Advice on booking flights for travel meets

[drivingmom]

Need advice on buying plane tickets. We have a travel meet in 5 months. I found a flight that is $90 less than it has been listed for the past several weeks and it's non stop! It's the same amount I spent to travel to TX a few months ago. Do you find it better to wait until it gets closer to the meet date for the best rate or book asap.

Thanks for any help.

 

[cher062]

I usually book about 3 - 4 weeks before I go. I also look for the special deals out there. Sometimes it's cheaper to stay that one extra night and then fly out too even with the extra expense of another night in a hotel. or to fly in an extra day eariler.

I also don'thave a problem with taking a train. I grew up taking trains because my grandfather worked for Amtrack and we got his discount. I find trains very relaxing and actually can be fun with a group. but it depends too on where you are in the country how good the train service is and if there are stops near where you want to be.

 

[monkeysmom]

I travel quite a bit for work, and have been doing that for almost 15 years now. Keep in mind that my perspective is from that of a business traveler (traveling during the week without weekend stayovers), and flights out of our airport are one of the highest on average in the country due to dominance of a big carrier and little competition. With that said, the thing that has changed the most in the last few years is that the planes are full, really full. There is much less flexibility and there are fewer last minute bargins. Years ago, we used to book way in advance. Those were the best deals. Airlines ratcheted up change fees ($150 per segment now PLUS the fair difference) over the years and took away lots of the early bird deals, so then we did more watching and waiting to jump on good fairs. Now in the last couple of years, that strategy can backfire because the deals never come (flights are full), and often the prices jump. Now we try to book generally about a month ahead. For using airlines miles, I try to book WAY ahead. Frankly, it takes more and more miles all the time and flights with the lower cost in terms of miles are really difficult to find in lots of markets. Ten years ago I could usually fly using 10,000 miles, now it's pretty rare to find what I need with less than 40,000.... The silver lining---the Marriott program is great! I put all my travel, and lots of my other stuff on my Marriott card, and have had great success getting Marriott point nights. In terms of gymnastics meet travel, others on here will can help you more, my daughter is only 7. My advice for what it is worth, is that if you have a direct flight that works great with your schedule, and a fare that seems in the ballpark---take it.

 

[cathiann]

If you found a fare that is cheaper than you've been seeing, works with the times you want and is non-stop, then buy it. But keep in mind that you are committed then--you're going (or losing money) if your daughter is injured too.

When my DD broke her foot two years ago, her one HC suggested she not compete in the Chicago meet as she could only do 2 events (thus saving us the cost). I had to tell her that we were committed to going, so she may as well compete!

 

[bookworm]

We always fly Southwest because there are no change fees or charge for baggage ...and if you had to cancel, you get the ticketless travel funds to use without any penalty. I did fly US Air last summer when doing the college thing and it wasn't worth it ..with the extra charges for baggage alone it ended up being the same as SW...so live and learn. I book when I know for sure we're going and if the flights go down in price (haha!) I rebook at the lower price and get the delta to use for ticketless travel at a later date.

 

[Muddlethru]

I've found booking about one month to one month and a hald is a safe time frame to get the best deals. In my experience, airlines have a limited number of seats with cheap rates. Once those are sold, the rates go higher. I would also not not purchase domestic airfare more than 6 months in advance (international is a different story). The rates that far in advance are usually higher. Plus, special deals may come up within thhat time frame. Having said all that, I think we generally have an idea how much airfare is to a certain destination. If it falls below that and below what we've seen thus far, I would purchase the tickets. It is not worth agonizing over a few dollars. In addition,because of our economy and gas prices, most airlines now regulate their airfare in search engines. But you still need to do your research. As long as you've done your research and have a rate that is lower ($90) is prettymsignificant, then I 'd buy it.

 

[DND]

I work in the travel business and have found with all of the mergers and re-allignments that have gone on it is better to book far in advance. When you see a good fare grab it as the airlines only allocate a few seats at the lowest filed prices and when they are gone the other seats are at a higher price. Also when looking for your rates do a comparison for 1 person as well as the number of people in your party. You may find that you can get one or two seats at a lower price as there are only one or two seats at the lowest price and then at least you have saved a bit of money on the others that would be at the higher fare level.

Also if you are going to meets with your gym where many people are travelling you can get group rates for 10 pax.

Hope that helps!

 

[Granny Smith]

Agree with bookworm - we always book Southwest and then make adjustments when needed or when the rates go down we just take the credit.

 

[Bajanswife]

I can sympathize, but I don't have any advice on US domestic flights. DD has a travel meet in February, and I have bought our return flights already. Bear in mind it's an international flight and AA is the only airline possible. Every time I logged into AA to check, the flights had gone up - I finally couldn't bear the constant increases anymore and bought something! We might use airmiles to go to the meet, as that's always the more expensive leg (due to higher taxes in that direction), which is why I only bought the return. Plus, it helps spread out the cost if I buy each leg at different times (in the event that we decide that it's just too many miles - all the milesaver seats are long gone). The meet is President's Day weekend in Orlando, which is why I don't think there are going to be any specials.