When do you buy airline tickets?

If I have trip dates I usually book SW on the release date for our trip as the opening day prices are generally the lowest. And I book EARLY that morning as prices can change rapidly. I then continue to watch for drops so I can snag credits. SOMETIMES we don't have dates that far out tho I have no choice but to stay on top of pricing all the time. We will sometimes switch airports (from BWI to Dulles) if fares are a lot better (but we prefer BWI - it's just easier). We will also fly Jet Blue sometimes but they don't offer as many direct non-stops and their times generally aren't as good so I will only book them if they simply have a price that can't be beat or that doesn't come anywhere close to being as good.

SW currently has flights released pretty far out right now and we just don't know our plans yet for later next year....I'm feeling pressed to make more plans already so I will be ready to book when they release dates! :rotfl:
 
We are 7 months out from a March trip. Would you wait and see if prices come down in that time or would you expect prices are about as good as one will find for a Spring Break time frame?

I would wait a bit to make a March booking. We typically travel to MCO from Kansas City in March for Spring Break and I've found SWA has the best rates about 90-120 days in advance. However, if you do book and the flights get lower, you can re book at the lower price and keep the credit for the future flight. I believe the credits are valid up to one year.

This year we're going at Thanksgiving. I booked the outbound flight on Nov. 20th very cheap at $139 per person (family of four). I haven't booked the return flight yet for Nov. 26th as SWA has only released the premium or business select fares to date which are astronomical!
 
Re SWA i often will use points on the schedule release day to secure a fare that seems high. When it drops & it typically will to some degree, i purchase then cancel the original reservation.

We added on to one of our memberships this year with intent to be able to book Thanksgiving weekend. Resale, process stretched on & on, missed the 7 month window opening but didn't want to buy our airline tix JIK the deal didn't close.

Lucky to grab SSR when the dust settled, but had to settle for trip to start 11/25, the Saturday after Thanksgiving. I had to look twice when i saw the price of airfare PIT-MCO, just the flight down was far more than double a normal RT!

I was ready to just bank the DVC points. DH stepped up & said he'd cover it. I check my flights daily. It finally dropped, then dipped again last week to $87 PP woot! It's to the point the credit should cover our next round of travel.:).

Our F&W dates center around Columbus Day. This year SWA cut back the # of NS flights in October from PIT & removed return flight options after 5:30 pm for several weekends. I complained and was told the first two weeks are a very slow time from our market...they decided to consolidate flights. Ha, and create demand for those they offered grrrr! The middle of February next year has more NS options than October. Hope that trend doesn't continue.

We are fans of those late evening flights home for a full last day in the parks. Typically, our flight down (first Sunday of October) has only gone up since the booking window opens. Same experience thus far this year, other than the late flights on Saturday night dipping in half.

DH only staying a week this time in Oct. He's on the last flight (an afternoon) back home. It's been sporadically lower, especially the am flights, but still not as low as they were on the release date.

I extended my stay a month ago, dismayed at the rates/times offered. booked Spirit since one of my kids along. Spirit, including all nuisance fees, was 1/3rd the SWA fare. Not thrilled to be dealing with Spriit again, will be thinking happy thoughts we get home that day as only one flight/day offered.
 
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