Purchase Airline Tickets NOW!

[AJAX]

Don't wait to purchase your airline tickets for dates up to 1/03.
Last Saturday, I purchased our round-trip non-stop seats from Northwest online for $266 per person. We'll be flying out of Detroit on 12/30/02, and returning on 1/4/03.
Yesterday, our daughter said a friend from school might like to go with us. I once again got online with Northwest, and found that the price had jumped up to $483 per seat.
Not believing my eyes, I called Northwest reservations and was told that indeed that was the price, all lower fares had been sold or increased, and that the other carriers would soon follow suit. The reason cited was fuel prices again on the rise, and an increase in post 9/11 bookings to 'destination' terminals.
So be forwarned. It may be too late for NW fliers, but other carriers may still have cheap fares.

 

[NowInc]

Fuel Prices my butt!!! They do that because they figure they CAN. They no longer feel the need to "convince" you to fly now that the general "scare" of 9/11 is pretty much gone. The airlines are ALL greedy...the fuel has nothing to do with that.

 

[Mr. Toad]

I agree, the fuel prices are probably less to blame than the fact that they lost so much money over the last six months.

 

[FantasiaBish]

I don't know when you're travelling, but I have been checking northwest's website for october airfares, and when I first started looking the price was $234.00 pp now it's coming up $194.00 pp. I also heard that many airlines were about to drop their prices.

 

[AJAX]

Fantasiabish- We're traveling on 12/30/02, during the holiday rush.
We had an expierience similar to yours in December while shopping fares for my wifes' 2/02 trip to WDW. On 12/21, the round trip fare from Detroit to Orlando on Northwest was $202pp.
When we got everyone together and committed to the trip, we found that on 12/28 the price had dropped to $152pp.
Hard to figure, but so far I'm on the winning end of two bookings.

 

[DisneyPhD]

Originally posted by AJAX
Don't wait to purchase your airline tickets for dates up to 1/03.
Last Saturday, I purchased our round-trip non-stop seats from Northwest online for $266 per person. We'll be flying out of Detroit on 12/30/02, and returning on 1/4/03.
Yesterday, our daughter said a friend from school might like to go with us. I once again got online with Northwest, and found that the price had jumped up to $483 per seat.
Not believing my eyes, I called Northwest reservations and was told that indeed that was the price, all lower fares had been sold or increased, and that the other carriers would soon follow suit. The reason cited was fuel prices again on the rise, and an increase in post 9/11 bookings to 'destination' terminals.
So be forwarned. It may be too late for NW fliers, but other carriers may still have cheap fares.

Ajax,
I am also from Michigan (Royal Oak, about 15 miles north of Detroit)
Could it be that Detroit Metro has the new terminal and NW is hicking their prices becuase of that? Not only do they have to pay for it, but they want to take advantage of people wanting to use it. (only NW flys out of the new "state of the art" terminal that all the new reports are comparing to Orlando's.) I don't know if this new terminal will fix all the problems NW has a histroy of.

I still won't fly NW unless it is the only way to get there non stop. We have had good luck with Sprit airlines, non stop for about 3 or 4 years in a row now. Prices are normally around 99$ pp each way. Great for vacations to WDW!!!

 

[AJAX]

I've never flown Spirit, PHD. I'll give them a try in the future. Thanks for the tip.
All of the other carriers I looked at only had connecting flights available. We prefer non-stops because of bad luggage expieriences with United (delayed two days) and Airtran (gone forever).
I called NW this morning to check out the increase. The agent said the increase was due to the return flight filling up on 1/4. That could be possible, or just BS for the inquisitive.
BTW, we're in Lapeer, about 45 miles North of you. We get down to RO a couple of times a year when our daughter drags us off th the Mongolian BBQ.