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Do I buy the tickets a month in advance? I plan on moving out of state (MI) from MD. I want my mom and brother to be able to visit me at least once a month. It's a 10 hour drive vs a 2 hour flight or less so flying is better. How would you go on about this?
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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It will vary on days of week, bookings, time of day, holidays, seasons...
Who are the carriers that have direct flights? Check their monthly fare calendars.
Can only buy so far in advance, but usually one month before is about the last of the cheap fares, and it goes up from there. (14 days advance is another break point where fares increase, then 7 days.) If loading is LOW, prices may DROP one week before flight.
I prefer SWA when possible, as you can cancel / change flight up to 10 min before departure. Bags fly free, and no seat assignments (get on and GO...) fast loading, quick turns (short time at gate).
Iflyswa.com, check out the low fare calendar, or search by date on an interactive map. (best when deciding WHERE to go on a certain weekend / date, not WHEN to go to an always fixed location. (Calendar is best). Fares vary a lot with the season. Spring Break and late summer is a good time to stay home.
The dread Spirit airlines operates a daily Detroit (DTW) to Baltimore (BWI) service. If you're talking a 3-4 day trip and they can leave a few things at your house like shampoo or a coat, it's a short enough flight for someone less than six feet tall to make their cramped seating tolerable and they can put a few clothes in a personal bag that fits under the seat, avoiding bag fees with that airline. As SR said, you may also have luck with Southwest.
Other than DTW, the state is pretty much a Delta (former Northwest) fortress area with the resulting high prices from lack of competition, though Southwest runs a GRR-BWI non-stop where you might have luck with sale fares.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,705 posts, read 58,031,425 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by beachmouse
The dread Spirit airlines operates a daily Detroit (DTW) to Baltimore (BWI) . ...
If Spirit and flexible... get on $9 fare club. There will be 4-6 sales / yr covering certain days, likely <$50 each way. Wear 3+ changes of clothes. Pay your life insurance. Don't take their customer abuse personally. Never change flights or check bags, assign seats.
SWA affords much more freedoms, and have 'happy' staff, great point perks, free changes and bags.
Ymmv
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