When to book? About This Page:

[Marybeth]

As we are flying to WDW in May, I am trying to decide when I should book the flights. I don't want to wait too long, and maybe not be able to get the flights I want, or book too soon and maybe find a discounted ticket later. So when would you book?

[ShellingConnie]

I start watching the prices around now to get a feel for what the normal price is. That'll help me decide what the best deal might be.

Then I just book when I find that deal and hope the prices don't change. Usually I've been doing well with that and have found the best prices for me about 2 months out.

[Colexis Mom]

we usually book about 3 months in advance.

[Sue M.]

I fly around twice a year to Florida and have a good idea of what a good fare will cost. I monitor the fares until I find one I like. I usually book 3-6 mos ahead. The fare I like is around $250 RT from the west coast. So when I find something around that price I grab it.
Passporters are a great source of info. I'd ask others what fares they get from your airport, to give you an idea.

[Marybeth]

Great tips, thanks. Ok, PPs what would be a good price roundtrip from JAN (Jackson,MS), or MSY (New Orleans)?

[chezp]

I start keeping an eye on fares, as soon as they become available. When I see something within our budget, I go for it.

[Nova]

I usually book to soon, but like to fly out on the early flight so want to make sure we get it. Was not really sure we would keep our March reservations so was going to hold out, but hubby kept talking about the trip so I started looking. The light bulb finally came on in my head for frequent flyer miles so I checked into that never did it before and we ended up each paying $30 for round trip tickets. Yahoo makes the trip even more affordable. We go in March

[Buffalogirl18]

we are going late April, and I am watching the fares now, will book about 2-3 months ahead. That's usually when Southwest has the best deals.

[Dave Marx]

Unless I'm traveling during a holiday period I don't start looking sooner than 3 months in advance. Rates are rarely low prior to that, and there's less chance of flight schedule changes. These days, I usually go to Kayak.com and request daily fare updates for my desired travel date(s), and watch what happens. When I see a fare I like, I pounce. Kayak and similar sites also have reports on fare trends for your chosen dates, so you can see whether fares are headed up, down, or sideways.

[Tink and co.]

I use kayak too. It always gives me a good idea of prices and airlines that are an option (which has changed a lot here in the past few years). And then check Southwest. If I'm traveling during a busy holiday period, I tend to book earlier and use Southwest. They will sometimes come out with a lower fare, but I can rebook and get credits for a future flight (which means another trip to plan ). I tend to get the best deals booking two one ways. I recently booked our March airfare. It was least expensive (and best flight times) to fly to Florida on American Airlines and home on Southwest.

[shena_03]

We usually start looking at fares about 4mo out. We always fly Southwest to Orlando and find the best fares about 2 to 3 mos out. We just booked a flight a little over a month ago for our trip this week and got round trip for 150 per person. Download DING form southwest and sign up for their emails and you can get some pretty good deal. Good luck

[dlosinski]

Try KAYAK.com for prices, but we always use Southwest because there is no charge for the bags.

[Marybeth]

I did sign up for DING on Southwest, as I think that will be the airline we take. Southwest has the cheapest rates and a nonstop flight to Orlando. The only problem is that they do not fly out of Baton Rouge, the closest is New Orleans or Jackson MS. There are advantages and disadvantages to both. I just know that BTR is out of the question, as all the flights are loonnngggg and cost 2-3 times more than ones out of MSY and JAN.
I will start looking seriously after the new year, hopefully there will be cheaper rates starting then.

[Sue M.]

Good luck.

[obsessedwiththemouse]

Originally Posted by ShellingConnie

I start watching the prices around now to get a feel for what the normal price is. That'll help me decide what the best deal might be.

Then I just book when I find that deal and hope the prices don't change. Usually I've been doing well with that and have found the best prices for me about 2 months out.