Is This Ticket Price Worth It?
 

I can get round-trip tickets for $870 directly from Northwest Airlines departing from my local airport which usually has much higher prices than what I just listed. This ticket may not seem like a steal since I can get it cheaper if I commute for 2 hours to San Francisco but I will have to pay my friend for the gas which will probably add up to close to $100 if he were to drop me off at the airport and then pick me up once I return from Japan so the good ticket price would be overshadowed by the gas money which wouldn't make it such a deal. Plus by the time I depart gas prices will probably be a bit more than they are now.

The problem is I'm not an expert on buying airline tickets so it is a bit intimidating since it's my first time and I'm having second thoughts whether this is a good deal. The fact that the airline is offering this price makes me believe that maybe I can find a better price from other places closer to the departure in late-May? So is this ticket price worth it considering I can depart from my local airport without hassle and save about $100 from having to pay gas money than if I were to depart from another airport which is a bit more than 100 miles away each way?

I contacted IACE and JTBUSA and their fares around my departure date range from $815-$840 from San Francisco so this price of $870 departing from my local airport which isn't far from me seems like a good deal. Can anyone offer any insight?

I paid over $1k to fly from UK to JP direct. Make sure your flight is direct as one quote I had was for $700 but would have taken 3 days with flight changes and waiting. It would have been to amsterdam then dubai then bejing and then some other place.

This flight will only have 1 stopover before departing directly to Japan. I know ticket prices can reach 1K+ during the summer months but I just want to be sure that I'm getting a decent deal. The price of $870 seems like a good deal departing from my hometown. I think I will wait it out for a bit before purchasing because I want to be absolutely sure with my purchase without regrets. I'm a bit worried whether this price will increase in the next couple of days. Should I wait it out or should I just buy it? Prices can either drop or increase and that the latter scares me but there's always a chance for a decrease. What are the chances fares will drop? Is it more likely that they will increase if I plan on departing on May 26? Sorry for the rant but I'm just trying to make a big decision and asking for some assistance.