fall airfare sales
 

Just wondering who all out there in Fodor forum land is waiting for fall airfare sales. I've got a trip planned for late Oct. and keep watching for cheap flights and just not seeing many - actually none for destination and airline that I would prefer. Seems like other years there was more sale activity by now - anyone else out there waiting and watching? Has anyone read anything about the airlines not discounting fares much this fall? Maybe even with lingering terror concerns and a weak dollar there are still folks that just got to go!

I get some e-notices from a few airlines and I think I did see some sales, but they were for winter already. That's nothing unusual, fares always go down in winter, with a perfect prediction.

I haven't seen any for October, but I don't usually notice many for that month as it's not low period.

Have you seen the British Airlines sale that ends today?

What riute are you looking for?

We're planning a trip to Slovenia via Frankfurt for late Sept and into October and saw almost no sales. I did all of my regular internet searching and then called a travel agent to see what they could find. She told me that people have finally had enough of waiting for their vacations and are travelling to Europe in record numbers. Couple that with the higher fuel costs and they're just not seeing the cheaper fares either. We finally got tickets on SAS for $1900 when it was $1450 last year at the same time.

There are some excellent sales going on for late Fall and Winter (November, December, January, and February).

bestfares.com has had some goodies.

<b>sardog10</b>,

I'm not sure how important connectin through Frankfurt is to you and I also don't know your departure city and the dates, but after seeing your post and a fare of $1900, I just could not resist checking. Orbits is showing fares starting at $900 from Chicago to Ljubljana with departures on 9/28 and return on 10/12. The cheapest fares are offered by AA connecting through Brussels or Paris. It also showed some flights connecting through Frankfurt at around $1200.

I really don't know where you got the best fare of $1900? unless I'm missing some important details.

I know this is somewhat OT, but

Oops.

...as I was saying, Sardog's post about $1900 fares to Slovenia made me consult my handy-dandy OneWorld Alliance round-the-world price table, which reveals that you can purchase a 20-flight, one-year valid, round-the-world ticket good for 3 continents (Europe, Asia, N. America) for $1912 (give or take a fiver) if you buy it in Poland. $2300 for 4 continents (add Africa or Australia). The prices vary (quite a lot) depending on where you buy the ticket, it's good on any of the OW partners (BA, AA, Qantas, etc.) and you can do quite a bit of flying in N. America if you start/end your trip in Europe, so not just an international vacation, but good for ordinary N. America travel if you're inclined. You can see more at www.oneworld.com Oh, the tickets earn full miles, too.

I was wondering about the $1900 fare myself. In 10 years of flying to Europe from California I have never paid more than $525 RT (and that was the fare for my first trip in 1995). It shouldn't cost too much to go from Germany to Slovenia.

Brisih Air from Dulles to London in October.....282 r/t including all taxes

You don't really have to wait for sales if there is a specific time you want to book. Most airlines will refund you the difference (at no charge) if you book at a higher price, and sale-priced seats later become available on the same flight. Of course, you do have to ask, and you can't switch your flight to get a cheaper price.

I just got a $70 refund on a flight I had booked to Rome on American in November because lower prices are now available. They said there weren't any more sale seats on my outbound flight, but that I could get a refund on the return flight.

The airlines generally don't publicize this policy (for understandable reasons) and it's up to the individual airline whether or not they'll do this, but it's always worth a try. I have my home page on My Yahoo set up to show me the lowest available prices for routes I like to fly, and that's a good way of tracking when the prices go down.

How does May usually look regarding airfares from the US east coast to London? Is that considered a high or shoulder season? And if I'm flying to London in May, when's the best time to start booking reservations? Thanks!

- I think sardog is talking about 2 people for $1,900.

- twina49: May is shoulder season. But East Coast (especially NYC) to London is always cheaper than other routes. I'd think $500-600, tax included would be a fair price. If it's &lt;$500, then it's pretty good.

My son told me to wait til 7/29 to make reservations. He heard there will be price sales starting then.

I'm so sorry you guys. Yes, I screwed up my post and failed to mention that $1900 was for both my son and I. We've flown that route so much together in the last four years that I just seem to think of us as one unit. Thanks for your concern!

Boy, I'm really quick this week :) I also meant that we were only flying SEA to FRA. My husband is in Iraq and he will be flying into FRA to start his R&amp;R. From there we drive down to Slovenia with a stop in Lauterbrunnen for some hiking. Okay, I'm going back to bed now :)

sardog10

Please tell your husband from one veteran to another that his service to our country is very much appreciated. Enjoy your trip!

That's not bad from Seattle, and you really NEED to be there to coordinate, so don't look at any more fares. Make sure you've got good seat assignments, in the meanwhile!

Glad to see there's another military familly out there...my son's got one more month left in his second tour of duty in Iraq with the 1st Marines. We're hoping he won't be sent back for a third...

rj007 -Thanks for the good wishes and I'll pass them on. I spoke with him yesterday and made the mistake of telling him it was really hot here (mid-80's) - he just laughed at me as it was 113 in Baghdad at the time.

And for uhoh-busted - My good thoughts are with you and your son. Give yourselves a hug for me.