TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums British Virgin Islands Crystal Ball anyone?

Ok all you seasoned airline ticket shoppers. Pull out your crystal balls and let me know what you think.
I set up a flight alert on Kayak for our flights in May 2023. IAD to STT
I was thinking that the prices would come down since they are about currently about double what they were a year ago but just received this notice.

The price for your May 1 flight to Saint Thomas Island holding steady – Book today before the price gets any higher!

Still a long way out but what do you think.... higher or lower prices next spring?

George would probably know better than I, but my bet is that prices are not going down. Any way you can buy a fully refundable fare for not much more money? I know you can often do that with AA.

I am finding Kayak useless lately. I set up a price alert and watched for months and they were never correct. I finally purchased when they said the same thing you mentioned and a week later they went down. But now they are back up considerably. Eventually I just had to pull the trigger at a price point that I could live with (barely) and cancel my Kayak alerts because they were making me insane.

I used Google Flights last week to look at tickets from New York to STT in January/February. There were some great deals. I checked again yesterday and pouff - gone! Tuesday morning can be a good time to look, so I am going to do that tomorrow.

Interesting Carol. Usually skip right over that option.
Just checked... $ 50 additional p/p for United refundable flights.
No crystal ball required.

OK, good for you. Fully refundable fares USED to be a whole lot more expensive, but not so much anymore..

Ratmanswife - Can you share what flight route you saw from NYC? My tickets were $1450/pp nonstop but we are flying out Dec 26th which I know hurts. If I could find good fares in Feb I may be tempted to go again.

I bought our tickets on AA from Charlotte to STT the very day they became available. I almost feel guilty for what I paid for them...almost! More painkiller money!

I use Google Flights and was looking at JFK-STT, non-stop. Dec. 26 is always painful. I found a Delta flight on Dec.30 for my niece, JFK-STT-EIS. It was cheaper than through SJU. Try looking early Tuesday morning.

We always fly JFK Non-stop on Delta and it's been a very reliable route for us and we are usually on VG by late afternoon. I was just curious how low you found that non-stop flight. Hoping my kids school schedules line up next year so I can stop being locked into Christmas break.

And just like that - it's Tuesday morning and the low fares are back. Delta from JFK to STT, round-trip, from Jan. 26 to Feb. 2 for $224!

Grab that fare and don’t let go!

Omg I'm really taking it on the chin by flying over Christmas! Damn kids school schedules!

My in-laws packed Ratman off to boarding school in the 8th grade so they could travel. Just sayin'.

wow that would be worth me flying to JFK from Buffalo!

I would have been a parent with no qualms about my kids missing school for up to 10 days. I don't believe kids are blind deaf and dumb on a boat, and a different culture is a worthwhile trade for classes in which they can still keep current on the work. How much is available online ?

Don't tell them another adult said this, but I'd certainly make the effort. Think about it for another year ????

As a parent of 2 overachievers, once they hit middle school, classroom days are (in our opinion) invaluable.
The pandemic taught us that remote is not for everyone and not always better.
And the kids need to be in class with their teachers. Usually.
I agree 1000% that a few days here and there can be made up. But 2 weeks -- not if the kid is a STEAM or in a competitive curriculum.
Before kids, I said I would take my kids with me as I traveled the world on business... but as they grew up, the reality is they want to be with their friends, in their class, with their teachers.
Some kids and some families will have a different approach, and I support the choice of the parent.

Completely agree. I have one in college and one in high school. Obviously not taking my college kid out and my high schooler is trying for some pretty competitive colleges and on the basketball team. He missed 3 days last year for vacation and it took him over a week to catch up and was benched for 3 games. It's not about giving kids a worldly vacation experience. They get to travel plenty but we do it within the school schedule.
Online is not an option in our schools. You miss it, you fall behind.

Hi, I am using expedia flying BWI to STT this October $441 round trip..... I grabbed that.

bviicatter--Did you BOOK through Expedia? Normally I would never recommend someone to book air through a third party, as if there is a problem with the flight, it can make it very difficult to put right. ALWAYS book directly through the airline, if possible. Look wherever you want to find fares, but book direct with the airline.