Purchase airfare now or wait?

[tabbycat1]

We will be returning home to NY from Vancouver on 9/2/09 but can't decide if we should purchase airfare tickets now or wait and take the chance the fares will come down. Any suggestions?

[CowPrincess]

Check Westjet. They have sales regularly (30 - 50% off), and fly to New York, I think. westjet.com I was able to save more than half by booking during an extreme sale. And they are running sales regularly. Well-established Canadian airline not on the Sabre (??)system. Great on time record, and very pleasant to work with. 737s, so pretty comfortable.

 

IF you book flights with them, make yourself aware of their cancellation policies and costs.

[rubytue]

Check farecast.com. It has a prediction tool and vancouver is an airport covered. In the two times I've tracked fares with it, I've found it pretty good.

 

eta: oh wait.. they only do predictions on round trip. But it shows $350 for YVR to JFK right now. I'd be fairly happy with that for coast-to-coast, one-way, international.

[kenish]

tabbycat- Also check Cathay Pacific (CX) from YVR-JFK. They fly nonstop, departing YVR around 930pm and arriving JFK at 600am. I don't know if you consider a redeye a good or bad thing! No idea on fares, but worth checking.

[family_planner]

You may want to ask on the "cruise air" board here. Those people are great. I'm in upstate NY so have the extra leg. Watched the fares all fall. We had booked cruise air for $1050 just as a starting point. I finally got tickets this week for $591 pp, which is as low as I've seen when you eliminate flights with layovers of 45 min or less. They may go down further, but I would rather book the times I want since back to NY is a redeye in most cases. Try kayak.com which is now my new favorite site. This site also tells you how many seats are left (9+ or a number if it is less than 9). Some flights are filling up so you have to look at price vs getting the flight time you want.

[krogerlady]

Just sharing my experience, I started watching air fares about the same time I joined CC. Came to the conclusion I needed to budge $800 and if it was less good for me. Watched the open jaw flight from ATL to SEA and then ANC to ATL go from almost 700, to a little over 700, hover around that point, go up again, and then start to come down. So, we jumped on it about two weeeks ago. Got very good connection, except for leaving ANC at 12:30am, which was better than 1:30 am, for $701.99. The following Monday, not even a week later, the fare went up $50. So basically, no one can tell you a good time to book, unless you have watched the flights for several months and seen the changes. I think we did good. Will it come down any...it might...but all in all, I never saw it for less in the last year, so I am satisfied. I used orbitz for all my research because they search all the others, also Kayak, but then booked direct thru the carrier. Would have been okay with Orbitz, but when their connections with continental went up, and the continental site had not, I grabbed it.

Good luck!!

[krogerlady]

BTW, just checked and my same flight this morning isnow up to 789. I would watch them for a month, daily, twice a day, and if you see something you like, do not wait until the next morning. They up date their prices someting like three times a week, and twice on the week-end. Orbitz went up overnight. They must have had insidei nformations, cuz continental went up the next day.

[JerseyJaguar]

I did it very much like Krogerlady, I determined what would be a good price for everything I wanted to do (I'm stopping in Minnesota for a night plus flying to Barrow) and decided if I could do it for less than that grab it.

 

My starting point was the Barrow flights because there aren't a whole lot of choices there. I also looked at the various options for getting home from Vancouver, flying from there or Seattle.

 

When I first started playing around with the numbers it was about $1,600. When Alaska Air had their sale I was able to get the Alaska part (including a flight from Seattle to Anchorage) for $513. Then I just kept playing with the rest of it till I was able to do the whole trip for under $1,000.

 

You have to figure out what you are willing to spend and how many options you have. Living in Northern Jersey I was able to look at flights from Newark and NYC and found I could fly from JFK to Minnesota for half the price as Newark. And coming home I'm flying into Newark from Seattle, with a bus ride from Vancouver that still comes out much cheaper than a flight from Vancouver.

[dresch25]

You may want to ask on the "cruise air" board here. Those people are great. I'm in upstate NY so have the extra leg. Watched the fares all fall. We had booked cruise air for $1050 just as a starting point. I finally got tickets this week for $591 pp, which is as low as I've seen when you eliminate flights with layovers of 45 min or less. They may go down further, but I would rather book the times I want since back to NY is a redeye in most cases. Try kayak.com which is now my new favorite site. This site also tells you how many seats are left (9+ or a number if it is less than 9). Some flights are filling up so you have to look at price vs getting the flight time you want.

 

Family Planner,

What airport are you flying from? DH and I are going to Alaska in August and I went to Kayak.com trying to find the best way there. If I fly out of Albany to O'Hare than to Vancouver, I get there at 10:30 am. The problem is finding a filght home from Anchorage. Most filghts leave around midnight and I wanted to stay an extra day in Anchorage. Another problem is do I fly home to Albany or Fly to the City (I live 100 miles North of the City and 40 miles South of Albany)

[snowglobe]

In my experience, a one way ticket to NY will be more expensive from Vancouver than Seattle - always check both scenarios as the difference can be minimal (not worth the shuttle and effort) or quite dramatic (worth the shuttle and added trouble).

 

Seat sales that include the month of September should be normally available in May/June. It can be earlier this year as the airlines are hurting. I've seen them sacrifice a later sale, for the sake of boosting a current quarter. For example, back in January a saw a seat sale include NEXT Christmas -- practically unheard of before!

 

Using kayak dot com , pay particular attention to the fares NW or USAIR may be offering. AA, CO & UA may surprise us all with lower than normal fares as well.

 

I wouldn't feel pressure to book until later in May, unless the seat sales come early...

[lovetocruise99]

I've found the best thing is to go to Yapta.com and enter the flights you want to watch. They will email you if the price goes up or down. Also once you've purchased the flight be sure to enter the info into Yapta because they will still let you know if you can get a travel voucher if the flight drops in price. My flight from Vancouver to Atlanta dropped $175 each for three passengers on United. Yapta alerted me immediately so I placed the call to United and found out they don't charge the $75 change fee if you're flying to and from Canada. They gave me 3 vouchers for $175 each which I have a year to use.

 

Unfortunately my flight from Atlanta to Anchorage cost $512 each so it's not a bargain at all but my travel insurance won't cover Frontier Airlines which is much cheaper.

[derrick22]

I'm in upstate NY so have the extra leg. Watched the fares all fall. We had booked cruise air for $1050 just as a starting point. I finally got tickets this week for $591 pp, which is as low as I've seen when you eliminate flights with layovers of 45 min or less. They may go down further, but I would rather book the times I want since back to NY is a redeye in most cases.

 

Please give me the details! I live in Orange County but for that price I'd travel.

 

Thanks

 

Denise

[wvufan]

Don't know if SW goes to NY, but we flew then to Seattle last year and then took the bus to the port. Our fare one way was $145 each and the bus was about $50. Many people take Amtrak between Seattle and Vancouver and say it is a gorgeous trip. Cheaper than the bus, but the bus drops you right at the ship.

 

By the way, if you are going in to Vancouver a day early and need a hotel, look up the YWCA on their website or tripadvisor. No kidding-great place and great rates. Conventional type hotel rooms.

 

Happy Sails to You

 

OOOEEE :D:D Bob and Phyl

[S.S.Oceanlover]

We will be returning home to NY from Vancouver on 9/2/09 but can't decide if we should purchase airfare tickets now or wait and take the chance the fares will come down. Any suggestions?

 

We are flying from Philly to Vancouver on Sept 11th. We already booked. Flying on Delta. We paid $375 total for 2 tix. Bought them last week.

 

OOPS see you are trying to get home from YVR and not get there. Sorry.

 

Bill

[krogerlady]

We finally decided on flights last week. Searching was an experience in itself, since I am not what one would call a seasoned traveler. Mine was 701, open jaw, flying into YVR and out of ANC. I had budgeted no more than 800, because I had been watching flights go up and down for over a year. i was happy with the price, which BTW, wasn't the cheapest, but it allowed our group to connect in Houston and all fly together to YVR. I have checked several times since I have received my confirmation, just out of curiosity, to see what is happening with my connections, and only have seen prices going up again. Our biggest problem was dealing with the late flights out of ANC which really required we put in a date later than we would actually arrive at the airport. We finally got 12:30 am, which beat 1:30am, but no matter how we do it, looks like we will have 6 hours at Ted Stevens. Now if they only had some comfy recliners...zzzzzzzz.....

[gizmodog]

I actually got one way Chicago to Vancouver on United for $120 pp which I found on their website and it was there all of one day....then it was up to $328 pp the next day. Don't know how I got that price but am so glad I did.\

 

I am having real issues with getting home from Anchorage though. We wanted to leave June 2 and there is a flight non stop for $298 but we cannot make connections for the timeframe all other flights are way more and the timing is AWFUL.....I hate those redeye flights. I look every day and am really going crazy trying to find a flight home for a reasonable cost that does not have us traveling for 12+ hours.

[ajwu]

We are flying from Philly to Vancouver on Sept 11th. We already booked. Flying on Delta. We paid $375 total for 2 tix. Bought them last week.

 

OOPS see you are trying to get home from YVR and not get there. Sorry.

 

Bill

 

I just assume these tickets are for one-way. What about you inbound flights?

[S.S.Oceanlover]

I just assume these tickets are for one-way. What about you inbound flights?

 

They are actually the inbound flights. Flying home from Anchorage is running $277pp without any of the taxes right now.

 

Bill

[kenish]

I would watch them for a month, daily, twice a day, and if you see something you like, do not wait until the next morning. They up date their prices someting like three times a week, and twice on the week-end. Orbitz went up overnight.

 

Fares often come and go within minutes. It's just as volatile and unpredictable as stocks. So know what price will be good enough to purchase without further question, and be sure you have all the info at hand to book the flights if and when they appear.

 

We finally got 12:30 am, which beat 1:30am, but no matter how we do it, looks like we will have 6 hours at Ted Stevens. Now if they only had some comfy recliners

 

Well, they have a Starbucks in the terminal after security... :)

[travelteach326]

Take a look at Alaska Airlines site under Mile Plan. If you get their Bank of America Alaska Airline Visa they offer a $50 companion ticket (plus taxes) We used this to fly to Alaska last year and home from Vancouver into Newark,

 

This year we are taking advantage of the same deal and going to Hawaii.

[family_planner]

Please give me the details! I live in Orange County but for that price I'd travel.

 

Been off-line awhile. We're flying out of Syracuse on Delta, transferring in Atlanta and then on to Seattle where we take Alaskan Air to Anc. Return is YVR to Seattle on Air Canada, and then Delta SEA to ATL and ATL to SYR. Going far south just to head north, but the price was right for us since we do not live in a hub city. YVR to east coast is hard to avoid the redeye