TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin CLT to SXM

Does anyone have any insight or magic incantation I can utter to get a better airfare from Charlotte in October? We like the direct flight on AA but the fare drains much (or at least some) of the joy out of our trip. Is $680 per person round trip about average? Do I need to just stop whining and suck it up? Should I book now or wait?

Unless you are flying from the New York City/East Coast area, $680 is not bad. If that is non-stop, I would say it is pretty good. Many people pay that and more with 1-2 connections.

Many years ago CLT seemed to be pretty decent but the fare from there is not what it once was.

That is about right. We just booked our November/December trip and the round trip tickets from Wilmington NC were about $750 each. You would have thought with the gas prices going down that the ticket prices might have dropped, but they haven't.

As others have said $680 in October is a good price. Take it now while you can get it. I'm paying nearly $800 in November.

I do not get your pricing...just checked flying from Toronto connecting in CLT then to SXM cost was $327.00 US American then from Toronto thru MIA connecting to SXM is $412.....Georgia these for October flights....both flying American....kate <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/canada.gif" alt="" />

Your price is because you are close enough to the NY area, that they have to be competitive. Most of the country OTHER than NY area pays a TON more.

We booked our November trip using frequent flyer miles. 12,500 per person each way going and 17,500 returning. Flying in and out on Mondays. Flights on weekends are double that and triple around Thanksgiving. Sadly, I agree that $680 is a "good" price.

And sometimes connections are actually cheaper. There is little rhyme or reason to airline pricing.

A side note... All flights in and out of Charlotte were canceled today because of the winter storm. 28 degrees at 1:30 pm is pretty cold for Charlotte. Woke up to freezing rain that has stopped for awhile. Wish we were walking the beach at Club O.

I talked to a friend who lives in that area (CLT) and he said the "panic" started last night and they were starting to talk about cancellations then.

I heard on our news here that AA is canceling their flights through Philly tomorrow. Guess it is best to be on the side of caution so people can make plans rather than being stuck in an airport!

About $750 Delta Minneapolis to SXM via ATL in March

In addition to Carol's explanation, another problem is that we fly the Saturday before Thanksgiving; fares are always higher then.

Thanks everyone. I will book it but probably won't quit complaining about it.

I just checked AA from Baltimore and it is $557/person in April. I guess the longer the distance, the less money. Makes no sense that you pay more than me when I would travel from BWI to CLT and then to SXM.

Anyone notice a pattern when using FF miles? They get you there for a reasonable amount then gouge you for the return leg. It used to be the same miles each way.

Yes we pay almost $700 ea from Miami, in AUGUST!

We have flown out of Charlotte direct the last 5 years in October. I start watching the flights every day starting this time of year. I have seen them drop over a hundred dollars each for a day or two, and then they go back up. Sometimes they go up more than they were originally listed. It is kind of like Vegas. Knowing when to pull the trigger is luck, and hope you get the best price before they go back up. The price you have listed is about where they are this time of year. The last two years, I bought just a little later than this time of year. I am also watching the price for our October trip this year. Good luck.