I had been watching SFO-CZM fares since before Christmas for my family of 7. Started out at $373 per person, then jumped to $393 per person with the fuel surcharge. 7 days ago today, they dropped to $343 per person (I bought) and today they're $473!! Little did I know that by buying last Sunday I would be saving over $1000 on airfare as opposed to buying on Monday. I'm glad I did, but holy smokes I have no idea what is happening with airfare.
Airfares gone through the roof!
- Thread starter love2fishfork
- Start date
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love2fishfork
Contributor
I agree that planning is everything. I passed up some better prices several weeks ago hoping for better flight times. It dropped some last night, but now it is three segment flights instead of two. Maybe it will drop again, but I'm running out of time.
Somehow I just can't see doing the Cancun thing. I'd rather pay a little extra for the convenience of arriving a short cab ride from the condo I'm staying at!
confuzioncity
Yes I'm from Overland Park. I've never done any local lake diving. Just the Carib. and Florida.
Somehow I just can't see doing the Cancun thing. I'd rather pay a little extra for the convenience of arriving a short cab ride from the condo I'm staying at!
confuzioncity
Yes I'm from Overland Park. I've never done any local lake diving. Just the Carib. and Florida.
You're trying to book a relatively last minute ticket during peak season - same for March/April. The airlines do adjust rates up and down based on peak seasons for the destinations they fly to - and as seats fill up, the prices go up. Supply and demand - the airlines are masters at taking advantage of this.
I found a fare from here to Chicago for $222 for late Spring. Checked a few days later and it went up to $384 - checked again the following week and it was back down to $222.
The good fares are still out there, but when the flight reaches a certain capacity fares start going at a premium.
Don't know if you already did this - but also try checking for alternate dates. I know that flying on Tuesdays and Thursdays are always the lower fare on Continental. Mon, Wed and weekend travel are always higher fares.
Of course there's always the Cancun option too - but you don't ALWAYS save money that way. I actually met someone last week that flew into HERE to stay in PDC because the flight was much less.
My personal rule of thumb is that I have to be saving more than $150 to make it worthwhile - but if buying multiple tickets - even $50 per ticket would be worth flying into Cancun. It's another one of those personal decisions and wat the savings are worth to you.
Generally flight times are set - they don't change with any frequency especially for regular routes.
I know the Continental, American Airlines, and Frontier schedules and flight numbers into and out of CZM by heart. They haven't changed in ten years - except seasonally (which is also known well in advance) - but when checking flight schedules - the flights shown are those that are available for that time of year.
I always follow a simple philosophy - if you snooze, you loose. It hardly ever pays to wait until the last minute to book a flight, unless you love flying stand-by or don't mind overnight stays at an airport.
On our first trip in 08, we used your advice on the web. Cheaper and kinda fun too. Love the music on the ferry ride. Thanks for posting it.
If Airlines sold paint:
Customer (CU): Hi, how much is your paint?
Clerk (CL). Well, sir, that all depends.
CU. Depends on what?
CL: Actually, a lot of things.
CU: How about giving me an average price?
CL: Wow, that's too hard a question. The lowest price is $9 a litre, and we have 150 different prices up to $200 a litre.
CU: What's the difference in the paint?
CL: Oh, there isn't any difference, it's all the same paint.
CU: Well, then, I'd like some of that $9 paint.
CL: Well, first I need to ask you a few questions. When do you intend to use it?
CU: I want to paint tomorrow, on my day off.
CL: Sir, the paint for tomorrow is the $200 paint.
CU: What? When would I have to paint in order to get the $9 version?
CL: That would be in three weeks, but you will also have to agree to start painting before Friday of that week and continue painting until at least Sunday.
CU: You've got to be kidding!
CL: Sir, we don't kid around here. Of course I'll have to check to see if we have any of that paint available before I can sell it to you.
CU: What do you mean, check to see if you can sell it to me? You have shelves full of the stuff, I can see it right there.
CL: Just because you can see it doesn't mean that we have it. It may be the same paint, but we sell only a certain number of litres on any given weekend. Oh, and by the way, the price just went up to $12.
CU: You mean the price went up while we were talking?
CL: Yes, sir. You see, we change prices and rules thousands of times a day, and since you haven't actually walked out of the store with your paint yet, we just decided to change. Unless you want the same thing to happen again, I would suggest that you get on with your purchase. How many litres do you want?
CU: I don't know exactly. Maybe five litres. Maybe I should buy six litres just to make sure I have enough.
CL: Oh, no, sir, you can't do that. If you buy the paint and then don't use it, you will be liable for penalties and possible confiscation of the paint you already have.
CU: What?
CL: That's right. We can sell you enough paint to do your kitchen, bathroom, hall and north bedroom, but if you stop painting before you do the bedroom, you will be in violation of our tariffs.
CU: But what does it matter to you whether I use all the paint? I already paid for it!
CL: Sir, there's no point in getting upset; that's just the way it is. We make plans based upon the idea that you will use all the paint, and when you don't, it just causes us all sorts of problems.
CU: This is crazy! I suppose something terrible will happen if I don't keep painting until after Saturday night?
CL: Yes, sir, it will.
CU: Well, that does it! I'm going somewhere else to buy my paint.
CL: That won't do you any good, sir. We all have the same rules. And thanks for painting with our airlines.
Customer (CU): Hi, how much is your paint?
Clerk (CL). Well, sir, that all depends.
CU. Depends on what?
CL: Actually, a lot of things.
CU: How about giving me an average price?
CL: Wow, that's too hard a question. The lowest price is $9 a litre, and we have 150 different prices up to $200 a litre.
CU: What's the difference in the paint?
CL: Oh, there isn't any difference, it's all the same paint.
CU: Well, then, I'd like some of that $9 paint.
CL: Well, first I need to ask you a few questions. When do you intend to use it?
CU: I want to paint tomorrow, on my day off.
CL: Sir, the paint for tomorrow is the $200 paint.
CU: What? When would I have to paint in order to get the $9 version?
CL: That would be in three weeks, but you will also have to agree to start painting before Friday of that week and continue painting until at least Sunday.
CU: You've got to be kidding!
CL: Sir, we don't kid around here. Of course I'll have to check to see if we have any of that paint available before I can sell it to you.
CU: What do you mean, check to see if you can sell it to me? You have shelves full of the stuff, I can see it right there.
CL: Just because you can see it doesn't mean that we have it. It may be the same paint, but we sell only a certain number of litres on any given weekend. Oh, and by the way, the price just went up to $12.
CU: You mean the price went up while we were talking?
CL: Yes, sir. You see, we change prices and rules thousands of times a day, and since you haven't actually walked out of the store with your paint yet, we just decided to change. Unless you want the same thing to happen again, I would suggest that you get on with your purchase. How many litres do you want?
CU: I don't know exactly. Maybe five litres. Maybe I should buy six litres just to make sure I have enough.
CL: Oh, no, sir, you can't do that. If you buy the paint and then don't use it, you will be liable for penalties and possible confiscation of the paint you already have.
CU: What?
CL: That's right. We can sell you enough paint to do your kitchen, bathroom, hall and north bedroom, but if you stop painting before you do the bedroom, you will be in violation of our tariffs.
CU: But what does it matter to you whether I use all the paint? I already paid for it!
CL: Sir, there's no point in getting upset; that's just the way it is. We make plans based upon the idea that you will use all the paint, and when you don't, it just causes us all sorts of problems.
CU: This is crazy! I suppose something terrible will happen if I don't keep painting until after Saturday night?
CL: Yes, sir, it will.
CU: Well, that does it! I'm going somewhere else to buy my paint.
CL: That won't do you any good, sir. We all have the same rules. And thanks for painting with our airlines.
annlaur
Contributor
Would be really funny it weren't true
Diver Kat
Contributor
We always check different dates ... can make a big difference! Although they can shift the cheaper days around here & there. This next trip we're flying in on a Sunday because the rate dropped that day and we just happened to catch it while checking various Continental schedules.
Yeah - the in & out of Coz flights never change but they change our connections in & out of Austin ALL the time! It's a real PIA! Our return flight - Houston to Austin - went from an hour-45 minute connection time to 59 minutes. I keep hoping they'll shift it back a bit. As it stands, not sure we can make it through immigration, customs and back through security to catch our flight.
underachiever
Contributor
Just a thought. How much total time does it take you either way? It could be quicker to fly into Cancun (if you can find a direct flight) and do the bag drag, rather than 3 flight segments to get to Cozumel. Bag drag takes maybe 2.5 hours or less. And you might spend part of it overlooking the water drinking an adult beverage waiting for the ferry. And I personally enjoy the ferry ride, especially getting to Cozumel. Either way enjoy your stay.
Infantry_169
Registered
Wow
This thread is like a virtual classroom on travel to Cozumel. My mind is exploding :nuke: with possibilities. Keep it coming. I'm planning a return trip to Cozumel. I can use this stuff.
Please tip the chicken.
Gracias.
This thread is like a virtual classroom on travel to Cozumel. My mind is exploding :nuke: with possibilities. Keep it coming. I'm planning a return trip to Cozumel. I can use this stuff. Please tip the chicken. Gracias.
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