CharlotteYork

I need to fly from Paris to Barcelona next summer and checked out the website for EasyJet. I didn't see any option to pay in U.S. currency. Do I just plug in my mastercard and it will convert to dollars?

Also, the fare was a bit higher than I anticipated. Do the fares ever go down or just up once the seats open?

Any suggestions for other airlines to try?

WillTravel

It's possible the fares will go down, but the more popular the route, the less likely it is. What fare did you come up with? Keep in mind most of the cost is taxes and fees, which are basically not going to be reduced.

Yes, just use your regular credit card and the conversion will happen automatically, quite likely at a 2.5% increase, or thereabouts, over the interbank rate.

Nikki

Vueling flies from Paris to Barcelona. See www.vueling.com. I checked for a random date in June and one in July and came up with a fare of 65 euros one way.

Dukey

As the EasyJet website points out, the closer you get to the departure date the more the fares will <b>rise</b> so it is important if you have your dates firm then the earlier you book the cheaper it will be.

As WillTravel has pointed out, you use your CC and the cost will be conversted automatically. You also will not receive any sort of paper ticket; simply a confirmation number which you should <b>retain</b> and then when you check in the agent can find your reservation from that.

WillTravel

Maybe 90% of the time (just a guess)it's true that prices get progressively worse as you get closer to the date, but there are sales now and then where you get lower prices than booking early. I just think that's unlikely for a summer fare like Paris-Barcelona.

CharlotteYork

I'm coming up with a RT fare of $185 US or 140 Euros (including taxes). I guess I had a misperception of what a LCC charges in Europe. I checked the Air France website and they want $214 (including taxes) and offer many more flight options.

That seems like my best bet.

alanRow

&lt;&lt;&lt; I guess I had a misperception of what a LCC charges in Europe. &gt;&gt;&gt;

Popular route at a popular time. Unless you book within a couple of hours of the timetables being released you aren't going to get a bargain.

Ever hear of &quot;Yield Management&quot; - it's the modern equivalent of selling at whatever the market will bear.

kleroux

Isn't there also a question of how much luggage/weight you can bring along on some of the discount airlines?
I thought from reading other threads in the past that allowed weight was much lower than on the &quot;name brand&quot; carriers...

WillTravel

You can read the luggage restrictions on the airline's web site. For intra-Europe flights on the main carriers, the luggage restrictions are also more severe than for flights leaving the US as well. For a large percentage of travelers (probably almost all who don't have special needs), the luggage restrictions are workable.

TimS

As others have said, on budget airlines the price starts low and goes up as seats are filled on specific flights. For example, I checked some arbitrary dates in June and July for Paris-Barcelona on easyJet. Prices ranged from 24 to 114 euros one-way.

namaka

Charlotte, I personally would wait a bit before I book. After all, it's next summer.

I booked a o/w flight from Paris to Lisbon and another o/w flight from Lisbon to England. This was for our family of four, in June and the costs was $400.00 usd total. I couldn't have been more pleased. There is no way that we could have flown/train/rental car for less.

Also, I've been checking out flights to Paris from SFO for the spring and I found that if I end the flight in London, I would save $300.00. I then looked up a flight from London to Paris and it was only 12gbp each way. With taxes and such, I would end up saving about $250.00. Of course, I would have to deduct the cost of transportation from airport to airport in London. Still cheaper though!

NeoPatrick

A few years ago, Easy Jet stated clearly that their prices start low and will ONLY go up. But they backed off that policy since then. Generally they still mainly go up, but they do offer sales as mentioned above. This past summer a flight I booked from Venice to London on one of the very first days offered (booked in December for June) actually went down by a few pounds just before the time finally arrived. But I'd still book just as early as possible.

brookwood

EasyJet usually does as described. I suggest paying attention to their luggage restrictions on size and weight.

One most important consideration is the day of the week on which you choose to fly. For example, if you wanted to fly from Geneva to Edinburgh, a Wednesday flight in March right now would cost you 38.95 chf plus tax. If you wait until Friday, the flight would cost you 112.95 chf.

Also you will need to consider if you want to pay extra for first to board seating priority. For the Geneva - Edinburgh example cited above, the fee is 17.50 chf.

I am not sure exactly how the new speedy boarding policy works in practice because I have not yet experienced it. In the past, seating was by priority groups which were ssigned at check-in by time of arrival. The early birds got the better priorities.

Also, everything you want to eat and/or drink on an EJ flight is sold, not given. In your case on a flight within the Euro zone, my guess is that only euro money will be accepted. I flew in 2005 from Geneva to Gatwick (London). I had spent all my euros and Swiss francs before boarding and had no British money. For all practical purposes I was totally penniless! US dollars were not accepted.

NeoPatrick

Those seating priorities are often a joke. While they called by groups at two different airports to line up for the bus, we all got on the same bus, and the last ones on the bus were the first ones off and therefore the first ones on the plane! Another time they sent the first couple of groups to the front of the plane and the other two groups to the back of the plane, but due to a couple of handicapped people. all the later groups getting on the back of the plane got the best seats while the priority passengers were all stuck in line trying to get on the plane at all.

JeanneB

Try www.Kayak.com. I plugged in CDG to BCN, June 21 and got a fare of $95 on Veuling.

crzn1

also use http://www.whichbudget.com/ to find the budget airlines that serve the routes you need, Dont forget to factor airport transportation costs and time. We have flown with Easyjet, Ryanair, Wizzair, but manytimes have found easyier/better fares with BA ect...