tarajane

Hello,

Ok, I’ve been searching and searching for deals and I see a flight out of Austin, TX (where I live) to Amsterdam for $562 (INCLUDING all taxes/fees)....January 8th-16th.

Then, I would plan to spend 3 nights in Amsterdam, fly SkyEurope for $50usd round to Prague for 4 nights.

What do you all think of this plan???

I am so tempted to book now, since it is out of Austin and I wouldn't have to drive the 4-5 hours to Houston or Dallas for a flight, BUT don't you think I could get a better flight for a January trip to Europe? Will there be better deals out in October or November? OR, should I just book now?!?!

I also see a flight out of Houston, TX (4-5 hour drive for me) to Paris for $590 (INLCUDING all taxes/fees). What do you think of this deal?

Any advice would be much appreciated!

Thanks,
Tara

rkkwan

That's very cheap now, even for January travel. Will you see it cheaper? Perhaps. But will you it more expensive? Most likely.

Lutece

As a former Dallas resident who was always booking Dallas-Paris and looking for a good deal, I'd say yours isn't bad. Not great, but not bad. Jan/Feb should yield you your best rates to Europe, as it is cold, cold, cold!

If it's a non-stop or the schedule is perfect, I'd take it -- particularly because it's from Austin and you don't have to drive to DFW/Houston. That's worth quite a bit of $$$ right there in my opinion!

I should note that I was able to purchase Paris-Chicago tickets for $600 (all fees incl.) in November on American directly from their site. (I've always found the best fares directly on their site.) I'd like to think you might find something a bit lower for Jan. if you wait, but if you are the kind of person who likes to have things done and squared away, then just do it.

Have a great trip!

yk

tarajane - which airline did you get these fares?

WillTravel

The SkyEurope fares are practically certain to get more expensive. So your statistical estimation has to consider that point as well.

My personal opinion is that you are pretty unlikely to get a fare below $500, and that's not even that likely. So if you book this fare now, you'll have the certainty that you are going to Amsterdam and Prague, and the most you could possibly be out of pocket is about $60 (but most likely not even that).

Of course I could be wrong, but I can't see that you are likely to save much, if any, money by waiting.

My only concern about SkyEurope is that I would not rely on them for a close connection back to Amsterdam. I would probably stay one night in Amsterdam at the start, fly SkyEurope to Prague, and come back to two nights in Amsterdam. Then if SkyEurope changes its schedule (which does often happen), you can accommodate it without difficulty, or in the worst case scenario, you'll have time for a train back.

tarajane

I BOOKED AUS-AMS-PRG!

Thanks Lutece, rkkwan, & WillTravel!

yk--I found the AUS-AMS on nwa.com and the Paris trip on aircanada.com

WillTravel--Would you mind giving more advice on my SkyEurope connecting flight? I fly out AUS-AMS on Wednesday, January 9th with a connection/"plane change" in Memphis of only 1hr 25min. Is this enough time to connect???

So, you think I should stay in Amsterdam for 1 night, fly to Prague via SkyEurope on the 11th for 4 nights and then fly back to Amsterdam for the remaining 2 nights? Do you think it's too risky to fly back from PRG-AMS via SkyEurope with an arrival time at AMS of 8:00am and then a departure back to the States at 1:50pm on the same day?

I'd appreciate any advice. Thank you again.

~Tara

yk

Tara- congratulations! I think that's a pretty good deal.

That should be enough time for connection in Memphis.

It seems like a lot of time if your SkyEurope flight arrives at 8am and your return flight is not until after 1pm. However, in the rare occasion that your SkyEurope flight is cancelled or seriously delayed, then your only recourse is to buy a brand new ticket AMS-AUS which of course will be extremely expensive. Some people want to take the risk, and I'm not one of them. You'll have more peace in mind if you fly back to AMS the day before, then leisurely head to the airport on your day of departure.

WillTravel

From my reading in the last year, SkyEurope is at least somewhat prone to cancelling routes and changing times, more than the average low-cost carrier (although it can happen with any carrier, low-cost or not). Hence my suggestion about allowing plenty of extra time to get back to Amsterdam.

Whether you want to make it one night or two is a matter of judgment, and your decision should also consider the consequences in the unlikely event that you have to change the return date of your return flight back home.

tarajane

Thanks again!

I think I'll play it safe and do 1-4-2 beginning and ending in Amsterdam.

~Tara