[bosoxx65]

Sandy and i are nearing grabbing our tickets for September and i decided i'd do some comparative shopping. If you deal straight with the airlines, everything falls in around $520 total roundtrip. (Albany NY to Orlando).

When you go through some of the online brokers like: Expedia, Priceline and Orbitz, i get some decent fares as low as: $360 total roundtrip. There are some really gross and nasty layovers packed in, but for the extra savings, i might not mind hanging out in the airport with my MP3 player or handheld games.

I'm interested in any experience or advice from any and all that have gone this route. I'm sure many have because who isn't looking to save a buck?

Oddly enough, 5 out of the 10 brokers i sampled were all Delta flights.

[tinkerbelle24]

Ok is that $520 for 2 people or one?

[emamasa]

I have used expedia in the past with no problems at all. do you have AAA? give them a call & see what they can come up with. I have also called the airline directly & gotten different prices than online (sometimes better, sometimes not). good luck!!

[tinkerbelle24]

I was able to check SWA and put in any dates for sept and got $510.00 2 people NS RT. I dont know if thats what you got for 1 or 2 people. Good luck. Personally I wouldnt do expedia hotwire or anyting like that. I get nervous not knowing what I will get. Good luck. Your best bed could be SWA. Its nS

[bosoxx65]

All my price quotes are round trip for 2 people.

$360 is the best i can find. The only difference between the Cheapo online companies is the longer than usual layover times between destinations. Since i'm on vacation i can deal with an extra hour here and there.

I was more concerned if people had any bad experiences besides the booking aspect of it. Just about all of the flights i located where Delta anyway. I've never flown Delta, but if i'm going to save an extra $120, i'll fly a dragon all the way to Orlando.

[tinkerbelle24]

Originally Posted by bosoxx65

All my price quotes are round trip for 2 people.

$360 is the best i can find. The only difference between the Cheapo online companies is the longer than usual layover times between destinations. Since i'm on vacation i can deal with an extra hour here and there.

I was more concerned if people had any bad experiences besides the booking aspect of it. Just about all of the flights i located where Delta anyway. I've never flown Delta, but if i'm going to save an extra $120, i'll fly a dragon all the way to Orlando.

A dragon!!! I would do that too to get to WDW.. I have never booked like that before but a freind at my job did and she said that she got a flight that took 8 hours to get to WDW from the layovers and whatnot. Im not sure of the site but its the one that you dont know what your time is untill after you pay. Good luck in your decision.

[Experiment6-2-6]

Originally Posted by bosoxx65

When you go through some of the online brokers like: Expedia, Priceline and Orbitz, i get some decent fares as low as: $360 total roundtrip. There are some really gross and nasty layovers packed in, but for the extra savings, i might not mind hanging out in the airport with my MP3 player or handheld games.

I'm interested in any experience or advice from any and all that have gone this route. I'm sure many have because who isn't looking to save a buck?

Expedia is good, and usually gives you the best price.

I usually buy my tickets directly from them.

However, keep in mind that buying directly from the airline does give you a better position when the flight is delayed, cancelled, or overbooked.

That being said, I found myself using Priceline to fly from San Diego to North Carolina. Because my folks live in the Smokey Mountains, it's not cheap through Expedia. I save almost two hundred dollars this trip. However, I'm finding myself with an extended flight time. San Diego - Washington Dulles - Greenville Spartanburg. But two hundred dollars saved allows one to enjoy a comfortable hotel or a yummy dinner!

Just to remind you, Jetblue and Southwest aren't on expedia. You might want to look at those airlines for cheaper fares to WDW.. Though I would go with Jetblue in a heartbeat.

[bosoxx65]

Though I would go with Jetblue in a heartbeat.

Not 100% sure, but i don't think you can fly JetBlue Albany to Orlando. But i'll check to be sure.

Thanks everyone for the tips and advice...

[DisneyTeacher]

I booked our Christmas flights through Orbits or Expedia and didn't have any booking problems. I think I got a pretty good fare but I didn't know that not booking through the airline put me at a disadvantage if my flight is delayed or canceled, now I'm a little worried.

[Daisee]

We love SouthWest. Not sure if this airline is available for you? We registered with their "ding" program and we have gotten some incredible deals. We drive for 1 &1/2 to get to the airport, BUT we have a straight through flight, no layovers! We have flown as cheap as $29.00 per person each way, with no layovers! We never use a TA. We book our own flights.

[p_enut]

Just to chime in for Expedia, I've had good experiences with them. Even when a filght time had changed. I noticed that the change didn't allow for enough time for me to switch planes and they took care of it with no problems.

Personally you have to decide if a longer total flight is acceptable. For most it's hard to take time off from work so a fast flight means more overall vacation time! If you have the advantage of not being in a hurry why not save the extra money?

[DisneyTeacher]

Originally Posted by Daisee

We love SouthWest. Not sure if this airline is available for you? We registered with their "ding" program and we have gotten some incredible deals. We drive for 1 &1/2 to get to the airport, BUT we have a straight through flight, no layovers! We have flown as cheap as $29.00 per person each way, with no layovers! We never use a TA. We book our own flights.

I'm another huge fan of SWA. They are my first choice any time we fly. I love the fact that seats aren't assigned, it makes things go so much faster.

[ddoll]

Delta is famous for changing flight times. To me, they aren't worth it.

Do you have any discount airlines near you, like Southwest or JetBlue or Spirit? Their prices are not listed in those websites. Try going to Southwest.com and look there.

[interfx]

Here is a great website to compare all airlines, I like it better than expedia, orbitz, etc.

Cheap Airline Tickets, Discount Hotels and Airfare - SideStep

I didn't see where you are, but we live in the Berkshires, we always check on Hartford/Bradley in CT, too. I've found A LOT cheaper flying out of there to Orlando sometimes, so be sure to check if that is reasonable travel distance for you.

[bosoxx65]

Thanks FX.. that's the link i went through to find my fares.

Southwest is available here in Albany but the cost of 2 tix round trip is like $520.00!! That's not a ton of money, but Cheapo airlines is like $360.00.

I can't help it, i'm a bonafied cheapskate.

** Update: Sandy already has booked us through Cheapo Air for the $360. cost. We have a layover in Boston for a bit, but it's worth it. We'll still get into Orlando around 3pm 'ish.

Cheapo air is actually Delta in disguise

I hate getting there too early and the room isn't vacated or ready.