I really want to take the kids to see family in California this summer but tickets are already ridiculous expensive. Am I a dummy or are plane tickets really so expensive--for our whole family it will cost nearly $1000 RT! The only options out of my town are Southwest or American.
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Flying has definitely gotten really expensive... We flew to CA in Feb for around $240 a person and that was a really good deal and off season.. So yes, for our family of 4, it was definitely a grand. Maybe if you don't fly direct? Sorry!
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we just booked tickets for 4 to california and they were not cheap but it was over spring break. i researched for hours upon hours playing with different departing/return dates and times.
flying seems so expensive lately!
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@matador84: yep. We need to buy ticket for an upcoming trip but i've been putting it off. Watch us get a flight that has like 3 stops now because I didn't have the courage to just buy them. They have gotten so expensive though! I remember like 4 years ago, we went to Florida for $125? It's $235+ now. It's a tough transition hehe.
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I told a good friend I would come to visit before looking at flights. I still plan on going, but they are definitely pricier than I thought!
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The best time to buy is 4-6 weeks before you go. Keep an eye on prices, but they most likely won't drop until much closer to the dates you fly.
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Agree with @lawbee11:, and you can also put a Yapta alert on specific flights you're interested in - they send emails whenever the fares change (up or down), so you'll really be able to track them.
Also, check out this article from the NYT, which may be helpful: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/15/travel/how-to-choose-an-air-travel-search-site.html
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Tips say to buy on Tue afternoon and around 54 days before departure as a general guideline!
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How come those are the only 2 options?
Southwest has an app called ding you can install that often has great rates.. -
Along with the other responses, usually if you can fly Tues/Wed to Tues/Wed, it can be cheaper. Weekends and Monday are usually high travel times.
Also, clear you cookies. I've noticed that if I search for a particular flight repeatedly that prices can go up.
Also, I have a airline credit card where it gives us $100 companion pass. So you can pay regular price for the first person to fly and $100 for the second person. Then you can get miles.
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I feel like it has been harder in the last few years to fly cheap, unless you are going in the off season or have very flexible dates. When I was a student (10+ years ago) I once flew from the US to Paris for $180 one way. That's not likely to ever happen again.
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It is expensive.
We paid $900 to fly my mom to London to visit in November. Flying mid-week is cheaper. Look at booking directly through the airline too, they can usually do a decent job of getting cheaper prices.
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Lawbee is right! 4-6 weeks out is the best time. Also put an alert on your flight, be flexible with what day you leave and look at the matrixes on kayak. Also, do you have points/miles on your credit card you can use?
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Oh and also, the more limited airlines out of your airport, the harder it is to get deals. My parents always have to pay more since they live near a small airport.
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Thanks! We are also in a small town with limited options of airlines (delta, america, and us air). Any option to get out includes a layover in a major hub city.
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I really don't think it's possible, especially if you aren't flexible with dates or your destination. I find international flights to be especially impossible.
The only place where I think it's possible to fly inexpensively is Disney World, if you look for a package deal or get a package via Costco for another desintation. THen it seems you get a deal.
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Ooooh US bees...be happy you're not flying into the US from Toronto, where the taxes outweigh the cost of a plane ticket. Tickets for me to visit friends in Chicago cost $650+ at a minimum. You can find deals for like...$99 one way, but then you're paying $300 in taxes.
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Airfare is getting ridiculously expensive; and if you don’t have flexible dates and/or are looking to fly over holidays or school vacations you get hosed. We paid almost $2500 to fly from ME to CA last Christmas – that was for 2 tickets (LO was a lap infant!).
The only way I score deals are to stalk JetBlue (my airline of choice) deals and sales - - just scored us tickets down to Philly for a long weekend trip for $220 roundtrip for 2 tickets! Also bought our tickets to DC on sale as well for about half of what they normally are.
If you use Facebook, like the airlines that fly out of your local airport. I’ve found JetBlue often announces sales on Facebook so I have a heads up to look at what they have before the tickets sell out. Other than that, I like kayak to watch fares. But, it’s just expensive to fly!
ETA: last idea - if you don't already have a rewards credit card, get one you can use for airfare. At least then you can save up your points and use them so the cost of airfare isn't so terrible.
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Our Christmas flights from Toronto to Newfoundland are looking like they'll be $3000+ for 3 seats — which means we're not going unless they come down quite a bit.
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@hotchildinthecity: @lawbee11: I just read an article that said on average the absolute cheapest date to book is 54 days in advance of your trip. Which I was thought was kind of far out!
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@babycanuck: What the...... That sucks major!!!
I was also going to suggest flying during the weekday, or if you need a weekend trip, fly out on Thursday vs Friday because Thursday rates are significantly cheaper!
I know SW has promotions once in awhile if you keep an eye out, but flying in general has gotten more expensive thanks to the cost of fuel and whatever other crazy shenanigans going on with airlines.
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@matador84: Have you heard of travel hacking? It sounds crazy and it takes a little work, but you can fly for next to nothing. I haven't tried it - only read about it.
http://atoadontheroad.com/hawaii5/
What we do is just use our Southwest card for everything and fly when we have enough points to cover it.
We paid $900 to fly my mom to London to visit in November. Reply
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