Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Summer airfare sales???

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Summer airfare sales???

Fares to Hawaii are incredibly high these days. Does anyone know whether we can expect fares to go down anytime soon? I saw an article in the WSJ saying that fares wouldn't go down this summer, but I'm hoping they're wrong.

There were a lot of low dollar airfares offered for the summer but the supply dried up quickly and now prices are sky high everywhere, as airlines have cut flights, planes will fly at capacity. You might have some luck with priceline.com though, Good luck!

The bestfares.com guy (Tom ?) was on TV news this evening. He was predicting major fare war this summer, maybe starting as early as next week, AND including Hawaii. KYFC !

I wouldn't believe a word of what Tom at Bestfares.com has to say. Bestfares.com is devoid of customer service and is a total ripoff. And, even IF there's a "major fare war" this summer, that would be no different, whatsoever, than any day of any week all year long. Air fares are NO different than the Sunday newpaper store sales supplements. Ever wonder why all those stores have the same items on sale at the same prices "this weekend only"??? A "fare war" absolutely does not mean that fares will go down, that fares will be cheap - or even reasonble. Compared to last year and previous years, airfares are positively outrageous. There is no question but that they collude with one another regarding fares. If you don't believe this, find just one that offers SUBSTANTIALLY lower fares for any trip anywhere. No matter how you shop, they're all within just a few dollars of each other. On top of that, the flying traveler must endure additional fees and charges for post 9/11 security endeavors, all of which are positively useless. Not to mention long lines, delays, and occasional de-planing due to such avoidable things as "gee, we didn't notice for several hours that the metal detector was unplugged!" Now, I would ask everyone, how can the "pros" claim to "not notice". Air fares are ridiculously high these days because the airlines have been forced to meet the demands of their union employees who care more about having fewer hours on the job and more hours of vacation and benefits you and I could never even dream of hoping for on OUR jobs. And, while you are on their planes, they propound that their lack of friendly service is due to other "rude" passengers, when in fact, they are really not interested in service, just collecting their paychecks, benefits, and time off. The almighty WSJ has also reported that ticket sales are off 15%, but flights have dimished by 25%. You figure that out. The airlines, since de-regulation, have had the paying public over the you know what. The airlines are doing what they think is good for the airlines, tied by the whatever by their union employees, with no regard whatsever for the flying patrons. If you pay and go anyway, they'll continue to get away with it. You cannot expect airfares to go down anytime soon. One would suppose that the airlines would be positioning themselves for your business. Rather, they are banking on the theory that everyone is sufficiently sympathetic to the post 9/11 situation an will just go head and book anyway. You can go now and pay those exhorbitant and ridiculous prices, or you can postpone your trip until the airlines come to their senses, or go bankrupt and are bought out by more prudent owner/operators. Remember, most airlines were in serious financial trouble BEFORE 9/11, whereupon they begged the Federal goverment (your tax dollars at work for you, HA!) for "assistance". Just consider whether you want to pay positively ridiculous prices to get "menus" when you phone, never to be connected with a real live person to assist you in any way whatsoeverwith your endeavor; long, long, lines when you need to check in with "dunces" for clerks at those counters. You can go to Hawaii next year or the year after. All depending...

AAAAAAAAAAAAchoo! OMG Nancy lay off the coffee dear! J......I imagine the airlines will start dropping their prices late June/early July for fall travel. Maybe even sooner if they hope to fend off another post 9/11 decline in travel with the recent terror warnings. I suggest you set up a fare alert watch with travelocity, orbitz, and the other travel sites so you can track the cost of the flight you want.

Perhaps this is a market-by-market case. If you live in a city served by a discount carrier, the fares are probably still okay. Not speaking of Hawaii, of course, in my town the fares to most continental US cities are still $200-250. (My city is also served by Southwest.)

I am doing some airfare research via SideStep while I surf the internet this morning. I live near New Orleans, another Southwest city. For mid-summer flights I can go to San Francisco for $290, New York for $215, Chicago for $212, etc. Hawaii and Europe are still very high, though...about $1,000 each.

wish you could tell me the date and title of the article you read in WSJ. Last summer fares dropped from 1050 only for one week on continental (summer fares). So I say what we are seeing now is the new fare for Hawaii. The year before last I got a great bid price but for the most part fares were 1050 or 800 at the best time. Gee I can remember fares were that high to Australia. You should also know that you can go to Japan for 1100.

P.S I have been watching fares almost daily to Hawaii since February. Do not believe there were better fares that have dried up. I am told by some on this forum that they got good fares early January. If they were out there at all they were very small in number. The best I saw from the east cost has been $930. For a number of years you could only go to Italy for $900 in summer this has changed I hopping the same will happen for Hawaii.

Fares I look at are from NY or PHL

J, Make sure when you get to Hawaii after paying a ridiculously high airfare that you don't waste any time at Costco!!!!!

Tried to book today through Orbitz, flight: Tampa to Maui, midstay xfer to Kauai, then Kauai to Tampa. Price was $890, up $30 from the week before. When I clicked "book", the price changed to $905. I'm waiting. BTW, if you plan on visiting 2 or more islands during your trip to HI, Orbitz seems to have the only multi-city farefinder that actually works...grrrr!!! Travelocity doesn't recognize Lihue apparently.

Bri, as you're in NOLA don't forget to check IAH and even DFW (maybe using Southwest to get to first hop).. come to that Hawaiian is flying out of Vegas or Phoenix now too. For Europe, I see London currently $570 and Paris $670 out of DFW. As far as this year's fares to HI, I got $650 R/T (incl taxes), booked in April on AA website (DFW/OGG). Lowest I've seen was approx $350 R/T advertised in January. Rates change by the hour it seems. Good hunting !

p when are you traveling for the $670 fare?

Good advice pspercy. Always consider driving to another city..for example If you live in Dallas, consider leaving from Houston or Oklahoma City..if you live in KC you can easily drive to STL for a lower fare. We live in Dallas..there are four in our family. We used to fly out of OKC all the time. The savings can be tremendous and very worth your while for the drive.

Nancy you couldn't possibly be more WRONG! Where did you dream up all this garbage about airfares never changing and fare sales being smoke and mirrors? You can't possibly believe that can you? Midwest fares to Hawaii are $1000, and have been that way for weeks. I went in March for $485 on American, direct from St Louis to Maui. Widely advertised fare "sale". Sure the airlines collude when it's convenient. But if one can cut another's throat in a certain market, you better believe they'll try. Look at how Southwest affects the markets they're in. And the surrounding markets. America West caused a big stink this spring when they decided to offer drastically reduced fares in multiple markets. Their longtime partner Continental was so outraged about the increased competition that they immediately severed the relationship with AWA. You think those fare sales weren't real??? Come on, Nancy. Wake up.

I checked fares for Newark, JFK and LGA no difference all asking too much this year to Hawaii.

Prices from the east coast to the west coast on all major airlines are unreasonably high. They are up almost %100 from last year. And they say the bail out by the Fed. Gov. is not enough. They have to change the way of doing business. I'll just go some place else by car this year.

Call me crazy but shouldn't summer be considered low season for Hawaii? I mean, the only way I would leave the nice and very brief great summer weather here in New England for Hawaii would be for an unbelievable deal. Otherwise, if I'm paying top dollar I'd rather go in the dead of winter when I want some warmth.

I've been looking for fares from Chicago to Maui for next spring break. They were high so I decided to look for fares through a travel agent from lax to maui, knowing that I could get from Chicago to lax anytime for @$200. I got a fare of $351 from lax to maui, making our round trip from chicago to maui $550. Try using a travel agent for wholesale rates from lax or sfo or oakland to maui, and then put together your own package to those points from your area using one of the discount airlines.

Sorry, should have included that the $351 fare is on American and the same flights are sold on their website at $655. The agent cut our price in half.

sss, For the $650 R/T to Maui the travel was last week. As an example, the day after I booked (early April) the fare nearly doubled, then a couple of days later it was back in 650-700 range & so on. In fact despite all the ups & downs in the fare for capacity management, on the big day the plane wasn't even full (we flew on a Sunday).

Nina - you would think so but summer is not low season in Hawaii. Could be a combination of reasons - kids are off from school and available for a longer trip (which many people like to do when flying all the way too Hawaii) and it is honeymoon season.

Nina I love Hawaii in summer. I see what you are saying but Hawaii gets the heat without much humidity. It is actually more unbearable in NY and NJ in summer. Also the winters are wetter and I am not crazy about swimming in 70 degree weather. But I don't just go for weather I also go for the unsurpassed beauty as far as I can see. Would like to go back in winter for the condors at Kilauea lighthouse on N.S of Kauai. I have seen the whales in Mauai and on Oahu in winter that is another treat. But as far as escaping winter here. I am an avid skier. When I lived in hawaii it seemed like the only low season was right before the kids got out for summer, March to May.So for the person trying to secure a spot for next spring break I would suggest waiting for January 1+ sales. Nevertheless you will get that price then also so you did well by grabbing it. I went for the price you mentioned two Martin Luther King holidays ago. Prices and availablity always come down Jan1-March15 in places I looked at for guests during this period. Every other time of the year people said this is High Season.

J, I used Classic Custom Vacations (must book through TA) for travel to Hawaii this July 4th. We got an amazing deal on airfare. $525/pp RT compared to 851/pp which was the cheapest I could find on the net with orbitz or expedia. Got the United flights we wanted too. Try them = )

nina, I hear you about not wanting to waste any of New England's brief summer. But when we went to Hawaii for the last two weeks of July 1999, we were glad we did -- avoided one of those terrible eat waves, that hit Boston while we were away. Temps rarely go above 80 in Hawaii.

Do a fare watcher at travelocity .com. I've gotten some great fares. Be ready--you have to do it that day. The next day it may (probably will) jump right back up.

not condors on NS of Kauai in winter it is the albatrose

Thanks, all, for the helpful comments. The article in the WSJ was 4/18/02. I'm specifically looking for cheap fares to Hawaii from Seattle, New York and Hartford in late August. I'm concerned b/c I'm getting married there and I don't want my friends and family to have to pay an arm + leg to get there! I'd be thrilled if a summer fare war started up next week, but I'm not counting on it. Is anyone going to Hawaii with these ridiculous fares? It's not surprising that tourism is down in Hawaii! Couldn't Hawaii subsidize travel like Bermuda is doing this summer?

Bermuda is a country that relies on tourism for a significant part of its economy. Hawaii is a state, where many residents would just as soon see tourism drop a lot. I sure hope that you get your fare war, as unlikely as that seems. Let this be a lesson to people who plan get-away weddings!

1-4 people in Hawaii are dependent on tourism Jimbo for there livelyhood think before for you speak

From what I've seen, most of the other 75% would rather have the toursts disappear.

That is why what you have seen means nothing.... carry on, move along, only interested in informed responses here

Well, I'm basing my comments on discussions with many Hawaiians who were not involved with the tourist industry, during my stay there. They really resent the commercialization of everything and the big hotels shipping profits off to their headquarters. How many Hawaiians who are not involved wtih tourism have you talked to?

Hawaii is indeed going after more business, but they're going after conventions and business travelers, who have fewer budget concerns than regular tourists, such as J.'s guests. According to this article, the Lieutenant Governor says that one-third of Hawaii's workforce is employed in tourism. http://www.mpiweb.org/news/tmp/2002/04/aloha.htm

I am basing my comments on a public service announcement that was broadcasted frequently when I lived there. Thanks for pointing out your knowledge base. 1-1 encounters are subjective and do not always reflect the larger community.

Maybe J. should pretend that her wedding is a conference.

Is that what the Hawiians you spoke to on your trip told you?

Ha, ha, no, they would tell J to get married in her own hometown, close to family and friends and not in a strange, expensive, exotic location.