travelinjo

I understand the whole idea about grabbing a great fare when you see it and usually have good luck doing so. But we're usually only planning a few months in advance.

This time I'm looking at departing next year on Easter Sunday specifically, not a day before or after. Too random and irrelevant to explain why. But this is the only day we can depart so how likely are we to get the best fares now? And if not now, when would you suggest getting them? This would be for 4-8 people, if that makes a difference.

TIA for your ideas.

DonTopaz

The likelihood of your getting a better price later on is very low. Most of the recent fare sales have excluded Friday or Sunday travel (and many sales include only Tues/Wed/Thur). Obviously, if almost no seats are sold between now and, say, Christmas, there may be a sale that includes Fri/Sun. Do you want the exact probability of that? (It's 14%, btw.)

Seamus

Unless you see a great fare now, I would wait. Weekend fares are usually higher, but not necessarily excluded from sales. Sales are not usually announced more than a couple months (or less) in advance.

Jeff_Costa_Rica

You don't say where you're going. Is it some tropical, spring break-y type of destination?

J62

It's way too early for airlines to offer discounted fares for next spring.

If your flight is for a flight to a non-resort destination I would wait, probably until the 1st quarter myself.

Easter week is often spring school vacation for many school districts, so if you are going where school families are likely to go it's a different story. I'd look at the price of fares for the fall to get a feel for what the normal/low fares are being offered, then start watching the Easter date. If you find an Easter fare for a good price then grab it.

You also have to look at how much competition/options there are for you. The more limited, the less choosy you can be about price.

travelinjo

Thanks for the feedback.

Jeff_Costa_Rica, not sure where we'll go, but most likely domestic. Current thoughts are Vegas, LA, Arizona.

We've frequent travelers but its usually just 2 or 4 of us. This time there will be at least 6, maybe 8, which might make it more difficult. No, we don't need to literally sit together, but it would be good to be on the same flight.

Also, some have expressed interest in using their FF miles. I've discouraged the idea simply because availability will be unlikely - is that correct? But mostly, it will make it more difficult - yes? But if seats are available, when would you suggest booking?

Thanks, all.

J62

Vegas, LA, or Phoenix from just about anywhere - I wouldn't book tickets for myself until January.

FF miles (from where, and which airline?). No need to discourage the idea, especially without even checking 1st.

I have no problem using AA FF tickets 1-2x per year with about 3-4mo notice, especially on routes with a lot of flight options.

If FF seats are available the book them now. If you know your dates and travel plans are firm there really isn't any advantage to waiting with FF tickets.

travelinjo

Thanks, J62.

I would grab FF seats now if just for the two of us, but since I'm coordinating others' travel, it will probably mean separate flights. Not a huge deal I guess, but would prefer being together. I guess that's whats making me hesitate and question everything.

So if I find FF seats for the 4 of us, I guess I could just watch the flight for the other 2-4. And how likely is it they'll change us if obtained this far in advance? Again, while we've often used miles, its usually within 2-3 months max.

doug_stallings

I see no need to book a frequent-flier ticket so far in advance if you are just taking a domestic flight. (Las Vegas might be a little harder, but it's usually really easy to get on a flight to LA or Phoenix.) Monitor the fares on the routes you're interested in, and when a good deal comes up, reserve the tickets for 24 hours for the people who are paying, and then check to see if you can get the FF tickets on the same flight. I think that's the best thing.

For Las Vegas, you might do better booking a package through a travel agent; same thing for Phoenix if you are staying in a resort-type place. But my real advice my differ dramatically depending on the your destination and what you plan to do.

travelinjo

>>> reserve the tickets for 24 hours for the people who are paying, and then check to see if you can get the FF tickets on the same flight.<<<

Thanks for the feedback. But can you also explain how you "reserve" flights for 24 hours? In all my years of travel, how did I miss that? Disclaimer: For many years however, we had our travel agent make our travel plans.

doug_stallings

Yes, you put a hold on the seat. You can do this if you book directly on any airline's web site. (Once you find a good fare, you doublecheck that it's available directly from the airline's site, and then reserve but not pay for the tickets.) This hold lasts 24 hours. I can't speak about every airline, but I have done this on both the Delta and American web sites.

A travel agent can also put a courtesy hold on an airline reservation, and then each traveler could call into the agent and give their own credit card numbers. Yes, there's almost always a booking fee, but having someone else do this legwork is a huge help. You probably won't have to hold the seat for 24 hours. Call and check on the available of FF tickets immediately (or try booking them on line on another web browser tab).

Kay2

AA site does hold for 24 hours at fare (but no holding two different flights for the same person at same time, like if you want to hold tickets to LA and LV while you check which one has FF seats available--computer will either not allow or cancel without notice).

DL site requires you to pay for your tickets, then you have 24 hours to cancel online and get a refund.

These options are not available from all the airlines. Not available from the online travel agency bookings generally. Are available from human travel agents generally.