Booking international flights

[sam_gordon]

I need to fly to Barcelona in April with DS. Any airline better than others? I'm currently looking at Air Canada and their Premium Economy (Rouge?).

Anything differ to book international instead of domestic (book on airline's site, when you're happy with the price, etc)?

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Don't even think about booking Air Canada Rouge! Do a Google search for more information.

Book as soon as you see a good price, using your airline's web site. Prices are unlikely to drop between now and April. Be aware that if you book an economy ticket on a foreign carrier, you will probably not be able to get advanced seat assignments. You also have to worry about limits on weight for carry ons, unlike US airlines. International tickets are cheaper booked as round trips, not two one ways. Check the booking carefully to make sure you're not on a code share; i.e. you book on United's website, but you're actually flying on Lufthansa metal.

 

[sam_gordon]

Thanks!

Check the booking carefully to make sure you're not on a code share; i.e. you book on United's website, but you're actually flying on Lufthansa metal.

Why would that be bad?

 

[dis_guy]

Why would that be bad?

If you have a connection to make you might have to change terminals which could be a PITA and/or take a lot of time, sometimes having to go through security again. If I book a codeshare (and I have many times) I make sure that I'm with the same carrier for the entire leg. If you can get on a Lufthansa trans atlantic flight, I'd highly recommend it!

 

[dis_guy]

Don't even think about booking Air Canada Rouge!

More like Rogue not Rouge!

 

[FigmentSpark]

People keep trashing Rouge. What's wrong with Rouge? We're booked with them into MCO next year, but it was them or no direct flights.

 

[Chirple]

People keep trashing Rouge. What's wrong with Rouge? We're booked with them into MCO next year, but it was them or no direct flights.

I believe you are flying from Canada into MCO, but I do not know how long your flight is. We used AC Rouge to fly from Toronto into Barcelona (after a commuter Air Canada flight from Newark) and then back from Barcelona into Montreal before our Air Canada commuter flight into Newark. The 8 hours we spent on that Rouge flight were so uncomfortable. We sat in economy. The seats themselves were uncomfortable, but leg room was non-existent. I have never felt so crammed into an airplane as I did on those Rouge flights. For comparison, last year we flew Icelandair economy into Copenhagen. Much more comfortable and would fly with them again in a heartbeat. I will only fly AC Rouge again if the price saves us a significant amount of money.

 

[bookbabe626]

People keep trashing Rouge. What's wrong with Rouge? We're booked with them into MCO next year, but it was them or no direct flights.

Tiny, uncomfortable seats with the least possible space between rows. No entertainment. It's AC's version of a Sunwing-type "cattle car" flight. Doable for a two or three hour flight if it saves a lot of money or is the only option, but definitely not something you want to do for a longer transatlantic flight. We've done it YYZ to MCO when the WestJet flights were sold out, and it's bearable for that. YYZ to LAS (Vegas) was five hours of torture that will not be repeated, even if we have to spend more for the WestJet flight. Starting your vacation sore and miserable just isn't worth it.

 

[bumbershoot]

Don't even think about booking Air Canada Rouge! Do a Google search for more information.

Sounds like they are like AC's Jazz. Worst flight for DH. Rude FAs who were incredibly fat-phobic with the shortest seatbelts DH ever experienced in what turned out to be 7 years of half-the-year work-related travel. He even wrote to them afterwards, which he NEVER does, because his history makes him turn on himself when he's ashamed, but in this case he could see that he was not the problem but THEY were. (and in that case the gate agent had put him (while looking at him) in an exit row seat, and this was early on in his travels when he simply didn't know that you couldn't have a belt extender and sit in that row, so the gate agent started it all)

I was going to say that AC seems to be fine but their lower cost versions aren't, but actually AC wasn't fine, either. On the flight I mention below they gave exact the wrong paperwork to us as we were approaching landing, so everyone from the flight had to scramble to fill the *correct* forms out after we landed. And they weren't very kind. Which I simply don't expect when I'm in Canada.

Thanks!


Why would that be bad?

In our case, we booked through United, and ended up somehow with what I remember as an Alaska flight to Vancouver, Air Canada to Heathrow, and Aer Lingus to Dublin. The first and last were fine (though less than 2 hours to get through Heathrow was ONLY enough because of luck) but the long flight was long, miserable, and HUNGRY. Our food choices hadn't gone through with the online checkin, so there was no vegetarian meal for us. Thankfully we had gotten bagels from sbx and a box of timbits during our layover in Vancouver!

So if you have any extra needs for the flight, call the actual airline you'll be flying, in advance, so those needs are noted! It's been so long since I called an airline I had forgotten that it was an option!

 

[FigmentSpark]

Thanks. I'm getting worried. We could have booked West Jet, but I thought Air Canada was the way to go so I'd get points.

 

[Chirple]

Thanks. I'm getting worried. We could have booked West Jet, but I thought Air Canada was the way to go so I'd get points.

I think that as long as you have some feedback on what to expect that you will at least be prepared. We had no idea how bad it was for that length of flight. I also should say that I am about 5'5" and my husband is 5'10" and both have shorter legs than torsos.

 

[Woodview]

Have you tried Aer Lingus to Dublin & on to Barcelona ( ( ( Take a Train side trip from Barcelona to ANDORA ))

or British Airways to Heathrow & on to Barcelona

 

[bookbabe626]

Thanks. I'm getting worried. We could have booked West Jet, but I thought Air Canada was the way to go so I'd get points.

An *Air Canada* flight would have been a different story, but Rouge is normally not a standard Air Canada flight. And all AC tells you is that it's a Rouge flight, they make you dig to find out the details. Definitely read the Rouge website to see some of the differences, particularly with regards to entertainment. For example, you need to pre-load their app on your tablet to access any content at all. You also might want to do a search in SeatGuru (Google it) to see what the seating arrangement is for your particular flight. SeatGuru will list size and spacing of seats, as well as plug availability and all the other stuff you usually don't find out until you sit down on the plane. Maybe they use bigger planes with better seats for the transatlantic flights? But as a PP said, it's better to arrive at the airport prepared and not be surprised...

 

[Chirple]

An *Air Canada* flight would have been a different story, but Rouge is normally not a standard Air Canada flight. And all AC tells you is that it's a Rouge flight, they make you dig to find out the details. Definitely read the Rouge website to see some of the differences, particularly with regards to entertainment. For example, you need to pre-load their app on your tablet to access any content at all. You also might want to do a search in SeatGuru (Google it) to see what the seating arrangement is for your particular flight. SeatGuru will list size and spacing of seats, as well as plug availability and all the other stuff you usually don't find out until you sit down on the plane. Maybe they use bigger planes with better seats for the transatlantic flights? But as a PP said, it's better to arrive at the airport prepared and not be surprised...

All of the website reading in the world didn't help us. They made Rouge sound like a pleasant experience. We did know that we needed to bring our own entertainment (they will supply an iPad if you hand over your ID, no thanks), and United has planes like this now, too. I like regular Air Canada so Rouge was a bit of a surprise.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Thanks!


Why would that be bad?

Flying a code share isn't bad, you just need to pay attention so you understand which airline you'll actually be flying. For example, I can fly United IAD-FRA and get free E+seats (due to status) and everyone can get free advanced seat assignment. If I book the same routing on UA's website, but am actually flying on Lufthansa, I cannot get an advanced seat assignment for an economy ticket and my carry on luggage, which would be fine on UA, will be taken away and checked on Lufthansa, because they have a weight limit for carry ons (only 17 pounds!) and they do enforce this.