Airfare California to Orlando...buy now or wait?

[Denise L]

Hello,

I really dislike the fact that airline pricing is all over the place :annoyed: . So, last year we held out until June to book flights to Orlando on Southwest for Thanksgiving. It worked out great then.

This year, the flight times and routes that I was looking for on Southwest don't look so good, so far (though November flights are not available to browse yet). So the question is, do I book on another airline or hope that Southwest brings back the routes/times that I like?

Today, Continental had a one-way fare from SJC-IAH-MCO for $263.90. The times are reasonable, though about two hours earlier than I flew last year on SW. It is maybe $30 more pp than I paid last year on SW, plus I have to pay for my bags (usually three).

I already have a great one-way return on Continental for $156.85 pp. Could not resist that one.

What do you think? Take the Continental at $263.90, pay for bags, leave two hours earlier and not look back?

Or hope that SW revives its schedule from last year and grab seats at our preferred time with free bags?

 

[Judy]

I've been watching airfares from Orlando to Colorado for the fall. They are much higher than last year. In the past week, they've gone up on all airlines. My guess is that it's because the price of oil has jumped due to the political situation in the Middle East. The price could drop if the situation stabilizes, or not.

Do you have a Continental credit card? Some of them come with a free checked bag benefit.

 

[LisaRex]

Buy now or wait? Gosh, if I could know with certainty which way oil was going to go, I'd be a very wealthy woman and wouldn't need to worry about fare sales.

My educated guess is that unless Egypt's political crisis stabilizes, oil prices will continue to rise.

 

[kanerf]

Oil prices will continue to rise and fuel costs along with them. It is doubtful that the major airlines were able to hedge the fuel costs this time around, so I would expect significantly higher ticket prices this year. Also keep in mind that they will add additional fees, but tickets purchased now may not get hit by them. Do yourself a favor and purchase now. If you use Bill-Me-Later you can pay over time without interest.

 

[Denise L]

I've been watching airfares from Orlando to Colorado for the fall. They are much higher than last year. In the past week, they've gone up on all airlines. My guess is that it's because the price of oil has jumped due to the political situation in the Middle East. The price could drop if the situation stabilizes, or not.

Do you have a Continental credit card? Some of them come with a free checked bag benefit.

Hi and thanks for the replies,

We don't have a Continental credit card, so no free bags.

Well, I found some better flights on Virgin America, but their schedule doesn't open up for my dates until sometime in May. The flight on Virgin leaves an hour later and arrives 30 minutes earlier, and its non-stop. Now I am very tempted to wait. Continental is still showing the "low" fare today.