Plane tickets, better to buy early or at the last second?

[iamwiz82]

We are flying to Orlando this Febrauary from Detroit. Currently, prices range from $300-$700 per person round trip(0-1 connections), with one American Airlines flight being $206 with a connection in Chicago. We would prefer to not have a layover anywhere for such a short flight.

My question is, should I buy one of the flights from NWA for $350+ per person because this is a good fare for that time of the year, or should i wait? I have compared prices in Nov. to prices in Feb. and they are significantly higher in Feb.($70-200). Have the deals just not come out yet?

 

[Scarpozzi]

Buy about 1-2 months out.

Try flying out of a couple of diff cities to get to your destination. Sometimes you can save a few hundred by flying from a nearby city if it's a hub. Also check all sites: Expedia, Travelocity, etc. You can sometimes save $20 quickly that way as well since they all get different deals with different airlines.

 

[iamwiz82]

i have checked all of them as well as nearby cities, however the money i would save by flying out of Flint, Mi would be negated by the fact that i would have to fly ATA or Airtran

 

[Hammer]

i buy early or when there's a special. i fly a lot though.

 

[Scarpozzi]

Just realized you were flying out of Detroit. Check Northwest to see what the prices are, and if they can get you to Orlando.

 

[iamwiz82]

they are currently $311-$800 roundtrip nonstop. I have no idea why the price jumps so much. They only differences are times.

 

[Scarpozzi]

I found your pony.

Spirit Airlines flies non-stop for $220.

Do a search on Expedia for DTW to MCO. Have a nice trip. Keep in mind that fares are often cheaper when you include a Saturday night in your stay. (weekend rate)

 

[iamwiz82]

hmmm... doesnt show up for the dates i need.

2/14 - 2/23 Spirit it $460/person

The reason we are doing this is that we are going on a cruise from the 15th - 22nd. I figured that it would be best to arrive one day before since it will be Feb. and snow is likely to hit us in Detroit. If there was a snow storm we would have a day of padding. Leaving on monday is cheaper than sunday, and gives us a day to do nothing on the beach.