Weddingbee

Mr. Petunia and I decided quite a while back that we’d be going to Paris, France for our honeymoon. As soon as we made this decision, I started to look for fares through such websites as Orbitz, Expedia, etc. Months back, they were offering acceptable rates for non-stop flights from Miami to Paris, but we did not make our purchase because, well, it seemed like such a big purchase to make so early on!

Since then, I’ve been on the lookout almost daily trolling for these rates again. On Expedia, which is my preferred site, the non-stop fares had gone missing. That is, until a day or two ago. Now we are faced with making the decision to buy now or wait a bit longer again.

I’ve been scouring magazines and the Internet for all the best info on how/when to buy plane tickets at the best rates. A month or two ago, Money magazine informed me that the time of day when one buys has an impact. Sadly, I meant to keep that copy and didn’t, but I believe one of those time slots was early morning, and I will confirm that on this they were right!

Between this morning and this evening, the hotel/flight rates I was quoted — for the same hotel and same exact flights (both departing and returning) online had gone up somewhere between $400 and $500!!!

Mr. Petunia is of the opinion that we should hold out for at least a couple of more months anyway, but Money also recommends that one “buy airline tickets early because the cheapest fares are snapped up first. Most seats go on sale 11 months in advance.”

It’s really crazy how plane ticket costs can fluctuate from one hour to another and from one day to the next. Once you end up on the airplane and are ready to take off, be weary of asking other passengers what they paid for their fares. I know from experience that the same flight between same cities for the same coach seats can cost people very different amounts of money. You could be giddy with the news that you yourself got an awesome deal or you could just as easily end up feeling foolish for having paid so much more than the guy next to you.

Some people also say that the best time to buy is on Wednesdays between midnight and 1 am (based on the time zone of the hub of your preferred carrier), but I’ve been reading many comments online that say this just isn’t true.

Another thing I had heard before and just read again on USA Today is that “if you have the flexibility, consider including a Saturday stay. Although some airlines are doing away with this practice, most tend to reserve the lowest fares for itineraries that include a Saturday night stay. Savings can easily be 50%.”

When I searched for an American Airlines non-stop round trip fare Miami-Paris with a Saturday night stay, the price came to $894. What happened when I changed the date to reflect a return flight Saturday morning with no overnight stay? $1792: That is in fact more than double the fare — to stay less time!

I’m glad I saw this, too, because we’d originally thought we could save some money by staying a day or two less than we had originally intended, but it turns out that’s no money saver at all!

I’m certainly no expert, but the best I can recommend unless money is no object is to be patient and downright obsessive with air fare/vacation searches.

Now if someone could just explain to me why flying first class has to be so darn expensive…

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