Does anyone know what is the approximate cost for a RT from Washington DC (BWI, IAD or DCA) to Bozeman, MT in mid March (Spring break week 2nd week of March next year).

I am planning a trip to Big Sky and have been using Google flight tracker to track flight costs.  

Today, I realized the flight costs went down by ~ $100 for the dates I am intersted, now is $572.  I wonder if I shall pull the trigger or it is still too early in the game?  In the past few weeks, RT was hovering around mid $600 to $700.  

Dates I am tracking: March 9 (Sat.) - March 17 (Sun) or March 9 (Sat) - March 16 (Sat.).  

Thanks in advance for your reply. 

Fair warning that booking a trip that early and at a big discount opens you up to getting bumped to different flights over and over between now and the time of your trip.  They sell your seats out from under you then bump you to a less desirable flight and time.  Happened to us last year.  Booked trip from RDU to SLC 6 months early.. arriving in SLC at 10 AM.  Bumped and moved to later flights without even asking us three times... We ended up on a flight that arrived in SLC at 8PM instead of our original plan of arriving at 10 am. 

It has been a few years and I can’t speak to costs.  However, when I had trouble getting flights to Bozeman I used Billings.  At that time there was no open road speed limit in MT so if roads were dry you could go 100 mph.

crgildart wrote:

Fair warning that booking a trip that early and at a big discount opens you up to getting bumped to different flights over and over between now and the time of your trip.  They sell your seats out from under you then bump you to a less desirable flight and time.  Happened to us last year.  Booked trip from RDU to SLC 6 months early.. arriving in SLC at 10 AM.  Bumped and moved to later flights without even asking us three times... We ended up on a flight that arrived in SLC at 8PM instead of our original plan of arriving at 10 am. 

That's less likely to happen to Bozeman.  Just not that many flights in and out of that airport.  Altough the traffic has increased in recent years.

Thanks guys for the valudable input.  I did get bumped to a red eye flight this April for my Alta trip.  I booked the trip 2 months prior and I don't think the airfare was deeply discounted at the time of my purshase.  Anyway, I insisted the airline to change my red eye flight, so they did.   The reason they gave me was, the flight I booked was cancelled so they had to put me on a different one.  

I've never been to Montana, so I don't have any references on airfare cost.  When I first started to look for flights (to Bozeman), I was surprised by how expensive RT airfare is, almost 2x as to SLC , DIA or ABQ.

Side note, the past 2 months or so I have been following Google flight tracker.  I was surpised by the price fluctation on airfares.  e.g. DC to Sun Valley - Dec. 21 to 25, 2018. Over a course of 15 days, price changed from $1014 to $541....  

fosphenytoin wrote:

Thanks guys for the valudable input.  I did get bumped to a red eye flight this April for my Alta trip.  I booked the trip 2 months prior and I don't think the airfare was deeply discounted at the time of my purshase.  Anyway, I insisted the airline to change my red eye flight, so they did.   The reason they gave me was, the flight I booked was cancelled so they had to put me on a different one.  

I've never been to Montana, so I don't have any references on airfare cost.  When I first started to look for flights (to Bozeman), I was surprised by how expensive RT airfare is, almost 2x as to SLC , DIA or ABQ.

Side note, the past 2 months or so I have been following Google flight tracker.  I was surpised by the price fluctation on airfares.  e.g. DC to Sun Valley - Dec. 21 to 25, 2018. Over a course of 15 days, price changed from $1014 to $541....  

 

Supply and demand.  A lot more airlines have flights to SLC or Denver.  One reason I plan my ski trips based on flying Southwest is that their schedules are pretty stable by the time they are released.  Have had far more scheduling changes for Delta from RDU.

My daughter went with a family from the DC area to Big Sky during Christmas week a few years ago.  They flew on Christmas Day and back on New Year's Day.  Her plane fare from RDU to Bozeman was almost three times what I paid a few years before for Big Sky trip in February.  I opted out given the price for flights and lodging for 4-5 days of skiing since I could go at other times.

Fares are also heavily impacted by the price of fuel being variable on the price of oil..