 flight. We made it on a 9:15 flight one year after a cruise out of Port Everglades. Yes, it was after 9/11 and we made it through security yes, we only had minutes to spare.

 

If you are sharing costs, you might want to look at fares to Orlando which can sometimes be lower than FLL/MIA, even if you rent a car. Its about a 3 hour drive, but it goes by quickly. I lived in Ohio most of my life and about half my family lives in Florida, so I understand the fare frustration. I also have family in SC, and I waited too late to buy Thanksgiving tickets. Instead of $288 I paid $400. Lesson learned.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Also with all the airlines in bancruptcy or consolidating there are less flights.

I have been looking for air for awhile and have found the same as you. I don't think the prices are going to drop much. I'd book now to be safe.

 

Bill

[popcorngal]

Are you flying out of Columbus? That fare is very comparable to what ours is in January. We got it a little cheaper, but we booked many months ago. You might want to check out alternate airports if that's possible for you. Sometimes Dayton or Cleveland are cheaper. Cincy is usually more expensive for some reason. You might even consider Pittsburgh if you're east. The fares can vary greatly! Hope that helps fellow Buckeye!

[yogimax]

Check every day. Enter an ongoing search with orbitz

[AliceP]

:mad: :mad: You think you've got problems finding cheap air fares, spare a thought for us Aussies trying to get to the USA on the cheap - mission impossible.

Cost us $2,500 each to get to L.A.:mad: :mad:

[AliceP]

:mad: :mad: You think you've got problems finding cheap air fares, spare a thought for us Aussies trying to get to the USA on the cheap - mission impossible.:mad: :mad:

[wrp96]

Not knowing where in Ohio you want to fly out of, I did a search on Kayak.com for you. So far your $255pp sounds really good based on what I came up with. But here is what I came up with in my search (only flights arriving before 12 in Florida to give you time to catch the ship, and leaving Florida after noon, searched alternate airports):

 

$277pp - Akron to FLL on US Air with 1 stop each way. Leaves CAK at 6:20am arrive at 10:58am. Leaves FLL at 12:30p arrives CAK at 4:36pm.

 

$296pp - Cleveland to FLL on US Air with 1 stop each way. Leaves CLE at 5:45a arrives FLL at 9:43a. Leaves FLL at 4:35pm arrives CLE 9:03pm.

 

$351pp- Cleveland to MIA on Continental non-stops. Leaves CLE at 7:50am arrives MIA at 10:49am. Leaves MIA at 12:55pm arrives CLE at 3:47pm.

 

$260pp - Cincinnati to MIA on American non-stops. Leaves CVG at 7:15am arrives MIA at 9:51am. Leaves MIA at 1:57pm arrives CVG at 4:41pm.

 

$302pp - Cincinnati to FLL on Delta non-stops. Leaves CVG at 8:40 arrives FLL at 11:18am. Leaves FLL at 2:20 arrives CVG at 5:21pm.

 

$280pp - Lexington, KY to West Palm Beach on US Air 1-stop. Leaves LEX at 5:30 am arrives PBI at 9:52a. Leaves PBI at 2:15p arrives LEX at 6:14pm.

 

$290pp - Dayton to FLL on Northwest 1-stop. Leaves DAY at 6:30a arrives FLL at 11:57a. Leaves FLL at 1:10p arrives DAY at 6:18pm.

 

I personally wouldn't risk a 10:50 flight out of FLL unless you planned on doing self-disembark and getting off as early as possible. From what I've heard FLL is a nightmare on its best days.

 

Southwest out of Cleveland to FLL is $255pp with one stop each way. Leaving CLE at 6:30am arrive FLL at 11:10am (change in BWI). Leave FLL at 1:30pm arrive CLE at 8:35pm (change at Midway).

[NHWhiteMountains]

We had the same situation but with flights to/from San Juan. When the fuel prices started to shoot up...we rolled the dice and booked our flight for March (not knowing how badly fuel prices would effect airfares). We found the flight from Boston to San Juan easily, but the return trip the day the ship docked (Sunday) more difficult. The price for a 1:00 pm flight was $50 more pp than one leaving at 5 pm. We hated to pay the price, but weighed what we would spend for extended stay in San Juan (meals, excursion etc) vs the increased price. We opted to pay the extra and get home at a decent hour.

 

Someone above mentioned checking alternate airports. We cruised out of Miami but used the Fort Lauderdale airport and it wasn't far (less than a half hour?) between cities.

[cusyl]

I am hesitating booking air so far ahead for next June due to all the bankruptcy of the airlines. My insurance will not cover my loss if an airline goes out of business due to bankruptcy. Anyone had experience with booking 60 days ahead and not finding a seat?

[jsy]

Wow, thanks for all your replies. This board is great. Everyday I check it out and everyone is always so helpful. wrp96, thanks for your search...yes, it's either Cak or Cleveland. Cak is closer, but usually fly out of Cleveland. Not much difference in the price in this case and would rather fly out of Cak. I've checked coming home the day after the cruise, but the price is the same. Yes, it is a gamble. My friend thinks we can get airfare for $195 after January. She travels a lot. But I'm paranoid and don't want to wait until January. I'll check Miami too, good idea.

The flights I found to be the lowest was on Delta. They are a partner of Continental, so I'll get my frequent flier mileage. I have enough for a free ticket now, but think it would be hard to use it on specific times and days. And there's three of us travelling. Don't know how Delta is doing financially. Will check out US Air too. I check Expedia and Orbitz, but will also check Kayak.com

Whew AliceP, and I'm worried about a $255 flight? My DB and SIL just booked a flight to San Diego for Feb. from Cak, Canton-Akron, (Mexican Riviera cruise on Spirit) for $334.

Thank you again everyone for all your input. I'll check out all your suggestions. Made up my mind though... I'll get my tickets and leave it up to the other two what they want to do. Shame on me!

[wrp96]

That $260pp on American non-stop Cleveland to Miami isn't much more than your $255pp on Delta with one stop. If you really want non-stop, you might go look at that one. Again, I got it off of Kayak.com but I believe Kayak pulled it from AA.com.

[jsy]

That $260pp on American non-stop Cleveland to Miami isn't much more than your $255pp on Delta with one stop. If you really want non-stop, you might go look at that one. Again, I got it off of Kayak.com but I believe Kayak pulled it from AA.com.

Just checked Expedia and it's down to $254.79 from $264.80 yesterday. I called Delta direct and it's $270. He was very nice and suggested trying after Thanksgiving. Flight coming home is at 2:20 which is a good time.

Expedia seems a little cheaper than Kayak. But I'll keep checking both.

Just would like the 2:20pm flight home. But would arrive in Cak at 9:55pm. I've never had to change planes but the prices are better. And I've never used Expedia, etc. Always book through the airlines at the same price. Thanks for checking again for me. Appreciate it.

My cousin is a Captain for Northwest. He lives around here, but his hub is Detroit. I've never flown Northwest either, nor Delta.

[JJCalder19]

Try kayak.com. They list all flights then I go directly to the airlines websites and book thru them since they offer webfares that are not published thru sites like orbitz or expedia. I got our airfare for Orlando thru airtran.com for $165 roundtrip the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

[jsy]

Try kayak.com. They list all flights then I go directly to the airlines websites and book thru them since they offer webfares that are not published thru sites like orbitz or expedia. I got our airfare for Orlando thru airtran.com for $165 roundtrip the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

Well, the $255 airfare went up $20 in three hours. Delta is $270.

Will keep checking. Looks like you got a great price to Orlando.

Wonder why my previous posts have "moved"?

[flashdog_1]

Try flying to West Palm Beach PBI. It's usually much cheaper, frequent flights etc. and much less air traffic than in Ft L. You'd need to arrange a shuttle or cab or limo to Port Everglades,though. I've just done a search and found quite varying prices for a town car..range is from $60 (Aloha) to $130. They'll tell you if there are any add ons, for instance, a $10 surcharge to go into the port, or any fuel surcharge, and want a 20% gratuity added, too. There is lots of competition. One response said he'd beat any one else's quote.

 

I did this search not to save $10 but to get decent flight times to return home. FLL had fewer and fewer to Atlanta, Delta's hub. I booked one flight via Jacksonville JAX in order to get back 2 hours earlier, but it cost $27 more. you really have to play with it, not just check your desired routing to get something you can live with.

 

You could also try flying into Miami. There are regular shuttles from MIA to FLL.

[kfr307]

Hi just booked 6 airline tickets for Feb. out of IND to FLL. Got them for $366 a couple. Now there is sorta a catch. We are flying Southwest down at $52.00 pp and Air Tran back for $104.00. So you might try that.

 

Have a great trip.

[jsy]

Thanks for your replies. Flashdog, I'll check out your suggestions. I did see flights today for Southwest at $229. But again, one of the cruisers think we could do better and not have to change planes in Chicago. I'm still going to check Delta for good rates. Saw several flights in October that changed in Cinn, both ways which we should have taken for only $222.

I don't see those flights anymore on Delta. I'm hoping they will re-appear like magic.

kfr..sounds like you got a great deal. I've never flown on Southwest but would be willing to take it for $229. Someone told me to check airfares early on Wednesdays. Did that. No savings. Air Tran is very expensive from Ohio. Believe me, I've checked every airline. Continental is now at $495 for non-stop flights at the times we need. Good grief. I flew to Ft. Lauderdale in Feb., 2004 for a little over $200 on Continental non-stop and made the reservations in Nov.

Heard on TV this morning that there's less flights for all airlines now and the cost of holiday traveling will be a lot more expensive than last year.

I'm not going anyplace for the holidays, just in Feb. Delta told me to check after thanksgiving. I even called a travel agent and was told anything to Fla. in Feb under $300 is a good price. Again, thanks to everyone for all your help.

[greatam]

I am hesitating booking air so far ahead for next June due to all the bankruptcy of the airlines. My insurance will not cover my loss if an airline goes out of business due to bankruptcy. Anyone had experience with booking 60 days ahead and not finding a seat?

 

I am in the logistics business. We have received word from one of our trade associations that after March 30, capacity will be stretched even more, especially US domestic and Asia routes.

 

I would look now for air. 60 days out will definitely be too late to find a discount price. You will be able to find a seat-it will just be at a premium price.

 

I am curious-what type of insurance will not cover if the airline goes out of business? A lot of trip insurance will not cover an airline if it is currently in bankruptcy, but most all will cover if the airline ceases business and is not on the bankruptcy list. Don't know where you are flying, but internationally, try AA. Domestically, try America West/US Air-just make sure you book on the America West site.

[greatam]

Thanks for your replies. Flashdog, I'll check out your suggestions. I did see flights today for Southwest at $229. But again, one of the cruisers think we could do better and not have to change planes in Chicago. I'm still going to check Delta for good rates. Saw several flights in October that changed in Cinn, both ways which we should have taken for only $222.

I don't see those flights anymore on Delta. I'm hoping they will re-appear like magic.

kfr..sounds like you got a great deal. I've never flown on Southwest but would be willing to take it for $229. Someone told me to check airfares early on Wednesdays. Did that. No savings. Air Tran is very expensive from Ohio. Believe me, I've checked every airline. Continental is now at $495 for non-stop flights at the times we need. Good grief. I flew to Ft. Lauderdale in Feb., 2004 for a little over $200 on Continental non-stop and made the reservations in Nov.

Heard on TV this morning that there's less flights for all airlines now and the cost of holiday traveling will be a lot more expensive than last year.

I'm not going anyplace for the holidays, just in Feb. Delta told me to check after thanksgiving. I even called a travel agent and was told anything to Fla. in Feb under $300 is a good price. Again, thanks to everyone for all your help.

 

Please post the EXACT dates you need. I have a couple of databases which are airline direct (our company pays for them) and I just did a search for Feb 11 and 18 out of FLL. The cheap seats out of FLL to CLE are GONE!!! There are still economy seats left, but they are NOT in the deep discount categories.

 

Another way to see what is out there that is available to the public. Go to Travelocity, put in the from and to airports and check flexible dates. You will see a whole lot of airfares. Pick one you like, then start playing with the calendar. If you strike out two or three times for the dates you need, it means the cheap seats are GONE. Try two or three airlines. Read the dates the fare is available on the right side of the airline name column. If you strike out, the cheap seats are gone.

 

Air loads are at an all time high. You would be very wise to book whatever looks good to you, NOW. Don't wait for the fares to go lower as I don't see it happening. Our company does global logistics planning and I myself fly over 100,000 miles per year. I have not seen capacity this tight for almost 6 years.

[DanJ]

Don't wait for the fares to go lower as I don't see it happening. Our company does global logistics planning and I myself fly over 100,000 miles per year. I have not seen capacity this tight for almost 6 years.

 

We were saying that 6 months ago, and I just cancelled Delta and re-booked on Northwest for less with a better schedule. ($175 round trip Detroit to LA? No wonder they are bankrupt LOL) I must have hit their website at the right moment since the next day their fares were way up again. Cheap seats can be found, but you have to be really anal about looking for them just about daily. And as I found, don't assume Southwest, Airtran and Jetblue are the cheap guys on the block because these big guys under creditor protection can be very aggressive.

[greatam]

We were saying that 6 months ago, and I just cancelled Delta and re-booked on Northwest for less with a better schedule. ($175 round trip Detroit to LA? No wonder they are bankrupt LOL) I must have hit their website at the right moment since the next day their fares were way up again. Cheap seats can be found, but you have to be really anal about looking for them just about daily. And as I found, don't assume Southwest, Airtran and Jetblue are the cheap guys on the block because these big guys under creditor protection can be very aggressive.

 

Hi DanJ,

 

Yes, we were saying that, but I am really seeing evidence now. I am having to reschedule freight from some of my normal routes and times. And when I have no freight capacity, it means the planes are full. Remember, I ship highly perishable freight, which usually must be on the first plane out. Couldn't get a bunch of wedding flowers and gifts from JFK to LAX last Friday until the redeye. We tried all day-no extra capacity. It was really a bust butt situation Saturday morning-wedding was at 1:30 in Malibu. Whew!!!

 

Asia is almost impossible, although they are adding new capacity. The domestic transcons are oversold. With fares at $238 (AA, LAX/NYC), everyone is flying. UA ran a sale to China from the West Coast for under $400.00. Only lasted a couple of hours, but that is cheap, cheap, cheap.

 

Trying to fly to Florida, in the middle of the winter, on SPECIFIC dates is a no brainer. Pick what you think is a good fare and stick with it. Hope the OP doesn't wait too long. I am seeing almost no capacity out of Florida in February for discount seats.

[jsy]

Please post the EXACT dates you need. I have a couple of databases which are airline direct (our company pays for them) and I just did a search for Feb 11 and 18 out of FLL. The cheap seats out of FLL to CLE are GONE!!! There are still economy seats left, but they are NOT in the deep discount categories.

 

Another way to see what is out there that is available to the public. Go to Travelocity, put in the from and to airports and check flexible dates. You will see a whole lot of airfares. Pick one you like, then start playing with the calendar. If you strike out two or three times for the dates you need, it means the cheap seats are GONE. Try two or three airlines. Read the dates the fare is available on the right side of the airline name column. If you strike out, the cheap seats are gone.

 

Air loads are at an all time high. You would be very wise to book whatever looks good to you, NOW. Don't wait for the fares to go lower as I don't see it happening. Our company does global logistics planning and I myself fly over 100,000 miles per year. I have not seen capacity this tight for almost 6 years.

 

I'm looking for Feb. 12 (anytime) and returning Feb. 21 (at noon or later to be sure we can make the flight). I knew we should have booked our airfare in Oct. I'll try your suggestions. I just can't understand why Continental is soooooo much higher. Thanks for your reply and wish me luck. LOL!!!