Flight Panic!

[Pooh's-Honey-Pot]

I just need to share with someone that I'm having a major panic about the flights for our October trip!!! The dates will be released next Friday for our return dates . . . currently I'm looking at the week before and I'm just horrified. I've never paid more than £650 for a direct return flight before. Even flights with stop-offs, which I don't especially want, are coming out double that at the minute. We've already booked Disney to take advantage of the free dining offer but at this rate just wont be able to go. To add insult to injury I don't even seem able to use the airmiles plus money option on virgin, which I've definitely used before on this route. Half term is after we come back so I just don't know what it can be!

What is going on?!!!

 

[Kath2003]

The flights are sometimes crazy expensive when they're first released as lots of people do buy instantly. Give it a few days and see what happens to the prices.
If it's too much, you'll have to look at indirect which won't be anywhere near £650.

 

[dixonsontour]

Give it chance. Non October half term indirect are usually £500. I'm sure you will be fine.

 

[saintrob]

Wait a few days after they've been released. Certainly with Virgin their expensive seats are released immediately and the prices will drop.

 

[BudgieMama]

Try not to panic... and once prices have settled, if you have any flexibility with your dates (work/famiy commitments, etc), call Disney and see if they can help you if flights work out a little cheaper a bit before or after. They moved our trip forward by a day for free, and it saved us £600 in flights.

We ended up paying a lot more for next year than for last year, but I think it was luck last year rather than anything else. We paid a little more than we wanted too, but not over our budget for the flights, and haven't checked prices since! (No point torturing ourselves!!)

Good luck!

 

[scoobydooby]

Virgin prices are bonkers at the moment for all times. I was looking at New York flights for next summer tonight. £1,250 each way. Economy. PMSL. Not!

 

[Samlovesthemouse]

On the miles+money aspect, for some reason if you search London (All) to Orlando it says you can't spend miles+money or miles on their own. You need to search London Gatwick to Orlando for them to show up. It was driving me insane when I couldn't figure it out and had to ring Virgin

 

[Claireywalsh]

Where are you flying out from? Have you looked at alternate airports? We booked out of Manchester and flights were pretty much the same as last year but we've booked as package so can't really compare. Is it still the 747 or a Dreamliner price? I know there switching out some of the London based routes for the Dreamliner and that maybe could push up the price initially using Virgin. Good points made above, let the prices settle for a few weeks and then have a nosey to see if they've come down don't panic yet, you will find a way!

 

[Pooh's-Honey-Pot]

Ok thank you all, I'll breathe the panic down for a few weeks!! I'm in Norwich so Manchester is a little out of the way probably.

The cheapest flights are currently with Icelandic air but I've never heard of them so that worries me.

 

[BudgieMama]

Ok thank you all, I'll breathe the panic down for a few weeks!! I'm in Norwich so Manchester is a little out of the way probably.

The cheapest flights are currently with Icelandic air but I've never heard of them so that worries me.

If you mean Icelandair, they are great. Best airline we've flown with: a nice mix between full service and a budget airline, and if they had introduced their MCO flights in time for our trip, they would be our first choice. Keflavik is a nice airport to arrive in. We were gutted they didn't start their flights until after our trip, because we were very tempted to fly out a day early, and have an overnight at the Blue Lagoon (Icelandair allow adding nights for stopovers where they can for free) but it didn't work out. Hopefully 2017!

 

[wayneg]

DS flew back from Boston with Icelandair a couple of years back, no problems at all. He wrote a Blog here with the trip included
Skip past most of it tile you get to the travel home. https://mathewgillings.wordpress.com/2013/08/30/journey-home/
And this one from Iceland https://mathewgillings.wordpress.com/2013/08/30/iceland/

I never worry about flights, there are so many but we don't mind going from any UK or Irish airport or flying into any airport in Florida, I would even drive own from Atlanta if I had to. I certainly would be concerned until well into next year.