You all should count your blessings that you're not trying to get to Aruba from the upper Mid-west. For a number of reasons, we choose to not drive 5 hours to Chicago the day before our trip and the same 5 hours home the day following. We could take a non-stop out of Chicago that is currently $900. Multi-stop are available for slightly less.
We choose to leave for our regional airport, and save the 5 hrs each way plus 2 nights hotel. Thus we only have one option where we can make the trip in one day each way. The price $1,312 PP! 1st class is only $3,490 PP!
Probably the only time of the year I wished I lived on the east coast
