airfare advice, anyone?

[trcori]

This is my last-ditch attempt to figure out if I'm doing the right thing by going ahead and booking my air tickets now, 2 months and 1 week before the cruise, or if I should dare to wait longer ... In almost two decades of travel in the continental U.S., I have never paid more than $225/rt per person, even when traveling coast-to-coast. We managed to avoid flying in 2005 (cruised Mercury from our hometown!) so I have no frame of reference for last year ... now here it is 2006, and we need to fly from Seattle to Houston to sail on Galaxy April 1st. I've been watching airfares diligently, perhaps maniacally, ever since booking (five months ago) -- and for the somewhat constrained time window we have (departure is NOT flexible, return is), the lowest fare has been pretty much stuck at just under $300 (including fees) per person.

 

A nagging little voice tells me "just go ahead and book; with oil prices so darn high, there's no chance in heck you're going to get a major drop."

 

But before I listen to that nagging little voice -- do you all agree? And if you've flown in the past half-year or so, is that really a reasonable price these days? I just have this fear that the second I go ahead and buy those nonrefundable $300/person tickets, I'll wake up in the morning and find somebody having the $200/person sale I've been watching for ...

 

thanks to anyone with an opinion to offer ... TR, tightwad

[Keith1010]

If it was me, I would just book the airline tickets so that I didn't have to worry about it anymore. Over the past year, I've been finding that prices are going up not down and should they go down it's by a very small amount. Clearly, prices are mostly higher than this time last year, with the only exception being if one of the new airlines goes into a new market and runs a special airfare which the other carriers match. If you are looking at established routes, I would just book it and not worry about it.

 

Keith

[ocngypz]

Book your flights now.

 

Keep in mind, fuel sucharges are higher... your vacation time frame is still "spring break".

 

I normally pay about $180 off season rt from PVD-FLL. I'm flying in April.. it is $100 more.

[Binney]

Hey TR,

 

I could have written that post - you sound just like me. I also sailed from home last year to avoid the airfare. What really ticks me off is all the commercials touting these low airfares...I feel like I am the only one paying full price! I am going over my kids' school break from NY to Tampa to board the Miracle. I found round trip airfare for 4 of us for $1,011.00. The return trip makes a stop in Atlanta so there is a layover. Try this website: www.FareFox.com I had been searching for weeks and was just about ready to book $339.00 pp coming home a day later when I thought to check out the tips Ihad been tearing out of magazines for years. This site was the lowest of any (including Priceline). Good luck!

 

[chessbriar]

Last year we flew from Pittsburgh to Houston $290/pp

 

Book it!!!

[jetcruisers]

This is my last-ditch attempt to figure out if I'm doing the right thing by going ahead and booking my air tickets now, 2 months and 1 week before the cruise, or if I should dare to wait longer ... In almost two decades of travel in the continental U.S., I have never paid more than $225/rt per person, even when traveling coast-to-coast.

thanks to anyone with an opinion to offer ... TR, tightwad

Your 2nd sentence says alot about why the airlines are going under. In two decades I bet you've paid alot more for everything else, like groceries, utilities,your car, gasoline, etc. I could go on and on but why oh why does the public feel that airfares should not go up like everything else. And the idiots that are running the airlines keep cutting employees and their pay and benefits so you can say just that. "In almost two decades of travel I have never paid more that 225./rt"

If I were you I'd grab those tickets because the airlines are waking up and airfares are just going to rise (if they're smart)

Just my opinion.

[Longboysfan]

TR - I have also been watching the air fares to Houston for the same cruise in the end of February. We would be flying out of Newark.

Get into Orbitz or Travelocity. Look at the plane occupancy for those dates and then go a month closer and look at the occupancy. Also Contineltal site for bookings and Actual $ cost.

Check out the cost for a seat then and now.

I was watching and took Celebrity air as we are in winter season and Celebrity gives you the transfers to the pier for using them. Plus the gurantee to get you to the ship no matter what.

This brought the cost to a reasonably close number.

I don't think you have this problem.

 

I checked the Continental site - the trip going on 3/2 is only 1/2 full at this time and the price is the same. $274 or so.

I also checked the flight going on 2/9 and it is just about full. And $304.

And finally your 4/13 flight..... just about empty and still at $274.

 

Book it...... At least get you choice of seats.

[trcori]

for the comments & opinions. Sounds like it'll be wise to just take the leap and book the tickets, so off I go -- TR

[horselady295]

Have you looked at Southwest flying Seattle to Houston Hobby? SW's website shows an internet fare of $129 pp. We caught a fare sale for $89 recently for our Galaxy 4/24/06 cruise.

 

I encountered a problem with a time change on booked air travel during our cruise out of San Juan ... the revised departure time was too early to make the return flight out of SJ. We had booked with a discounter vs. directly from one of the carriers, and they were not helpful at all with this last minute change. We ended rebooking our flights with a $100 surcharge which made the cost higher than going directly with the airline.

[Longboysfan]

But the Southwest trip is multiple stops and the $120 or so is one way.

The exact dates are not there for a low fare trip that get's them to Houston and timimg onto the boat.

But the fire sale is a great idea if you can wait that long.

[wrp96]

This is my last-ditch attempt to figure out if I'm doing the right thing by going ahead and booking my air tickets now, 2 months and 1 week before the cruise, or if I should dare to wait longer ... In almost two decades of travel in the continental U.S., I have never paid more than $225/rt per person, even when traveling coast-to-coast. We managed to avoid flying in 2005 (cruised Mercury from our hometown!) so I have no frame of reference for last year ... now here it is 2006, and we need to fly from Seattle to Houston to sail on Galaxy April 1st. I've been watching airfares diligently, perhaps maniacally, ever since booking (five months ago) -- and for the somewhat constrained time window we have (departure is NOT flexible, return is), the lowest fare has been pretty much stuck at just under $300 (including fees) per person.

 

A nagging little voice tells me "just go ahead and book; with oil prices so darn high, there's no chance in heck you're going to get a major drop."

 

But before I listen to that nagging little voice -- do you all agree? And if you've flown in the past half-year or so, is that really a reasonable price these days? I just have this fear that the second I go ahead and buy those nonrefundable $300/person tickets, I'll wake up in the morning and find somebody having the $200/person sale I've been watching for ...

 

thanks to anyone with an opinion to offer ... TR, tightwad

 

You are looking to fly during a popular spring break time here in the south. And in fact, you will be flying back right around Easter if I've got the dates right. These are very popular vacation times, not just cruise times. Most of the "cheap" fares are gone. I don't think you are going to get any lower fares by waiting. And you definitely aren't going to find lower fares on the non-stop or one stop routes because those are the ones everybody wants to take.