Any tips for booking airfare to the port cities?

[TooBoyz4us]

I have only booked a small handful of flights , and in researching flights/prices for our cruise out of Fort Lauderdale next year, I am feeling overwhelmed.
Are there "better" times to book our flight to get the best prices? Is it best to book directly through specific airlines?
Also, even though flights are not yet available for booking for us this far out, I am seeing sold out flights in the few months prior to our departure date already???Whats up with that?
We are seeking ATL to FLL, round trip.

 

[auntlynne]

Traditionally, Tuesdays were the best day.

Internet search for “track flight prices;” you should see Kayak and a subcategory Track Prices

 

[WinterSolider]

Southwest releases fares later than everyone else.

Keep an eye on the Southwest fare release schedule here:

https://www.southwest.com/air/flight-schedules/

"We are currently accepting air reservations through January 6, 2025. On April 25, 2024, we will open our schedule for sale through March 5, 2025."

On the day Southwest opens fares for your dates, search Southwest, and search an aggregator like Kayak, which will compare all airlines EXCEPT for Southwest. At that point, it's pretty safe to book something because things shouldn't be too volatile and they're just as likely to go up as they are to go down. Prioritize a direct flight, and never book "Basic Economy" unless you absolutely must.

Pick the cheapest direct economy flight you can find on a major airline. Book directly through that airline. The price direct from the airline should be the same as what you see on Kayak.

 

[auntlynne]

You can get direct flights from ATL - FLL. And do. We fly through ATL to go almost everywhere, and that is typically the only stop on our journey.

Our course, you are at Delta’s hub. And the terminal in FLL that they use has just been remodeled. It is actually very size friendly. Easy to use for both arrival and departure.

I imagine the other two? Terminals at FLL are pretty easy to use, too. If you are a flying novice, this is a good airport for your cruise.

 

[auntlynne]

Following the idea of Southwest, I just typed in the airports to see the page. I set it on non-stop.



This is actually tomorrow. The price listed includes taxes (pretty sure that’s the case with all airlines).

And each direction on a RT ticket is shown. So that $221 is just one way.

This includes 2 checked bags per person.

No option to get assigned seats. No guarantee that when you board you can get the entire family seats together.

You can pay extra to be in the first group of people to board the plane.

At 24-hour preflight check, you get a place in the boarding queue. If you are slow to login, you are further back in the queue.

 

[auntlynne]

This usually helps with Southwest prices:

They sell a fixed number of seats, after which the price will be Unavailable on the chart.

 

[auntlynne]

They have a low fare calendar that shows the price by month.

Southwest is all done through their website; as mentioned above, you won’t go through Kayak for them. But their website is fairly straightforward.

We have flown them a good number of times in the past. We opt not to due to the closest hubs being 2 hours away. That extra travel and parking does not make them the value they once seemed.

Here’s an example of the calendar:



Once you pick your dates, you can choose Nonstop only.

 

[sadiecatie]

Whatever airline you end up booking, I would recommend booking through them directly. Booking through third-party websites (Orbitz, Expedia, etc.) can be convenient for checking all the available flights and prices, but if there are problems it can be a nightmare to deal with them (ask me how I know...). I only directly book with the airline now.

 

[auntlynne]

Whatever airline you end up booking, I would recommend booking through them directly. Booking through third-party websites (Orbitz, Expedia, etc.) can be convenient for checking all the available flights and prices, but if there are problems it can be a nightmare to deal with them (ask me how I know...). I only directly book with the airline now.

Agreed! I do the same with hotels, car rentals, even cruises.

But use various sites to get a gauge on prices.

 

[CarolynFH]

I like to use Google flights, especially when I'm not sure which airlines fly from my local airport to my destination. Not only will it show you flights from various airlines (but not SWA), you can also pull up a grid that will show prices around your date, and you can set it to "watch" a given fare for you and notify you if it goes down.

But I always book directly with the airline I choose, not with a third-party site.

 

[RedHead0186]

Whatever airline you end up booking, I would recommend booking through them directly. Booking through third-party websites (Orbitz, Expedia, etc.) can be convenient for checking all the available flights and prices, but if there are problems it can be a nightmare to deal with them (ask me how I know...). I only directly book with the airline now.

Agreed. My parents booked on Delta through a third-party site (don't remember which one) and then kept having to cancel/move flights because of COVID. It was a nightmare trying to do it. The third party kept saying Delta had the credits, Delta insisted they didn't have credit because it was booked through a third party.

Always book directly. It may cost a bit more, but you'll save a ton of time/stress in potential hassles if something goes wrong.

 

[Travel60]

Fly in at least one, preferably two, days before cruise. Air travel is increasingly unreliable.

My DH, DS, DSIL &DGS do annual spring trip to FL and two of the last 3 years had major problems between Atlanta and Florida. (They live different places but most connect thru ATL). Once was tangentially related to weather (so they said); the other was pure airline incompetence. Had to rent cars, drive to Atlanta (with an under 6 yo). This spring, DSIL and DGS ended up having the airline rebook a flight from ATL to an airport near me. I picked them up and we drove through the night to get them home. DSIL had a flight next day for an important work trip. DS had to miss an extra day of work due to similar issues on his flight and no alternative.

 

[RedHead0186]

Fly in at least one, preferably two, days before cruise. Air travel is increasingly unreliable.

My DH, DS, DSIL &DGS do annual spring trip to FL and two of the last 3 years had major problems between Atlanta and Florida. (They live different places but most connect thru ATL). Once was tangentially related to weather (so they said);

"Weather" does not always mean weather at your departure airport. I fly between Chicago and Orlando frequently, and I have had more than a few delays leaving Chicago due to weather even though there wasn't a cloud in sight. It was because there were thunderstorms in/around Orlando and we were not allowed to even take off if they couldn't ensure we would be able to land.

"Weather" also does not always mean weather at your departure or arrival airports. It can often mean weather somewhere in between. Going back to the Chicago/Orlando example, it's not uncommon for there to be storms around the panhandle to Florida. Even though the weather is fine in both Chicago and Orlando, that line of storms essentially 'blocks' flights from getting in/out of Florida.

 

[unrequited23]

Just throwing it out there...would driving be an option? Leave after the ATL morning rush hour, get into Ft. Lauderdale just after dinner time, overnight hotel stay, park the car at a garage at the port.

If we lived within a reasonable day drive of a port, we'd be cruising a heck of a lot more.

 

[Clarkson U]

Just throwing it out there...would driving be an option? Leave after the ATL morning rush hour, get into Ft. Lauderdale just after dinner time, overnight hotel stay, park the car at a garage at the port.

If we lived within a reasonable day drive of a port, we'd be cruising a heck of a lot more.

I was actually thinking the same thing. From ATL tske 75 down to Florida’s Turnpike and then straight down to FTL.

Could even stay in Orlando and break up the drive some if wanted to go that route. Makes for a short drive the next day to port.

 

[TooBoyz4us]

Just throwing it out there...would driving be an option? Leave after the ATL morning rush hour, get into Ft. Lauderdale just after dinner time, overnight hotel stay, park the car at a garage at the port.

If we lived within a reasonable day drive of a port, we'd be cruising a heck of a lot more.

It would, and we have driven to Disney World many times. We are actually up in north GA. But DH commutes to work every single day, so driving while on vacation is definitely not his first choice anymore now that we are empty nesters.

 

[Skippyboo]

It would, and we have driven to Disney World many times. We are actually up in north GA. But DH commutes to work every single day, so driving while on vacation is definitely not his first choice anymore now that we are empty nesters.

Could you fly out from Chattanooga instead of Hartsfield ?

 

[unrequited23]

so driving while on vacation is definitely not his first choice anymore now that we are empty nesters.

Gotcha. We are still in the planning for airfare for a family of 4 phase. I would imagine planning for two adults would cut costs and increase flexibility in flight times.

We cruised out of Port Everglades for the first time this January. FLL was easy to navigate and seemed calm when we were there. (I find MCO to be hectic, especially security.) Only two airlines offered direct flights, so our choices were limited. We went with the more expensive with better flight time option. And even though it pained me to pay more when I booked, it was worth it to be home and unpacked before the cheaper airline's flight would have left the airport.

 

[Husker Mike]

I think most of these tips are good, though I would second the suggestion to drive. Airlines are becoming more and more unreliable, and a cruise is an "all-or-nothing" deal. If you are late to a resort or a Disney park, you just lose part of your vacation. Miss the cruise departure, and you pretty much miss the whole thing. It'll probably be cheaper as well. In March 2022, a gigantic storm complex shut down Orlando's airport for most of Saturday before a spring break week. Airlines really struggled to get people rebooked, and many people on our cruise group ended up making 14-18 hour drives on Saturday and Sunday to make sure they got to Port Canaveral for a Monday departure, when airlines were trying to rebook people to Tuesday. I get that you'd prefer to fly, but leave yourself time to drive if the airlines have issues. (Remember Southwest at Christmas time in 2022?)

Also, if you are flying Southwest, keep checking to see if fares go down because SW will offer you flight credits. I've adjusted my cruise flights THREE times since booking, and have about $80 in credits for each person.