How to Get the Best Prices on Airfare

Remember the days when we could get one-way fares on Southwest and Jetblue for like $59 and $64?? Man, it was nice for a family of four to fly for only like $500!!! I wish I had a magic wand that would make airfare prices drop. Seriously...that might be my super power if I could have one. Or maybe just the power to fly! The one part of trip planning that stresses me out more than anything else is buying airfare.

These days, I really think there is no surefire way to get cheap airfare. I've read articles about waiting 50 to 75 days before your trip, cause thats when airfare is cheapest, or at 3 a.m on a Wednesday morning. Not in my experience!!! Maybe on major airlines. But I really don't know. I stopped flying major airlines years ago when they decided to charge insane amounts of money to check suitcases. And the prices were more than the discount airlines! With crappy flight schedules. Forget about a direct flight!! Sorry. It just makes no sense to me. If you can get a good deal on a major airline and if you can get away with only taking a tiny suitcase as a carry on, more power to ya. But I can't. And I've yet to find a real deal on a major airline.

So here's what I do.

Most of the trips we take these days are to Disney World. But even if you aren't always flying to the same designation, as soon as you know where you're going, or even when you have the inkling of where you might be going, start watching fare prices. Southwest and Jetblue may not have released their fare schedule yet, but thats okay. Put in fake dates with the same days of the week you are thinking of going. See what it costs. See what the other days of the week cost. Make mental notes, or real notes. You need to know what normal prices are and what cheap prices are. Check when there's fare sales and see what is offered out of your home airport. (my home airport rarely has anything decent) Airfare fluctuates constantly. You need to know what a good price is so when your trip plans are set, you can jump on good airfare when you find it.

If you plan trip far in advance like me, then you usually have plenty of time before SW and JB open their fare schedules. Find out EXACTLY what date they will open. Be on your computer as soon as they open. Check the fares and if they are good, book immediately. Don't wait. I've seen SW change fares within hours after releasing them. And in my experience, they RARELY go back to what they were the day they were released. And even more rare that they go below. Just as an example. I booked RT air on SW for our upcoming WDW trip for $123 each way. Within days, the flight down was $240 and the flight home was $191. I just checked today and the flight home was $196, the flight home, $240. Point is, they will fluctuate constantly, but the chances of it going back to what it was are rare. In my experience ;) It may be different for others. And other airports.

Day of the week is a huge factor too. If you plan on flying Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, you just have to expect higher fares. Those are the popular days to fly. If you fly Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, it's usually cheapest.

And don't be afraid to book a one one flight if it's a great price. And book the return flight on a different airline. These days everything is priced out per way, so its not cheaper to buy a RT ticket rather than 2 one-way flights. Last year we flew SW to LAX and Jetblue home.

So there it is! It's what's worked for me. No magic formula...just good old fashioned research.

And we have a flight home!!

I HATE having a flight one way and not the other. I'd booked my fly down for my March 2011 trip and held on the return flight. So nerve wracking to not have that flight booked to come home. So when I did that yet again for this upcoming trip, it once again left me antsy.

I checked all the sites. Repeatedly. For like a week. The prices on the flights I wanted weren't moving in the direction I wanted. And paying $160 each for the direct Jetblue flight leaving Orlando at 6:55 pm just wasn't gonna happen. Paying that much was just ridiculous.

So then I started considering Airtran. They had a direct flight for $110 (same as what I paid for our flight down on Southwest) but of course, there would be checked bag fees. $20 each to be exact. And it left at 5:49 pm. In total, it was $120 less than the Jetblue flight. Was it worth it to pay $120 for an extra hour in Disney???

Most Disney fanatics, including myself, would say "Hell yes!!!!" But my thrifty self said no. I needed these flights to be as cheap as possible. And it was only an hour. The difference would be Magical Express picking us up at our resort at 2:30 ish or 3:30 ish. Usually by that time we are pretty tired and one extra hour would't really give us much. But still......an hour in Disney is better than an hour anywhere else on earth.

But I was done waiting and worrying the flight would go up just like all the others had. So I booked. And I felt relieved. :)

How are you struggling with airfare these days? Like me, worrying about the cost? Or are you lucky enough not to have to fret about those kinds of things? :)

Airfare is booked...going to Orlando, anyway!

Southwest opened their fares today and I've been waiting for this for months. Airfare ALWAYS gives me the most stress when planning any trip. You just never what you're going to find and you're kinda stuck. If you wanna get where you need to go, you need to pay the crazy prices. Driving is not an option for us. The drive is just too far.

So I've been stalking all the websites for weeks....praying for some kind of great deal today. And I did get it...on the flight down, anyway. $110 for a direct flight leaving at 7:55 am, arriving in Orlando at 10:40 am. We've done early morning direct flights before, but in the past they have been more like 6:30. That got us to Orlando around 9:30, and that was great, but this extra time in the morning to sleep will hopefully ensure that we won't be as tired once we get there!

But the flights home were not as great. SW had a direct flight home, also for $110, but it leaves Orlando at 2:40. That means Magical Express will pick us up around 11:30-11:45. That means our last day is pretty much a waste. We like being able to have at least half a day in the parks. The later flight, 5:20, cost $175. Yikes! I might book with Jetblue for the home flight...they have a direct flight leaving Orlando at 6:55, but it's $160. Not much better in price. The same flight is $110 the next day..........I'd save $200. The extra night at the resort would be less than that! LOL!

So, the stress of purchasing airfare is not yet over for me. :( Hopefully soon though.