Air Fare and Euro Procurement Questions

[cpl100]

I know I have read that many do not take any Euros at all from the states and prefer to obtain money directly from an ATM upon arrival. Do you do this at an ATM at the airport? We are arriving in Venice and know we do need some money to get from the airport to the city. Is it possible for there to be more than one option at the airport and one vastly different/worse than the other?

 

Regarding airfares: I have just had a shock to learn that the tickets I researched on Monday and planned to buy now have more than doubled in price (Luftansa). Travelling from the Boston to Venice and then returning from Rome to Boston. Today there is still a fare about $150 more than Monday on SwissAir but the layover in Zurich from Rome is only 70 minutes which concerns me. It is not my impression that Rome is a timely airport....

 

I would appreciate it if others could post their current/past fares (May travel) so I may get a little better feel as to what to expect on the airfare. The fare on Monday was just under $1,000. The new fare on Luftansa is over $2,000 and the fare today on SwissAir is $1,189.00.

 

Thank you for your help everyone! I am stressed today!

[euro cruiser]

I'm not sure other people's fare experience is relevant, as the pricing is dependent on both dates and airports. You said you are going into Venice and out of Rome, but did not give dates or your home airport, so the comparisons could well be fairly meaningless.

 

As for Euros, I occasionally get them in the airport upon arrival, but look for a bank ATM rather than a private company one. I only pre-order Euros when I'm renting an apartment or villa and need a thousand or more Euros to pay the rent on my arrival day, which is more than I can take out of an ATM in one day. At my bank it costs $7.50 to order currency, which isn't a big investment if it eases your mind.

[cpl100]

I'm not sure other people's fare experience is relevant, as the pricing is dependent on both dates and airports. You said you are going into Venice and out of Rome, but did not give dates or your home airport, so the comparisons could well be fairly meaningless.

 

As for Euros, I occasionally get them in the airport upon arrival, but look for a bank ATM rather than a private company one. I only pre-order Euros when I'm renting an apartment or villa and need a thousand or more Euros to pay the rent on my arrival day, which is more than I can take out of an ATM in one day. At my bank it costs $7.50 to order currency, which isn't a big investment if it eases your mind.

 

Sorry to have forgotten that pertinent information. Traveling May 7/8 (flexible) to May 22nd. Flying Boston>Venice/Rome>Boston.

 

Thanks for the help.

[euro cruiser]

I'm seeing your routing for $1,120 - $1,130 on Air Lingus (connecting in Dublin), Delta (connecting at JFK), and US Air (connecting in Philadelphia).

 

I used matrix.itasoftware.com to research fares, then buy directly from the airline. I prefer ita because they don't sell tickets, and therefore their software doesn't "favor" certain vendors.

[Girr]

Air fares are not "stable" as they once were. As a general rule airfares are usually cheaper earlier in the week, and as you've discovered can change significantly over just a few days. Relax, and start tracking fares. If you saw a good fare on Monday there's a good chance it will be back early next week (not guaranteed though). Also, search using only "1" passenger. The search comes back on the number of seats requested (e.g., if you ask for 4 it will only give you the price availble for all 4, not show cheaper prices for less seats-hope I'm making sense).

 

I normally use a search engine for multiple airlines that allows me use flexible dates and airports. Then check it daily - sometimes more than once a day! Per the industry the best airfares for overseas flights are about 50 days out, so you have a little time. BUT, if you do see the fare again under $1000 I'd book ASAP!

 

As for money I'm a big fan of ATM machines. I actually keep two bank accounts with two debit cards. One of these accounts/cards is used just for travel and I load up the travel account before I leave home. Thus in case there is fraud (in over 20 years traveling this way never had a problem), they're only going to be able to access this account, not my primary account, and I'd still be able to get more money with the second card (while on the street never carry both cards together). Normally at the airport there will be multiple ATM machines, and while I'm waiting for my luggage I go get any money I may require.

 

If you're going to need a large amount of local currency you can arrange with your bank/credit union to raise the daily withdrawal limit, BUT keep in mind the machine will have a set withdrawal. In this case you're going to need to use multiple cards or ATMS. Or as already mentioned you're bank will be able to do this for a small fee. If you're only pulling out a few hundred I'd go with the ATM.

[cruisemom42]

Unfortunately, fares seem to vary wildly, even from one day to the next. We have a running joke in our family that if you see a good fare and a good route, you should book it immediately because you'll never see it again. (Part of me is convinced the airlines track your searches, and once they know you're interested in a route, the prices go up. :D)

 

Also, I've heard (and experience sometimes seems to bear out) that airfares are cheaper on certain days and more expensive on others. Tuesday is supposed to be the best day to buy.

 

Be that as it may, fares of around $1200 seem to be about low-average for the upcoming travel season from the east coast. The question is whether you can make the routing work for you. I'm never a big fan of tight connections when flying as they tend to stress me out.

 

If you're interested in looking at more options, you might post your question on the Cruise Air board here. There are several really knowledgeable posters that might suggest other routes/airlines to consider.

[euro cruiser]

I don't know if they still do it, but airlines used to re-set their inventory overnight between Monday and Tuesday each week, which is why you often found good fares early on Tuesday mornings. Maybe they still do, but it seem archaic given the monster algorithims they are running at all times.

[cpl100]

I'm seeing your routing for $1,120 - $1,130 on Air Lingus (connecting in Dublin), Delta (connecting at JFK), and US Air (connecting in Philadelphia).

 

I used matrix.itasoftware.com to research fares, then buy directly from the airline. I prefer ita because they don't sell tickets, and therefore their software doesn't "favor" certain vendors.

 

Thank you for checking. I just went to the Aer Lingus website and how very odd! It came back and said they only fly my itinerary on MWFSat, none of which I am flying. Is it usual that Matrix would have it and it's really not true?

 

Trying to decide what to present to dh when he returns home for a rushed dinner tonight:

 

1) Wait and hope for a better price Monday/Tuesday

2) Take the Swiss International flights and chance the 70 minute transit

3) Take the Luftansa flights one day later. I would prefer these flights but don't think DH wants to stay another day.

 

It's never easy when you're the detail person!

[CCJack]

I am not sure any comparisons will help, but our detroit to venice rountrip was $1800 but we ended up using FF miles from delta. That turns out to be an excellent use of miles, you get much more bang for your buck then using your miles to buy a ticket to Orlando which is usually only $250 anyway.

 

We are currently booking a Detroit to Rome round trip and getting about $1500 fares and will likely drive to Toronto as the round trip is only $800 from Toronto and with 4 of us it is worth the drive.

 

Maybe you could check other major airports within driving distance of Boston.

 

Also I usually get our Euros from our bank (Chase) before leaving - they do not charge anything.

 

You are probably already aware, but several years ago the advice was to charge everything on a credit card, because you get good conversion rates. However, now most (not all) credit cards charge you 3% foreign conversion fee. It is worth applying for a card that has no such surcharge, even if you only use it for one trip.

[hbrote]

We bought our tickets for May Atlanta to Venice and Barcelona to Atlanta for $1300 per person and the fair has only gone up. When you find something that looks good TAKE IT.......

 

On the Euros, I got a Capital One Platinum with no foreign charges. Applied online and got the card in three days.

 

Have a great trip :D

[dolphin2012]

we ended up getting the cruise air which was cheaper than the websites. they also included free transfers when using their hotels also... i think it was 1100 from texas to barcelona...

[cpl100]

We bought our tickets for May Atlanta to Venice and Barcelona to Atlanta for $1300 per person and the fair has only gone up. When you find something that looks good TAKE IT.......

 

On the Euros, I got a Capital One Platinum with no foreign charges. Applied online and got the card in three days.

 

Have a great trip :D

 

Do you mean you took cash from your credit card or used it at an ATM? Wouldn't that mean that you were charged as a cash advance? That does not seem the best option to me. I do have a Chase Sapphire with no foreign transaction fees for purchases.

 

Thanks for the assist.

[CCJack]

You are correct, don't do a cash advance. Sorry we are mixing up two topics here, one how to get cash, and two how to avoid cash by charging using a card that does not have a foreign transaction fee.