Typically, the closer to the flight date, the higher the cost...that's how they screw businesses when they have to fly last minute anywhere for work. A flight to Atlanta booked a month in advance is about $240..two days, its around $1000.

I think some airlines may match or beat the online trvel prices?

Not sure though. I haven't paid for a liesure travel flight for years (always use miles), so I can't be 100% on that.

When I book for business, I usually use the online sites to find the flights (easier to use) then build it through our corporate site. But the actual airline flights are almost always cheaper than our corporate rate.