Flights to Europe, summer 2013

[poohmomof5]

Originally Posted by OrangeCountyCommuter

I am flying Vueling after my DCL back to CDG. And LovesToRun is right, you have to watch the fees. For me it was cheaper to buy the "higher" fare which came with 50 lbs of luggage (hopefully I won't be NEAR that LOL!) and an assigned seat.

To the OP. You are starting to get into a really risky time IMHO. IT's highly likely that over the next month fares may start to climb not "decrease" Your trip is prime season so....Now I may be wrong but I would not wait more then 8 weeks out to buy.

Airlines have dramatically cut the number of seats going to Europe which has allowed them to raise the prices. I noticed on the June 8 meet thread several posters had dropped out due to the airfare issue.

Thanks for the heads up! I am going to keep checking. I figure by May 1st, I need to be booked and set at the latest. I waited and waited on our Baltic trip and really got anxious at the end and we didn't get to sit by each other, I learned the hard way!

[tajz90]

Originally Posted by poohmomof5

Thanks for the heads up! I am going to keep checking. I figure by May 1st, I need to be booked and set at the latest. I waited and waited on our Baltic trip and really got anxious at the end and we didn't get to sit by each other, I learned the hard way!

Thats why I just sucked it up and purchased. We want to sit near each other and we wanted certain times. Thank goodness though, prices have went up a lot more since then. Best of luck.

[abayaflowers]

Originally Posted by OrangeCountyCommuter

I am flying Vueling after my DCL back to CDG. And LovesToRun is right, you have to watch the fees. For me it was cheaper to buy the "higher" fare which came with 50 lbs of luggage (hopefully I won't be NEAR that LOL!) and an assigned seat.

To the OP. You are starting to get into a really risky time IMHO. IT's highly likely that over the next month fares may start to climb not "decrease" Your trip is prime season so....Now I may be wrong but I would not wait more then 8 weeks out to buy.

Airlines have dramatically cut the number of seats going to Europe which has allowed them to raise the prices. I noticed on the June 8 meet thread several posters had dropped out due to the airfare issue.

We finally purchased our flights from SFO to BCN. What shocked us the most was that the taxes were as much as the tickets.

We tried everything and finally decided to go through LHR.

We are flying through Newark, NJ to BCN. Then, flying on Lufthansa going through LHR and back to SFO.

Cost us as much as the cruise itself.

[Tozzie]

Try flying in a day earlier or staying a day later. For various reason I need to fly buiness class and flying home the day after the cruise the ticket cost was half as much as if I wanted to fly home the day of the cruise. Even with a hotel room for the night still saved a bundle. I swore the airline knew whent he cruises began and ended. With you having to buy 7 tickets if you are able to stay one more day it might save you even with the cost of the hotel room.

[canadakath]

Keep in mind that the taxes and fees on a ticket are determined by the airport you are flying into, and Heathrow is one of the most expensive. Makes it brutal for using FF miles...

I used kayak.com to search for fares every day, and when a seat sale came up on Air France I jumped on it. Even looking at Easyjet out of Paris I couldn't beat the price of flying Toronto-Paris-BCN on Air France. Plus it gives us 4 nights in Paris post cruise - Unfortunately it looks like flights out of O'Hare have increased recently. Hang in there - you can get price alerts from kayak and hopefully you will be able to get in on the next round of seat sales.

[disneyholic family]

Originally Posted by OrangeCountyCommuter

To the OP. You are starting to get into a really risky time IMHO. IT's highly likely that over the next month fares may start to climb not "decrease" Your trip is prime season so....Now I may be wrong but I would not wait more then 8 weeks out to buy.

Airlines have dramatically cut the number of seats going to Europe which has allowed them to raise the prices. I noticed on the June 8 meet thread several posters had dropped out due to the airfare issue.

i agree - the prices will continue to climb from now to the summer...
there will be no decreases for the most part..

you'd better buy soon, or be ready to pay a lot more...

[poohmomof5]

Originally Posted by canadakath

Keep in mind that the taxes and fees on a ticket are determined by the airport you are flying into, and Heathrow is one of the most expensive. Makes it brutal for using FF miles...

I used kayak.com to search for fares every day, and when a seat sale came up on Air France I jumped on it. Even looking at Easyjet out of Paris I couldn't beat the price of flying Toronto-Paris-BCN on Air France. Plus it gives us 4 nights in Paris post cruise - Unfortunately it looks like flights out of O'Hare have increased recently. Hang in there - you can get price alerts from kayak and hopefully you will be able to get in on the next round of seat sales.

Originally Posted by disneyholic family

i agree - the prices will continue to climb from now to the summer...
there will be no decreases for the most part..

you'd better buy soon, or be ready to pay a lot more...

Thanks guys! I am going to keep stalking all the websites. I would love to keep our flights under $1300 per person.

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

Have you set up alerts. I get a daily alert from Kayak.com on some routes I monitor and I know there are services that send you emails if your fare drops. You might sign up for some.

[bats]

Just for those considering the budget airlines .. Ryannair does not fly into BCN, Easyjet does. Ryannair says it flies to Barcelona but it doesn't .. it's wayyyyy outside of Barcelona!

Anyone wanting to fly into London, try Gatwick (LGW) as opposed to Heathrow (LHR). From Gatwick, you can use Easyjet and they are absolutely fine. Don't bother picking your seats and paying that little bit extra ... it's only a 2 hour flight to BCN!
For Easyjet .. you pay £26 (around $40) for a 20kg case, but it's strange as if you want 23kg, the cost is £26 PLUS £42 for the extra 3 kgs so totals £68 ($90) .. but, if you just put 2 cases at 20kg, it's just 2 x £26. May as well have 2 cases at 20kg!

Flying into Dublin is no problem at all either .. a lot of people from the UK fly via Dublin to get to WDW as they clear customs there and don't have any hassle at MCO!

You could also try looking at Birmingham (central England), Manchester (north) or even Edinburgh (Scotland) .. they all have airlines that fly direct to the US and budget airlines that fly to BCN. Jet2 is another budget airline for the north of England.

Another alternative, if you're adventurous is flying into London, then getting the Eurostar (passengers only, no cars) across to Europe. It goes under the channel from St Pancras International station directly into Paris (or Disney if you prefer, but it's a different station). You could then either fly from there, or get another train down to Barcelona. It's an overnight train from Paris to Barca so a bit of a bind but if you like adventure, no worries. You could always just fly direct to Paris though and save yourself the Eurostar journey from London!

At LGW and LHR, they have a hotel called YOTEL, which is basically a hotel full of little private sleeping pods. They all have TVs, private bathrooms, but are bookable by the hour (no, not like that!!), so if your connecting flight is not for a fair few hours, you could relax in a pod.


It's easy for us as we're in the UK so only a quick hop skip and jump!!
Hope that helps!

[bibbidibobbidibecky]

I think the flights will come down a bit. Usually 6-8 weeks out (closer to 8) they drop. I imagine they will come down closer to $1200 for flights from ORD.

Time will tell! But also I think you should have a price in mind and if you see them at that price then jump on it! Another thing you can do is try booking 3 and 4 in two separate bookings because you may find a cheaper fare for at least 3 of you. I know american airlines will let you save a flight and price for three days without a commitment to buy so you can save it and go make sure there are enough seats for the rest of your party. that's what we did in 2011...we booked five on one and two on another reservation and the two seats got a cheaper price.

[bats]

Originally Posted by bibbidibobbidibecky

I think the flights will come down a bit. Usually 6-8 weeks out (closer to 8) they drop. I imagine they will come down closer to $1200 for flights from ORD.

Time will tell! But also I think you should have a price in mind and if you see them at that price then jump on it! Another thing you can do is try booking 3 and 4 in two separate bookings because you may find a cheaper fare for at least 3 of you. I know american airlines will let you save a flight and price for three days without a commitment to buy so you can save it and go make sure there are enough seats for the rest of your party. that's what we did in 2011...we booked five on one and two on another reservation and the two seats got a cheaper price.

You can go from ORD to MAN (Manchester) for $1360 at the end of June (didn't know exact dates for you all) .. that's with BA so luggage included plus free drinks on the plane
It'd then be Jet2 from MAN to BCN.

One thing about budget airlines from the UK .. the price will only ever go up. Scheduled airlines are very different ... budget airlines always charge more the closer to your flight date you get.

[poohmomof5]

Originally Posted by OrangeCountyCommuter

Have you set up alerts. I get a daily alert from Kayak.com on some routes I monitor and I know there are services that send you emails if your fare drops. You might sign up for some.

First of all, thank you for the idea! Next, I only have an alert on Kayak for the straight to BCN on the exact days I need, so I am following it. But, I wonder if I should set up some other alerts for other trips.

I have found a pretty good priced flight again today, but it has a 9 hour layover in Dublin...that kind of seems like a bummer when we will be itching to get home....is Dublin the kind of place I could do a short fun trip for the day?

[poohmomof5]

Originally Posted by bats

Just for those considering the budget airlines .. Ryannair does not fly into BCN, Easyjet does. Ryannair says it flies to Barcelona but it doesn't .. it's wayyyyy outside of Barcelona!

Anyone wanting to fly into London, try Gatwick (LGW) as opposed to Heathrow (LHR). From Gatwick, you can use Easyjet and they are absolutely fine. Don't bother picking your seats and paying that little bit extra ... it's only a 2 hour flight to BCN!
For Easyjet .. you pay £26 (around $40) for a 20kg case, but it's strange as if you want 23kg, the cost is £26 PLUS £42 for the extra 3 kgs so totals £68 ($90) .. but, if you just put 2 cases at 20kg, it's just 2 x £26. May as well have 2 cases at 20kg!

Flying into Dublin is no problem at all either .. a lot of people from the UK fly via Dublin to get to WDW as they clear customs there and don't have any hassle at MCO!

You could also try looking at Birmingham (central England), Manchester (north) or even Edinburgh (Scotland) .. they all have airlines that fly direct to the US and budget airlines that fly to BCN. Jet2 is another budget airline for the north of England.

Another alternative, if you're adventurous is flying into London, then getting the Eurostar (passengers only, no cars) across to Europe. It goes under the channel from St Pancras International station directly into Paris (or Disney if you prefer, but it's a different station). You could then either fly from there, or get another train down to Barcelona. It's an overnight train from Paris to Barca so a bit of a bind but if you like adventure, no worries. You could always just fly direct to Paris though and save yourself the Eurostar journey from London!

At LGW and LHR, they have a hotel called YOTEL, which is basically a hotel full of little private sleeping pods. They all have TVs, private bathrooms, but are bookable by the hour (no, not like that!!), so if your connecting flight is not for a fair few hours, you could relax in a pod.


It's easy for us as we're in the UK so only a quick hop skip and jump!!
Hope that helps!

Well, I did say we are adventurous! And sleeping or resting in a Pod sounds like a great lifetime memory!

Thanks for the tips!

[LovesToRun]

Originally Posted by bats

Just for those considering the budget airlines .. Ryannair does not fly into BCN, Easyjet does. Ryannair says it flies to Barcelona but it doesn't .. it's wayyyyy outside of Barcelona!

It might depend on where you are originating from with Ryanair (or other budget airlines).

We are booked on Ryanair flying from Venice to Barcelona, and we are flying right into the main Barcelona Airport (BCN) into Terminal 2. So, Ryanair does fly to the main Barcelona International Airport, but it might just depend on where the flight originates. It could be Ryanair flights from the UK do not fly into BCN. I have no idea.

I do agree that the budget airlines do not always fly in and out of the main airports in cities (for example, from Venice, we are flying out of the Venice-Triviso airport, which is outside of Venice, as opposed to the MAIN Marco Polo airport which is right in Venice, so we have to travel a bit farther in Venice to get to the airport Ryanair is flying out of.) But, for whatever reason, our Ryanair flight is flying directly to BCN.

I do totally agree... check to see which airport the budget airlines are flying into before you book. If it's way outside of the city, the amount of money you may spend on cab fair may make up the difference of a non-budget airline that flies into the main airport.