I was looking at taking the family to Belize or Cabo over spring break in March and flights are ranging $1,000 to $1,500. Is that the new norm!!? I can fly to Hawaii or the Caribbean for cheaper or the same price.

Username fits.

Wait to buy your flight until about 90 days out. Pricing is always super inflated this far out as airlines are trying to test what the market can bear. It's really no different than the secondary market for concerts and sporting events.

If you can slide your dates one or two days off of the 9th or 16th, the fares are much cheaper on most airlines. If you wanted the cheap fares for those dates, you needed to book them within a few hours of the airline opening up their schedule for those dates. They know how many people want to fly Sat to Sat during Spring Break week and Houston is a major hub to Mexico for people coming from other parts of the US on SW or United.

Yes. It sucks. It was that way last year, too. Try Monday thru Saturday of spring break and see if it's cheaper. It was for us (Cancun).

HeightsAg said:

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Wait to buy your flight until about 90 days out. Pricing is always super inflated this far out as airlines are trying to test what the market can bear. It's really no different than the secondary market for concerts and sporting events.

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Not sure that holds true for the holidays anymore. Doing DFW-CUN the week of Thanksgiving on AA and bought the tickets four months ago for $750 a pop, looked yesterday and the flights are almost full and the fares for coach are now north of a grand.

Going to the Bahamas for spring break next year and it was around $1,100 for coach on direct fights (first was more than double that); just be ready to pay up if you are going to travel during peak times or pray for a recession between now and then.

Yeah, I was going to respond that waiting that long is a good way to make sure you don't go to Baja or Cancun for spring break. By 90 days out I will be surprised if there are even many seats available, and the ones that are will have a premium price tag.

That advice is probably good most other times of the year. But with spring break locked into a one week timeframe for most folks, the tickets disappear earlier than pretty much any other time of year other than Christmas week. But even then, most people have more flexibility around christmas.

I just looked at September and it's still over 1K for go to Mexico l.

We're going Sept 29th - Oct 4th for $277 a person on United. We booked it last week.

JustPanda said:

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We're going Sept 29th - Oct 4th for $277 a person on United. We booked it last week.

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Wow. Now that's what I was expecting. Something in the $300 to $500 range.

It's the heart of hurricane season so there are probably some deals to Mexico and the Caribbean next month if you are flexible.

Left for Playa today on a last minute vacation. Our tickets we 19,800 miles each. Not bad at all.

Ag CPA said:

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It's the heart of hurricane season so there are probably some deals to Mexico and the Caribbean next month if you are flexible.

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we got a great deal at the Waldorf Astoria Pedregal in Cabo a few years back as they were doing property maintenance in Sept. Never even knew it was going on while there.

Ag CPA said:

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It's the heart of hurricane season so there are probably some deals to Mexico and the Caribbean next month if you are flexible.

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That is typically when we do our dive trips to the Caymans. Low season, half the resorts are closed and the other half have nice package prices. Just saw a deal a week or so ago for a week at Cayman Brac Beach Resort with 6 days diving, and breakfast and dinner for $400 less than their normal package for the first two weeks in September. $1395 pp for that package is a steal. I would be doing it if we didn't have family coming to visit during the window it was available.

Little trick on Belize. Fly on Friday and stay downtown at the Radisson. Enjoy the pool, the lounge, go to the zoo or just relax. Then take the ferry or the island hop to where you are going on Saturday.

Even SW gouges you on Saturday to Saturday.

Very normal. I routinely have paid $1k-$1400 per flight to Cancun or Punta Cana for spring break and this was 2-4 years ago.

SB is the 2-3rd most expensive week for flights that I find. Week after Christmas the highest, and SB is usually around same as Thanksgiving.

This is why we always go to Colorado in Jan/Feb to avoid the price increase during Christmas/Spring Break. Flight prices are absurd.

And Christmas conditions are usually trash. The best skiing isn't until mid-January to late Feb.

The year before last, we didn't even have a base to build fake over until the week before Christmas. Ribbon of death is real pre-January.

Ag CPA said:

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HeightsAg said:

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Wait to buy your flight until about 90 days out. Pricing is always super inflated this far out as airlines are trying to test what the market can bear. It's really no different than the secondary market for concerts and sporting events.

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Not sure that holds true for the holidays anymore. Doing DFW-CUN the week of Thanksgiving on AA and bought the tickets four months ago for $750 a pop, looked yesterday and the flights are almost full and the fares for coach are now north of a grand.

Going to the Bahamas for spring break next year and it was around $1,100 for coach on direct fights (first was more than double that); just be ready to pay up if you are going to travel during peak times or pray for a recession between now and then.

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Can confirm. We just booked flights to CUN from DFW on AA as well. Saturday to Friday? NOPE. Over $1k each.

We're doing similar to last year… leave Sunday morning, come back thanksgiving day. RT was $580.

Yah, we have to be back for Thanksgiving this year so we are doing Saturday-Wednesday but we have spent more than one Thanksgiving Day over they years flying home (usually from the Caribbean) to take advantage of the fares.

what are normal prices for hou-cancun in June? as of today non stop flights are like $650 for economy.

The google price range says they are average $190-$270, but I am having a hard time believe that if they are at $650 now?

I normally check prices weekly so I am trying to figure out when I should jump on a price and book?

I'd say $175-250. The tax on the ticket is $107 each. We've found them frequently for anywhere between $99 - $200.

$650+ is about 2-3x the normal

We paid $277 for our August trip and $189 for September. For $650 you could fly to HI or South America.

Not sure where he's seeing those type of fares but I haven't been able to get to CUN from DFW for less than $450 in years. Granted, I'm almost always flying down on a Wednesday or Thursday around 7 or 8am and coming back Sunday - so primo spots.

I think if you're going Tuesday to Tuesday, you can probably get it for $300 or so.

The taxes do suck even if flying with miles. We flew RT first class on AA from DFW back in June and it was ~110k miles for 2 tickets IIRC.

As an aside and reply to an earlier comment of mine on this thread, we're flying back on Thanksgiving day this year. Picked a late flight (6pm) to get to enjoy a full day at the resort. Plane was empty when booking.

AA kindly informed me yesterday that the flight was cancelled and we were rebooked on an earlier flight. The airlines are dropping flights like crazy right now to keep them full.

AustinCountyAg said:

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what are normal prices for hou-cancun in June? as of today non stop flights are like $650 for economy.

The google price range says they are average $190-$270, but I am having a hard time believe that if they are at $650 now?

I normally check prices weekly so I am trying to figure out when I should jump on a price and book?

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When are you looking in June? If you are looking for Sat-Sat the first week in June, you are competing with a lot of families taking a trip once school is out and college kids taking post-semester/graduation trips. If you can fly something other than Fri-Sat-Sun, and go a week or two into June, the prices will probably be lower. You can also look at flying Austin to Cancun. The non-stops out of Houston are often quite a bit more expensive than the flights out of Austin that stop/change planes in Houston and go to Can Cun on the same plane.

it would be a thur-mon trip in middle of June

Those are Thursday to Sunday/Monday or Friday to Tuesday/Wednesday from Denver.both direct.

Tickets on our flight in late September are still low $300s.

well yeah September is peak hurricane season and shoulder season for most travelers.

June, for Americans, is not.

We went in June for 17,800 miles each which is like $225. Surprises Houston is more expensive than Denver since Houston is closer.

We can fly Aspen to Cancun for $425.

maybe Coloradans just aren't big beach goers.. Every flight from DFW is always packed and there's no way you're getting $200 RT.

It probably has to do with everyone and their brother connects through DFW on AA.

Yeah maybe. I just checked and it's $300-350 for 4/5 day trip next June leaving Thursdays or Fridays.

Maybe it'll be cheaper on SW once they release flights? I have noticed they cut a ton of the direct flights from Den to Cancun. Not sure about HOU.

Another reason to live in CO

JustPanda said:

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We went in June for 17,800 miles each which is like $225. Surprises Houston is more expensive than Denver since Houston is closer.

We can fly Aspen to Cancun for $425.

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Welcome to United. There is nobody else flying non-stop to Cancun from IAH that I am aware of, so United is going to bend you over if you want to fly nonstop from there. They have done that on their caribbean non-stop routes for years. That is why they fought so hard to keep Hobby from getting an international wing added to Hobby airport.

We have friends who moved to London for a year and want to go visit them to catch a proper futbol match. Looking to go in April...when should expect flights to be decent to purchase? I haven't flown to Europe in a decade so unaware nowadays.

maroon10 said:

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We have friends who moved to London for a year and want to go visit them to catch a proper futbol match. Looking to go in April...when should expect flights to be decent to purchase? I haven't flown to Europe in a decade so unaware nowadays.

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90 days out. It'll be cheap in April.

We paid $1k seat for HOU Puerta Vallarta about 100 days out, but it's over Labor Day weekend. And only way we did it was because the house was already being paid for.

I booked CUN seats the day they opened for $450 wanna get away fares…and that was a Monday Monday.

We were gonna do a London wales Ireland trip this past summer but even booking early it was $2k per seat just IAH LON.

Travel is ridiculous.