@Waiting2exhale I think the benefit is if the date you select actually works out you get a great price.
@NYC2018nyc : āWe booked United because they said change and cancellation fees are not happening due to covid. I donāt really believe them, because they have proven themselves untrustworthy in the past, but I figured worth the risk for the great prices. We went with the posted dates.ā
Jetblue says the same, but that āā¦fare difference may apply.ā
I could go with the āmayā and book, but get really anxious booking anyway, worried I missed the best price, or jumped too soon.
Thanks, both of you.
Yes, you have to pay the cost difference but there are no change fees. I bought tickets for $69 each way ($483 total for three round trip and one one-way). Say the date changes and by the time we are notified, the fare is up to $119 each way ($833 total.) I will have to pay the extra $350. If I didnāt buy tickets now and waited and the date changes, I would pay the $833 total. Exactly the same. There is no risk in spending the $483 now because I can apply to new tickets if I need to. There is no risk.
The savings are if we donāt have to change the flights, the cost will likely be higher if we waited to buy the tickets, so weāve saved money.
The only risk is that you are stuck with that airline. If you find a cheaper fare or better times on a different airline than you presumedly get a credit but not a refund. Right?
Right, but itās extremely unlikely that fares will be any cheaper than $69 (Denver-Tucson) so I am not worried about it at all.
The real reason I bought the tickets was that I was afraid they might sell out. Not necessarily for the move in date, but for Thanksgiving. When dates are so limited and specific, I feel better knowing I have the tickets.
How do you know when to book for Thanksgiving? Do you just book a flight out on the evening of the day before (Wednesday)? Iām wondering how one would know when to book if one doesnāt know the studentās class/final schedule yet?
I just went by the dates on the website. I was most concerned about the Sunday return flight, since so many want to fly that date. School calendar said classes end Tuesday so I booked a flight Tuesday night.
Do you think students will be coming back to campus after Thanksgiving? I have a feeling a vast majority will want to be done with on campus students by TG?
Do you mean returning after thanksgiving? Hmmm. I was thinking itās even riskier to book a flight for that given a lot of schools may just stay out of session until after all the winter holidays. Ugh. I donāt know what to do.
My Ds school (LMU) has just announced that they are starting at their regular time, late August, but will end in -person instruction at Thanksgiving. Then 2 weeks of remote learning, then finals online. My S20ās school has not made any schedule announcements beyond their desire to have in person instruction. My D can drive to LMU, but Sās school is a plane flight away. Havenāt booked anything yet.
Oh I have no idea! I only booked the flights because I could change them. I have heard about Notre Dame and South Carolinaās plans for after Thanksgiving, but I bought the tickets before then. Who knows???
@socaldad2002 just like @scorekeeper1 My D20 school, University of Texas at Austin announced last week their plan to return to school as scheduled in late August but will not return to in person instruction after Thanksgiving break, thus finishing the last month of the semester online.
Exactly, I would be surprised if any colleges will have students on campus between Thanksgiving and the first week in January. Either the semester/quarter will be done by TG or they will complete it via online instruction and finals.
Anyone have ideas for simple car decorations for a drive through graduation? Something that is not too over the top. Iāve thought of some window painting (never done that before ā does it wash off pretty easily?) But thatās as far as Iāve gotten. We are using my car with the sunroof so D20 can pop out when safe to do so. Iāve finally found a place where I could order a graduation lei with her college colors, and that took forever with so many stores not open or only partially open, and leis/flowers in short supply. Iāve done a little googling about graduation car parades but was hoping maybe someone here might have some suggestions. Thanks!
Some parents I know are making posters or ordering banners and attaching magnetic strips to be able to stick them on their doors. Some printing businesses make magnetic signs for car doors. You can tie streamers from the door handles, antennas.
I did an Amazon search for āwindow markersā and a few products popped up. You may want to check them out.
Now, youāve got me thinking about how Iām going to decorate the car! 
We have had a wild couple of weeks when it comes to graduation. Originally the three high schools in our district were approved to have in person graduation with 2 guests. The day prior to the plan being announced to the public our public health asked to eliminate the two guests. As parents, we were just grateful that S20 was going to be able to have some closure with his classmates. Now yesterday our division of public health reversed course again and now we get to have two guests. Graduation on on Sunday, so there is still plenty of time for plans to change!!!
University of Denver will be sending out details on housing for the fall this Friday, so we are anxiously awaiting that email. DU operates on the quarter system, their 1st quarter starts the Monday following Labor Day and wraps up the week of Thanksgiving. 2nd quarter doesnāt start until the 2nd week of Jan, so they appear to be in good shape for the fall. After that, who knows!!
S20 and myself will be driving to Denver Iām guessing we will leave the Thursday prior to his orientation. It takes about 12 hours, but will stop somewhere in central Nebraska. S23 and my wife are planning on flying down after school that Friday, no flights booked yet. We will have the weekend to explore the Rocky Mountains and do any last minute shopping before his move in sometime on Labor Day. Since we have a car Iām guessing we do all our shopping at home.
@amsunshine the window markers/paint has always come off easily for us. Buy more than you think you need, the paint seems to run out quicker than expected.
@amsunshine we found window markers at Dollar Tree, but only White and Black. They came off easily with windex when were were done.
@fretfulmother I heard that this year teachers have access to their studentsā AP tests. I wonder if teacher are trying to see how well their students did before the test come out.
Had booking flights on my to do list this week, but glad I didnāt book. D20ās school just announced undergrads will be starting 3 weeks later than planned. Plus, freshman orientation originally scheduled the week before school starts but will now be online. So, looks like D20 will be going out about a month later than planned. Still donāt know the move-in date, so not going to book flights just yet.