Booking Flights

[Bringonthemouse!]

I'm hust wondering how far in advance you book your flights. Do you leave it til the week before or are you planning crazy and book it 6 months out? Are there better deals closer to your vacation dates, or is there the possibility the price goes up because the seats are in demand. Let me know what "you in the know" usually do.
Thanx
:mickey:

[thumperbug]

It depends what airline you fly and when your visit is going to be. I usually book my flight as soon as the date is available as I have seen the flights I want sell out the day they go on sale. As for prices, again, depends on the airline and time of year you are going. I have read that the cheapest airfares are on Tuesdays and Wednesday.

[dismommy]

We are going in November and I actually bought tickets today. I have been the flight I wanted for awhile and today the price dropped so I bought the tickets. Thought about the possibility that they could go cheaper, but I doubt they will drop much further and they could go up. Last time I bought tickets 6 months out.:wave:

[luvdiznee]

We are going in September and I booked ours a few days ago. Gotta love those nonstop flights. :mickey:

[aurora, ariel, and bell]

We are going in september as well. What airline did you book with. i want to go early in the am, but cannot find direct flights:confused:

[beksy]

Great thread! Our last trip to Disney was the first time I ever bought the plane tickets myself (before I only flew on a school trip) and I was totally lost. I ended up paying a lot more than I probably would have had to. :( Advice on when and where to buy plane tickets is definitely appreciated!:mickey:

[EvilQueen2006]

I usually fly Southwest. I book as soon as the dates I want come out, then if the price drops I rebook at the cheaper rate and use the funds toward my next trip. Always gives me a good excuse to go back! :thumbsup:

[teambricker04]

I start looking as soon as we decide we are going, but generally, unless we find a great deal, don't buy until a couple months out. I start by checking out the direct flights, as it is the way to go. I don't know how the costs of flights are from every location, but if I can find flights 200 bucks or less per seat that is a steal and I snap them up.

You can check flights and cost on travel websites, but they don't have the inventory that the actual airline has. It is a good way to start to compare and see who flies direct.

[Mrs Grumpy]

I book as soon as the price gets into my range. I know the maximum I want to pay and as soon as it hits anywhere under that amount I buy.

[Taja]

Most airlines will charge you much more the closer you are to your flight dates. Unless you happen to find a special where they're trying to fill flights!

As other posters have noted, be aware of the airlines that serve your primary airport. Also check to see if there are any additional airports within reasonable driving distance that may offer lower fares and/or better schedules.

Check all of the airlines for your dates and desired routes and get an idea of the maximum you are willing to pay for your airfare. And verify their changes/refund policies, as well as their baggage policies. Everything seems to change regularly these days! *LOL*

If you're in a non-competitive market, you may need to book earlier than in some other markets. But I would book at least 3 months out--more if possible.

[KylesMom]

We typically book six months out with either American or United to get the best fares to MCO(DS won't fly SW-long story). By booking in January for a July trip, we saved $81 each, or $243 for our family of 3 by booking early versus what the rates are as of today. I keep an eye out up until we leave to plan for for future Disney travel dates, and have never found seat availability or $$$ to be improved when we break the 90-day barrier for a first in, last out flight to Orlando. In fact, I've seen these flights go up to over $500 per ticket prior to our departure due to such limited availability!

Perhaps it is because we go during peak summer travel time, too that we feel we need to book at the 6-month mark, but we're able to get the flights we want, and guaranteed seats together. :mickey:

[Bri]

we are going in december and i bought our tickets in january. what i like to do is decide on an acceptable price per ticket and then get the tickets when they are around that price i'm looking for. we also like to arrive at disney early. i have read that "peak" flying times are in the afternoon, you can usually get the cheapest flights when you depart early in the morning or late at night.

[thumperbug]

We are lucky in that there is a small local airport 15 mins from home where there is only 2 airline carriers and one of them is Southwest and they fly direct to MCO. We usually take the first flight out in the morning (6:30 am) and the last one home. The prices are usually decent and we have a Southwest card (to accompany our Disney rewards Visa) so we usually rack up enough points for free flights.
Never had a problem with Southwest. Since it is a small airport the flights always take off on time. Our return flight in December was delayed due to weather and when I went to pay for a cocktail on the flight..the flight attendant gave it to me for free with the explaination that the flight was late leaving. Now thats an airline I like!!

[Dakota Rose]

There are a couple of fare forecasting websites out there, so google those. You can also subscribe to Air Fare Watchdog. They publish last minute fares from whatever city you specify. I haven't very often seen last minute deals to Orlando. United offers low-fare gaurantee, so even after you book if the fare goes down they give you the difference in a flight credit. I'd do some research, determine your maximum price and when the rates drop to that price (or lower) then book the fare. In general you can find cheaper airfares from airports that are serviced by the discount airlines like SW or Jetblue.