Q. My family will be spending a week over Memorial Day 2014 at a home near Jackson Hole. Airfare from right now is over $600 round-trip from Atlanta. Fares to Idaho Falls are slightly less. What is the likelihood that the fares to either city will get less expensive closer to the departure date? I need seven tickets. What is the best way to get the best fares? I've read that fares are higher when big blocks of tickets after purchased. Is this something a travel agent could help with? Appreciate any advice that keeps me from spending a small fortune.
A. I see United is charging $515 round-trip on your dates and Delta $464 round-trip now to Idaho Falls. So it's a great idea to check and check again. Fares may go up or down at any time. Also be sure to check FlyFrontier as well. Searching your dates on Kayak, I didn't see Frontier Airlines listed at all, so check their site directly since they also fly to Jackson Hole. And another tip, if you're searching for several seats, it might be a good idea to search seats two by two since there might not be seven seats on the same flight at the lowest price (you could even fly on different airlines if need be). And yes, a travel agent could help with a trip like this, although most travel agents now charge a fee to arrange airline tickets.
Jackson Hole image via Shutterstock