Okay, some tips for buying tickets...

I've traditionally found the best fares by searching the airlines websites directly. The online travel consolidators have to make a profit somewhere. In the event you find a flight you want, and it's booked solid on the website, try the consolidators then, then try calling the airline... They allocate a specific number of seats to the web, to travel agents, and to direct booking, if one is full, try another.

Searching this far out isn't gonna get you a great deal. You want to look somewhere between 2 months and 2 weeks from the travel date. Watch the flights during that time, and you will see the prices will change every few days. This is where the fun comes in, since they can go up or down, and I still haven't figured out a pattern. just make sure you aren't booking later than 2 weeks before the trip, that is when prices sky-rocket to punish the late bookers (business travelers).

I'm hoping to be able to join in the fun, but it depends on some business issues... I travel a lot of work in the summer, including a lot of weekend activities. I won't know for a couple months.

--nw