Airline prices are OOC

[Deleted]

Ugh. I found a fare for $270 earlier today for Columbus Day weekend, and it went up to $290 by the time I booked it a few hours later.

It's going to be at least $400 if I want to spend Thanksgiving with my husband. Same for Christmas.

:-(

[karinothing]

Does it make you feel better if I tell you I just paid $1900 for our Christmas tickets?

It was like $650 a ticket

I HATE THEM

[HoneySpider]

Yup. We're going to a wedding in Boston next month, we got the tickets when they came down in price to $575 a piece. It's ridiculous.

[Deleted]

This really makes me think that my husband should charge people for his travel ninja services.

[Susie]

Ugh. Sounds like time to get a rewards credit card with whichever airline has the best schedule/most flights between the two cities!

[satama]

Crap, DH was going to buy us tickets to AZ earlier, but put it off until tonight. I hope they didn't go up since this morning.

[Deleted]

See, perhaps its just me but I don't actually think airline prices are ridiculous given that you are flying somewhere (which uses an insane amount of fuel) and shortening your trip time.

What i strongly dislike are all of the 'hidden' fees like baggage fees, lunch, seat premiums, etc. I'd rather just pay everything in the cost of the ticket.

Also, haven't airline prices come down in the past 20 years? I thought I read that even accounting for inflation, prices are down.

[karinothing]

Sept 19, 2012 15:03:05 GMT -5 @misoangry said:

This really makes me think that my husband should charge people for his travel ninja services.

Ha, but I feel like travel ninja services only work if you can be flexible. When you are locked into days, times and non-stop only flights you can't get ninja prices.

There is only one airline that gives us the flight we need (ok or want).

[karinothing]

Sept 19, 2012 15:03:58 GMT -5 satama said:

Crap, DH was going to buy us tickets to AZ earlier, but put it off until tonight. I hope they didn't go up since this morning.

Our AZ tickets went up three days ago. I heard a report on NPR that the three of the airlines raised their fares again, guess my flight was one of the lucky ones.

[Deleted]

Sept 19, 2012 15:03:05 GMT -5 @misoangry said:

This really makes me think that my husband should charge people for his travel ninja services.

I've been looking at Thanksgiving fares since I got the job offer.

If your husband can find me a fare from DCA to MKE or MDW for under $390, I will send you homemade cookies.

[biscoffcookies]

I've started shopping for Christmas tickets, and right now they want over $600. It is insane. We paid about $550 a person for Thanksgiving. I know these are peak travel times and it is cross-country, but I feel like they are definitely more expensive this year than in years past.

I'm hoping I get a credit card offer from Southwest -- I got one a couple months ago for enough points for $800 worth of airfare, and I threw it out as I usually do since they wanted to charge me a $69 annual fee. But Southwest is the primary airline we fly to where my parents live -- if that came in the mail today I'd sign up in a heartbeat and use the points to help offset Christmas.

On the other hand, I'm going to a wedding in Cleveland on Veteran's Day weekend, and we just got tickets for $200 per person, which I was okay with.

[satama]

Sept 19, 2012 15:05:28 GMT -5 karinothing said:

Sept 19, 2012 15:03:58 GMT -5 satama said:

Crap, DH was going to buy us tickets to AZ earlier, but put it off until tonight. I hope they didn't go up since this morning.

Our AZ tickets went up three days ago. I heard a report on NPR that the three of the airlines raised their fares again, guess my flight was one of the lucky ones.

Ours were $600 last time we went. But we only bought 2 tickets that time. This time DS1 needs a seat. $300 is my limit this time, but we are flexible with dates.

[Deleted]

Sept 19, 2012 15:07:07 GMT -5 swizzlestx said:

Damn, I just looked up flights we'd need for Christmas, direct flights are over $1k/each! DC to Savannah?

This can't be right...

The holiday fares are CRAZY! I have found some flights for under $200. H's birthday weekend is $230. But anything within a week of Thanksgiving and Christmas? $390 is the lowest I can get.

[biscoffcookies]

Sept 19, 2012 15:06:50 GMT -5 @angryharpy said:

Sept 19, 2012 15:03:05 GMT -5 @misoangry said:

This really makes me think that my husband should charge people for his travel ninja services.

I've been looking at Thanksgiving fares since I got the job offer.

If your husband can find me a fare from DCA to MKE or MDW for under $390, I will send you homemade cookies.

Harpy, would you consider flying out of BWI or IAD? I know you're closer to DCA, but BWI/IAD can sometimes save you a bunch of money. The MARC train gets you to BWI in 45 minutes with minimum hassle out of Union Station, and the 5A bus to Dulles leaves out of L'Enfant plaza (and I have taken it on Friday afternoons around 3 and not run into problems in terms of traffic).

Or, since you are briging the car, you could drive and park. We've found that doing that, even with the cost of parking, we have saved enough to make it worthwhile.

[Deleted]

That sucks big time, swizz!

[gt7301b]

Sept 19, 2012 15:07:07 GMT -5 swizzlestx said:

Damn, I just looked up flights we'd need for Christmas, direct flights are over $1k/each! DC to Savannah?

This can't be right...

We are going to Savannah at Thanksgiving. I decided it was worth it to have a layover in Atlanta. I think the flights were ~$250.

[HoneySpider]

We're not traveling for either holiday because I am tired of paying $500+ per ticket every time we need to go somewhere and driving is not an option because of the distance. I am actually glad we're staying home this year.

[CallingAllAngels]

I am so glad we're not traveling for the holidays this year. The ILs aren't happy about it, but they can come see us. We're broke.

With prices the way they are, I honestly don't know when my H is going to see his family again.

[Deleted]

If I don't travel for Thanksgiving and Christmas, though, I will literally spend them completely alone. Between my husband, parents, siblings, in-laws, and me, we've got 6 states covered.

[drloretta]

Airfares are one of the many reasons we don't travel around the holidays any more. We're seeing my family in October instead. For >$300 pp

[CallingAllAngels]

Sept 19, 2012 15:15:41 GMT -5 swizzlestx said:

WTF?!

If we leave Christmas day and come home Thursday, it's $1500/ticket.
If we leave Christmas day and come home Friday, it's $220/ticket.

WE DON'T LIKE OUR FAMILY THAT MUCH!

Tell your family you're leaving Thursday and get a hotel at the airport for Thursday night. They don't need to know you're in town another day.

[HoneySpider]

Sept 19, 2012 15:15:41 GMT -5 swizzlestx said:

WTF?!

If we leave Christmas day and come home Thursday, it's $1500/ticket.
If we leave Christmas day and come home Friday, it's $220/ticket.

WE DON'T LIKE OUR FAMILY THAT MUCH!

Can you do something else in the area that doesn't involve family for a few days and just fly back on Friday?

(I don't know what is near Savannah)

[cookies]

Sept 19, 2012 15:12:47 GMT -5 gt7301b said:

Sept 19, 2012 15:07:07 GMT -5 swizzlestx said:

Damn, I just looked up flights we'd need for Christmas, direct flights are over $1k/each! DC to Savannah?

This can't be right...

We are going to Savannah at Thanksgiving. I decided it was worth it to have a layover in Atlanta. I think the flights were ~$250.

Holy crap! We paid ~$250 for direct flights from Philly, which I thought was reasonable.

The crazy thing is on top of these exorbitant prices, you're going to end up forking over an additional $100 or so in baggage fees. It's insane.

[dcannie]

swizzle, are you open to flying into augusta, renting a car and driving two and a half hours down to savannah?

there's a daily flight to/from reagan/augusta and it's only $179.

eta: this is a new flight as of july and some are saying this is a promotional price, but it was good two weeks ago.

[gt7301b]

Sept 19, 2012 15:20:04 GMT -5 swizzlestx said:

We might do that...

We usually try to leave around noon on Christmas day to go down there, but these flights don't leave until 4pm. This would be nice because we could actually do presents at my parent's house and leave after (which we usually miss).

Hmm... will need to discuss with DH. $220/ticket is DAMN good.

Christmas day is the best day of the year to travel. As a child of divorce I have spent parts of many, many Christmas days in the airport. We just start celebrating later. Or celebrate the day after Christmas, it isn't ideal, but it works

[mellie35]

We just scored our Christmas tickets last night. LA to NJ for $305. The only compromise is that we have one stop each way. I usually insist on non-stop but we thought this was too good to pass up.

[Deleted]

Sept 19, 2012 15:07:07 GMT -5 swizzlestx said:

Damn, I just looked up flights we'd need for Christmas, direct flights are over $1k/each! DC to Savannah?

This can't be right...

Don't know your dates, but Kayak is showing direct flights for around then for $250.

[winnied]

This is why H and I drive 12 hours to go home for the holidays. $250 for gas and tolls.

[LoveTrains]

Yeah I think airfares have risen over the past year. Swizz, you could take the train!!!

[LoveTrains]

Sept 19, 2012 15:47:52 GMT -5 swizzlestx said:

Sept 19, 2012 15:44:20 GMT -5 LoveTrains said:

Yeah I think airfares have risen over the past year. Swizz, you could take the train!!!

It's faster to drive, lol. Amtrak says it's 11 hours, it's only 9.5 to drive.

yes but you can take a sleeper to savannah.
ETA: Leave WAS at 7:00 PM, arrive Savannah at 6:45 AM. Not a terrible trip, if I do say so myself.