Timing for booking airfare vs paying deposit

[ellimeno]

We are hoping to do a Germany ABD in May 2011 with extended family but I am not sure what is the best time to do the various reservations. According to ABD the trip has approx 18 people booked but that is not enough to "guarantee" the tour.

I am planning to use a combo of frequent flyer miles and non refundable tickets, I found a great deal and am trying to keep the cost down as much as reasonably possible.

If ABD were to cancel the trip, there is no other ABD trip we would want to do. There is only one other ABD Germany trip date that may work for us, but since that date is peak season there is no way we could use our FF miles. Also the airfare already costs much more on that date, let alone if we tried to buy it a few months from now. Depending how late they cancel, our schedules may no longer permit us to go on the other itinerary.

Would they refund us for the airfare? the deposit? Partially? How would the FF tickets be handled? Would ABD handle this or would it be an insurance issue?

I would love to know how others have handled this. When do you book your airfare if the trip is not yet guaranteed? Thanks in advance.

 

[Tozzie]

We are hoping to do a Germany ABD in May 2011 with extended family but I am not sure what is the best time to do the various reservations. According to ABD the trip has approx 18 people booked but that is not enough to "guarantee" the tour.

I am planning to use a combo of frequent flyer miles and non refundable tickets, I found a great deal and am trying to keep the cost down as much as reasonably possible.

If ABD were to cancel the trip, there is no other ABD trip we would want to do. There is only one other ABD Germany trip date that may work for us, but since that date is peak season there is no way we could use our FF miles. Also the airfare already costs much more on that date, let alone if we tried to buy it a few months from now. Depending how late they cancel, our schedules may no longer permit us to go on the other itinerary.

Would they refund us for the airfare? the deposit? Partially? How would the FF tickets be handled? Would ABD handle this or would it be an insurance issue?

I would love to know how others have handled this. When do you book your airfare if the trip is not yet guaranteed? Thanks in advance.

IF you book your airfare through ABD they will refund it totally if they cancel the trip and their air department works differently from most group tours you can find the flights and the airline and ask them to book it and they will. On my trip last year they booked exactly what I wanted at the same cost if I had gone through the airline. With FF miles they will pay reasonable change fees, now when I used FF miles for a trip and it was cancelled it cost me 100 to redeposit the miles and then I had to rebook and ABD paid that fee.

 

[sayhello]

ABD will work with you to rebook your airfare whether you purchased it through them or not. It's just easier if you booked it through them.

If they cancel the trip, they will pay the difference to change your tickets to the new trip date you move to. It's all "within reason" (ie, one person, when his Costa Rica trip, I believe, was canceled, switched to an Italy trip, and ABD wouldn't pay for the entire cost difference). I was supposed to go to the Canadian Rockies in 2009, and they canceled the trip. I switched to the Alaska trip, as it was the only other Adults Only trip in the same timeframe. ABD paid the difference for me to switch my tickets from Montana/Canada to Alaska, even though I hadn't booked the air through them.

So if the only reason you are hesitating is because ABD might cancel, I'd say you should be OK.

Sayhello

 

[ellimeno]

Thanks Tozzie and Sayhello! Appreciate the input. I will look into having ABD do our bookings. Have a great day - TGIF!