Holy Cow! Airfares

[CC(US)]

So its been a couple years since we last were in JA. Life kinda got in the way...it happens during a recession. But we are considering coming back for our 11th trip this year. We have been all months of the year, but never during Thanksgiving. We have always wanted to go to the jerk festival that weekend. And before we move on...I do realize the holidays are super crazy expensive to fly.
Note: We live in Memphis, TN which was voted MOST expensive airport to fly outta...Thank You DELTA for screwing us outta having any competition to lower the prices.
In mid Dec the prices were around $500 pp. Then in Jan I checked it was $550-$600. Yesterday I hoped on Delta's site and guess what....$1300 USD. yep that's right folks $1300 pp. WTF...is going on here? Now I will say I went on Cheapair and found tickets for $559 (overnight layover in ATL) and for another $664. The $664 price was the exact same flight Delta wanted $1300 for?

I'm not sure what is going on with the airlines, but that's just highway robbery. I miss JA, seriously miss it, but I have to draw the line somewhere.
And drving to Little Rock, or Nashville is not a savings once you factor gas, paying to park and time missed from wk.

So for anyone unhappy with your ticket price consider yourself lucky you don't have to fly outta the most expensive airport in a sad economically depressed city in the South.

[brasi]

I clicked last night and I got tickets for great flight times from right here in Albany. Ten minutes from my driveway.

It was only about $100 more than the cost of flying out of JFK...three hours' drive from my house...with pretty bad takeoff times.

If it goes down...it goes down...but I'll be in Jamaica either way! With flight times that make it a breeze.

[N5_]

I use Yapta each time I buy a ticket anywhere to monitor for a refund but have never been lucky enough to get one. FYI, I don't think any of the airlines on Yapta offer cash refunds for a price drop...instead, you get a travel voucher or credit. Some of the airlines have other rules to minimize the credit/voucher amount. For example, American substracts thier ticket change fee from the amount of the 'refund'. They also require that the fare drop applies to the same booking code as the ticket you purchased and that it meets advance purchase requirements...and 'fare sales' are not eligible for a refund. No wonder I've never received a refund voucher.
This year we paid the most we've ever paid for non-stop tickets on American to MoBay - $690 per person from Dallas. I bought them about a week ago and the price is now $770 per ticket.

[kbisiar]

I have been watching airfare to Thailand and the Philippines from Salt Lake City around $1050.00(8000+ miles). Salt lake city to Mobay $900+ for july. I don't think cost of gas explains this.

[N5_]

I flew to BKK in 2001 for about $500 pp from Dallas. Ah, the good old days.

[bbcamp2]

Supply and demand. Nothing more sinister than that. If the plane is starting to get full, the price goes up. If it is nearly empty, it goes down.

Delta is restructuring it's routes to assure the planes are nearly full. It'g good business practice for them. It's impacting the employee's flight privileges/benefits, and that impacts me.

[tfw73]

So its been a couple years since we last were in JA. Life kinda got in the way...it happens during a recession. But we are considering coming back for our 11th trip this year. We have been all months of the year, but never during Thanksgiving. We have always wanted to go to the jerk festival that weekend. And before we move on...I do realize the holidays are super crazy expensive to fly.
Note: We live in Memphis, TN which was voted MOST expensive airport to fly outta...Thank You DELTA for screwing us outta having any competition to lower the prices.
In mid Dec the prices were around $500 pp. Then in Jan I checked it was $550-$600. Yesterday I hoped on Delta's site and guess what....$1300 USD. yep that's right folks $1300 pp. WTF...is going on here? Now I will say I went on Cheapair and found tickets for $559 (overnight layover in ATL) and for another $664. The $664 price was the exact same flight Delta wanted $1300 for?

I'm not sure what is going on with the airlines, but that's just highway robbery. I miss JA, seriously miss it, but I have to draw the line somewhere.
And drving to Little Rock, or Nashville is not a savings once you factor gas, paying to park and time missed from wk.

So for anyone unhappy with your ticket price consider yourself lucky you don't have to fly outta the most expensive airport in a sad economically depressed city in the South.

We are flying out of Memphis. Flying out at 730 PM with an 11 hour layover in ATL. Then, leaving ATL at 830 AM to arrive in Montego Bay at 1030 AM. The total for the two tickets was $1045 booking directly with Delta last Thursday night. Yesterday the same tickets were up almost $400. I couldn't believe it.

It's much closer for us to fly out of NOLA, it's just 90 miles away, but we have to drop the child off at grandma's house.

[yetta]

Just had to reply to this one....I'm feeling the same way!! I think this is the most extreme that I have seen the prices in years. I checked some dates for our next winter trip since the dates for our trip had not been opened up as of yet. Just 2 weeks ago, the prices were looking pretty good and basically about the same as this Dec/Jan. Then, I was ready to book since the dates were being opened up...and DA DA! they had increased over 300 US per ticket!!! Holy crap!! Think I will be waiting a bit longer and watch them, hoping, well praying that they will come down. The summer prices are much better for us, so a summer trip may be in our future. However, we can't not go in the winter. Literally, that would devastate me!! So, guess I'll be lurking on the web for price checks as often as I visit this board!

[Blueswoman]

The robber barons had rather fly half-empty rather than discount the fares, hope they all go bankrupt, maybe then will there be a reality check - oh wait- Obama will bail them out with our money and we won't have the money to vacation anyway.

[a214trip]

Yesss.... Obama....