Airfares!!

[littysmom]

Hello!

Can anyone explain what's going on with airfares skyrocketing? We did some research,  and the current rates are outrageous.  We're sailing in April, so for right now we're hoping they come down. 

Thanks!

Lisa

 

[Elaine5715]

10 minutes ago, littysmom said:

Hello!

Can anyone explain what's going on with airfares skyrocketing? We did some research,  and the current rates are outrageous.  We're sailing in April, so for right now we're hoping they come down. 

Thanks!

Lisa

 

Because they can

[beerman2]

15 minutes ago, littysmom said:

Hello!

Can anyone explain what's going on with airfares skyrocketing? We did some research,  and the current rates are outrageous.  We're sailing in April, so for right now we're hoping they come down. 

Thanks!

Lisa

 

Are your dates close to Easter/Spring Breaks? Is so that's the reason.

[littysmom]

We've been doing fake bookings and that's what they are for the next 2 months.  It's to soon to book for ours in April.  We've gone every April and try to get a feel of what the current rates are, and they are double from last year .

[keywest1]

Have you checked AA and United?  We had always flown Southwest, then Jet Blue was cheaper for a little while.  Now, I'm finding my best deals on AA,  particularly about a month after they release their fares (close to a year out).  

Southwest  and JetBlue are much higher than what I had been booking for two plus years ago when compared with AA.

It also helps if you have more than one airport close enough to fly out of.  It's amazing the difference 100 miles can make in air fares sometimes.

[naxer]

I just got our tickets for January (Detroit to LA), and they were surprisingly high, and going up.  I don't know what it is.

[littysmom]

Yes, we cruise twice a year and compare all the airlines. I flew with AA last year, once. We try and wait to book 3 months out, since we've found the best rates to be at that time. But, the current rates are terrible compared to what we viewed last year around this time. We cruised the Panama Canal leaving from Tampa last April.  Flew Southwest rt 325.00. We were happy with that, as our luggage was included  .

 

 

 

[littysmom]

8 minutes ago, naxer said:

I just got our tickets for January (Detroit to LA), and they were surprisingly high, and going up.  I don't know what it is.

It's terrible. 

[Keys2Heaven]

Lots of articles on this. A few key points:

 

• Mergers of airlines...less competition
• Fuel costs
• Taxes and fees assessed to airlines
• Demand...most planes fly to full capacity

As long as there is demand, consumers will have to pay those costs passed on to them by the airlines.

One option is to get an airline CC. Most of the time, they offer quite a few points after you make your first qualifying purchase (could be as small as a pack of gum). Easy way to earn miles is to pay any installment payments with your CC and then pay the card off. You might be able to earn quite a few miles in a year that way.

Edited October 28, 2019 by Keys2Heaven

[littysmom]

14 minutes ago, Keys2Heaven said:

Lots of articles on this. A few key points:

 

• Mergers of airlines...less competition
• Fuel costs
• Taxes and fees assessed to airlines
• Demand...most planes fly to full capacity

As long as there is demand, consumers will have to pay those costs passed on to them by the airlines.

One option is to get an airline CC. Most of the time, they offer quite a few points after you make your first qualifying purchase (could be as small as a pack of gum). Easy way to earn miles is to pay any installment payments with your CC and then pay the card off. You might be able to earn quite a few miles in a year that way.

Thanks!

[CruiserBruce]

The economy is good. The cheapest fares were sold 3 or 4 months ago. You are going in peak vacation time.

[phillyguy31]

We pulled the trigger for our June 2020 about 2 months ago. Because I am a masochist I continue monitoring the fare. It went down about $60.00 for about a week and now it is over $200.00 more. This is on American. I decided not to wait for Southwest to release their fares. When I did a mock booking with SW it was always higher but of course it wasn't the same date. We decided to set a price and if it hit that we went for it, it worked for us.

[bbtondo]

We booked airfare for our Spring 2020 Med cruise 2 days after it was available to book. I had been lurking at the airfare for awhile and got a feel for what a good price was.  Was happy with the price and booked.   Since then, it's been much higher every time I check.

 

Good luck!

[Keys2Heaven]

Some sites have fare checkers or daily email notification for a flight you're interested in. And I heard once that the best time to book was Tuesday afternoon, believe it or not.

[littysmom]

Yes.I'm more worried for my kids. They are booking for their families.  Im just one person.  They are considering on driving to Miami from Pennsylvania! That's not for me! 

[littysmom]

7 minutes ago, Keys2Heaven said:

Some sites have fare checkers or daily email notification for a flight you're interested in. And I heard once that the best time to book was Tuesday afternoon, believe it or not.

Yes, We've heard that too. That's usually when we try and get online and check. I'll have to look into price drop notifications. 

Thanks!

[FlyerTalker]

39 minutes ago, Keys2Heaven said:

Some sites have fare checkers or daily email notification for a flight you're interested in. And I heard once that the best time to book was Tuesday afternoon, believe it or not.

 

29 minutes ago, littysmom said:

Yes, We've heard that too. That's usually when we try and get online and check. I'll have to look into price drop notifications. 

Thanks!

 

Urban legend.

 

If you are FLYING on a Tuesday, your pricing may well be better than on other days, as there is significantly less business flying that day of the week.

 

But...if you want to  believe that.  Or the chestnut that 54 days out is the best.  Or the other myths out there.

[silversneakers]

6 hours ago, littysmom said:

Hello!

Can anyone explain what's going on with airfares skyrocketing? We did some research,  and the current rates are outrageous.  We're sailing in April, so for right now we're hoping they come down. 

Thanks!

Lisa

 

Have you checked with Carnival Fly2Fun?  I just booked international flights with them for a savings over published airline rate of $500 per person.  I usually check Google Flights for the info and fares so I know what I am talking about, zero in on what airline, etc. that I want and give that to my PVP or call Carnival directly.  The good thing is that you don't have to pay for the airfare until final payment is due for the cruise and you can re-fare if price goes down. Make sure you are looking at apple-to-apples for rates because most airline websites lowest fares are the basic economy fares which cannot be upgraded and some do not allow selecting seats until just prior to flight date and also may charge for bags. Good luck!

[iancal]

It is all down to demand, supply, and the respective airline pricing logarithms.  No magic whatsoever.

[Keys2Heaven]

3 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

 

Urban legend.

 

If you are FLYING on a Tuesday, your pricing may well be better than on other days, as there is significantly less business flying that day of the week.

 

But...if you want to  believe that.  Or the chestnut that 54 days out is the best.  Or the other myths out there.

I didn't say I believed it, only that I heard it, but here's a link that talks about buying on Tuesday. So, I wouldn't just blanketdly state that this an urban myth.

 

https://www.farecompare.com/travel-advice/tips-from-air-travel-insiders/

Edited October 29, 2019 by Keys2Heaven

[Zach1213]

Fantastic US economy + rising business AND leisure demand + limited/static inventory = higher fares 

[CoolOne56]

Air prices are ridiculous! As of today. SW r/t from Philly to Ft. Lauderdale for 2/28 returning 3/8 - $552.86!  Other airlines are even higher! 😡

[Budget Queen]

The past has nothing to do with the future.   Do you really think the same numbers of people are what’s happening a year later???  

 

Demand is more than the supply-  simple.   

 

Take the chance and wait and you could be paying more,  or not going.   

 

Problem with waiting is you can’t change your mind and go back and purchase that earlier lower price.   And airlines aren’t going out back and pulling another plane out of the garage.   😀😀.  

[Tapi]

Keep checking, even multiple times a day. Unless you’re flying during a very busy holiday, chances are that you’ll see considerable price fluctuations, specially if your cruise is still several months away. Get creative and check one way fares on multiple airlines, and expand your search to other nearby airports, etc  
 

When I started checking flights for our upcoming February 2020 cruise, round trip airfare from ATL-FLL was hovering around $350pp. But then one day I found $66pp on Delta for our flight down so I purchased that one way, and then a few weeks later I found $59pp on Spirit for the return so I purchased that. 
 

So we are flying round trip to FLL for $125pp. The masochist in me keeps checking fares just to see what they are doing and now the cheapest fare I’ve seen for days is $250pp, which is pretty average for this route, but I’m grateful that I pulled the trigger at the right moment. 

 

Same thing with hotels. I’ve been checking for weeks, and the only way to spend less than $250/night was by staying at a Rodeway Inn in the bad part of town. Last week it seems like there was some sort of break, and several hotel rates dropped considerably. I now have the Embassy Suites booked for $131/night.

 

So don’t give up. Keep checking. If it looks suspiciously high, don’t book just yet. But if it’s close to what you’re willing/able to pay, then go for it. Hope you find something soon. 

Edited October 29, 2019 by Tapi

[littysmom]

8 minutes ago, Tapi said:

Keep checking, even multiple times a day. Unless you’re flying during a very busy holiday, chances are that you’ll see considerable price fluctuations, specially if your cruise is still several months away. Get creative and check one way fares on multiple airlines, and expand your search to other nearby airports, etc  
 

When I started checking flights for our upcoming February 2020 cruise, round trip airfare from ATL-FLL was hovering around $350pp. But then one day I found $66pp on Delta for our flight down so I purchased that one way, and then a few weeks later I found $59pp on Spirit for the return so I purchased that. 
 

So we are flying round trip to FLL for $125pp. The masochist in me keeps checking fares just to see what they are doing and now the cheapest fare I’ve seen for days is $250pp, which is pretty average for this route, but I’m grateful that I pulled the trigger at the right moment. 

 

Same thing with hotels. I’ve been checking for weeks, and the only way to spend less than $250/night was by staying at a Rodeway Inn in the bad part of town. Last week it seems like there was some sort of break, and several hotel rates dropped considerably. I now have the Embassy Suites booked for $131/night.

 

So don’t give up. Keep checking. If it looks suspiciously high, don’t book just yet. But if it’s close to what you’re willing/able to pay, then go for it. Hope you find something soon. 

Thanks so much. I appreciate u taking the time. Have a great cruise!