We're flying out of BWI the Friday before Thanksgiving and returning black friday. We bit the bullet and have two sets of ressies. One through DTC with refundable bulk air on USAir that we didn't have to pay for yet ($1,000 for 4). This assures us a seat (already have seat assignments). When I check sites like Orbitz, the exact same seats are a total of about $200 less. I'm still waiting for Southwest to come out with their schedule since they are one of the few carriers from BWI with direct flights. If I'm unsuccessful, I'll hopefully still be able to book the USAir flight directly and save $200. I'm not hoping to get a great fare like I've been seeing lately on the boards. If we do, it's great!
I've already noticed on several sites that the Saturday after Thanksgiving is a blackout date. Maybe you can be flexible with your dates. Where are you flying out of? Maybe you could check another nearby airport. Good luck! Feel free to e-mail me and we can compare notes.