Thanks for the advice, everybody! Keep it coming!
Okay, so on Google Flights I'm seeing the following:
- For $805 (round trip for 2 adults), I could take Alaska Air out with a layover in Seattle (and the flight from Seattle to Portland in a DeHavilland Dash 8 propeller plane!), and with the return flight on Frontier with a layover in Denver.
- For $1053 I could do Delta non-stop both ways (with a one-day-longer trip than the other option)
Should I be worried enough about potential weather issues that paying extra for the direct flights might be worth it? Should I be worried about the Alaska Air connecting flight using a propeller plane? Should I consider driving -- oooh... or taking Amtrak! -- from Seattle to Portland (if that would make the trip cheaper)?
(I haven't checked any of the other aggregators or Southwest's website yet, but plan to.)
Also, if you're driving yourself, then be prepared to park in outlying lots, or paying a bit more since the general lots will be packed with holiday travelers. Thought I was being so smart missing the x-mas crowds by flying out ON x-mas day, but forgot about the parking! Luckily, the main airport parking (long term) was available and just steps from the entrance for about $5 more a day... but at least the actual airport was easy and the flight was awesome since we got an entire row to ourselves. ;)
Luckily, I can take MARTA to the airport.
Consider carefully any connections. End of Nov is a good time to see snow problems if you must connect do it through a southern hub like Dallas, or a far northern one like Minneapolis. Southern regions don't usually get snow ans the far north plows it without a second blink, but mid America doesn't seem to do very well.
Good call mentioning the weather -- around here ice doesn't normally become an issue until December or January, so I wouldn't have thought to consider it. In terms of weather-related issues, should I only worry about the weather at the origin/destination airports, or do I have to care about the weather in the entire country?
I can't resist: I got snowed out of a flight through ATL in February. It was a pain in the ass!!! I had a separate flight booked on its own that I had to re-schedule... so. Don't be like me.
At least you weren't here. The entire highway system went from clear to gridlock in
one hour flat, and
stayed gridlocked for the next entire day (with many people "trapped" in their cars overnight).
Luckily, as a native Atlantan and a traffic engineer, I knew we were going to be screwed and kept my ass at home that day!