Experienced Flyers... I Need Your Help!

Hi! I know expedia is usually pretty good. Also, if you/husband are a student or under 26, you can get discounted tickets at studentuniverse.com

I'd advise you to have Christmas at the end, but that's just my personal preference...maybe head home a day or two after Christmas?

Look up flights on Bing.com. They will actually say wheter to buy or wait.

I would recommend flying 2 weeks before Christmas. Airports are not fun at any time and especially not during holidays. Get direct, non-stop flights if available. You want to minimize shuttling around. Booking early is your best bet for a good deal - I've seen flights already sold out in September and what's left usually astronomical.

Get Earplanes earplugs for the baby. (Says it's for 1 year and up but you can use it on babies too). They equalize the pressure in their ears and REALLY work.Take an extra set. though in case one falls out and gets lost. You can find them at Targets and CVS. Ask the pharmacist if you can't find them.

Hi Christina,
At least twice a year I fly from Houston to N.D., with one of those times always being Christmas. I have found, over MANY years of doing this, I get the best price booking directly with the airline I will be using. For some reason, Wed. seems to be the best day to book. I would never book now, the tickets are nearly $600!! I would wait until mid to late Nov., at least.! Just start checking the prices and available seats, weekly, by mid Oct., and you will know what to do. The price will have dropped considerably. I would consider flying there Dec. 21 or 22. You will want to be there for some of the fun of the preparations, Church services/programs, cooking, etc. I flew years ago when my children were babies, and never had a problem. Now I fly to see THEIR babies!
The airlines do everything they can to accomodate parents with babies...just let them know, when you are booking. Wishing you a very Merry Christmas, in advance.
Grandma

we have traveled a lot at Christmas time. When possible, we try to depart Dec. 17th or 18th and then come home on the 27th. We have found those to the the best days. Flying on the 22nd or 23rd is horrendous and I would avoid those days at all costs. Book EARLY!!!!! Like today or tomorrow! All fall holiday prices will go up by mid August.

Good luck.

I also think www.kayak.com is a great tool--one of the best travel sites I've ever used. They have a farewatcher tool that I've used a lot to book my personal travel. I can say without a doubt that Tuesday and Wednesday are the cheapest days to fly. If you could leave on the 21/22nd and come back the 28th you will probably find your best deal for that time of year. Keep in mind that Southwest Airlines doesn't list their flights on Kayak...and you could find a GREAT deal with them.

I would start looking at ticket prices now and establish some baselines. I don't necessarily agree with buying them now or even two months ahead. Very little is predictable about airline prices these days. I travel several times a month for work and find the best prices 2-6 weeks from travel date. The limiting factor will be your departure and arrival locations in terms of seat availability.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it will be tough to find a direct, non-stop flight to Idaho from either TX or NC. Plane changes and layovers are inevitable. Layovers aren't the worst thing in the world with a baby. It is time to get some "fresh" air...something to eat...stretch your legs. Pack a lot of snacks for all of you. You can end up missing meal times when you have a lot of connections. Try to take the first flight out in the morning...if there are any delays along the way you have the best chance of still getting there without an overnight stay.

If you can afford it, buy a seat for the baby...even if he/she is planned as a lap rider. You will likely end up on a smaller jet at some point and many of them DON'T have changing tables in the bathrooms. You will appreciate the extra room to maneuver for what will be a very long day of travelling.

My philosophy is that I SHOP SHOP SHOP for the best deals. Southwest has really great pricing but you can also see about mix & match airlines or sometimes it's good to reroute cities to get the better deals but that can be more of a hassle w/possible layovers or if you choose to drive to your destination from a different airport location. I prefer non-stop flights...although they cost a little more, you get there faster & no layovers which take the most time out of your schedule. Also, once you've found a really great price, you might ought to take it then b/c although you could find it a little cheaper later, you may not always find it cheaper later, you also hafta know that the closer you get to your vacation date for departure, the higher the prices get. Also, a lot of airlines only book 'so far' in advance so just keep checking til they finally allow booking for your scheduled date. That's usually when you get the cheapest prices. Also be on the lookout for their little small print sidenotes stating certain days are cheaper. If I have flexible days during that week that I'd be open to leaving or comeing bk home, I ck those too b/c a lot of times, days like Tuesday, Wed or Thurs have cheaper prices too b/c they're normally 'lesser traveled days" but also keep in mind, is the price difference between days of the week more or less than what you'd hafta spend on another night in a hotel so think abt that too. If you're staying in a hotel, beware that often times the "package deals" are not always deals. I have found that a lot of times, it actually costed more in a pkg deal than paying separately flight, hotel & car. I always do a search on hotels & car rental too in the area. Sometimes you hafta drive a couple miles further to get a good rate in a decent hotel together...then I add up the flight w/tax included (you can do that w/o purchasing & then you'll know total charge) added to hotel & rental car w/o the package price & compare it to the package price & see if it helps or hinders getting a 'package deal'. Also, my most recent trip, I used my air-miles to pay for my hotel & rental car. I ended up paying only $.50 cents for my car (that was the amt I owed after using the last of my airmiles) & I ended up staying an extra day but found a great hotel cheap across the street so I only spent abt $40 on the hotel for a 6 day trip but it was decent & clean & it served the purpose so I was only out $40 for hotel. which of course didn't include souviners, food, & the little bit of gas to turn in the car etc. I like booking on Orbitz.com b/c they let me know of any flight changes before the airline does, Orbitz called my phone number twice on the same trip to let me know of the changes before the airline did which helped A LOT plus you get refunded the difference if someone books the same hotel cheaper. If all else fails, use Priceline.com to name your own price...true you can't pick your flight, hotel or call w/name your own price but you can get it a lot cheaper if you end up finding higher prices than what you want to spend. Hope this helps & good luck!

We live in a small town in Texas so we fly regional jets (and turbo props) frequently! There is less leg-room, but a lap child is workable if you want to save the cash for an extra seat. (I confess though to being relieved when my daughter needed her own seat at 2 - but that was more about squirming than lack of room.) If you are using the little planes (as we call them) avoid short connections! This is generally true, but especially with a child. Little planes are more likely to be delayed with weather (esp. wind) and they seem to have lower landing priority than the big jets, oh and you are usually in a different terminal so add time for a bus to your next plane. My personal rule has become at least a one hour layover at either Dallas-Fort Worth or Bush Intercontinental (Houston) if I'm traveling alone - closer to 90 minutes if I've got my daughter. Airlines usually assign priority for rebooking if you miss a connection because of delays to people with elite frequent flier status so I always think about that long layover as my insurance policy that I'll make the connection. And the chance to walk around, etc is usually a good thing.

Second a lesson I learned the hard way - shop around, but once you find a price and itinerary you like buy it then and there. It might not be there tomorrow (or later that day.) This is especially true on routes with the smaller planes where there aren't that many seats.

Finally, you can usually save money (sometimes a substantial amount) by flying on Christmas Day (and New Years Day) but the downsides to that itinerary are pretty obvious.

I flew to Hawaii this summer, but I had purchased my ticket around March or April. The earlier you buy the cheaper it will be. I would have had to pay double if I had purchased in June. So I would go with what is available during that time frame and see what you could save by buying early.