Need Help! Flight to US

[Kancruze]

My friend and I are going on a TA next spring debarking in Barcelona. The problem is that one-way tickets from Barc. to the US are outrageous.

However, if I check out return tickets Barc. to US and back, then the price is less than half of a one-way.

 

Does anyone know if you can buy a return ticket originating in Europe (Barc.)? I've checked a couple places online but have come up with zero.

 

Has anyone had any experience with this?

Thanks

[2theship]

Check out a consolidator like cheapoair.com. Also, one way tickets are an area where the cruise line's air program may be less expensive. You've got time, keep looking, you'll find a deal.

[wg6530]

1. It may be a bit early for good fares for next spring. Perfectly resonable to watch for a deal, but do not panic if rates are high now.

 

2. You may want to price flights from Dublin to the US. AerLingus flies those routes and often offers decent one way fares. Other airlines sometimes match their prices. you may want to check other European cities for a layover as well, especially if there is one you'd love to layover and visit for a night or two. you can use a discount European airline from Barcelona to Dublin (or whatever other gateway), but watch your luggage allowance/costs.

 

3. sometime cruise lines offer good airfares for the transatlantics. for example some people report decent deals on X/royal's choice air.

 

4. My personal favorite: Book a spring transatlantic and a fall transatlantic. That way you can buy a roundtrip airline ticket and enjoy two wonderful long cruises. I used the first half my ticket to return from a post cruise Paris stay in May, and I will use the second half to return to Europe in October for a fall transatlantic.

 

As you can tell, I love the TA cruises, and I hope one or more of these tips help you.

[wg6530]

One more thought: some frequent flyer programs allow one way award travel tickets. so, if you have miles, see if you can redeem them. Work for me once. Some programs will let you buy miles, and some people find it a worthwhile way to avoid those one way fares.

[jcrandle]

You also should investigate Celebrity's Choice Air program. I allows you to book air transport choosing your preferred dates, flights, airlines, etc. You can see what options are available and price them with no commitment. If you find a flight/price you like, you pay an additional $15 pp for a domestic flight, or $25 pp for an international flight. If you don't find a flight you want to book, there is no charge.

 

I am on a transatlantic and through choice air, was able to book an open jaw (Memphis to BCN, then FLL to Memphis at a savings of more than $500 pp than the best fare I could arrange on my own. Also, the routings were very good.

 

The website is http://www.cruisingpower.com/choiceair/protected/home.do

[Tucker in Texas]

Several alternatives:

 

1) Frequent flyer miles on American at 20K each--that's what we are doing. If you have to get a round trip one from an airline that doesn't do one-way tickets, you can cancel the second part due to an "emergency" and telling them you aren't sure when you will be able to go back so you aren't ready to rebook. Your ticket will be good for a year with change fees back to your original destination. Once across the pond, flights are fairly cheap to an embarkation point if it is different from where you disembarked in the spring.

 

2) Choice Air with the cruise line. You can at least, now, "pick your poison." The cruise line will assume some responsibility to get you home if things go south. Before Choice Air, they assigned you a flight and they had some pretty innovative itineraries along with some connection times that could not be done.

 

3) Consolidator. Any problem, it is your problem other than they may assist you in getting another flight. However, you are lower than dirt with the airline and they will not put you on a competitor. We have used cheapoair with no problems.

 

4) Buy round trip ticket, cancel the second part with some story about an "emergency" when you are a couple of weeks out for the second leg and pitch the ticket. By giving them the "courtesy" of canceling, you will probably avoid their "nasty" list (because they frown upon this practice) and your ticket will be good for a year with a change fee and any additional air fare.

 

5) Book a spring TA over and a fall one back as mentioned by the OP. You can then get an open-jaw round trip ticket if the disembarkation/embarkation ports are different. That's what we did this year. Out of Amsterdam home, into Barcelona in the fall.

 

6) Look at flying to Ireland/some other European city and then onward from there as OP outlined. Downside to that is reclaiming your luggage and checking it onward. You will have to pay to check any bags whereas one bag is free on international flights (at least for the present.) European planes are stricter about carry-ons. One carry-on, one personal item like a purse/laptop. I feel their box is smaller than our box for measuring carry-ons and they don't let ones that don't fit slide. I think they have tighter weight restrictions, too.

 

I know, I know, it kills you when the air can be more expensive than the cruise but that is the way it often is and why trans-Atlantics are cheaper. The cruise line doesn't want to dead head the ship over there--any passenger is better than no passenger--but they know air can be a killer. Also, they can count on more on-board revenue because you are "trapped" for six or seven days on the ship.

 

Just look at the total picture. For instance, a friend of mine has booked the 16 day Mariner of the Seas for $800 outside. Airfare is $500. Total price: $1,300. You can't get a B2B and air for that to the Caribbean.

 

Tucker in Texas

[Dick in Falls Church]

Hi Tucker--

 

We are using AA FF miles in spring, too. However, tickets from Rome were 60K (no 20K available in the week). Could get out of Barcelona for 20K one day later, but included 2 stops and got us home about 24 hours later. Ended up going to Southampton instead--almost decent flight 20K plus $180 taxes.

 

When we didn't have FF miles, we booked a round trip starting in Europe, returning in fall to another port where we picked up return cruise.

 

Have also heard of folks who bought a round trip ticket cheaper than 1 way, then didn't use the second half.

 

Far as prices, yep! Last week Celebrity had a special on Arctic Circle out of Amsterdam. Cheapest ticket I could find was $1600--same as veranda on the ship for 12 days. We passed!

[Kancruze]

Check out a consolidator like cheapoair.com. Also, one way tickets are an area where the cruise line's air program may be less expensive. You've got time, keep looking, you'll find a deal.

Thanks for the cheapoair tip. I'll check them out.

 

One more thought: some frequent flyer programs allow one way award travel tickets. so, if you have miles, see if you can redeem them. Work for me once. Some programs will let you buy miles, and some people find it a worthwhile way to avoid those one way fares.

Great idea, I'll have to see if I have enough for a one-way.

 

You also should investigate Celebrity's Choice Air program. I allows you to book air transport choosing your preferred dates, flights, airlines, etc. You can see what options are available and price them with no commitment. If you find a flight/price you like, you pay an additional $15 pp for a domestic flight, or $25 pp for an international flight. If you don't find a flight you want to book, there is no charge.

 

I am on a transatlantic and through choice air, was able to book an open jaw (Memphis to BCN, then FLL to Memphis at a savings of more than $500 pp than the best fare I could arrange on my own. Also, the routings were very good.

 

The website is http://www.cruisingpower.com/choiceair/protected/home.do

Thank you for the link, jcrandle. I wasn't aware of this option.

[Kancruze]

Several alternatives:

 

1) Frequent flyer miles on American at 20K each--that's what we are doing. If you have to get a round trip one from an airline that doesn't do one-way tickets, you can cancel the second part due to an "emergency" and telling them you aren't sure when you will be able to go back so you aren't ready to rebook. Your ticket will be good for a year with change fees back to your original destination. Once across the pond, flights are fairly cheap to an embarkation point if it is different from where you disembarked in the spring.

 

2) Choice Air with the cruise line. You can at least, now, "pick your poison." The cruise line will assume some responsibility to get you home if things go south. Before Choice Air, they assigned you a flight and they had some pretty innovative itineraries along with some connection times that could not be done.

 

3) Consolidator. Any problem, it is your problem other than they may assist you in getting another flight. However, you are lower than dirt with the airline and they will not put you on a competitor. We have used cheapoair with no problems.

 

4) Buy round trip ticket, cancel the second part with some story about an "emergency" when you are a couple of weeks out for the second leg and pitch the ticket. By giving them the "courtesy" of canceling, you will probably avoid their "nasty" list (because they frown upon this practice) and your ticket will be good for a year with a change fee and any additional air fare.

 

5) Book a spring TA over and a fall one back as mentioned by the OP. You can then get an open-jaw round trip ticket if the disembarkation/embarkation ports are different. That's what we did this year. Out of Amsterdam home, into Barcelona in the fall.

 

6) Look at flying to Ireland/some other European city and then onward from there as OP outlined. Downside to that is reclaiming your luggage and checking it onward. You will have to pay to check any bags whereas one bag is free on international flights (at least for the present.) European planes are stricter about carry-ons. One carry-on, one personal item like a purse/laptop. I feel their box is smaller than our box for measuring carry-ons and they don't let ones that don't fit slide. I think they have tighter weight restrictions, too.

 

I know, I know, it kills you when the air can be more expensive than the cruise but that is the way it often is and why trans-Atlantics are cheaper. The cruise line doesn't want to dead head the ship over there--any passenger is better than no passenger--but they know air can be a killer. Also, they can count on more on-board revenue because you are "trapped" for six or seven days on the ship.

 

Just look at the total picture. For instance, a friend of mine has booked the 16 day Mariner of the Seas for $800 outside. Airfare is $500. Total price: $1,300. You can't get a B2B and air for that to the Caribbean.

 

Tucker in Texas

 

Thanks Tucker for all the tips and you're absolutely right...it does kill me that the cruise is cheaper than the flight. A one-way flight yet!! lol

 

Thanks to everyone for answering. It's given me some great ideas and I'm sure will be helping others as well.

Happy cruising. :)

[new salt]

Check Aer Lingus via Dublin, Icelandair via Keflavik and Air Berlin via Dusseldorf. We have used Aer Lingus out of Barcelona and will be using Air Berlin next spring via DUS to Miami, the one-way cost from Valencia to Miami (for next March)is €339.44 each at the moment though we do stop overnight in Dusseldorf (at the expensive airport hotel) so our total cost is €864.21, still a bargain compared with the mainstream airlines.

[Tucker in Texas]

Hi Tucker--

 

We are using AA FF miles in spring, too. However, tickets from Rome were 60K (no 20K available in the week). Could get out of Barcelona for 20K one day later, but included 2 stops and got us home about 24 hours later. Ended up going to Southampton instead--almost decent flight 20K plus $180 taxes.

 

Keep checking. A friend of mine couldn't get the same flight we have for 20K out of Barcelona so he booked a later flight. Kept checking and our flight came up for 20K a few days later and he switched.

 

Tucker in Texas

[Christine Frances]

I just checked Choice Air for 1 way leaving Apr 30/12 and got American Airlines Barcelona/JFK/SeaTac for $604.94

[Kancruze]

Check Aer Lingus via Dublin, Icelandair via Keflavik and Air Berlin via Dusseldorf. We have used Aer Lingus out of Barcelona and will be using Air Berlin next spring via DUS to Miami, the one-way cost from Valencia to Miami (for next March)is €339.44 each at the moment though we do stop overnight in Dusseldorf (at the expensive airport hotel) so our total cost is €864.21, still a bargain compared with the mainstream airlines.

 

Thanks new salt, that's a very good bargain you got with a peek at Dusseldorf too. I plan on checking the airlines you mentioned.

[Kancruze]

I just checked Choice Air for 1 way leaving Apr 30/12 and got American Airlines Barcelona/JFK/SeaTac for $604.94

 

WOW! Christine, that is very good. I will certainly check this out. Thank you.

[oncerfan]

You could also use websites such as yapta to help you keep track of price drops on the flights you are looking at. Good luck with getting a good "deal" on your flight (however you want to define "deal"). :D

[new salt]

ITA Matrix is also an excellent aid, but you cannot book your flights through it but must go to the airline or travel site with the info to book

[Scotswoman]

Hi,

Definitely try Air Berlin - we found an excellent deal there for the flight home from our TA from Barcelona to Fort Lauderdale (Miami Airport).

Edreams dot com is a good site to try as well.

Morven