Another International Air Question

[JsMom2]

Most of the airports are easy to navigate. But look at price, and connection time.

 

[nemofans]

Is there a better time to purchase flights? Do the flights ever go on sale or are discounted? Or just get them early? This will be our first trip to Europe and had no clue airfare could be so expensive.

 

[JsMom2]

Just like domestic flights, international flights will rise in price if fuel prices rise, or if the flight is booking well. The least expensive flights are going to be those with long or multiple connections. If you're in a hub city like Chicago or Atlanta, then you'll have more choices. If you use a consolidator like Up and Away you can save some money. The best option is to book your ABD through a TA, and have them do the flights for you. If you're going to do them yourself, I'd suggest looking for best itineraries from your city, and watching the prices.

 

[sayhello]

Is there a better time to purchase flights? Do the flights ever go on sale or are discounted? Or just get them early? This will be our first trip to Europe and had no clue airfare could be so expensive.

My experience has been that the flights I want (good connections, fewer connections, etc) never go on sale any more. When they have sales on the routes I'm flying, the sale price is only for the flights with 10 hour layovers, or 4 connections, or that fly hundreds of miles out of the way adding more flight time on. If you find a flight you want or are willing to pay for, buy it. If all you care about is price, sign up for notices from sites like Kayak or Airfarewatchdog, and just monitor the price. Unfortunately, travel to Europe is expensive.

Sayhello

 

[Woodview]

Look at the various airlines own websites . & the European Airlines .

Aer Lingus , Virgin Atlantic , British Airways, KLM , etc

Flights to Europe are planned to arrive early morning

Flights Back from Europe usually leave Europe before Noon to arrive in

USA ( First touchdown ) mid afternoon . ( Time Zones apply )

No need to pay extra money to " Upgrade " as basic seats are good enough for most people .

.... Many will disagree but is it worth paying twice the price for a ticket to have

extra alcoholic drinks & better food .

 

[sayhello]

No need to pay extra money to " Upgrade " as basic seats are good enough for most people .

.... Many will disagree but is it worth paying twice the price for a ticket to have

extra alcoholic drinks & better food .

You've obviously never flown in an upgraded seat if you think the only thing you get for your money is extra alcoholic drinks and better food!

Sayhello

 

[aggiedog]

We look for direct flights when possible. We have been delayed significantly on 3 of our last 4 international flights. Enough to miss the connection to Europe, once enough to delay our arrival by almost 24 hours.

 

[White Rose]

Look at the various airlines own websites . & the European Airlines .

Aer Lingus , Virgin Atlantic , British Airways, KLM , etc

Flights to Europe are planned to arrive early morning

Flights Back from Europe usually leave Europe before Noon to arrive in

USA ( First touchdown ) mid afternoon . ( Time Zones apply )

No need to pay extra money to " Upgrade " as basic seats are good enough for most people .

.... Many will disagree but is it worth paying twice the price for a ticket to have

extra alcoholic drinks & better food .

Business class is so worth it...lay down bed, space, getting actual sleep....now my dad can sleep standing up in a rainstorm, but for us regular folk, the extra space and having a bed instead of trying to sleep in a luge position is so worth it...if you use cc points and watch for deals, it can cost the same as what you would have paid for economy.

We are flying to Germany on Lufthansa; hubby used a deal on his Amex platinum card and got my business class ticket free, just paying taxes and fees, and his ticket and my fees was the same as coach...then used points.

I am 5'1" and can rest okay in coach, but my hubby is all legs and can not ever get comfortable.

 

[nemofans]

The best price I can find so far is thru United on Lufthansa for $5000 for 4 of us. The flight back is nonstop and all seats are economy. I am trying to figure out how to get this cheaper. Otherwise, DH will say forget the trip, it's too expensive. I know I don't know enough yet. Is it cheaper booking thru a travel agent or booking air when we book the river cruise?
Also, what should we consider a reasonable layover? Would 2.5 hrs be enough time between flights or is it safer to have a longer layover (4-5 hrs)?
Thanks!

 

[acndis]

Someone on this board suggested Google Flights and I use it exclusively now. I like it much better than the other consolidators. It gives you the price of every route and makes suggestions for a lower fare. Using them, I have been able to use Ultimate Rewards and/or Membership Awards to pay for my tickets for less points than an award ticket (which usually have undesirable times). I book the day the fares are released (as SayHello mentions) and I have always gotten the best deal. Because you usually have to book ABD at least a year in advance, this always works well for me!

However, $5000 to Europe for 4 sounds pretty good. Cost of Airfare is the primary reason we switched next summer's trip from Europe to Latin America! I did not think I could get to Scotland for <$1200. (Getting to Belize was under $600).

 

[amberwc]

The best price I can find so far is thru United on Lufthansa for $5000 for 4 of us. The flight back is nonstop and all seats are economy. I am trying to figure out how to get this cheaper. Otherwise, DH will say forget the trip, it's too expensive. I know I don't know enough yet. Is it cheaper booking thru a travel agent or booking air when we book the river cruise?
Also, what should we consider a reasonable layover? Would 2.5 hrs be enough time between flights or is it safer to have a longer layover (4-5 hrs)?
Thanks!

Do you have kind of reward credit card? If not, it might be best to get one (research who has the best points, etc) and then try for points to get at least one of the tickets.

 

[sayhello]

Business class is so worth it...lay down bed, space, getting actual sleep....now my dad can sleep standing up in a rainstorm, but for us regular folk, the extra space and having a bed instead of trying to sleep in a luge position is so worth it...if you use cc points and watch for deals, it can cost the same as what you would have paid for economy.

We are flying to Germany on Lufthansa; hubby used a deal on his Amex platinum card and got my business class ticket free, just paying taxes and fees, and his ticket and my fees was the same as coach...then used points.

I am 5'1" and can rest okay in coach, but my hubby is all legs and can not ever get comfortable.

Honestly, I've found that on non-domestic airlines, even Premium economy is worth the extra money. I flew Premium Economy on Cathay Pacific to/from Hong Kong, and it was SO worth it for the extra legroom and width. Plus the service/food/etc was definitely an upgrade from regular economy.

However, $5000 to Europe for 4 sounds pretty good. Cost of Airfare is the primary reason we switched next summer's trip from Europe to Latin America! I did not think I could get to Scotland for <$1200. (Getting to Belize was under $600).

I have to agree with this. $5000 to Europe for 4 (approximately $1250 per person) is a really good price to Europe. If it was me, I'd have already bought it...

Sayhello

 

[aggiedog]

FYI, IcelandAir is having a flash sale, now thru Aug 21.

http://www.icelandair.us/flash-sale...edium=email&utm_campaign=tzoo&utm_content=via

 

[sayhello]

FYI, IcelandAir is having a flash sale, now thru Aug 21.

http://www.icelandair.us/flash-sale...edium=email&utm_campaign=tzoo&utm_content=via

If only their calendar extended another month in to September 2018...

Sayhello

 

[White Rose]

Our tickets would have been about 1500 each plus taxes/fees in economy and 3300 for one business class ticket, plus 1 free due to an Amex promotion.

We have done premium economy Philly to London and also I did coach in the 90s from Philly to London. The difference was we got an extra day of touring by doing premium economy.

When we did coach in the 90s, we were all exhausted, and could not stay awake or do anything. We stayed in the hotel and wasted a full day from our trip!

When we did Premium economy, we did low energy stuff like hop on hop off bus tour, lunch, a bit of walking, an early dinner and bed.

When we did business class to Barcelona a few years ago, we each got about six hours of real sleep and we were already time adjusted. We did go to bed a bit early, but we were not exhausted or anything. We did a full day of touring and a night time walking tour the first day.

People ask me if business class or premium economy is worth it...it all depends on what's value you place on a good night's sleep, a day touring, one less day/time off work, etc. is it "financially" worth it? No.

With coach/economy, we lost a day of touring, paid for a hotel room, food and time off from work and did not do anything with it...so there is "value" in upgraded seats, just is it enough of a value...you need to decide.

Our plane is a 3 4 3 in coach, 2 2 2 in business class.

In coach, you get 1 meal, a narrow seat that reclines 3".

With business class you get 2 meals, a lay flat bed, noise cancelling headphones are provided, an amenity kit, as well as a lounge before and after the flight, many with with a shower, free massages, and another full meal...

 

[amberwc]

With coach/economy, we lost a day of touring, paid for a hotel room, food and time off from work and did not do anything with it...so there is "value" in upgraded seats, just is it enough of a value...you need to decide.

That's a great way of looking at it. With a limited time off work, that first day really does have "value".

 

[Alacrity]

Honestly, I've found that on non-domestic airlines, even Premium economy is worth the extra money. I flew Premium Economy on Cathay Pacific to/from Hong Kong, and it was SO worth it for the extra legroom and width. Plus the service/food/etc was definitely an upgrade from regular economy.

I have to agree with this. $5000 to Europe for 4 (approximately $1250 per person) is a really good price to Europe. If it was me, I'd have already bought it...

Sayhello

+1 on the Premium Economy option. Flew EVA Air to Bali recently in the Premium Economy option and was very pleased. It was a nice in-between step form economy to business class.

 

[Alacrity]

When we did coach in the 90s, we were all exhausted, and could not stay awake or do anything. We stayed in the hotel and wasted a full day from our trip!

When we did Premium economy, we did low energy stuff like hop on hop off bus tour, lunch, a bit of walking, an early dinner and bed.

When we did business class to Barcelona a few years ago, we each got about six hours of real sleep and we were already time adjusted. We did go to bed a bit early, but we were not exhausted or anything. We did a full day of touring and a night time walking tour the first day.

People ask me if business class or premium economy is worth it...it all depends on what's value you place on a good night's sleep, a day touring, one less day/time off work, etc. is it "financially" worth it? No.

With coach/economy, we lost a day of touring, paid for a hotel room, food and time off from work and did not do anything with it...so there is "value" in upgraded seats, just is it enough of a value...you need to decide.

Great points and exactly the reasoning my wife uses for business class. Personally, I could probably tough it out, and have, but I think I'm leaning more to spending a bit more for comfort, and sleep, as I get older. In my wife's case, she would be out of sorts/ill without some decent rest on the flights and would not be %100 pretty much the whole trip. This makes the additional expense of the flights more worthwhile considering the returns of enjoying the trip that much more.