Speaking of Airfare

[maxrebo77]

What kind of plane ticket buyer are you?

Do you:
Find the price you can afford at the time and never look back?
Wait till the last minute hoping for the best deal?
Get mad that you are sitting next to someone that keeps bragging about how little they paid?
Try and keep your mouth shut about how little You paid?

How do you decide when to get your plane tickets and why?

[NotaGeek]

What kind of plane ticket buyer are you?

Do you:
Find the price you can afford at the time and never look back?
Wait till the last minute hoping for the best deal?
Get mad that you are sitting next to someone that keeps bragging about how little they paid?
Try and keep your mouth shut about how little You paid?

How do you decide when to get your plane tickets and why?
I worked in travel for 15 years ... to be honest there will ALWAYS be someone that paid less then you ... and more than you. I decide my budget. I want to go to Disney (or wherever) and I am willing to spend $XXX -- and I know that when I find tickets for less than that amount, I buy them. No looking back. If more sales come out I will call the airline and ask them to give me credit for another flight for the savings, but to be honest that rarely happens -- because the cheaper fare has to be on your EXACT flight ... it's not worth the drama. Figure out your budget first, buy tickets less than your budget and let it go. :plane:

[vicster]

If I'm happy with the price I go for it!

[disneymom15]

My target is $250 or less. Our upcoming trip we paid $280.

[Jeri Lynn]

I always have a target of $200, however, right now Southwest has little to offer since they opened up their schedule yesterday. The flights out of Hartford, Boston or Providence are pretty pitiful.

[marlaine]

AirTran has a wonderful rate going on this week only. I bought my tickets in Feb. during a special and got a great price from Chicago. Now the prices are even better. For the amount of money I would save, it wasn't worth the hassle of cancelling and re-booking.
I figure once it's done, it's done. Last year when gas prices were so high, I paid 2 times as much as this year, so I'm happy!:)

[Mrs Bus Driver]

The time of day I get there is as important as the price. It isn't worth it to save a couple of bucks if it means arriving at midnight. I prefer to get there as early as possible in the afternoon. If I can get a non-stop so much the better, I get there faster and save on airport fees (trust me on SW often times the non-stops are cheaper). I also get my tickets about 6 months ahead, I usually get the cheapest price. If I were to book last minute I might not get the flight I want. My upcoming trip because DH has cancer and tires easily I booked USAir they had more non-stops and were cheaper then SW. It would only cost more if we were to have more than 1 checked bag apiece.

[Checkers]

:mickey:When we have our dates set when we are going, I wait for what I feel is a good fare and then book it. Nonstop flights are important to us and AirTran started flying out of HIA last fall and offers one each day to Orlando. The only downside is the returning flight leaves at 8:30 a.m. so essentially eliminates one of our vacation days. Next time I will be smarter and book an extra day:)!

[mudpuppysmom]

Usually I have a flexible window of when we can go, so I use that to a slight advantage when booking flights.

Then I either start looking at them price wise for about a week and then decide if I'm going to wait or buy.....it's really like spinning the wheel and relying on your luck if you ask me.

Someone else said -- you'll always find someone who paid less or more than you so I'm just glad I'm going period!

[MNNHFLTX]

I always keep an eye the prices of fares to places I go to frequently, that way I have an idea of what's the best deal when it is time to buy. I almost never buy way ahead of time; usually it's around the 3-month mark.

[Disney Doll]

Usually I have a flexible window of when we can go, so I use that to a slight advantage when booking flights.

Then I either start looking at them price wise for about a week and then decide if I'm going to wait or buy.....it's really like spinning the wheel and relying on your luck if you ask me.

Someone else said -- you'll always find someone who paid less or more than you so I'm just glad I'm going period!

That's exactly what I do. Usually we find something within my desired price range.

[tinksmom02]

My goal is $200 or under from NJ/NY to MCO. Once our dates are set, they're set, so I know I'm going to pay a little more to fly out on Sat and back on Fri, but that's what works for us. I'm also pretty set on getting the first flight out, and the last one home, which limits us a bit, too.

Basically, as soon as I see something decent, I book. It usually works out, too...the flights we have booked for Sept are currently selling for 2x what I paid (and that's WELL over my $200 limit!).

[BMan62]

Kind of off topic, but there is an article on CNN.com right now with the different fees the airlines charge for things like:
First Bag
Second Bag
Seat Assignment
WiFi
Unaccompanied Minors
Pets
Flight Changes

Thought it might be of interest....

[swampfox28]

It sure is hard to know what's a "good" price anymore...

I remember 5 years ago when SWA had $39 each way for flights from New Orleans(MSY) to Orlando(MCO). Those were the days!!!

Now it's around $200 round trip for November and I can't decide whether or not to jump on that - it's supposed to be a good deal, but it's so much more than it used to be!!:confused: