Need help from frequent flyers

[mcfaddensfarm]

I don't fly very often and have only flown to Florida on two occasions so far (once in 2000 & once in 2004.) So I'm hoping that those of you who fly more often and are familiar with prices can help me. We are booked on a cruise from Miami (RCCL's Freedom of the Seas) on October 1, 2006. I've been trying to look up airfares, but it looks like fares for everyone won't be available for another day or two. So far I've only been successful with fares on Delta. They are showing that to fly from Boise to Miami on 9/29/06 or 9/30/06 and returning on 10/8/06 is $479 per person for the times that we want. Is this a reasonable price nowadays for flying from a place like Idaho to Miami? (We're not a major hub so our prices seem higher than if I flew from someplace like Los Angeles.) I'm wondering if it's better to book now, when I know I can get the days, times & seats I want, or if I should wait until later to see if prices may drop, but risk that there will be much less available. (It's sometime hard to find afternoon flights coming back towards the west coast that aren't 3 flights instead of just 2.) Can anyone give me advice on this? Thanks so much!

[Hootsie]

I think that's a decent price. We're looking at $560 round trip from Helena MT to Miami in April, 2006.

[chipster]

Yes, if you book now you will get your choice of seats, times, etc., but that far out you should be prepared for schedule changes (and possibly, with Delta, a lot of them!). That is a good price because Boise is not a large airport as you say and you pay a premium sometimes flying in and out of smaller airports. You also might look at flying into Fort Lauderdale (FLL) as it sometimes can be cheaper, and check with America West and Southwest (but you can't book that far out with Southwest).

 

We booked a trip to Mexico in February and by the time we got to our fourth schedule change in two months with Delta, I finally cancelled and got a full refund because I was tired of the hassles. American also made three changes to our New York trip in about four months time. The final change was so significant I also cancelled that one for a full refund. That can be a problem booking far out, but that's the chance you take to get your choices. AND, oftentimes, you will see a fare drop well below what you paid and some airlines will give you that back in a voucher - some charge a fee, some don't. Depends on the airline.