TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin airfare question

looking at airfares for april and they are through the roof. I have looked at some other sites and can find them a bit cheaper but was wondering if anyone has any good experiences with any of the non direct booking air fare sites and what the sites were.

We are flying from NY if that helps but wouldnt mind flying out out RI, MA, or newark if the price was right.

Thanks!

I don't know that this is exactly what you are looking for, but this site is great for finding all different kinds of flight combos. http://matrix.itasoftware.com/

I'm pretty sure that all of the non-airline booking sites are quoting fares that are also available directly through the airlines. What I do is find the flights on sites like Expedia or Kayak, and then go to the airline site to book. That way if there's a problem you're dealing directly with the airline and not a third party.

I us ITA's "On the fly" app. It sounds perfect for you as you are willing to travel from different airports. You can also go to the web sight,
http://matrix.itasoftware.com
but I prefer the app because I can set up my search parameters on my smart phone and check them quickly several times a day. It is crazy how much movement can happen in the matter of a couple of hours. On last years trip to SXM, I had checked prices in the morning, then at lunch they dropped $180 - so I booked . By dinner time, they had gone back up.

Here is the process I use:
1) In your mind, decide on what an acceptable price is.
2) Set up your search parameters and start checking several times a day. With the app on your smart phone it only takes a minute.
3) Don't be afraid to search and book by "one way" flight segments. There is very little discount for booking RT to SXM, many times your "down" segment" can be cheaper on one airline, and "return" segment cheaper on another. If you are taking a shuttle or limo to the airport, with multiple airport options, sometimes you can get a better deal by traveling out of one airport - and return to another.
4) If you can travel on "off peak days" you can save big bucks, especially in high demand times.

Good luck!

Thanks GD i will check it out. Kaye, thats part of the problem the fares have been all over the place and the direct with the airline fares have been the worse.

I should have noted, ITA is not a booking sight, it is just a fare portal. I agree, book directly with airlines is a good idea - unless you are doing a package that includes lodging

I personally never book with one of the booking sites, versus directly with the airline. If there is a problem, you are likely to get scr*wed, as everyone ducks for cover and no one helps you fix your problem.

What I want to know, is when are the airlines going to stop ripping off the public and lower the prices to reflect the drop of fuel cost.

Dan,

I hope you're not looking for flights around the schools' Easter/Spring breaks.

We booked our April flight down on the AA n/s at a very good price but we did this way back in June and we're traveling well after that Easter time frame. Because there was no scheduled AA n/s home at that time for the midweek date we wanted, we held off and ultimately booked our return with JB again, hoping this trip will be better than our December flight home.

We got a great price but that was within two weeks of our dates becoming available. All the airlines will have periodic sales but to date we've checked and haven't seen anything as low as we got doing it that way, which isn't to say it won't happen....but our fare watcher is set nonetheless.

I hope you're able to get something good but generally speaking we usually get the best fares out of JFK even comparing our n/s to the direct and connecting flights from the other options you've listed.

Good luck and happy travels..... <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

Boy! Isn't that the truth.

And to the poster who asked about when we might expect to see ticket price reductions due to lowered fuel prices, as long as people are willing to fill the available seats, my best guess is probably never. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

@RK---Airlines purchase their jet fuel in the futures market, so the prices showing now, reflect the high prices that we had before the current dropoff. The airlines are committed to paying and using the higher priced fuel before they will get the new lower rates..........

thanks Pat. Unfortunately i am looking at the dreaded spring break timeframe. I have no choice unless we go in June and to be honest i like to soak up the few months of warmth we have up here. I really dont want to use a 3rd party site either but if i can save $150 per ticket thats not chump change. Hell thats almost a months worth of tuition to my sons school

That timeframe being the case, as I was afraid it might be, if I were you, I would keep a very close eye on the seat availability status on the flights you're most inclined to want and figure that into your selection process, too.
And as I said before, you may get lucky - who's to say? Good luck!! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

I iindeed am keeping an eye on all things related. Actually found some not horrible options. Good thing is my son is very social and comfortable talking to just about anyone and if need be he could sit next to a stranger!

We first booked our Apr trip in November Westjet from Thunder Bay for $750ca.They have had 2 reductions since then and our current price is down to $600ca(about $500US)we got price refund.The latest sale ends Jan 11 <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Joy.gif" alt="" />

Brings another question. What airlines do the price reduction refund?

Dan,

To the best of my knowledge, unless you purchase the full fare tickets to begin with, none of the US CARRIERS give refunds these days until the difference is at least either a hundred or a hundred and fifty dollars per ticket. I may be wrong on this and if so, I'd love to hear some informed answers too. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

Thanks for sharing the information on this app. I just downloaded it, and it is a great app. Have you noticed if there are any airlines that the app does not seem to find?
Or does it seem to pull in ALL airfares?

It does not include Soutwest, that is the onlyone that I know for sure is not included, however I expect there are some others that I just don't know about. It does included all major airlines, plus Jet Blue, Spirit, Frontier, Quants, SAS, Aer Lingus, LOT, Iberia, British Airways, Iberia, Finnair, Air Canada, Lufthansa, Virgin Atlantic, Air France, KL, Swiss Air, Areo Mexico, Alaska Airlines, Avianca, Emirates ,Qatar, LIAT, Windward, Myair,