Best time to get flight deals from LA to NY??

[TheHappyPhantom]

Posted: 11/17/11 at 12:25am

I'll be going in March from the 25 to the 30th or somewhere around there. Any tips on where to find the best deals, and when to buy?
Thanks.

[Popular]

Posted: 11/17/11 at 1:34am

This tip comes with the disclaimer to ALWAYS be extremely cautious when buying off craigslist... but, you can sometimes find legit deals.

Our thanksgiving trip next weekend - LAX to JFK - is courtesy of someone selling 60,000 of their (transferable/no black-out dates) frequent flier miles, which was exactly enough to reserve 2 round trip tickets. We saved over 60% on what we would've paid ordering off the airline's website. It is a very expensive time to fly and there is no way we could have gone otherwise.

You can also try those name your own price websites if your dates are flexible. When finding the craigslist deal I also discovered http://compete4yourseat.com Never tried it, but looked interesting. Good luck!
Updated On: 11/17/11 at 01:34 AM

[Elphaba]

Posted: 11/17/11 at 11:27am

couple of things, if I recall, airline fares change on Tuesdays? (correct me if I am wrong, someone) so check often, AND...clear your cookies...we've noticed that if you don't the fare can change and go up, if you look again a few minutes later.

Also, check nearby airports. Virgin America will start having flights between NYC and Palm Springs. They will have sales galore, so it may be worth doing that and renting a car to drive the 2hrs to LA, or maybe fly into Ontario, which is like 40 minutes from LA.
I use Kayak.com, but I also notice that many times the fare is cheaper on the airlines actual website. Also....you get your best prices by buying early, or buying right before as if flights are not full, sometimes they are cheap...but that can also backfire.
Good Luck
Check US Air changing planes in Phoenix, they seem to be cheaper these days.

[Eris0303]

Posted: 11/28/11 at 11:35pm

Don't just check JFK and LGA - check EWR. NJT has a stop right at EWR and you can go right to Penn Station.

[Calvin]

Posted: 11/29/11 at 11:07am

The best strategy is just to keep watching and grab whenever a good fare is released. Booking way in advance doesn't necessarily guarantee the best fare. People who manage travel for large corporations have measured this and have found that there's really no financial advantage in mandating booking any more than two or three weeks in advance for the trip. So just watch the fares and don't feel pressured to book before even as late as three weeks before your trip. (also keep in mind that a lot of the low-cost carriers don't appear on sites like Orbitz and Travelocity, so check with those carriers directly if you haven't already)

eta: Also, a lot of people don't realize this, but if you book a flight and the fare goes down, some airlines will allow you to repurchase the ticket and refund the first fare or the fare difference in the form of a voucher for future air travel. Not the best solution if you don't fly much, but still something to consider. Updated On: 11/29/11 at 11:07 AM