How soon to book for NYC from SFO?
 

I am planning a trip to NYC from SFO in Early december....I cannot change the dates despite the possibility of it snowing or being very cold.

Should I start booking my tickets now or is 60 days out a good amount of time? Or does it not matter if I am going to use possibly jet blue?

I am anxious to get a fare under 300 bucks including taxes.

Don't worry about price of airline tickets......worry about price of hotel room. The 1st of December is the highest priced time of the year to visit NYC. I'm from MS but I have been going to NYC the 1st weekend in December for over 20 years. If you are not staying in Midtown you are probably OK but if you are then you need to be pricing rooms as mid town hotels are very expensive then.

No matter how you slice it, $300 all-in, or less, is a very good fare for a coast-to-coast round trip flight. Your travel dates are essentially just three months away, so you should be checking all resources now - several times per day - and be ready to purchase immediately upon finding a fare/schedule that suits you. You're only gambling on being stuck with a more expensive trip the longer you wait, especially since your dates are not flexible.

I just checked travelocity using "flexible dates" option in early December and saw some 1-connection fares from OAK-JFK r/t in the $227 neighborhood; SFO was about $50 more. If you could find a nonstop, so much the better. Generally, there are fewer flights per given route these days, so the cheaper seats sell early and the prices only go up until the flight is full (or oversold).

Also, JetBlue does not fly from SFO but they do from Oakland. Personally, I think Newark (EWR) is the most convientent NYC area airport.

I routinely book JFK - SFO RT 2-3 weeks in advance on AA and am able to get good fares for low $300s or sometimes below $300. If you absolutely must have the rock bottom fare on JetBlue then you should book earlier, perhaps 4-6 weeks ahead as the lowest fares do disappear. The bay area (SFO, OAK and SJC) to NYC route is always busy, but there is a lot of competition (CO, UAL, AA and JetBlue all non-stop, and countless others w/ 1 stop).

ATA services the route SJC or OAK to LGA with a stop in Midway.

Agree if you are going to NYC in early December you should be working on hotels now - like yesterday.

And the cost of airfare is so small compared to the cost of hotels - that I would just grab whatever is most convenient now - and get on to the difficult part. ($50 total difference in airfare is nothing vs $300 to $400 per night for the hotel room).

As for the weather, early December in New York is chilly - but rarely really cold - usually high is over 40 - and more than a sprinkling of snow is rare until after Christmas.

Agree with others. Biggest issue for early Dec. is hotel prices. As to air, book as soon as you see a price you think is good. Today? Yesterday? But maybe check the hotels first to be sure you can find something. Cheapest fare I see (on kayak) is AirTran for $309 RT. Not sure if that includes taxes. From there it goes up to ~$330

Responding to your other concern--the weather: The chances of snow in early December are slim.

The price of hotels will be your biggest expense; not the airfare.

You'll be lucky to find a hotel room under $300 per night.

So what are your thoughts about the given suggestions, ilovetotravel29? Have you made a decision?

Well, I have booked my hotel and am working on getting the tickets. i think I am going to stay with just relaxing in nyc for my full vacation....part of me wants to also visit japan, but airfare is sooo expensive!

and I have been wanting to visit nyc for years and years and years....and now that I feel I have done the europe thing (although i will always want to go back and visit it again!), I feel like I should visit NYC now.