Good air fare?
 

Hello,
We are traveling into Venice from Philadelphia (May1,2017) and returning to Philadelphia from Naples (May 13,2017)
The tour company found us a Luftansa flight with a 4 hour layer over in Frankfort both ways.
The fare is $1,088 round trip per person.

My question : is it too soon to get a flight? Would we be better waiting?
My husband is 6'4"- do you know how the room is for this airline?
Is there a way to determine if this is a good fare?

Thanks so much for your input-we're kind of new to this.
Pam

I would probably wait, although that is not a bad fare (have you checked the routing?). I would also do my own research on fares - for instance skyscanner, kayak, hipmunk, airfarewatchdog. For info on seating use seatguru.

Are you on a cruise? The only reason I would book airfare through a tour company instead of directly with the airline would be if they offered protection in case something goes wrong with the flight.

I did a similar open jaw flight this past May 1st, and the fare was low $800s.

On the UAL website that route is $1110.00 using UA going and LH coming back. Same dates.

Is the tour company adding a booking fee? You can book it yourself and save a bit if they are.

I checked the exact flights through the airline web site, and the rate was less expensive via the tour company. They have waived their booking fees. Of course, there is no crystal ball but it was suggested that if the fare goes down, it won't go down a lot. But if it goes up, it tends to go up a lot. If that makes any sense.

"we are kind of new to this"

Then you should read the fare rules, should know that fares are non-refundable, and check what the change fees will be if you should need to change your plans over the next 10 months. Also read up on travel insurance. (There are topics you can find by doing a forum-search).

And when you book this far in advance, there is a good chance that the airline schedules will change between now and your dates of travel. A 4 -hour layover might change to a 6-hour layover, or your connecting city might change. If it's a substantial change, after you are notified by the airline, you will have a chance to accept the new schedule or cancel/change your tickets.

I'd also wait to see if a sale happens.

Another place to see fares is Google Flights https://www.google.com/flights/#sear...017-05-13;tt=m. Like aifarewatchdog and some other sites, you can have them set up alerts and notify you if the price changes significantly.

Which tour company are you using?

First, always check seatguru.com for seating room. Basically, if you're in coach, it will suck. It sucks for me and I'm nowhere near 6-4.

Second, it's somewhat likely that you can find a better fare. Check Kayak.com.

Third, Frankfort is in Kentucky and it's too small to have an international airport. ;-)

Halo, i am a new member here. I live in the Netherlands. I would like to know more about these kinds of forums.

pammy, since you are new to this I will tell you that Big Russ is being a clown on his third point. (I mean that in the kindest possible way, Big Russ) :-)

Lufthansa flies to Frankfurt, not Frankfort.

I am only 5'3 and coach works for me on Lufthansa but it would be rough for a person of 6'4. Whichever airline you choose you should look for Premium Economy for extra legroom.

You mentioned a tour company, find out if you have the option to book your own air. You will often find better deals if you book it yourself.

Shaima, we exchange information and opinions on Fodors. Since you live in the Netherlands you can probably offer some helpful information in the Europe forum for visitors to your country.