Total Delta newbie here....please bear with me on a few questions
 

My husband, 11 yr old daughter and I will be flying from Nashville, TN to Bozeman, MT in June of 2018. Delta is one of our airline choices, but we've never flown with them. So, I have a couple of questions.

1) 2018 ticket schedule is open through 1st week of June...our flights will be 2nd week of June 2018. When/how often does Delta open new dates?

2) Based on first week of June flight prices, we will be looking at around $2800 round trip. I'm leaning toward Comfort+ since it is a long trip. Is it better to purchase those Comfort+ tickets asap or closer to the trip dates? I read that Delta doesn't give refunds if the fares go down after you purchase. Am I a sucker for buying nearly a year in advance?

We usually fly Southwest, so this is a whole new ball of wax for us and I admit I'm struggling to understand their fares, rules, etc.

thank you,
AJ

Every day. One can book up to 331 days in advance.

Do understand that Delta's discounted coach fares domestically typically come with a $200 change penalty plus difference in fare. They will be nonrefundable and useable only by the named party within one year of ticketing (not one year from first travel date).

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Is $2800 for one passenger or three? Basic economy (watch out!), coach ("main cabin") or C+?

Even at $900+ per person, this seems like a lot to pay for a domestic coach ticket when purchased in advance unless there's some major special event in MT at the time of your trip.

1. The constant 331 days for the schedule has been posted.

2. I have found that the 6-8 weeks is often a good spot. Fares usually start off very high and unless there is some unusual demand won't be higher until very close to the flight. One thing I do if buying a ticket for a route I haven't taken is to check a number of dates. You could look at a flight a month from now and then 2 months and whatever else you try. That can give you some picture of how the pricing might change.

3. Most people will say that C+ is not worth it at what they usually charge. However, if you "have" to have it, they may be gone closer to the flight as many people will become entitled to free C+ seats along the way. If you have time you could glance through one of the thread discussing Comfort Plus

I would look at some other BNA/BZN DL fares similar in duration at different months to get a feel for what the fares can be if they're not to your liking immediately. Look at prices for this August, September, as well as like next April, and May.

Try to make it match up to what you're trying for, so if you're looking at a long weekend or a full week or more to get an idea of what the going rate is. It won't be perfect but if you look for this September and fares are $350 and the day you can purchase tickets they're $800 that fare is likely to go down...maybe not to $350 but less than the initial offering.

The days of it being cheapest to fly 331 days out and only getting more expensive are gone. Prices can fluctuate all over until about 30 days out, and from there TYPICALLY (there are exceptions) they only go up.

I would wait to book until about one month out, maybe 6 weeks if you're nervous.

I would be expecting First for $900 per person.

Unless you want to be flying all day, it looks like you'll be going through MSP. That gives you two flights of about equal length, which is nice to break it up. Whether you should get C+ tickets depends entirely, IMO, on how much you value a little extra leg room and free drinks. (The seats are NOT wider.) If no one in the family is that tall, you may be just fine in regular seats.

Think of it this way--- on the first flight, which is currently a CRJ900, the seats are 2-2. You could put the largest adult with the 11 y/o and then the other adult across the aisle. The next flight is an A320, which is 3-3 across, so the whole family can be in the same row. I point that out because if you're like me, you have a little more freedom to move around or sort of press up against your own family members (and not feel bad/weird about it) when you're sitting together.

Bottom line, if it were me, I'd only by C+ if someone was over 6 feet tall and values the leg room. For the extra money you'd spend, you could just buy all the drinks you'd likely want. The "fancy" snacks aren't really any huge benefit either.

And as for price, I'd wait. I would expect them to come down in price during the next 6-9 months, unless there is some extremely popular event or gathering happening that would create an out of normal demand.

That is the round price for all 3 of us for Comfort+. The purpose of our trip is to bury some of my Father in Law's ashes in the mountains (a favorite place of his). We have no flexibility in the travel dates as other family members are also going from other parts of the country.

$900 is definitely high for coach. OP could also consider if flying out of CHA/TYS/MEM is less expensive. It may be a hassle but if it's $150 (ore whatever number makes it work for OP) less per ticket with 3 people it may be worth it, even if you have to get a hotel for a night.

Thanks so much for your input. I really appreciate it. Our travel dates are locked due to our circumstances (explained in another post). I'm not set on Comfort+, just thought my husband might appreciate the extra leg room, but it's not a deal breaker.

thank you!

Welcome to DL!

Yes, seats open up everyday up to 331 days in advance. It's not like Southwest where chunks of dates open up at a time.

I've found that dates greater than 8-9 months out do typically seem to have higher fares. Usually 3-6 months yields the best results for me. But that being said, I have jumped on some tickets 330 days in advance because the fare was lower than what I was expecting. It all depends on the route and what you are wanting to spend. As others have suggested, take a look at other months' fares just to get an idea of the trend of dates. I really enjoy using the fare calendar on DL to search by the number of days of the trip to see the range of prices. Sometimes by adjusting your dates 1 or 2 days longer or shorter can make a huge difference.

The biggest caution I would give is to NOT book Basic Economy. There's no advance seat selection offered and you'll surely end up with a middle seat. The Main Cabin fare often is only $20-$30 more and you can select seats at booking.

Comfort Plus has mixed reviews. In short the extra room advertised is not all that much. The other benefits to comfort plus are Sky Boarding and free cocktails. The priority boarding could come in handy if you have a large amount of carry ons. Since you are new to DL and most likely don't have Status or a DL AMEX card, if the price difference between Main Cabin and Comfort Plus is not that significant, then the boarding priority alone could be worth it.

A few other cautions: DL does charge a $200 change fee + fare difference if you have to make date changes once booked. This is not like Southwest where it's just fare difference.

Once you book, make it a point to monitor your reservation closely. Especially if you book more than a month in advance. DL schedules change and with that can come improper connections, change of aircraft type, and loss of seat assignments. Don't worry though, DL phone reps are usually very accommodating when there has been a DL schedule change. If this happens, research the new itinerary you want. Assuming it is the same (or similar) routing, same dates, provide that info to the agent and they will switch your reservation free of charge.
I check my reservations weekly.

Enjoy!

Still, as others have mentioned, there's NO REASON to purchase your ticket this far in advance. I wouldn't do it any sooner than 6 months max unless you don't mind paying more and giving the airline an interest-free loan.

$900 for 3 people RT in C+ is far from bad pricing. Works out to $150 per person in each direction.

But, make certain that it is not Basic Economy as those tickets are wholly inflexible. E.g., they cannot be changed and if you do not fly them exactly as booked, you lose the entire ticket value.

This far out, I would also make certain that you have decent travel insurance and that you review it to make certain that you are covered for typical bad stuff that can happen. What seems locked and a certainty today, may not be if you are ill or things otherwise change.

NO, it's $2800 for three C+ tickets, or $900+ per ticket.