julies

Northwest had a really good sale posted this week-end for flights through the end of March. We hemmed and hawed debating whether we should take an additional European vacation this year (we already have one planned for summer), and if so, where to go. And, yes I know that this is a stupid mode of operation because airfares can be gone in a minute, so the policy should always be buy it if you see it and you want it. Our issue was trying to spend some time calculating how much two European vacations would cost us versus one US vacation and one European vacation. (Our funds aren't limitless.)

To sum it up, we didn't buy because we thought we'd think about it a little more and were planning to make a decision today. Of course, the fares have all been pulled and are no longer available.

So, my question is do these fares sometimes reappear? Or, is this usually a one shot chance? I'm also wondering if the week-end only sale is a fairly frequent strategy on the part of airlines. Thanks.

julies

So, I guess the answer must be "no".

Leely

Julie,
Yes. For East Africa, though, not Europe. Don't know if it helps you, but actually those were Northwest/KLM flights. It wasn't the Northwest leg (to AMS) that I was worried about; it was the once daily KLM flight from AMS to Kilimanjaro that had me sweating.

Keep looking. Delta has had some decent fares lately. Check farefox and then if you see a good price, check whichever airline is showing up. I've found that I can usually get a better deal from the airline. Though not always.

Intrepid1

Actually, the answer in my case is "yes" and since TA's will tell you s=they have seen airline fares literally change before their very eyes I suspect it might be "yes" for a lot of other folks, too.

Kate_W

I've had award ticket availability disappear and then magically reappear. Keep checking (and check other airlines); you might luck out.

Seamus

Yes

ira

Hi j,

They often do.

Airlines price their tickets based on how many seats have sold. The prices change daily (if not hourly).

RufusTFirefly

Yes, but it isn't magic.

wliwl

Yes. When I priced our tickets they bounced back and forth. It seemed the tickets were more expensive on weekends.

Let us know how you do.

rkkwan

Where are you going, and when? What price did you see then, and what's the price now?

The more specific you are, the best answers you'll get.

If it's a really really great sale for very little (like <$400 all-in), then you may not see it, depending on specifics. If the difference is only $50 or so, then yes, they can bounce up and down a lot.

twk

I started planning a June 2006 trip to Scotland last year, and from watching airline prices beginning early in the spring of 2005, it appeared that prices for peak season weren't likely to drop in 2006 (especially given oil prices). So, we went ahead and booked a flight from DFW to GLA (connecting in PHL) on US Airways last September for $1065. However, I had set up price alerts on Orbitz and never deactivated them, and much to my suprise, one day in November, for a few hours, that exact same ticket could have been purchased for $675. Then, a couple of weeks ago, I got an alert from Orbitz telling me I could purchase a ticket for the same dates on Delta flying DFW-ATL-EDI (I checked the any airport within 90 miles option) for $605. So, if you've got time, and you aren't locked into making a specific trip on a specific date, use those fare alerts and you might just catch a bargain.

julies

This was an across the board to select destinations European flight sale, or so it seemed. And, it was unadvertised as far as I could tell. I first saw the fares Friday night and they remained there through Sunday night. This morning (Monday) they were gone.

We are in Minneapolis where NWA has a stranglehold, and so it was refreshing to finally see some cheap seats. The other thing that was interesting was that all the better, and direct, flights were on Travelocity. I could find the same fares at NWA.com, but the connections weren't nearly as good. Interesting, isn't it?

These were all examples for the first week in March, playing around with dates somewhat dfferently for each location so as to find the cheapest available fares. These were the fares, including taxes, that we were looking at. Madrid $460. Rome $540. Istanbul $535. Venice $ 530.

rkkwan

Those are indeed pretty good fares. Right now, they're at least $100 higher. I think the chances of getting those fares again are small, but you may see prices coming down a little for your travel date. You probably need to check daily, or even several times a day.

My parents flew IAH-MAD last April, and they want to fly KLM. I looked at nwa.com 4-5 times a day (whenever I can); for a few weeks. They fluctuate over ~$100 (from just under $500 to over $650), sometimes a few times a day. Eventually, I got something closer to $500 than $600 (can't remember) under 3 weeks before depature.

I won't panic yet, but you need to check very often as you're going pretty soon.