How to best purchase flexible-timing airline tix?
 

Hi Everyone,

My mother wants to purchase airline tix to visit her granddaughter as soon as possible after she is born. Knowing the due-date, should she book in advance with a specific airline and pay a change fee if the kiddo arrives late? (I know consolidators tend to add on their own additional change fee). Or should she buy a fully-refundable ticket and only book dates/times once she hears the kiddo is on the way? Or should she just wait and try to get a ticket last-minute? Her priorities are getting there quickly, and also not spending an outrageous extra amount to do so. How have you all handled this type of situation in the past? (Oh, and Mom is not internet-savvy, so she would have to do any transactions with changes/purchases over the phone or in person at her local airport.)

Thanks for any advice!
AZWildcat

Firstly, when is the baby due? If it is over a major travel holiday (Thanksgiving, Easter, Christmas/New Years, President's Week,etc) go ahead a book ahead of time and hope the dates work out.

Without buying a full fare ticket, she can buy another fare (can't remember if it is a 'K' fare or what) that will enable her to make changes without paying the fees that come with a highly restricted fare.

Or, if it isn't over a holiday period, I would wait and purchase very last minute.

Does the ticket involve places where a discounter flies? I would buy a ticket on JetBlue or Southwest or ATA, knowing I could change at minimal cost.

Gosh...at first I thought this was my daughter writing, same state even--I can navigate airlines websites though and haven't called an airline in years, so I don't think it's you sweetie. :) Besides...it's that "other" school. :)

Anyway...we are faced with the same problem and this is how I'm thinking of handling it. She is due Dec 30. This is our year to spend Christmas with them, if they are up for anything like that. If so, I plan to go out for Christmas for a couple of days, but then my husband and I will take off for Sedona for a few days, giving them time alone at the end, but we'll also only be 2 hours away. We are in need of a "get out of Dodge" break anyway here, and it might work well for both sides. A day or two with them, then on we go.

I plan to stay on and help her out after the baby is born, so can make return reservations when I know more (on Southwest). This just occurred to me recently as a possible solution...otherwise, we'll just bite the bullet and pay or use FF miles but at Christmas, that would be very hard to do.

We were there for our son's first child last July (they are a 5 hour drive away so no issue plus she was induced so we had a date) and that is one mighty powerful experience...one I wouldn't want to miss for anything.

Good luck to you AZWildcat! When are you due?

Thanks for your replies! Actually due in early February, so I don't have to worry about holidays, although she will be coming from the cold midwest to SFO-OAK, so there may be other folks trying to escape the snow that time of year. She doesn't want to be here for the birth, but I would like her to be here by the time I leave the hospital!!!

OO, LOL! I'm sure you daughter would not call you internet "unsavvy", since you are on the fodors forums!! But my mother, love her dearly, has trouble even doing email.

Oh dear...re-reading my note, I wasn't calling you sweetie, AZwildcat, although I'm sure you are. LOL That should have read &quot;I don't think it's <i>my</i> sweetie&quot;. Sorry.

You will have to get your Mom proficient in email so you and she can share all the wonderful pictures you'll have. After that, you'll both need a little video camera to sit on your monitors and allow you to talk and see each other too. We saw our grandson's first crawl that way. Tis a wonderful tool, even with our paltry distance!

I'll be interested in any other replies you get on this. It is a conundrum for sure. My own Mom came down (to New Orleans from MA) at the last minute when my husband called that I was in labor. One was two weeks late (and born during Mardi Gras so a busy time in New Orleans) and the other two weeks early. Now I think birthing times are far more regulated...at least for the late arrivals. Perhaps in the interest of best fares, she should go ahead and make her reservations for a few days in advance of your expected delivery date, and hope it all works out and that your little one won't be early?

My very best to you at this exciting time!

I would wait until kid is on the way, although that will cost a bit more. As you know, you can never tell when kid will hatch.

Many hospitals and health plans allow for only 24-48 hours hospitalization after regular delivery, so that plan might mean she will not get there at hospital discharge time. Hopefully father of baby will be taking a few days at home with baby and new mother, so waiting even a week after birth might not be awful. She will need some support even more then.

Wait until you have set dates. Then check airfare then, including on southwest.com.

Also, if it's over a weekend, check packages from site59.com. Get the cheapest hotel or rental car option and throw those away if she doesn't need them. May still be cheaper than airfare alone.

If you have FF miles or know someone who have lots, it's another great opportunity to use them.

Book a fully-refundable full fare on Southwest into Oakland for the due date....these tickets don't have to be paid for until the day that you fly. This will be for peace of mind. Then, when she needs to really fly, she can change to a 3 day advance discount ticket, and get a 7-day-in-advance or 14-day in advance for the return trip. Book one-way tickets.