tpg
Waiting on ROFR
Posts: 15
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Post by tpg on Oct 4, 2023 21:04:16 GMT -5
Crap, my computer glitched with my first rendition of this post, so this try will be much shorter and to the point!
How many months out is your sweet spot to purchase airline tickets? I tentatively have plans for an early March WDW trip, departing from Buffalo, NY, most likely leaving on a Saturday and returning the following Sunday. MCO is typically the best deal, but I would consider TPA if the price were right. At this point I am about five months out and I just noticed (within the last few days) a large price increase from my preferred airlines; Southwest. So, do you think I missed that sweet spot? Will prices fluctuate and hopefully drop again?
Appreciate your thoughts.
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Post by eegram on Oct 5, 2023 3:42:04 GMT -5
I am not sure how true this is but I have heard 7 months prior to your trip is when you would get the best deals on airfare. I have also heard that Tuesday afternoon is when some airlines will drop the fare.
For myself, I start checking the fares as soon as I have booked my room. Once I see a good deal I grab it.
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Post by capeokw56 on Oct 5, 2023 5:06:57 GMT -5
We also fly Southwest. My strategy is to book our flights the morning that our dates are released and then continue to check for price drops. I've heard that three months out is the sweet spot and we've rebooked our flights around that time and received flight credits many, many times. Best of luck!
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Post by melk on Oct 5, 2023 5:07:32 GMT -5
I don’t have a certain time to buy. If I see a price I can live with I grab it. I do agree with the previous poster in that often sales are on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. But when I’m looking I check every day, at various times.
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Post by tomandrobin on Oct 5, 2023 7:45:19 GMT -5
For the most part, we buy SWA airfare on release and adjust the airfare if the price drops. For other airlines, we research prices and have a set point of where we want to be before purchasing. If prices start out much higher, we wait. If they are in the target range, we will buy. So for Legacy carriers, its 12 months or around 6 months.
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Post by brp on Oct 5, 2023 8:32:59 GMT -5
For any domestic airline these days, there is no reason not to buy as soon as a price looks good and then check. In all the ones I know about, there are no change fees so the full value of the ticket goes into your account. Of course, it will expire, typically within a year, on most. But, if it's someone you will fly again, there is no risk. Buy and check. No need to wait for sweet spots any more. Cheers.
p.s. I check our flights semi-obsessively anyway for changes and price drops, so this part is easy for me  |
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Post by Adelard of Bath on Oct 5, 2023 9:57:53 GMT -5
Of course, it will expire, typically within a year, on most. You seem like you might know this answer, which I was unable to find in the past: (mostly thinking about Delta, but probably similar on others, too) when you cancel/rebook and get a credit, does the CREDIT expire at one year, or does the FLIGHT you use it on have to be taken within a year? A large detail for me, we generally don't fly more than 1x/year. "Fortunately" (ha ha) for me, when prices had dropped nearly $200 per ticket on ones I have for an upcoming trip, right before I rebooked they shot up overnight to way more than I paid. So I didn't have to worry about it, I guess. |
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Post by Adelard of Bath on Oct 5, 2023 10:02:04 GMT -5
MCO is typically the best deal, but I would consider TPA if the price were right. We fly Delta, ymmv. We've been flying into TPA recently, I find the smaller airport nice. The car rental situation is nice. The drive to the resort is not too big a deal. The prices vs MCO is pretty similar, I have found, but sometimes I see ups or down. One thing that might make or break it for people for TPA is there aren't nearly as many flights in/out, so you might only have two or maybe three choices per day. |
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Post by brp on Oct 5, 2023 10:02:25 GMT -5
Of course, it will expire, typically within a year, on most. You seem like you might know this answer, which I was unable to find in the past: (mostly thinking about Delta, but probably similar on others, too) when you cancel/rebook and get a credit, does the CREDIT expire at one year, or does the FLIGHT you use it on have to be taken within a year? A large detail for me, we generally don't fly more than 1x/year. "Fortunately" (ha ha) for me, when prices had dropped nearly $200 per ticket on ones I have for an upcoming trip, right before I rebooked they shot up overnight to way more than I paid. So I didn't have to worry about it, I guess. This varies by airline. Some require that the flight be by that date. Others only require booking by that date. Delta is one I don't know well. The airline site, or flyertalk, can answer this, though.
Cheers.
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Post by Adelard of Bath on Oct 5, 2023 10:05:24 GMT -5
This varies by airline. Some require that the flight be by that date. Others only require booking by that date. Delta is one I don't know well. The airline site, or flyertalk, can answer this, though. The Delta page wasn't stating it SPECIFICALLY, which was driving me crazy. And on flyertalk I was seeing people answering it both ways. I wasn't worried enough to call them up myself. |
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Post by brp on Oct 5, 2023 10:53:05 GMT -5
This varies by airline. Some require that the flight be by that date. Others only require booking by that date. Delta is one I don't know well. The airline site, or flyertalk, can answer this, though. The Delta page wasn't stating it SPECIFICALLY, which was driving me crazy. And on flyertalk I was seeing people answering it both ways. I wasn't worried enough to call them up myself. Looking at this page
shows that they added an extension for redemption. The language "redeemed through December 31, 2023 for travel now through 2024" implies that the redemption must be done by the expiration date, but travel can be beyond that, by up to 330 days.
Cheers.
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Post by Adelard of Bath on Oct 5, 2023 12:49:34 GMT -5
Okay, this is good info. Thanks for that.
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tpg
Waiting on ROFR
Posts: 15
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Post by tpg on Oct 5, 2023 14:41:57 GMT -5
Ok, I'm supposed to be working and haven't looked into it much, but this could be a game-changer for me. According to the article below, Southwest has a new policy that credits don't expire?  community.southwest.com/t5/Blog/Introducing-Flight-Credits-that-Don-t-Expire/ba-p/146495If this is correct, the is big news for my family. We typically only fly once a year, which is why I am always so consumed with when to purchase tickets. But if this true, hell, I'm buying tickets today, will constantly check back for lower prices and not worry about those credits! |
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Post by zulaya on Oct 5, 2023 14:50:04 GMT -5
If you haven't been using Google Flights, do it.
(Caveat: Southwest doesn't work there)
We're in a Delta hub so that's my go-to.
It's easy to select dates and flights you want to watch and get alerts when prices drop.
Before this year, general wisdom was book 30-45 days out for the best deal (That never happened for me)
This year, data was showing best prices general at 90-100 days out.
I had my Google Flights alerts set up since I booked our Dec dates.
Historically, I got "the deal" price in Feb-May pre-COVID.
This year, the 22% price drop hit at 88 days out.
Even then, it's a helluva lot higher than I like, but since then, the price has almost doubled on the flights I've booked. (I'm particular about the time of day I fly, too.)
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Post by helenabear on Oct 5, 2023 14:50:42 GMT -5
Ok, I'm supposed to be working and haven't looked into it much, but this could be a game-changer for me. According to the article below, Southwest has a new policy that credits don't expire? community.southwest.com/t5/Blog/Introducing-Flight-Credits-that-Don-t-Expire/ba-p/146495If this is correct, the is big news for my family. We typically only fly once a year, which is why I am always so consumed with when to purchase tickets. But if this true, hell, I'm buying tickets today, will constantly check back for lower prices and not worry about those credits! This is correct. Policy as of last summer IIRC. |
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