Booking a flight

[Belle1217]

Hey everyone. I was wondering if anyone had any advice for booking a cheap airline ticket. I have heard some people say to book on certain days of the week or to fly on certain days. We are going Nov. 30 and coming home Dec.6. The type of person I am I will make myself sick looking for the cheapest airfare from now till then. Does anyone have any suggestions or methods that they have tried and have worked. Thanks for all your help. Oh and a little background info we are a family of 5.:lei:

[sillyolbear]

I regularly use some of the travel sites that will display several airlines fares and allow you to compare nearby airports. Some sites will also email you periodic updates on your route with flights that meet your fare range.

I rarely, if ever buy from those sites. You can generally save a few bucks on the ticket by then going to the airline website directly.

Unfortunately Southwest isn't usually included in the travel sites, but you can sign up for a Ding.

[disneymom15]

On the news the other day, they mentioned that the airlines use a clearing house for unsold tickets. They went on to say that the best times to look for cheapest fares is 2:30pm, 4:30pm and midnight eastern time. I didn't hear if this is a daily process or not, I have been checking on a regular basis and haven't noticed any reduction in prices. I'm hoping they will drop some. I like to purchase my airline tickets early and not have to worry.

[Strmchsr]

sillyolbear's suggestion of using Ding if you live near an airport with SW or one of the travel sites that show multiple options is the best way. The other thing is if at all possible to be flexible with the dates of your vacation. If you can move it forward or back by a day you might could save considerable money on airfare. Most airline websites have a system where you can check for fares on surrounding days and they will show you the days with the cheapest fares.

[Bri]

I'm not sure how cheap you will be able to find tickets for that time frame. November 30 is just a few days after Thanksgiving so there will be a lot of Thanksgiving travelers. We were originally going to go December 1-8 and tickets were at least $200 more than December 8-15. The best thing to do is decide on an acceptable price per ticket and jump on anything close to that price. Also, check out kayak's website, they will give you the prices for the travel sites like expedia and orbitz as well as the airline website prices. You can also do name your own price at priceline. Also, if you are searching travel sites like priceline and you see a price you like, look at the airline's website before you buy, sometimes the airline website will be cheaper than the travel site. Also search nearby airports, but be sure to take into consideration parking fees, gas, tolls, etc., but with a party of 5 that shouldn't matter much. Good Luck, I hope you find something!

[disneycouple2004]

sidestep

i found the best deal here every time
its really good..searches all the airlines and then directs you to their website
:thumbsup:

[vamaggie]

I would also say set a price you are ok with and once you see that, grab it. Some airlines will give you refunds (or credits to use later) if the cost goes down. Also, try to book as soon as possible. We went to WDW last Nov and I booked our tickets last Feb for something like $215 RT each. By the spring the tkt price was up to over $300 each and by late summer it was upto over $600!

[thrillme]

Southwest is often the best when they FIRST come out with the timeframe you're going (I think they're up to August right now).

Spirit is also pretty good IF you have an airline in your area.

[SamG]

Something to look out for... the cheapest ticket doesn't mean the cheapest fare.

I was recently looking for tickets for out next trip (Dec 26-Jan 03). Delta's ticket price was $379/ticket, Expedia was $359, and Orbitz (I think) was $339. Hey, go with Orbitz, right? Well, Orbitz had $80 in fees making the total $420. Delta's fees were $25 making it $410.

Bottom line, look at the bottom line. :mickey:

[Belle1217]

Thanks for all your help. Last year we went the same time and I got airfare for $130 Per person. But I don't see anything at all close to those prices. I will keep looking!!:mickey: