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Flight Costs #249895
03/13/2021 02:58 PM
03/13/2021 02:58 PM
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 291
South Carolina
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dvesc Offline OP
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I’ve been keeping an eye on flight costs for a possible trip in December, and the tickets have gone up about $120 over the last week. I assume others on the board may be doing the same thing, so I’m wondering if anyone else has noticed an increase recently. I’m hoping they may go back down, but I’m also worried this may be the result of higher gas prices and increased demand due to vaccinations.

SXM Sponsors
Re: Flight Costs [Re: dvesc] #249901
03/13/2021 03:42 PM
03/13/2021 03:42 PM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,359
Cincinnati area
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Flight costs in December might be exorbitant, as costs are dramatically higher in the holiday seasons, as I found out over a Thanksgiving week trip ! You might want to travel now !


Paradise is an island in the Caribbean!
Re: Flight Costs [Re: dvesc] #249902
03/13/2021 04:27 PM
03/13/2021 04:27 PM
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,469
Central Florida!
Carol_Hill Offline
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I was looking this week at a possible trip in the fall, and found the prices in general to be much higher than even pre-Covid. My feeling is that airlines are thinking there is pent up demand and figure they can make out..


Carol Hill
Re: Flight Costs [Re: Carol_Hill] #249906
03/13/2021 04:45 PM
03/13/2021 04:45 PM
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 18,565
Auburn, WA
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Can't blame them. Got to make it worthwhile to keep the plane flying.

Re: Flight Costs [Re: Carol_Hill] #249911
03/13/2021 05:18 PM
03/13/2021 05:18 PM
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 5,081
Massachusetts
boucharda Online content
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boucharda  Online Content
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Yup....they are probably correct

Re: Flight Costs [Re: dvesc] #249913
03/13/2021 06:16 PM
03/13/2021 06:16 PM
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 685
Rhode Island
Bluesfan Offline
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I booked flights for 2 weeks in June using miles. Highest ever. exhausted my account but after pandemic, who knows what might happen.

Re: Flight Costs [Re: dvesc] #249915
03/13/2021 06:45 PM
03/13/2021 06:45 PM
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 1,880
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Bahston Offline
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The airlines will have little difficulty “setting the hook” with me. I’ve got a bucket of money that has been earmarked for travel, budgeted but unspent, from three cancelled trips to SXM/SBH, and a bunch of cancelled regional trips.

Re: Flight Costs [Re: dvesc] #249917
03/13/2021 07:45 PM
03/13/2021 07:45 PM
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Posts: 291
South Carolina
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dvesc Offline OP
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Our tickets last December were $438. December 2021 tickets were $486 for the past two months or so. Last week, they jumped up to over $600. Hopefully they’ll drop back down, but I may have missed my chance.

Re: Flight Costs [Re: dvesc] #249918
03/13/2021 08:33 PM
03/13/2021 08:33 PM
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 1,553
Manhattan
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weeks5051 Offline
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I also go down in December. I start watching fares as soon as they come out. I have a threshold below which I will buy tickets. I jumped at Delta's first fare because even the main cabin fare (which I bought) was relatively good. I'm glad I did because the same ticket is now $110 per ticket more.

Re: Flight Costs [Re: dvesc] #249926
03/14/2021 03:25 AM
03/14/2021 03:25 AM
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 538
Sugar Land, Tx
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we go every year from around Christmas until after the new year, and i think this year's (2021/22) airfare will be the least we've ever paid for that time period, for FC/BF no less

and we usually go to the bahamas in May for Kentucky Derby weekend, but this year we're going to SXM instead since we found such a good price on tix


[Linked Image]
Re: Flight Costs [Re: IslandBoi] #249940
03/14/2021 10:08 AM
03/14/2021 10:08 AM
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,469
Central Florida!
Carol_Hill Offline
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I think the prices that people are finding sky high are for fall 2021..


Carol Hill
Re: Flight Costs [Re: Carol_Hill] #249993
03/14/2021 02:58 PM
03/14/2021 02:58 PM
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 538
Sugar Land, Tx
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IslandBoi Offline
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several posts in this thread mention high priced december travel, and i was just commenting we purchased our airfare for next december at a pretty good price


[Linked Image]
Re: Flight Costs [Re: IslandBoi] #249994
03/14/2021 03:02 PM
03/14/2021 03:02 PM
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,469
Central Florida!
Carol_Hill Offline
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OK, sorry, I thought somehow you were talking about December 2020..


Carol Hill
Re: Flight Costs [Re: dvesc] #250006
03/14/2021 04:17 PM
03/14/2021 04:17 PM
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 124
Clearwater, Florida
LSmayda Offline
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Clearwater, Florida
We just paid $1350 for our trip on AA 3/21-4/16. Most we have ever paid.

Re: Flight Costs [Re: LSmayda] #250007
03/14/2021 04:30 PM
03/14/2021 04:30 PM
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,469
Central Florida!
Carol_Hill Offline
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I assume that's for two?


Carol Hill
Re: Flight Costs [Re: dvesc] #251574
03/31/2021 07:23 AM
03/31/2021 07:23 AM
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Posts: 291
South Carolina
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dvesc Offline OP
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Just to update ... costs for direct flights from Charlotte on American continued to rise. They’re now $662 for our dates, up from $486 about a month or so ago. The good news is we’re just a little farther from Atlanta compared to Charlotte. Delta is flying direct from ATL for $457 one day sooner than our original dates. If the AirBnB host agrees to change our reservation, we’ll just fly from Atlanta on Delta. It’s only about $20 more than we paid last December, so I’m satisfied considering travel demand will be a lot different this year.

Last edited by dvesc; 03/31/2021 07:28 AM.
Re: Flight Costs [Re: LSmayda] #251577
03/31/2021 07:44 AM
03/31/2021 07:44 AM
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 124
Clearwater, Florida
LSmayda Offline
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Yes

Re: Flight Costs [Re: dvesc] #251578
03/31/2021 07:51 AM
03/31/2021 07:51 AM
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 13,398
Peaceful Eastern North Carolin...
GaKaye Offline
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Our timeshare weeks begin the Saturday before Thanksgiving and end three weeks later. We booked our return flights quite some time ago for the Friday before our Saturday timeshare checkout, but found the flights going down were ridiculous. We finally decided to fly down on the Thursday before our timeshare check in, and are spending a couple of nights at GCBC. Flying on Saturday is almost always more expensive.

Re: Flight Costs [Re: GaKaye] #251581
03/31/2021 08:05 AM
03/31/2021 08:05 AM
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 291
South Carolina
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dvesc Offline OP
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We were looking to go Thursday to Thursday right before Christmas, but now we’re arriving and leaving on Wednesdays. I kept wondering why I didn’t see any direct flights from ATL and thought Delta wasn’t offering them right now. Turns out I was just looking on the wrong days. I finally figured this out using a flexible dates search option that gave results three days before and after my entered dates. The AirBnB host just confirmed the change, so we’re booked!

Last edited by dvesc; 03/31/2021 08:05 AM.
Re: Flight Costs [Re: dvesc] #251586
03/31/2021 08:52 AM
03/31/2021 08:52 AM
Joined: Feb 2015
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We just booked for next February. Arriving on a Saturday and leaving on a Tuesday (10 days). From Portland Maine through JFK, roundtrip was $774.00 each (Comfort Plus).

Thought about trying to wait on a cheaper fare but really feel it is only going to go up as more and more people begin to travel again.

Re: Flight Costs [Re: dvesc] #251587
03/31/2021 08:56 AM
03/31/2021 08:56 AM
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 18,560
St Maarten
BillandElaine Offline
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BillandElaine  Offline
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St Maarten
The other day booked for June SXM-JFK return for two about $1000. Same as we paid in October. Flights on Saturday were cheaper than any other day


Elaine
*********************************
God Bless the broken road....
Re: Flight Costs [Re: BillandElaine] #251589
03/31/2021 08:59 AM
03/31/2021 08:59 AM
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,469
Central Florida!
Carol_Hill Offline
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Elaine--surprised at that, considering I was looking at June flights from Miami to SXM and they were WAY up from what they were about a month ago (before Celebrity announced their cruises from SXM..)


Carol Hill
Re: Flight Costs [Re: dvesc] #251592
03/31/2021 09:09 AM
03/31/2021 09:09 AM
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 520
New York, New York
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gracie105 Offline
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I just booked Delta from JFK for July and found the prices to be $200 more than usual.

Re: Flight Costs [Re: dvesc] #251594
03/31/2021 09:14 AM
03/31/2021 09:14 AM
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 291
South Carolina
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dvesc Offline OP
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I feel the same way now, and realized it was a mistake to keep comparing costs to last December. I didn’t book at $486 from Charlotte because I wanted to see if it would go down to last year’s price. Then it just went up and up. I ended up booking now to lock in the option of changing flights for free. That option seems to be ending this month with basic economy tickets on Delta and AA. I think it’s still available for the more expensive tickets.

Re: Flight Costs [Re: Carol_Hill] #251595
03/31/2021 09:16 AM
03/31/2021 09:16 AM
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 18,560
St Maarten
BillandElaine Offline
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BillandElaine  Offline
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St Maarten
Yes, it was less expensive a month ago, but waited to book after we got our jabs. Way better than the flight I booked on AA for April 2020 (which was cancelled). $1000 for 1 ticket!


Elaine
*********************************
God Bless the broken road....
Re: Flight Costs [Re: dvesc] #251623
03/31/2021 12:57 PM
03/31/2021 12:57 PM
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 295
Lake Orion, MI
gomer36 Offline
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With the cruise ships that are planning to home port in SXM, that's really going to drive demand and ultimately prices. The cruise lines and also cruise wholesalers buy seats in bulk to sell to those who like to buy a cruise and air package, and that will carve out seats early, drive load factor and ultimately prices. Lots of cruisers like to tack on some extra days at the home port before or after their cruise, so hopefully that pushes some of the demand off Saturday/Sunday. Add 3000 cruise passengers per ship to the Saturday time share travelers, folks connecting to neighbor islands and Princess Juliana will be tough to navigate. On the upside, to service the demand perhaps the airlines will add flights, giving us all more options. It will be interesting to see if the cruise lines line up some charters from major cities to help fill their ships...I kinda hope they do.


"We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch - we are going back from whence we came." ~ John F. Kennedy
Re: Flight Costs [Re: gomer36] #251625
03/31/2021 01:12 PM
03/31/2021 01:12 PM
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,469
Central Florida!
Carol_Hill Offline
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gomer--I was actually quite shocked that they DIDN'T have charter air set up for the sailings from SXM, knowing how crowded Juliana already is on any given Saturday. Having the ONE ship, as of now, home porting in SXM will definitely drive some prices up for air this summer.

As of now, there is only the Celebrity Millenium which will be home porting. That ship only carries 2,000 pax, fully loaded, and they are not going to be doing full loads, although I haven't really seen what percentage they are actually going to do. My guess is that it will be no more than about 1,500 pax per sailing. And looking at booking air through the cruise line, it looks like you can book pretty much any day to arrive or leave, so hopefully the extra crowd will be dispensed out over several days.

As of NOW, the cruises from SXM will be ONLY from June through the middle of August. What will happen after that depends on a million things, including how well the sailings sell and what happens with the CDC 'no sail' order from US ports, which currently is in effect until something like November 1. My pure GUESS at this point is that, if the sailings sell well, they may bring the ship back to SXM by around November 1 to sail for this winter. But it would surprise me if they scheduled sailings from SXM in September and October, as the risk of hurricanes during that timeframe is pretty high. ...although I was stunned that they didn't do charter air to begin with, so I guess I don't know a lot of what I think I do..


Carol Hill
Re: Flight Costs [Re: Carol_Hill] #251634
03/31/2021 02:01 PM
03/31/2021 02:01 PM
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 295
Lake Orion, MI
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Thanks for the input Carol! Makes me feel better about the whole deal. I'd forgotten the info regarding capacity limitations, etc. I'm for anything that helps St Maarten, and getting some traffic there in the low season can't hurt. I'd say your speculation is also accurate..if this thing takes off, other cruise lines will surely try to copy in their efforts to recover. St Maarten is voted the most popular Caribbean cruise port every year, and has the regions best airport..cruise facilities.


"We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch - we are going back from whence we came." ~ John F. Kennedy
Re: Flight Costs [Re: Carol_Hill] #251635
03/31/2021 02:04 PM
03/31/2021 02:04 PM
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 295
Lake Orion, MI
gomer36 Offline
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And by the way Carol, we're headed for BSV Saturday! Can't wait! waiting for our test results to come in, EHAS process...barring any airline drama we're almost there.


"We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch - we are going back from whence we came." ~ John F. Kennedy
Re: Flight Costs [Re: gomer36] #251636
03/31/2021 02:17 PM
03/31/2021 02:17 PM
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,469
Central Florida!
Carol_Hill Offline
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gomer--The size of this ship, versus the 6,000 pax ships that Royal Caribbean is using, is a bit different, so hopefully it won't be a huge deal at Juliana. I think that overall, it should be a big help to the island, in terms of business, both for the short AND long terms, so it is a good thing, as far as I'm concerned. I would bet a good percentage of the pax will come in at least a day or two early, so as to not miss the ship. I note that the ship will not be sailing until 10 PM, which is pretty late, but the good news I guess also is that those getting onboard will be able to enjoy a nice meal in SXM prior to leaving, if that is their desire.


Carol Hill
Re: Flight Costs [Re: gomer36] #251637
03/31/2021 02:17 PM
03/31/2021 02:17 PM
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,469
Central Florida!
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gomer--good for you!!! Send some pictures from 'home' when you arrive! grin Enjoy!!!


Carol Hill
Re: Flight Costs [Re: dvesc] #251678
04/01/2021 05:42 AM
04/01/2021 05:42 AM
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 291
South Carolina
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dvesc Offline OP
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The option to change our tickets without a fee was important to us when comparing flights. American stopped allowing free changes with Basic Economy tickets March 31. It looks like Delta has now extended its policy for Basic Economy. The deadline for booking Basic Economy tickets without a change fee was March 30 but is now April 30. I'm pretty sure both plan to continue offering free changes with the more expensive cabin fares.

Last edited by dvesc; 04/01/2021 07:14 AM.
Re: Flight Costs [Re: dvesc] #251679
04/01/2021 07:44 AM
04/01/2021 07:44 AM
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 5,081
Massachusetts
boucharda Online content
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Right now the only airline with out of whack fares (from BOS mid-January) is JetBlue....United and Delta are normal. I did not look at AA with other options available

Re: Flight Costs [Re: dvesc] #251684
04/01/2021 08:13 AM
04/01/2021 08:13 AM
Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 214
pburke40 Online content
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AA still has a no fee change, I believe. Also, an option of refundable for an extra $50.00 per ticket. Seems reasonable to me. ( not available for Basic Economy)

Re: Flight Costs [Re: boucharda] #252651
04/12/2021 11:02 AM
04/12/2021 11:02 AM
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 5,081
Massachusetts
boucharda Online content
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boucharda  Online Content
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Originally Posted by boucharda
Right now the only airline with out of whack fares (from BOS mid-January) is JetBlue....United and Delta are normal. I did not look at AA with other options available



Decided to bite the bullet and book our mid-January two week trip. I can't say the fares were unreasonable. Last week I booked United down (using flight credits) for around $340 each (Economy plus seats) and the return on Delta (Comfort+) for $313 each...so $650 for the extra room seats roundtrip. Not a screaming bargain but not over the top either

Re: Flight Costs [Re: Carol_Hill] #252653
04/12/2021 11:31 AM
04/12/2021 11:31 AM
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 490
MILford,CT.
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bonsie Offline
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The Celebrity from SXM will be sailing at 50%.


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