Need help saving $$ on flight

[mrsbornkuntry]

We usually drive on vacations so I'm not very familiar with buying plane tickets. I know I am late looking at this now (I didn't have a choice for various reasons), but I'm hoping to find a flight during the week of Thanksgiving. For more reasons I can't get into I can't be flexible on dates. So where should I look to get the best deal? Does anyone have a website or airline they swear by? Is it usually cheaper to fly out of/into a smaller airport or larger (I do have some leeway there), or is it just a situation where you have to price it out and compare? Anything else I should know?

I'd appreciate any help I can get with this, I'm feeling a little lost and at the rates I've seen so far.

Oh, we're looking at Austin, TX area to Raleigh, NC area round trip if that helps.

ETA: We're military also, if we can get a discount elsewhere with that.

 

[dzorn]

I use kayak but booking this late prices maybe steep.

Denise in MI

 

[4HppyCamprs]

With what you have posted about your situation your going to have to really search out the various prices as they can vary steeply from airline to airline. Some airlines like Southwest do not publish airfares on online travel sites so you would need to check them. Also if you find a flight on a site such as Orbitz, cheapo tickets, cheap tickets or the like then go and check the cheapest airlines site and you might save a bit more money. You are flying at one of the most expensive times of the year. GMA said it is cheapest to fly out thanksgiving morning and return Saturday if anybody else is looking at this thread and has better flexibility.

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

Thank-you both for the info. I knew it would be expensive, unfortunately, but of course I still want to get the best deal.

 

[msmayor]

The best deals were probably out weeks ago...when it comes to airfare the price often jumps STEEPLY as you get within 21 days of departure. In addition, from your signature, it would appear that you need more than just one or two tickets, complicating things even more.

You may find when 'looking' at prices there may be a fare of, say, $300 RT but if you go to book 7 tickets the price may shoot up to $450 RT because there aren't enough $300 seats to fill your order, so the fare moves up to the next price bucket.

I would just use a site like kayak to get your comparisons and get the tickets booked. Then stop looking at the prices.

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

The best deals were probably out weeks ago...when it comes to airfare the price often jumps STEEPLY as you get within 21 days of departure. In addition, from your signature, it would appear that you need more than just one or two tickets, complicating things even more.

You may find when 'looking' at prices there may be a fare of, say, $300 RT but if you go to book 7 tickets the price may shoot up to $450 RT because there aren't enough $300 seats to fill your order, so the fare moves up to the next price bucket.

I would just use a site like kayak to get your comparisons and get the tickets booked. Then stop looking at the prices.

Oh, I should have specified, I'm only looking for one ticket. But that is good info to have for future trips.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Unfortunately, you have waited far too long to buy tickets for Thanksgiving. I would buy today at whatever price you can get for the dates you need. There won't be any bargains left. Don't wait or you risk not even getting a seat.

 

[nilseks]

Have you looked at Spirit? They can sometimes be your best bet with a tight timeframe. But like the PP's have said, unfortunately there just aren't going to be any bargains at this point. Book as quickly as you can, because they are only going to keep going up from here on out.

 

[thomas998]

Normally I would have said start with pricing Southwest, which only shows up on their website... but I looked and while you can get fairly decent prices flying out of Austin your problem is that when you leave Raleigh the price of a ticket would be way way high...

In general the further out you are from the actual trip the cheaper prices will be.

At this point you are looking at about $455 a pop leaving Austin to Raleigh and back... if you leave out of DFW to Raleigh and back you will save about $100 a ticket... I know Dallas isn't that close but if you have a family of 4 then $400 dollars might pay for the time spent driving from Austin to Dallas.... you can also do the drive to Houston and get about the same deal flying out of Bush, but prices jump if you go to Hobby....

The codes you need to use when your looking for prices on travels sites are...

Raleigh = RDU
Austin = AUS
Dallas = DFW
Bush in Houston = IAH

Good luck, but don't wait any longer than you have too... the prices will only get worse this close to the travel dates.

 

[bb7877]

Every time I spend time searching for flights, I always end up back at priceline or orbitz. These two sites have been the best options for my family and I.

 

[scbelleatheart]

My favorite is http://matrix.itasoftware.com/. You can't book thru them but the search possibilities are great!

 

[JDUCKY]

one of the most expensive times of the year to fly.

have you considered priceline? They're not so good on flights for the most part but can offer deals on last-minute trips...esp. if you "name your own price".

Look into Allegiant Air for flying in/out of smaller airports that might be near your home and destination.