Airline flight...when to book?

[TXTransplant]

We are booked on our first ABD to Germany for the third week of June (12-20). I have not yet booked plane tickets because I keep waiting for them to go down in price. Unfortunately, that is not happening. Non-stop flights are still sitting at $2000 pp from IAH to FRA and MUC to IAH. The multi-city option doesn't seem to be affecting the price, as a round-trip from IAH to FRA is also $2000 pp.

Any tips on how much longer to wait? I can save money by not flying non-stop, but that's not a good option for us, as I do not want to run the risk of delays. Also, we have these great non-stop flight options that I really want to take advantage of, the prices are just killing me!

 

[Cousin Orville]

Very frustrating. I'd love to hear other's thoughts on this as well. I generally just book as early as possible.

As a comparison, I checked our previous direct flights to Paris from IAH. In 2012 it was $1,362 pp United in June. In 2013 it was $2,321 pp Air France (premium economy). Good luck. I doubt prices will drop significantly, but I really don't have anything to base that on.

I checked my flight to Australia this summer and my total price has gone up 33%. Odd though, because my son qualified for a slightly discounted fare being under 11yo on Qantas when we booked the tickets and now he doesn't so that's part of the fare increase.

 

[sayhello]

I've learned the hard way, that any more, if the price is steady for a long period of time, it's more likely to go up than down. For Summer 2014, I bought my tickets to the UK for August in January. I watched the airfare for months, and the flights I'd booked never went down. A couple of times there were small decreases, but it was never on flights that I'd ever consider (3 legs, over 24 hours transit time, stuff like that). I was watching & waiting for my 2015 airfare to London for the last couple of months -- it went nowhere. Now it's jumped up almost $400. I *hope* it's a temporary rise, but I'm not holding my breath.

Sayhello

 

[TXTransplant]

What's worse is united.com isn't even offering the the cheapest options if I choose not to fly direct. Flights that connect through DC, Chicago, and Boston are all $2000 pp. I'll fly direct, if it costs the same!

BUT if I price out a round trip flight from IAH to Newark and then separately price a flight from Newark to FRA and then MUC back to Newark, it's cheaper!!! I've been told the airline will combine the two intineraries, but why should anyone have to go through all that trouble?!?

Ugh...nothing but frustration.

 

[sayhello]

What's worse is united.com isn't even offering the the cheapest options if I choose not to fly direct. Flights that connect through DC, Chicago, and Boston are all $2000 pp. I'll fly direct, if it costs the same!

BUT if I price out a round trip flight from IAH to Newark and then separately price a flight from Newark to FRA and then MUC back to Newark, it's cheaper!!! I've been told the airline will combine the two intineraries, but why should anyone have to go through all that trouble?!?

Ugh...nothing but frustration.

At least they say they'll combine them. I've been looking into Aer Lingus, and even though it's possible to go from CMH to ORD to DUB, and DUB to LHR, it is not possible to book CMH to ORD to DUB to LHR. I'm going to try calling them & see what the deal is. The airlines can make it really difficult.

Sayhello

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Personally, I'd book as soon as I saw a flight price I could live with. I've traveled to Europe the past few summers and never saw prices decrease after December, except for a few days last spring when UA got in a price war with Delta for business seats (scored business class seats BWI-FCO
for $1,400).

 

[TXTransplant]

Personally, I'd book as soon as I saw a flight price I could live with. I've traveled to Europe the past few summers and never saw prices decrease after December, except for a few days last spring when UA got in a price war with Delta for business seats (scored business class seats BWI-FCO for $1,400).

That's my problem...the tickets have been $2000 each since last summer when I booked this trip and have not dropped at all. That's not a price I can live with!

I've posted on another local travel board and the folks there are saying to hold off until 90 days out, but I don't know if I can do that!

 

[sayhello]

You may have to break down and book a 2-legged flight. I don't think I could wait until 90 days out. You might not be able to *get* the non-stops at that point! Just be sure you leave at least 3 hours between legs for less stress.

Sayhello

 

[TXTransplant]

Luckily, there are currently two direct flights a day from IAH to FRA. Hopefully between a Dreamliner and an A-380, there will be enough seats. I don't think I'll be able to wait until 90 days out though, as that's when final payment is due, and I'm not going to pay in full with no airline tickets booked.

 

[Sarabi's Cubs]

I don't have a ton of experience with flying internationally, but for the 3 trips I've done I've tried waiting to see if the prices go down, and that hasn't happened. So this time, I'm just going to go with the itinerary I want and book it and then never look at the prices again! First I have to decide if we're adding on a couple of days at the end of the trip.

Laurie

 

[carpenta]

Well flying domestic isn't much better. We are checking out flying from Burlington, Vt.in July to and from Jackson Hole , Wyoming and the price is $1240.00.. Maybe we should go to Europe for a better value for the dollar.

 

[sayhello]

Well flying domestic isn't much better. We are checking out flying from Burlington, Vt.in July to and from Jackson Hole , Wyoming and the price is $1240.00.. Maybe we should go to Europe for a better value for the dollar.

Sayhello

 

[Cousin Orville]

Well flying domestic isn't much better. We are checking out flying from Burlington, Vt.in July to and from Jackson Hole , Wyoming and the price is $1240.00.. Maybe we should go to Europe for a better value for the dollar.

Painful!

 

[tiggersam00]

Last summer for our Germany ABD we booked about 7 months out and flew Icelandair for around $800pp. Perhaps an overnight somewhere would effect the price, Icelandair and Turkish Airlines have stopover programs which can really help

 

[sayhello]

Last summer for our Germany ABD we booked about 7 months out and flew Icelandair for around $800pp. Perhaps an overnight somewhere would effect the price, Icelandair and Turkish Airlines have stopover programs which can really help

What did you think of Icelandair? Did you do the stopover in Iceland?

Sayhello

 

[TXTransplant]

So, I think there is some truth to this 90-day window thing. Just out of curiosity, I went to Orbitz and searched flights. The flights I need in June are still almost $2000 each. However, when I searched for flights in late Feb (which would be just under 90 days from now), the same flights (leaving on a Thursday and returning on a Saturday) are just under $1350. I did another search in April, and the tickets are just over $1500. I'd take either one of those fares over $2000/each.

So, clearly there is an advantage to waiting until about the 90 day mark, give or take, if your nerves can take it. I know this doesn't guarantee my flights will be cheaper, but I think it's worth waiting a little longer.

 

[sayhello]

So, I think there is some truth to this 90-day window thing. Just out of curiosity, I went to Orbitz and searched flights. The flights I need in June are still almost $2000 each. However, when I searched for flights in late Feb (which would be just under 90 days from now), the same flights (leaving on a Thursday and returning on a Saturday) are just under $1350. I did another search in April, and the tickets are just over $1500. I'd take either one of those fares over $2000/each.

So, clearly there is an advantage to waiting until about the 90 day mark, give or take, if your nerves can take it. I know this doesn't guarantee my flights will be cheaper, but I think it's worth waiting a little longer.

Well, time of year does make a difference, depending on when you're going. Not too many American tourists go to Europe in February compared to how many go in June. So there may be *some* correlation, but I wouldn't count on it for Summer travel, unless you're looking at somewhere that's a skiing mecca.

Last year, I purchased my tickets to London in early January. I watched the airfare until I flew in August, and it never went down. There was a brief sale on the route, but it was on horrible connections I'd never book. The airfare stayed pretty steady until about 3 weeks before I left, at which point it went *up*. (But it was $500 less than this year, so I'm still hoping)

Sayhello

 

[kristilew]

One tip I read recently was to be sure to erase your cookies on airline websites if you are watching prices. If they track that you are checking the same flight over time, somehow their system "knows" you are more likely to book it, and thus prices do not drop. A fresh search will yield the best price at the time you look.

Not sure how true this is, but will be trying it next time.

 

[canadakath]

Just a thought if any of you live close to Toronto.

We are an hour from Detroit and 3 hours from Toronto - book all of our US flights out of Detroit but flights to Europe seem to be much cheaper out of Toronto. Looking at our flights to Stockholm with stopover in London on the way back next year and it is $2000pp out of Detroit or $1300pp out of Toronto.

Plus our $ is stinking it up right now compared to the US$ (the joys of an economy tied to the price of oil), so you may come across some additional savings that way depending on what airline you book with. I just can't in good conscience recommend flying Air Canada, no matter how much you could save...

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

So, I think there is some truth to this 90-day window thing. Just out of curiosity, I went to Orbitz and searched flights. The flights I need in June are still almost $2000 each. However, when I searched for flights in late Feb (which would be just under 90 days from now), the same flights (leaving on a Thursday and returning on a Saturday) are just under $1350. I did another search in April, and the tickets are just over $1500. I'd take either one of those fares over $2000/each.

So, clearly there is an advantage to waiting until about the 90 day mark, give or take, if your nerves can take it. I know this doesn't guarantee my flights will be cheaper, but I think it's worth waiting a little longer.

You are comparing apples to oranges. Fares vary according to time of year; June will be more expensive than February or April.

Anyone flying Icelandic Air should check out their online shop (Saga Shop) before flying. You can order items which will be delivered to you on the plane; these playing cards are supposed to be really cool:

http://www.sagashop.net/icelandair/detail/?id=57430-0007