JulieVikmanis

Our goal in retirement has been to travel as much as we can. We've been lucky enough to be able to do pretty much that. So each year I sort of make out a travel plan of where I think we should go when. In recent years it's included as many as 6 trips to Europe and we'd like to keep up that pace to maintain DH's platinum flyer status.

Doesn't sound too tough, does it. Well here's my worry. As I've been looking tentatively at the flights that are listed for the dates and places we want to go, I'm finding some pretty unappealing things, like coach prices around $1600 with two stops between Ft. Lauderdale and De Gaulle in July and August, or only 757s with miserable seating and even then with notes to the effect "only 3 seats remain available at this price." Ouch. And if you take on multiple city stop, say MSP to see the grandchildren before moving on to Paris, the rate raises to $2000 and up. And for some flights I'm finding insane things like Ft. Lauderdale to NYC, to Helsinki to Paris, or 11 hour layovers in Amsterdam, or 22 hours in Detroit.

I'm starting to worry that European travel is getting to be just too pricey, too miserably inconvenient, and maybe even impossible to book even if I'm willing to put up with the price and inconvenient.

Is it just me or is this happening to others of you as you try to plan ahead as well?

bobthenavigator

Julie, I feel your pain but luckily have no plans for Europe until Sep 2009. I have to believe that it may get better next year with the fuel prices going down.

Cathinjoetown

You mention platinum status. Assume you are locked in with one airline with partnerships?

yk

Since you're locked into one airline, I suggest you just keep checking for fare sales.

Are there partner airlines you can fly instead which will still earn you EQM?

Dukey

Julie, I am sorry if what I am about to say comes off as snarky but get real...you want to maintain the Platinum status and everyone pretty much knows that airlines are cutting BACK on seats, that prices are higher, etc.

It is going to cost more and more to fly, not less and less.

Perhaps if you flew to Europe fewer times but when you did you concentrated on a quality flight/itinerary?

Dukey

air fare sales??????? WHEN????

yk

ummm... Dukey...

American Airlines had a Winter sale to Europe. I bought a ticket BOS-LHR for just over $600 all-in.

Swiss International is having a Winter sale right now. I can fly BOS-Prague for $733 all-in.

It's not like what it used to be; like those $99 one-way specials from NYC-London. But not outrageous either.

The problem with Julie is she's looking for airfare for next summer. That's just way too far advance right now for any "deals".

Christina

I saw an ad for some sale fares the other day that did sound pretty good, and I thought they claimed they were good through next summer. I can't remember the airline, though -- I think maybe BA or Austrian.

I'm sorry, but I can't really get the violins out for someone who is all bummed out because they may have to cut back from six trips a year to Europe.

janisj

Sure - airfares are up. But the € and £ are way down. So, you pay more to get there and pay less for things on the ground . . . . Not a huge issue IMO.

amyb

I also recommend giving up traveling during "peak" season. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see fares over $1000 in June, July or August. I usually travel between late September and early May for this reason alone....

dfr4848

As to your basic point, I agree with yk - it's just way, way too early to find any "discounts" for next summer. This far out the airlines simply have no reason to offer them.

socaltraveler

Sorry, can't get up a lot of sympathy that you're "really bummed" about not getting to Europe six times next year, or that it will cost you more. I know it's all perspective, and happy for you that you can afford to travel this much, but I'm saving "really bummed" for those who are trying to figure out how to take one trip, or maybe none at all.

That said, most airlines do have fare sales, at least from what I've seen. You are going to have to get used to paying more for trips, I'm afraid.

hetismij

Nothing wrong with an 11 hour layover in Ams - get out and see the city - you may even be glad of the layover in the end!

JulieVikmanis

Thanks for all the comments. Yes, as frequent flyers we are, more or less, tied to our major airline and its partners though we know that sooner or later we'll need to give that up and just take what's available. And yes, I'm looking for fares next summer, primarily because we now live in Florida and we'd like to be gone during hurricane season (like when we lived in Minnesota, our big deal was to travel somewhere warm during peak shoveling season) And, yes, I can understand how we're unlikely to engender sympathy for our 6 trips a year habit but my point is, that whether you fly 6 times a year or once every other year or once every 5 years, it looks pretty awful out there right now for summer 2009.

Those of you suggesting we wait to see if things don't improve, may have a point, but I'd hate to book a cruise that requires us to board from a European port, only to find out we can't get there because of overfilled, unavailable flights.

I give up. I know I sound like a spoiled, whiny ditz who wants to have it all, but I can't help thinking that there are others out there, people with kids in school, teachers, etc., who can't travel any time but the summer months who share my problem and will have the same concerns--and start to develop the same panic as they search for decent flights that won't have them spending days in airports and far more money than they ever planned.

p.s. I'd be more than happy with an 11 hour layover in AMS--if it weren't overnight. Unless you want to pull an all nighter in the red light district (I'm a bit old for that) 11 hours from 9 p.m. to 8 a.m. isn't going to be a good deal there like the same hours during daylight would be--which I have done and enjoyed a lot. And 22 hours in Detroit would be misery day or night. I've done that before too.

I'm not trying to incite a riot here, just want to find out if others with similar interests are experiencing similar problems and to get some ideas about how they're handling it. So far, I think I hear "wait a while to see if things don't get better" "no way they're likely to get better" "wake up and smell the coffee, prices are going to keep getting higher, but maybe a change in the exchange rate will offset some of that.'

I guess I'll just have to get comfortable with paying more but I'm sure I'll continue to loathe the increased inconvenience that I'll be getting for my greater payments.

Gretchen

Maybe I'm not understanding. You are paying for flights to Europe in order to maintain a FF platinum status?
Strange to go to europe in high season when you are retired, and don't need to go then.
Perhaps seeing the grandchildren on a different schedule than a trip to Europe would lower the fare.
I don't get it.

yk

Another thing to consider is the constantly changing of airline flight schedules.

You may perhaps be able to find the "perfect flights" for you right now for next summer; but chances are between now and then, the flight schedules will change at least a few times, and possibly making your perfect layovers into impossible layovers (eg 3 hr layover become 45 mins layover which makes it illegal) and you'll end up having to start from square one.

Just sit tight and wait. Seriously, the flights aren't sold out right now for next summer.

socaltraveler

Well, quite frankly, those of us who teach, or many of us, are simply looking at these flights as too expensive, and are not going to worry too much about it next year - instead of six trips to Europe we may be looking for one trip in this country. So I don't think we are on the same wave length anyway. I don't get it either.

Cathinjoetown

Okay, is your final destination Paris? Couldn't tell for sure.

If so, often transatlantic flights are cheaper to Dublin and London, from where you could find on-going flights with a low-cost carrier or take eurostar from London to Paris. So, have you checked your chosen airline's or its partners' fares into either of those cities?

Have you thought about using points for one fare and paying for the other?

As for a night in Amsterdam, crash at an inexpensive hotel at Schipol?

Look for combinations of transatlantic air and land transportation or transatlantic and low cost local carriers to get you to your final destination.

Sometimes you might save money that way, but train and low-cost flights can add up and eat into your savings on the main flight.

That taps me out of suggestions because if you are tied to a short list of airlines, you will have to take what fares are available when you reach your self-imposed date beyond which you don't want to wait for better fares. (Assume you've phoned your platinum-only phone line and pushed them as hard as you can for deals).

LoveItaly

Hello Julie, with an eleven hour stopover in Amsterdam that would be during the night have you thought of booking a hotel room at the Amsterdam airport. Sleep, a good hot shower and change of clothes would be nice I would think.

rogeruktm

So, based on what I read you do 6 trips to Europe during June, July, August, September & October. It seems that you could take one less trip and stay longer. Say the end of June, running into July, that way you could do your other trips during the next months. Weird, at best. Then just to do a cruise! I am not getting something here.