Tricks to Finding Cheap Air Fare?
Mar 22nd, 2005, 12:55 PM
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Tricks to Finding Cheap Air Fare?
Hi-Any good tid bits out there on ways to find cheap air fare? What travel/airline web sites are the best? Any particular time of year they tend to go on sale? We are looking to travel in June/July of '06 (a bit early I realize, but would like to get a head start on keeping an eye out). We would like to fly into either Munich or Frankfurt out of Washington D.C. or somewhere relatively close.
As usual, thanks for your help!
As usual, thanks for your help!
Mar 22nd, 2005, 01:17 PM
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Someone else on the forum posted a link to www.whichbudget.com, which I think (for me) is the best find in ages!
Mar 22nd, 2005, 01:18 PM
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Hi liesel,
You won't be able to start searching for your travel dates until approximately 331 days before your flight (so probably in either July or August of 2005). Once your travel dates are open for ticket purchases, check very single day on various sites, even twice a day if you can. And good luck... due to fuel prices, I'm not sure how many bargains there will be
You won't be able to start searching for your travel dates until approximately 331 days before your flight (so probably in either July or August of 2005). Once your travel dates are open for ticket purchases, check very single day on various sites, even twice a day if you can. And good luck... due to fuel prices, I'm not sure how many bargains there will be
Mar 22nd, 2005, 01:21 PM
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Try the Cheap flight forum at eurotrip.com or this post:
http://www.eurotrip.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=80544
http://www.eurotrip.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=80544
Mar 22nd, 2005, 01:26 PM
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You should sign up for "fare watchers" on a site like travelocity. Often when I get an email that a fare has gone up or down, that fare is no longer available, but it indicates which airline (or what time on the calendar)to look for deals.
If you want the very best fare and don't mind changing planes, it's often cheaper to fly into London (or elsewhere) and take an internal European flight on one of the discount carriers. That's where whichbudget.com can come in handy. (I don't think whichbudget lists transatlantic flights but I could be wrong.)
Some websites that have been mentioned here are
mobissimo.com http://airtravelcenter.com/onetrav.htm
If you want the very best fare and don't mind changing planes, it's often cheaper to fly into London (or elsewhere) and take an internal European flight on one of the discount carriers. That's where whichbudget.com can come in handy. (I don't think whichbudget lists transatlantic flights but I could be wrong.)
Some websites that have been mentioned here are
mobissimo.com http://airtravelcenter.com/onetrav.htm
Mar 22nd, 2005, 02:32 PM
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All those sites are good, but after using them a lot, I always find that searching for a while on the Air France site will give me several things:
A nonstop flight to Paris with the option to fly to other cities in France for about the same price;
No additional hours waiting for another plane in Iceland, Netherlands,
England or Ireland;
Not having to endure Terminal #1 at Charles de Gaulle airport.
The savings is to be had via using off days, no weekend travel, awareness of high spots in the travel season and avoiding them. Try different combos and see if days or hours of the flights make a difference. Use Mobissimo or whatever to isolate/filter your choices.
But after saving one hundred dollars and enduring a flight through Iceland that was held up for an hour on each leg each way...never again. Nor do I want to fly into Heathrow and take a cab/bus/train to Gatwick. Nor do I want to do the domestic air dance through Ireland. If you can get a Lufthansa flight to Frankfurt at a great savings, such as several hundred on two tickets, grab it and simple endure the wait. But make sure you come back to CDG on the Air France part of the leg.
By the way, Iceland Air does NOT have a presence at CDG. When I arrived to leave at Terminal #1, and at the strongly suggested three hours ahead at the check in counter, there was an oriental airline using the counter. That continued, as masses and masses crammed into the area. About a half hour prior to THE FLIGHT TAKEOFF TIME, a few people sauntered in and removed the oriental airline's signage, and put up....Iceland Air...Okay, now how would we take off in time?
First off, they played with the terminal registers for about fifteen minutes, then had to call supervisors. They were obviously frustrated and tired. Then, little by little, ebbing their way, the line s l o w l y moved. Two hours later, they somehow finished the ordeal.
Then, on the plane, the seat next to ours was empty...hurrah! But no...the stew came back and said, "do you have a family member that is supposed to be sitting in this seat"? Uh....no.
For the next hour, the plane's door opened and shut, still attached to the terminal. They walked up and down the aisles...finally all was resolved.
The problem? (and this was the fourth one in four legs of the flight)....a little Icelandic girl was sitting on the lap of her Icelandic parents, and they did not want her to sit waaaaayyy up four seats ahead in the empty seat.
The stew simply told us, "oh a little girl was on her parents lap".
I had heard that Iceland Air would give preferential treatment to Icelandic people, but I assumed that meant holding a plane up for a bit, not playing games. With that and an asinine procedure at the gate leaving Iceland to fly to Paris...the endurance finally was over.
Oh, the Iceland gambit?
A crowd of young people, not from Iceland, were mobbing the gate where we were to board the plane to Paris after the stop over in Iceland...
A man standing at the gate kept calling numbers...3, 4, 5, 6...
The adults were standing on the outskirts of the crowd, basically a mob. No line, no control, no effort to control boarding. Finally I walked through the mob of teenagers and told the guy that I did not have a "number" but a ticket number with many digits, so what is going on?" He replied, "oh, I am not employed by Iceland Air as a ticket person or gate person", why don't you and the adults behind you go ahead and load, because we are confused."...
I turned and spoke to the perfectly coiffed two young ladies standing at the gate who had been mute during the past half hour, and asked them if they worked for Iceland Air. They said yes. I asked them why they did not assume control of the gate. (like any other airline would, especially considering the events of the past few years.) They said .....N o t h i n g. I asked if they spoke english, and they responded "yes". I asked if I would be afforded the privilege to actually board the aircraft at some point with my paid ticket. They said N o t h i n g
but took my ticket and processed all other adult tickets after that.
My take: too many young people that did not have either experience or energy to perform the job.
My solution: don't fly that airline again.
A nonstop flight to Paris with the option to fly to other cities in France for about the same price;
No additional hours waiting for another plane in Iceland, Netherlands,
England or Ireland;
Not having to endure Terminal #1 at Charles de Gaulle airport.
The savings is to be had via using off days, no weekend travel, awareness of high spots in the travel season and avoiding them. Try different combos and see if days or hours of the flights make a difference. Use Mobissimo or whatever to isolate/filter your choices.
But after saving one hundred dollars and enduring a flight through Iceland that was held up for an hour on each leg each way...never again. Nor do I want to fly into Heathrow and take a cab/bus/train to Gatwick. Nor do I want to do the domestic air dance through Ireland. If you can get a Lufthansa flight to Frankfurt at a great savings, such as several hundred on two tickets, grab it and simple endure the wait. But make sure you come back to CDG on the Air France part of the leg.
By the way, Iceland Air does NOT have a presence at CDG. When I arrived to leave at Terminal #1, and at the strongly suggested three hours ahead at the check in counter, there was an oriental airline using the counter. That continued, as masses and masses crammed into the area. About a half hour prior to THE FLIGHT TAKEOFF TIME, a few people sauntered in and removed the oriental airline's signage, and put up....Iceland Air...Okay, now how would we take off in time?
First off, they played with the terminal registers for about fifteen minutes, then had to call supervisors. They were obviously frustrated and tired. Then, little by little, ebbing their way, the line s l o w l y moved. Two hours later, they somehow finished the ordeal.
Then, on the plane, the seat next to ours was empty...hurrah! But no...the stew came back and said, "do you have a family member that is supposed to be sitting in this seat"? Uh....no.
For the next hour, the plane's door opened and shut, still attached to the terminal. They walked up and down the aisles...finally all was resolved.
The problem? (and this was the fourth one in four legs of the flight)....a little Icelandic girl was sitting on the lap of her Icelandic parents, and they did not want her to sit waaaaayyy up four seats ahead in the empty seat.
The stew simply told us, "oh a little girl was on her parents lap".
I had heard that Iceland Air would give preferential treatment to Icelandic people, but I assumed that meant holding a plane up for a bit, not playing games. With that and an asinine procedure at the gate leaving Iceland to fly to Paris...the endurance finally was over.
Oh, the Iceland gambit?
A crowd of young people, not from Iceland, were mobbing the gate where we were to board the plane to Paris after the stop over in Iceland...
A man standing at the gate kept calling numbers...3, 4, 5, 6...
The adults were standing on the outskirts of the crowd, basically a mob. No line, no control, no effort to control boarding. Finally I walked through the mob of teenagers and told the guy that I did not have a "number" but a ticket number with many digits, so what is going on?" He replied, "oh, I am not employed by Iceland Air as a ticket person or gate person", why don't you and the adults behind you go ahead and load, because we are confused."...
I turned and spoke to the perfectly coiffed two young ladies standing at the gate who had been mute during the past half hour, and asked them if they worked for Iceland Air. They said yes. I asked them why they did not assume control of the gate. (like any other airline would, especially considering the events of the past few years.) They said .....N o t h i n g. I asked if they spoke english, and they responded "yes". I asked if I would be afforded the privilege to actually board the aircraft at some point with my paid ticket. They said N o t h i n g
but took my ticket and processed all other adult tickets after that.
My take: too many young people that did not have either experience or energy to perform the job.
My solution: don't fly that airline again.
Mar 22nd, 2005, 07:25 PM
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It seems every year when we go we do searches on all our favorites--Cheaptickets, Bestfares, Travelocity, 1travel, Priceline, and a host of others. We've bought from them all. I got my best lately from Bestfares. It helps to have a flexible schedule to work with and to travel Tues-Thurs. I understand some of the latest to use are Mobissimo (as mentioned), Qixo, Kayak, Sidestep, and Hotwire.
Mar 22nd, 2005, 07:58 PM
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You can subscribe to a free weekly newsletter that describes all the current sales at www.travelzoo.com. Another good site is www.itasoftware.com. You can't book on the site, but you can get a comparison of fares and the info you need to book them; their 30-day planner, which shows the least expensive days to fly within a month, is useful too. I've always found the best fares on the individual airline's web page.
Mar 22nd, 2005, 08:06 PM
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For coreya (above). From eBay: "Invalid Item"
"This listing (5562440475) has been removed by eBay or is no longer available. Please make sure that you've entered the item number correctly."
Seems like the item wasn't legit, or the number is wrong.
"This listing (5562440475) has been removed by eBay or is no longer available. Please make sure that you've entered the item number correctly."
Seems like the item wasn't legit, or the number is wrong.
Mar 22nd, 2005, 08:13 PM
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I read and post at the Cheap Flights forum at EuroTrip.com/forum .
I read the Mileage Run forum at Flyertalk.com .
I run airfare searches for fun.
ITASoftware.com is good, but my best finds have never shown up there.
These tricks have resulted in getting summer airfares for winter prices.
I read the Mileage Run forum at Flyertalk.com .
I run airfare searches for fun.
ITASoftware.com is good, but my best finds have never shown up there.
These tricks have resulted in getting summer airfares for winter prices.
Mar 24th, 2005, 12:22 PM
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Sorry for the wrong item # on the ebay deal - search for "airline vouchers" or try item # 5568440649
I can't say that this is legit..but it can't hurt to check it out. Maybe the seller will give you some references of people who have travels onthe voucher.
I can't say that this is legit..but it can't hurt to check it out. Maybe the seller will give you some references of people who have travels onthe voucher.
Mar 24th, 2005, 12:48 PM
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Hi Liesel,
Basically like everyone else has stated - you have to shop around and do the legwork in order to find a cheap fare. I've had luck with Bestfares, Priceline and recently Iceland air using their lucky fares($300 roundtrip Boston to Frankfurt May 20 -30, 2005). It's a good idea to start early, that way when you see a $400 fare direct through Lufthansa it'll be a no brainer and you book right away. I've gotten the best deals travelling shoulder season - so I would guess that you might do best looking in June or even late May if it works for you. Here's a few sites that I have saved in my "airfare" favorites file, although I've never booked tickets through them: www.economytravel.com/europe-airfare.html http://www.airlineconsolidator.com/infobook_fs.html
http://www.asaptickets.com/index.php
http://www.cheapinternationalflights.net/
http://www.1800flyeurope.com/airfare.cfm
http://www.skyscanner.net/day/be/cheap-flights.html
I hope this helps...
Basically like everyone else has stated - you have to shop around and do the legwork in order to find a cheap fare. I've had luck with Bestfares, Priceline and recently Iceland air using their lucky fares($300 roundtrip Boston to Frankfurt May 20 -30, 2005). It's a good idea to start early, that way when you see a $400 fare direct through Lufthansa it'll be a no brainer and you book right away. I've gotten the best deals travelling shoulder season - so I would guess that you might do best looking in June or even late May if it works for you. Here's a few sites that I have saved in my "airfare" favorites file, although I've never booked tickets through them: www.economytravel.com/europe-airfare.html http://www.airlineconsolidator.com/infobook_fs.html
http://www.asaptickets.com/index.php
http://www.cheapinternationalflights.net/
http://www.1800flyeurope.com/airfare.cfm
http://www.skyscanner.net/day/be/cheap-flights.html
I hope this helps...
Mar 24th, 2005, 12:54 PM
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Whitey--
How does the lucky fares site work now? I used to use this all the time and found some marvelous fares out of Minneapolis. I still get their e-mails but have had difficulty figuring out how to find their bargain fares, and so basically i have quit trying that avenue to find fares. They used to have a great feature where you could just run the mouse over and find days that these fares were actually available. Did you play for hours to find this fare, or how did you do it? Thanks for the help.
How does the lucky fares site work now? I used to use this all the time and found some marvelous fares out of Minneapolis. I still get their e-mails but have had difficulty figuring out how to find their bargain fares, and so basically i have quit trying that avenue to find fares. They used to have a great feature where you could just run the mouse over and find days that these fares were actually available. Did you play for hours to find this fare, or how did you do it? Thanks for the help.
Mar 24th, 2005, 01:12 PM
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Julie - Originally I had signed up for airfare alerts through Travelocity. One of their cheap fares was from Iceland Air, so I went directly to their website, signed up for their Lucky fares, and plugged in dates for their bargain fare. May 30th was the latest they would give me the cheap fare - so I booked it. I was psyched at the time(Oct 2004)but I've been a little nervous since then seeing a few bad posts about them, but I'm on vacation - how bad could it be?
