Fares seem high now for flights at christmas from dc area to san francisco area. Do fares likely get lower closer to xmas? Is one site better than others (kayak vs orbitz, etc)? Is there an airline we should try that doesn't list with these travel sites other than Southwest? Is BWI to OAK a better route to check? Four of us would like to leave on or after 22nd and stay for about 1 week. Thanks for suggestions!

That wouldn't surprise me. Fares are generally high over Christmas - no matter the destination.

Any DC area airport to either OAK or SFO would work. But I wouldn't expect to find bargains.

We got lucky, I think, and found a bargain IAD-SFO. We leave late afternoon on 12/25 and return late morning of 12/31 on Vigin America for only $259 RT nonstop. No real early or real late departures or arrivals. That's less than anything else I had found w/ or w/o stops so I'm happy (until I hear of even better special offers that I should have waited for). The site on Fodors web site "when to fly" seemed to find fares others had missed, but I found this fare on the Virgin site.

If you can leave on Xmas eve or day, then return on/after January 7, you'll save quite a bit as rates drop substantially then.

nanbug, the deed is done and tks purchased. Xmas to the 7th would have been too long a visit for us, but what site do you use to look for optimal timing?

Oops, I didn't see your last message. You got a great deal, I think.

I just fiddle with the flexible date feature on Kayak, Bing and my "home"/FF airline, Continental.

Kayak and Bing also give you fare charts for most major airports, so you can see how the prices fluctuate based on dates. Kayak also has a calendar feature to see, at a glance, what's happening price-wise.

There are a few other web sites, but these are the ones I use most often. I check them daily and sign up for fare alerts, too.

thanks; I haven't tried Bing before. It brings up great prices. Orbitz RT nonstop for 12/22 to 12/29 was $464; Bing same dates was $239. And Bing tells you to wait, it thinks fares are going down some more! I think the only thing sure is you'll always find a cheaper fare once you buy a ticket and whatever line you get in will be slowest. Anyway, thanks for the Bing suggestion...

You're welcome. I hear you -- it's so hard not to look at the prices after you bought the tickets, but I try not to, but it's just pure torture sometimes. As if buying the tickets isn't torture enough! Anyway, happy travels!

That doesn't surprise me. Flying ON Dec 25 is entirely different than flying on Dec 22, 23, or 24. Xmas DAY is one of the cheapest travel days of the whole year. And Dec 31 is almost as cheap. Relatively few folks are flying on Christmas Day or New Years Eve. My comment was for travel <u>over</u> the Holiday - not <u>on</u> the holiday.

Janis, my comment wasn't directed toward you.

I was responding to the OP, tossing those dates out as an option if he/she hadn't thought of it or was possibly able to travel then.

That's all.

NanBug: Oh - I was responding to the OP as well (not to your post)

Janis -- oops, very funny!

Another oops. I put the wrong dates into Bing so the fare was lower than over xmas. Over xmas the virgin america flight still seems like a bargain. So I'm still happy. Thanks again for your suggestions and empathy. Now I'll just try not to keep checking the fares...