Getting best airfare - both coach and first class to Europe

[lovevacadays]

I will be going on my first European cruise in the Fall of 2013. I'm going on a Transatlantic so will be flying from Los Angeles to Venice and then will be returning from Fort Lauderdale to Los Angeles.

 

I've never been to Europe and I don't fly often so don't belong to a loyalty program.

 

What are some tips for getting the best airfare in both coach and First Class. Also, is it best to buy a round trip ticket for both portions or is it feasible and easy to buy one way to Venice from LA and one way from Fort Lauderdale to LA.

 

Any particular airlines that you think are best to Europe?

 

Any other helpful tips would be appreciated!:)

[Bowie MeMe]

Well it is a bit early to book flights. My personal rule is to book from the airline unless an outstanding reason for not doing so. The reason is that there can be fewer restrictions == if all goes well you would not know the difference between the different classes of economy tickets but if something goes wrong and there are delays or cancellations then who you bought the ticket from can be very important. 2. Take the time to educate yourself on what a ticket may cost (watch the price for awhile so you know when it is at a reasonable price). 3. I have learned so much from the folks on the cruise air threads -- I now know how to look for my tickets and get what I need not what is given me! Read the stickies at the top of cruise air 4. ITA matrix software shows all the flights available and you can see how things go together. Hard to say what price would be as one way is usually a little higher but FLL has many cheap flights in the USA. Try lots of different ways of getting there including LA to east coast like NYC, Dulles, Atlanta.) Venice is a little more expensive than some flights to Europe so you might want to price to Rome or Paris and then make your way to Venice on low cost airline or train etc as part of your pre cruise trip. Also my best advice is to arrive a day or two before the cruise. You are flying a long way and things happen -- don't let a missed flight cancel your cruise. I believe in doing my homework and then booking my own tickets -- I usually please myself with time and price more than Princess or somebody else will. Good luck. Make your decisions (place, date, airline, price or schedule most important) then run it past the folks on the cruise air thread. They help people alot!!

[ducklite]

You will probably find the best airfare booking it as an open jaw single trip, although not necessarily--you just have to do your homework.

 

You won't be able to book it until about 330 days out, even less on some carriers.

 

First class tickets are very expensive, if you know someone who flies a lot they might have transferable upgrade certificates you could "borrow."

 

International airfares seem to hit a sweet spot at the 6-8 weeks prior to travel mark.

[Zach1213]

First class is atrociously expensive. Very few people, in the big picture, actually buy first class tickets. For example, a dummy booking from LA to London nonstop roundtrip on British Airways in September runs as such (incl taxes and fees):

 

FIRST - $15,498

BUSINESS - $5,560

PREMIUM ECONOMY - $2,413

ECONOMY - $1,180

 

So, unless you are the richest person on Cruise Critic, I'd recommend business class, not first class, if you really need a premium cabin ;)

[ducklite]

One other thing to note--the day of the week that you travel can have an impact on your airfare. Play with the days, sometimes it's actually less expensive to spend a night in a hotel and flight in a day earlier or later on a lower airfare.

[frugaltravel]

You will probably find the best airfare booking it as an open jaw single trip, although not necessarily--you just have to do your homework.

 

Actually an open jaw with a single ticket is not possible with the OP's itinerary. The unflown portion (VCE-FLL) has to be less than either of the flown portions to be a valid open jaw.

[6rugrats]

Actually an open jaw with a single ticket is not possible with the OP's itinerary. The unflown portion (VCE-FLL) has to be less than either of the flown portions to be a valid open jaw.

Yes, but OP can book LAX-VCE FLL-LAX on one ticket by using the multi-city option when searching for fares. No idea if they can find a cheaper ticket that way then booking two one ways as you can't search yet for the dates.

 

OP - when the schedule opens if that doesn't work, try looking at Air Berlin for your outbound one way flight, or Air New Zealand or Turkish Air. Then book the cheapest one way flight for the domestic portion. But, you'll have to wait and see what prices are and what's available when the schedule opens.

[First Time 2008]

As was said above, you will need to price this as two separate one-way tickets. Open-jaw will not work.

 

Another airline you should consider for LAX-VCE is Aeroflot. They have been having some decent one-way prices to Europe. 11 months before your cruise check online to see what prices are available.

[frugaltravel]

Yes, but OP can book LAX-VCE FLL-LAX on one ticket by using the multi-city option when searching for fares. No idea if they can find a cheaper ticket that way then booking two one ways as you can't search yet for the dates.

 

Certainly one can book two separate flights on one ticket if it prices. But that is not the same as an "open jaw." The two flights would have totally separate fare bases and totally separate fare rules. It is usually easier to book such tickets separately in case there are any changes. Often it is more complicated to change such tickets when they are issued as one ticket vs. having two separate tickets.

[ducklite]

This might be one of those cases where booking air through the cruise line makes more sense than doing it on your own.

[lovevacadays]

First class is atrociously expensive. Very few people, in the big picture, actually buy first class tickets. For example, a dummy booking from LA to London nonstop roundtrip on British Airways in September runs as such (incl taxes and fees):

 

FIRST - $15,498

BUSINESS - $5,560

PREMIUM ECONOMY - $2,413

ECONOMY - $1,180

 

So, unless you are the richest person on Cruise Critic, I'd recommend business class, not first class, if you really need a premium cabin ;)

 

Thanks. I did a comparison for 2012 but did a round trip LAX to Venice and came up with a price of about $4000.00 for first class. Wondering why such a difference in your numbers?

 

Yes, but OP can book LAX-VCE FLL-LAX on one ticket by using the multi-city option when searching for fares. No idea if they can find a cheaper ticket that way then booking two one ways as you can't search yet for the dates.

 

OP - when the schedule opens if that doesn't work, try looking at Air Berlin for your outbound one way flight, or Air New Zealand or Turkish Air. Then book the cheapest one way flight for the domestic portion. But, you'll have to wait and see what prices are and what's available when the schedule opens.

 

Thank you for those options I would have never known about

 

This might be one of those cases where booking air through the cruise line makes more sense than doing it on your own.

 

I've only booked cruiseline air once and didn't really like doing it that way. I'm hoping I can learn enough to book it on my own.

[Gardyloo]

Just a little clarification on a couple of things:

 

In the US, you typically choose between economy and first class. On overseas/long haul flights, you typically choose between economy, business, or first class. A few airlines also have "premium economy," usually economy service with somewhat more comfortable seats.

 

Many foreign airlines no longer offer first class at all; in these cases you can have economy, premium economy if offered, and business class. Virtually without exception, long-haul business class (even on US carriers) is much more comfortable then domestic first class - seats with great legroom and recline (flat beds in some cases), much better food and beverage, priority boarding, no baggage fees and greater baggage allowance, airport lounge access, etc. etc. For the vast majority of travelers, the difference between longhaul business class and longhaul first class is minor compared to the difference between cattle and business class. In cost terms, however, BIG difference.

 

One-way business class from the US to Europe is never very cheap; if there was ever a case when redeeming frequent flyer miles is a good idea, this is definitely it. Even so, you should be very creative in looking at alternative routes. One other thing is that you might save a substantial sum by flying to some other destination than Venice, then making your way overland (train, rental car, etc.) or using a low cost flight, rather than trying to fly in business class all the way to Venice. For example, an all-business class one way from LAX to Venice is around $3500 for this coming October. On the same day, a one-way business class flight from LAX to Berlin is $1800. The airline tariff computers will put you into (expensive) European business class for the short final hop, whether you "need" it or not. As for premium economy, since this class of service doesn't exist on intra-Europe flights, the computers use the highest available economy fare (way, way more than discount economy) for the whole shebang - ouch. So if you're using premium economy, use it only as far as the European connection point (usually London or Paris) and not beyond. If this means buying two separate tickets (and be very careful to give yourself enough connection time) then so be it.

 

Because of heavy cruise traffic, prices to/from VCE have really shot up in recent years. By comparison you might save a bunch by flying to Milan or Bologna, then training the rest of the way.

 

You have gobs of time; use it to experiment with various routes using dates this fall to see where the best values might lie.

[scottbee]

Just a little clarification on a couple of things:

 

In the US, you typically choose between economy and first class. On overseas/long haul flights, you typically choose between economy, business, or first class. A few airlines also have "premium economy," usually economy service with somewhat more comfortable seats.

 

Many foreign airlines no longer offer first class at all; in these cases you can have economy, premium economy if offered, and business class. Virtually without exception, long-haul business class (even on US carriers) is much more comfortable then domestic first class - seats with great legroom and recline (flat beds in some cases), much better food and beverage, priority boarding, no baggage fees and greater baggage allowance, airport lounge access, etc. etc. For the vast majority of travelers, the difference between longhaul business class and longhaul first class is minor compared to the difference between cattle and business class. In cost terms, however, BIG difference.

 

One-way business class from the US to Europe is never very cheap; if there was ever a case when redeeming frequent flyer miles is a good idea, this is definitely it. Even so, you should be very creative in looking at alternative routes. One other thing is that you might save a substantial sum by flying to some other destination than Venice, then making your way overland (train, rental car, etc.) or using a low cost flight, rather than trying to fly in business class all the way to Venice. For example, an all-business class one way from LAX to Venice is around $3500 for this coming October. On the same day, a one-way business class flight from LAX to Berlin is $1800. The airline tariff computers will put you into (expensive) European business class for the short final hop, whether you "need" it or not. As for premium economy, since this class of service doesn't exist on intra-Europe flights, the computers use the highest available economy fare (way, way more than discount economy) for the whole shebang - ouch. So if you're using premium economy, use it only as far as the European connection point (usually London or Paris) and not beyond. If this means buying two separate tickets (and be very careful to give yourself enough connection time) then so be it.

 

Because of heavy cruise traffic, prices to/from VCE have really shot up in recent years. By comparison you might save a bunch by flying to Milan or Bologna, then training the rest of the way.

 

You have gobs of time; use it to experiment with various routes using dates this fall to see where the best values might lie.

 

or MUC and take the overnight train

[First Time 2008]

or MUC and take the overnight train

 

Overnight? The daytime train in much nicer. Transatlantic flights arrive in MUC in the morning, and there are plenty of daytime trains. The trip takes about 8 hours and there are some very scenic portions.

[KCcruisin07]

I don't know if you will have enough time to accumulate miles, but we have a mileage program with our Chase credit card. We charge almost everything even phone bills, and then we use our miles on overseas flights. Depending on the cost of the flight, some have been free, and for one we had to make a partial payment.

[grandma*knows*best]

Another airline you should consider for LAX-VCE is Aeroflot. They have been having some decent one-way prices to Europe. 11 months before your cruise check online to see what prices are available.

 

Aeroflot? Seriously? They are one of the worst airlines in the world. I wouldn't fly them if the flight was free.

 

Because of heavy cruise traffic, prices to/from VCE have really shot up in recent years. By comparison you might save a bunch by flying to Milan or Bologna, then training the rest of the way.

 

It is a fairly quick train ride between Bologna and Venice. However, when I went to Bologna last October, I found that fares (at least then) from IAD to either Venice or Bologna were about the same.

[Zach1213]

Aeroflot? Seriously? They are one of the worst airlines in the world. I wouldn't fly them if the flight was free.

 

The Aeroflot of 2012 is not the Aeroflot of 1987. Sure, it's not the best airline in the world, but it's hardly one of the worst. You should visit Africa and some of the former USSR countries if you're looking for the worst.

 

I wouldn't do Aeroflot simply because I would not want to transit USA to Italy via freakin' Russia. However, I have flown Aeroflot long-distance and they're not that bad. The LAX-SVO route operates an A330-200, with 31" seat pitch (1" less than Delta's A330-200), 18" seat width (1/2" inch wider than Delta's A330-200), Personal TVs with on-demand audio and video for everyone onboard, and a Delta code share.

[FlyerTalker]

And for the SkyTeam mileage junkies, you'll get a bunch more heading in/out of Moscow.....:D

[lovevacadays]

Just a little clarification on a couple of things:

 

In the US, you typically choose between economy and first class. On overseas/long haul flights, you typically choose between economy, business, or first class. A few airlines also have "premium economy," usually economy service with somewhat more comfortable seats.

 

Many foreign airlines no longer offer first class at all; in these cases you can have economy, premium economy if offered, and business class. Virtually without exception, long-haul business class (even on US carriers) is much more comfortable then domestic first class - seats with great legroom and recline (flat beds in some cases), much better food and beverage, priority boarding, no baggage fees and greater baggage allowance, airport lounge access, etc. etc. For the vast majority of travelers, the difference between longhaul business class and longhaul first class is minor compared to the difference between cattle and business class. In cost terms, however, BIG difference.

 

One-way business class from the US to Europe is never very cheap; if there was ever a case when redeeming frequent flyer miles is a good idea, this is definitely it. Even so, you should be very creative in looking at alternative routes. One other thing is that you might save a substantial sum by flying to some other destination than Venice, then making your way overland (train, rental car, etc.) or using a low cost flight, rather than trying to fly in business class all the way to Venice. For example, an all-business class one way from LAX to Venice is around $3500 for this coming October. On the same day, a one-way business class flight from LAX to Berlin is $1800. The airline tariff computers will put you into (expensive) European business class for the short final hop, whether you "need" it or not. As for premium economy, since this class of service doesn't exist on intra-Europe flights, the computers use the highest available economy fare (way, way more than discount economy) for the whole shebang - ouch. So if you're using premium economy, use it only as far as the European connection point (usually London or Paris) and not beyond. If this means buying two separate tickets (and be very careful to give yourself enough connection time) then so be it.

 

Because of heavy cruise traffic, prices to/from VCE have really shot up in recent years. By comparison you might save a bunch by flying to Milan or Bologna, then training the rest of the way.

 

You have gobs of time; use it to experiment with various routes using dates this fall to see where the best values might lie.

 

Thank you so much for these options. One of my friends also suggested I fly into Heathrow the night before and then take a flight to Venice the next day. Since my ship stays overnight in Venice I do have some options. I'm feeling so much better about being able to fly business class. I'm not a great flyer and the thought of coach makes me want to cancel my cruise. I flew last fall from Wisconsin back to California in coach and had the unfortunate experience of a middle seat with an extremely large man to my left and a large man to my right. I had to spend most of my flight sitting forward in my seat. It was a nightmare and made me decide to never fly coach again unless I absolutely had to. :eek:

[6rugrats]

.... had the unfortunate experience of a middle seat with an extremely large man to my left and a large man to my right. I had to spend most of my flight sitting forward in my seat. It was a nightmare and made me decide to never fly coach again unless I absolutely had to. :eek:

Chosing an aisle seat in advance is probably a good policy.

[lovevacadays]

Chosing an aisle seat in advance is probably a good policy.

 

I did reserve an aisle seat in advance and had it confirmed. However, when I arrived at the airport I found that they had given my aisle seat to a couple who had been spilt up in their reservation. The couple got two seats together and I got a nightmare!:eek::eek:

[Zach1213]

I did reserve an aisle seat in advance and had it confirmed. However, when I arrived at the airport I found that they had given my aisle seat to a couple who had been spilt up in their reservation. The couple got two seats together and I got a nightmare!:eek::eek:

In reality, seats are never truly "confirmed", despite the airlines trying to convince you of such.

[marco]

I noticed you live on the west coast. Check out Air Canada. Last year, it was over $200 cheaper per person for us to fly (all on Air Canada) from NY to Montreal, connect and fly to Europe from there, reverse coming home. Saving a little over $400 for the both of us made having a connection worth it.

[lovevacadays]

I noticed you live on the west coast. Check out Air Canada. Last year, it was over $200 cheaper per person for us to fly (all on Air Canada) from NY to Montreal, connect and fly to Europe from there, reverse coming home. Saving a little over $400 for the both of us made having a connection worth it.

 

Thanks. I will check them out.