Question about flights to Hawaii

1104*Celsius

Hi ladies!One of my best friends is getting married on Oahu in June, and DH and I are trying to figure out how & when to book our flights. We're in NYC. We've been told that fares tend to lower in Feb & March, but are not sure we should wait that long, given that we have the option to use miles (and the amount of miles required to book is rapidly increasing). Right now, I am finding fares for $665 and up. How low can we expect to see fares go in Feb & March? The other factor into this fun little equation is that we are waiting to hear if we got the timeshare for the week we requested. If we get it, we can afford stay longer than if we don't (obviously). Any suggestions or advice is welcome!

LilSwtAzyn

It is definitely a sit and watch. If you are planning to use your miles and its cheap now then sure use it! If you are planning to pay cash. I would wait. I know my friend traveled from NYC to oahu in aug for our wedding and she just waited and waited and the price slashed in may (but again my wedding was in aug). Its always a gamble. If it were me... I would wait and just watch it daily. Also see how it compares to the other airlines. The economy is suppose to get worse or stay down so I would imagine flights to go down still. HTH

jujubee96

I found this site before, maybe it will be helpful. http://history.farecompare.com/fare-graphs/historyDisplayGraphTabbed.do?departure=NYC&destination=HNL&back=183&carriers=AA,CO,DL,NW,UA,US&advPurchase=180you just plug in your city and destination city on the top; I think the link above already has NYC area airports to Honolulu.You know though, I'm not completely clear on how to read the thing (sorry!), maybe you can do better.HTH!

marikoono

I currently live in PA (about 3 hours from NYC) and fly to Hawaii every couple/few years. I have NEVER paid less than $550 for a RT flight to Hawaii (and even that is rare). I would say that anything in the $600 I would probably just book. Although rates are usually a lil' lower 3-6 months before the flight, that's not a guarentee and a risk you are taking if they don't go lower. When I was getting married in Hawaii, I booked my tickets about 9-10 months in advance and paid around $730 a ticket. My dad bought his tickets a month later and paid over $1000 a ticket. My friend bought her ticket 2 months out from the wedding and paid $600. We all flew out from the same airport. Point of story: $665 is an alright price to pay from NYC to Hawaii. Will prices go down a lil? Probably, but you will really have to keep checking constantly to find that price and once you get it, book immediatly. You do have plenty of time if you choose to "shop" around for a better price. Don't be surprised if you see prices go waaaay up before they come back down. HTH

kaesha

I'd probably book it. Anything in the 600$ works for me.

BoBride28

I'm also from NYC and I agree with pp that $665 is a decent price to pay. The cheapest I've seen from here $575 and the most at $1100, so I would probably just buy it now. Especially if you plan on using miles since that changes all the time. Good luck!

akbride09

My family and I all got our tickets via Alaska Airlines. Some of us got really cheap tickets ($400 RT from Anchorage), and some paid $200 more. The ones that paid more are the ones that bought their tickets a year in advance, rather than a few months.Mileage was sort of ridiculous - 47,500 miles for a RT ticket instead of the usual 25,000. Yeah, they are going up! Another option my sis and her family used was the 1/2 mileage, 1/2 cash - they used 7,500 miles + less than $200 for each ticket, so that was a great alternative. I don't know if other airlines do this, but it might be worth looking into for you.

REM2008

Aloha!I've been in the air/travel biz for many years.  Its more difficult to know when to buy the best fares.  Especially now that the airlines are cutting back on capacity to many destinations.Here's a tool that can help predict airfares.  http://www.bing.com/travel/about/howAirPredictions.doPlug in your Origin and destination, dates of travel and set up a search.  The search engine will shop a bunch of different sites - including airlines.   The tool will tell you when it's best to buy based on current data (inventory, fares, etc). You also have the option to have emails sent to you to alert you of fares.HTHMahalo

bulin

I saw some fares on fly.com and travelzoo.com for $460 round trip from hnl to NYC for October. U might wanna check out that site

lindska

just want to say that the pic in your siggy is gorgeous! you look like a princess ~ ever heard that before...? love u 

1104*Celsius

Thanks lindska. Thank you ladies! DH and I booked our flights with miles this evening, based on all of your recommendations. We actually DID see the fly.com special with the $460 flights, but that's only through December, at least right now. Thank you again! Did you read that, lindska? We're BOOKED!

lindska

you monkey, you're the first booked for our big day! EEEEEEKKK!!!!!!!! so funny that you're booked long before K and me...oh my gosh, this is real, celcius-pants!!! can't wait to explore paradise with u!

enteringparadise

use bing and kayak together, and plan on logging in tues and wed night around midnight that is when the airlines release their lowest fares.