How long did you wait to buy plane ticket?

[RellaBelle 29]

Just wondering because my whole plan was to call myself being slick and waiting until the month of my procedure to buy plane tickets to save some extra money. Of course, this is just for conversation and ideas for other people. My procedure isn't until July of NEXT YEAR so I'm not even thinking of a ticket right now.

Example: Last month when just browsing to see how much tickets cost during different times a year, and also depending on how far in advance they were bought, a July plane ticket to San Diego was $600 instead of the now $400. An August ticket is still $600+.

What's the longest you waited and what kind of deal did you get?

[slimmindown 15]

https://www.google.com/flights/

They can give you a predication of the airline cost and when you should buy

[RellaBelle 29]

@@slimmindown, that's actually where I was looking . All the travel websites only go as far as June 2015, I'm not scheduled until July. I already have an idea of how much my ticket will be.. just thought it would be neat to see what deals people got and if they waited or just bought it immediately.

[CandyPants81 94]

I booked with the surgeon on 5/30, submitted my time off request for work on 5/30 and got it back from my boss on 6/3. On 6/4 I purchased tickets for travel from 7/22 - 7/25. So that's about six weeks in advance, I think. Anyway, I paid $790 for both tickets from Atlanta to San Diego round trip. That includes taxes and Expedia's booking fee of $14. I also added the flight insurance. I have never purchased plane tickets before in my life, so I just watched the ticket prices for a few weeks (I already knew what date I had in mind for surgery), and when they dropped below what I'd seen before I purchased them. I figured that they would only go up as it got closer to the date, and I didn't want to risk that since I'm working on a tight budget. Also I specifically needed one that would put me in San Diego before noon and there were only one or two of those.

C.

[onthefencejenny 204]

My surgery is booked for July 25th and I just booked my flight on Monday, but that being said I used my reward points from my credit card and got two flights from Alberta to San Diego for 237.00. Whoop whoop!

[Travelmego 235]

I would just say anything less than x amount (in your case say 500 for one ticket) is fine and grab something any time it is that price or less. You are most likely not going to find anything much cheaper. I mean there MAY be specials at some point where you can save 1 or 2 hundred bucks but you will have to constantly be checking and the uncertainty will be stressful. Also, the price could go up, too.

When you are dealing with surgery, I would just take the bite and schedule the ticket so to have peace of mind. Get the trip interruption and cancellation insurance (or use a major credit card to buy the ticket on that has it) and relax and look forward to the surgery itself. One caveat - if you are buying for 2 then it might be worth it to keep checking. If you are going to buy for summer - generally the last week of May is when prices start rising for the summer peak season. Try to buy before that.

Edited July 4, 2014 by Travelmego

[amychar 5]

onthefencejenny-who is doing your surgery? Mine is also July 25th!

Edited July 5, 2014 by amychar

[onthefencejenny 204]

onthefencejenny-who is doing your surgery? Mine is also July 25th!

I'm having surgery with dr.almanza! How about you?

[amychar 5]

I'm having surgery with dr.almanza! How about you?

I'm having surgery with Dr. Quinones. Too bad we weren't going to the same surgeon!

[CandyPants81 94]

I'm having surgery with dr.almanza! How about you?

I'm having surgery with Dr. Quinones. Too bad we weren't going to the same surgeon!

@@amychar I'm going to Dr. Quinones on the 22nd. I will be heading home on the 25th. I'll JUST miss you!

[onthefencejenny 204]

I'm having surgery with Dr. Quinones. Too bad we weren't going to the same surgeon!

Oh that's too bad we should keep in touch see how our experiences out!!

[cbcatlover 16]

I'm leaving Monday for San Diego. I'm very cheap and searched and searched. I even picked Midway airport over O'hare or Indy. I would have gone to Cincinnati too! Whichever was the best price. I booked thru southwest and paid 300 bucks. I even had to change dates due to dr conflict and didn't cost any money to change. Plus no baggage fees!

[amychar 5]

@@CandyPants81

You'll have to let me know how it goes. I'm excited but terrified!

[JawaGal42 17]

I actually scheduled my surgery after I bought my plane ticket since I wanted a good airfare without lengthy layovers, didn't want to spend extra time in San Diego, and there are no longer any directs to San Diego out of Albuquerque. It was just easier for me to book my flight first since the surgeon was actually more accommodating than the airlines.

I'm sort of worried about luggage, though. I'd prefer to take just carry on but don't know if I'll be able to lift it into the overhead bin post-op. Hate to check in luggage on domestic flights.

Edited July 6, 2014 by JawaGal42

[Travelmego 235]

@@JawaGal42 Jawa just ask someone nearby to help you - usually young guys will willingly help. If not, the flight attendant will help.

Don't forget, everyone, to figure in cost of gas to get to and from the airport, the parking fees for the week you will be gone, and the time it takes to drive back and forth. These add up and often it is more economical to take a flight closer to home that is a bit more expensive than to drive hours, and pay for gas and parking.

Edited July 7, 2014 by Travelmego