Is $578.00 a good fare?
 

for round trip, open jaw ticket from Chicago to London leaving March 19,2008 and returning from Berlin to Chicago on March 27? This includes all taxes. I went to kayak.com and then directed me to vayama.com to book the tickets. Anybody with
experiences booking with vayama.com?Thanks.

Gina

For those two cities, in that combination, that sounds very good to me.

Probably, it is. It's like asking is $1 a good price for a loaf of bread? Do you like the bread? Is $20 a good price for a shirt? Would you pay $20 for a shirt you will need for an occasion next March?

Setting those rhetorical (and slightly smart-alecky) questions aside, I would say yes. You might be able to put that $578 in a CD and earn ($15?) interest on it, and find the exact same price next January. or not.

I'd give 30% odds that you can find cheaper by as much as $100 - - _if_ you check, diligently, all the time, for the next six months. And 10% chance you can find $150 cheaper.

The days of $300-350 for a trip like that (from the midwest, to a city other than a lucky few promotional destinations)... in March (and I remember them well, took a group of 7 to Munich in spring 2000 for $320-something)... seem to have vanished, at least 3-5 years ago.

Best wishes,

Rex

I would think anything under $700. is a very good fare....from what I've seen.

The only thing about Kayak.com and other sites like BookingBuddy, Vayama, etc. is that the price you see doesn't inclued the taxes and fees. I found on Travelocity, a United flight on the dates and cities you stated for a price of $645.00 (tax & fees included) and then on American's website a fare of $642.20 (tax & fees included). Good luck!

If all taxes and surcharges are included, then it's a steal.

booking so far in advance has its perils if the ticket is non changeable non refundable

things can happen.

I did a return on Northwest leaving mid Jan returning late Feb this year for about $490 all taxes, etc. I think this early in March is still low season and i think you'll see similar fares in the airlines annual off-season airfare sale.

But with petro going up it's hard to tell - no one can say whether or not similar fares will be available - even airlines i think

FOUND ANOTHER GREAT FARE!! Go to www.tickets-to-europe.com they have a fare of $546.90 (taxes and fees included). A friend of mine booked their tickets to Italy through this website as well and bot a cheap fare!!

>The only thing about Kayak.com ... is that the price you see doesn't inclued the taxes and fees.<

The Kayak price DOES include all taxes and fees.

((I))

Have never heard of Vayama so can't vouch for their reliability. I did go to their website and see that their HQ is just up the road from where I live. It would be interesting to find out if the site offers you availability at that price point. Keep us posted, OK?

I checked both Kayak and Tickets to Europe for my flight in Spring, 2008.

They both want over $100 more to put me on the same flights that I can get directly from Delta.

One has to shop carefully. :)

((I))

I just checked tickets to europe for IAD-AMS leaving April, return two weeks later in May. $856.18 Tickets Euro, $848.90 direct from United. This is a non stop flight each direction.

Thanks for all your replies...and to Chicagogrl, thanks for the tip as well, I bought the tickets for $546 at tickets-to-europe for similar itineraries (United & Austria Airlines).

Betsy,I called Vayama earlier today, they are relatively new about 3 mos old based in California... they seem to be reliable and offered the same price quoted with Kayak (that included taxes and booking fee of $10/pp)... but I found a smoewhat less expensive fare with tickets-to-europe.com

Sounds like a great deal to me. Financial pundits claim that airfare will only get higher over the next year.

topping... does this "correct the counter" (of number of replies)?

Igpjazz, glad you found the perfect airfare on tickets-to-europe they really do offer great prices! I only wish they had better fares for my ticket to Greece, but, as I talk to more and more people the fare of $940 roundtrip in September is a really cheap fare. I keep trying to tell myself it's a good fare, but, after going to Berlin in Sept 2006 and again in December 2006 for NYE and spending the exact amount this ONE ticket to Greece cost me, I'm still not convinced it's a great price! Oh well, enjoy your trip! Chicagogrl

chicagogrl, it's been two years, but I booked a flight through Expedia PHL-ATH in May 2005 for $540. I know May is not Sept (tho neither is the height of tourist season in Greece) and 2005 is not 2007, but I'd keep looking if I were you. Keep an eye on travelzoo.com as they get great last minute fares. Unless you've already booked your (non-refundable) tix...in which case I'm sorry for bringing it up!

igpjazz, that sounds like a great fare for that combo...not flying in and out of the same city generally adds a few hundred dollars to a ticket.

SuCo27, I don't know if your last statement is necessarily true. Sometimes it can add hundreds of dollars, I'm sure, but I have often gotten open jaw tickets for equal or just slightly highter than a regular roundtrip ticket. Actually in one instance flying open jaw actually lowered the price of simply flying on a regular roundtrip ticket. Of course all of this takes diligent searching to get the right deal!

Tracy

>not flying in and out of the same city generally adds a few hundred dollars to a ticket...

Hmmmmmm. It's been my experience that open-jaw flights are almost the same price as RT - sometimes less, depending on the cities.

I think I ought to hire igpjazz or chicagogrl to get my next tickets for me. You two did way better than me this year. Congrats! And have a wonderful trip.