krakatoa

I am flabbergasted at the current prices for Hawaii travel over spring break (mid April). We usually go at least once a year, but always in low season. This year due to scheduling, we will be visiting during this busy couple of weeks. I thought the fares would go down around the 3 month prior mark, and have been tracking them for about 2 months already, but they've only gone up. For those of you experienced with traveling to Hawaii (specifically KOA), what are your experiences with fares? Typically we've paid anywhere from $400-$600 non-stop RT during low season, but i'm seeing $800+ for our dates at this time. Do I wait or should I just buy now? Any tips for booking airfare/condos/activities during spring break would be appreciated. I don't want to be caught off guard again next year!

J62

Spring break is a fixed vacation week for families with kids in schools, and they know the school schedule way back in August. Expecting fares to go down during this peak travel period when demand outstrips supply is not realistic.

In the Northeast corridor I've seen cheap NY to FLA tickets for spring break period get sold out by October. The early bird gets the worm in this case.

suze

I'm in Seattle and find very different prices for Hawaii depending on time of year I want to go. Sometimes I can bring it down a little by flying on weekdays instead of weekend (use a price comparison calendar on the airline's website if available).

wekewoody

Because of my job I can only travel during school holiday periods. We travel to Hawaii a lot. My experience with traveling to Hawaii during holiday periods is the earlier you buy the tickers the better. I don't think prices will be coming down, if anything they will go up by quite a bit.

krakatoa

Thanks all. We will buy now then!

LA_FadeAway

Hawaiian Air is having a sale right now. A few dates in April are $184 each way between Seattle and Maui and a lot of dates are $224 each way between Seattle and Honolulu. You might try searching directly on their web site. Good luck!

beanweb24

Krakatoa, are you in Seattle? If so, broaden your airfare search to Allegiant. It may be well worth the drive to Bellingham to save money on flights to Hawaii.

krakatoa

Unfortunately, we are not in the Seattle area. Thanks for the info though.

So, I assume everyone is paying these high fares then? When I booked Alaska Airlines and selected our seats, practically every seat was available and on United for the same day, less than 1/4 of the economy seats had been taken. Based on Kayak, the sweet spot in the last 3 months was October when the same flight was 20% cheaper. So I guess for Spring Break, book at least 6 months in advance then!

Thanks again all!

carolyn

Krakota, have you checked on the price of flying round trip from your home to Seattle and then booking another ticket on the cheaper airline?

wekewoody

Krak, I experienced the same thing when I booked flights to Venice return Rome for June. I ended up paying what I thought was highway robbery just to get a decent schedule, the planes we wanted and the seats that worked for us. I check back periodically to see how the planes are filling up. The only leg that is over 50% full is the JFK to SFO leg. The rest of the flights are maybe 30% filled, BUT the prices for the exact same flights have gone up about $250 per seat. It will be interesting to see what happens and if they actually do cut the fares to get some bites.