Midwest to Barcelona-Roundtrip in April 2014

[Lydia B.]

Good evening,

Am looking for opions as to the best rates to purchase Midwest to Spain for a cruise April 4th 2014? I have done some online research and some articles say 4-6 months out, others 2-4 months out.

What have others seen? The round trip fare has hovered at $1048 (one stop) for some time....hoping to see some movement as that is more than I paid for the cruise.

Rate for a two stop coming back did drop down to $671 for about 3 hours, but couldn't get hold of the person I was traveling with.

We have gotten together since and picked out flights, so if it drops that low again I will grab it.

Thanks all, Lydia of Ohio

[CruiserBruce]

Some reading here would reveal there is NO MAGIC TIME. If there was, the airlines would figure it out, and adjust the prices then. And not in your favor.

 

You just have to do the research and figure the trends out a little. We bought our flights for next June to Italy about 2 months ago, when we saw the best prices we have seen for Europe in over 4 years. (We have gone to Europe at least annually for the last several years.)

 

$1048 isn't a bad price. Cruise fare and airfare have absolutely NO correlation.

Edited December 3, 2013 by CruiserBruce

[Keith1010]

I agree with CruiserBruce.

 

The price you have sounds good.

 

Keith

[Coolcruise02]

Wow, I would take that! :)

I'm pricing flights for June and it is running close to $1400!

[letsgo39]

I consider a decent fare anything around $1000.00. We have traveled to Europe every year for the past 12 years and when I find a fare around $1000.00 I book it.The only time I have gotten it a lot lower than that I was traveling in April.

[Zach1213]

As mentioned, there is absolutely no correlation between your cruise price and your air price, so if you are saying that you won't book a ticket that is more than your cruise price, you may not end up at the cruise ;). There has never been a correlation, and there never will be a correlation.

 

Your ticket price sounds fair. My office travels to Europe basically 25-30 weeks out of the year, and the ticket price always passes my desk for approval first. While we do travel Business class, I must also see the Economy price to justify it (don't ask...dumb company rules). It's a similar situation to yours - from a smaller Midwest market (Kansas City) to various cities in Europe, including Barcelona. Based on all that - your price sounds fair to me. A few days ago, I was budgeting Kansas City to Hamburg for departure on, coincidentally, April 4th, and it was right around $1300 or $1400 in economy class.

Edited December 4, 2013 by Zach1213

[4774Papa]

We have flown to Europe once or twice a year for the past three years and have only once found ticket prices from JAX or Orlando less than $1048. Last time in Barcelona we spent $1200 on Delta.

[waterbug123]

I will echo the other replies.

 

1. There is no magic time. Somewhere out there someone is holding a ticket they got 2 months out for a steal. Someone else has one they got 4 months out for an all-time low. And someone else no doubt got an amazing bargain 6 months out. Other people's experiences, have no bearing on what you might find. When you find a price you can live with, buy.

 

2. $1048 is a pretty good price for Europe at the start of the tourist season. I'd be all over that.

 

3. Comparing cruise fare to airline fare is an apples to oranges comparison. Why pass up a darn good air fare, simply because your cruise costs less??

Edited December 5, 2013 by waterbug123

[FlyerTalker]

My two kopeks: If you start to sail on Seabourn or Silversea or Crystal, you likely won't have to worry about a situation where your air ticket costs more than your cruise.

 

On the other hand, if you start flying NetJets rather than UA or DL or AA, then you likely won't have the situation where the cruise is more expensive than the air.

 

One less false comparison to deal with. Next question??

Edited December 6, 2013 by FlyerTalker

[Gunner22aa]

The most frequently asked question on these boards and the most impossible to answer. I have seen fare change three times in one day for a specific routing. The actual best time to buy is when you find a fare on a routing you are happy with that you feel comfortable paying. Sure you can hold out for a seat sale. If it happens great you win. If it doesn't, and fares more often rise closer to departure then they fall you loose. How much of a gambler are you?

[Lydia B.]

Well the fares that we wanted went down a bit. From Ohio to Barcelona I paid $968 round and got a $50 credit from Expedia...so not too bad.

I am glad this is off my plate.

Thanks to all for their assistance, Lydia of Ohio

[FlyerTalker]

Well the fares that we wanted went down a bit. From Ohio to Barcelona I paid $968 round and got a $50 credit from Expedia...so not too bad.

I hope you know that if the price was less on Expedia than from the airline directly you DID NOT get the same ticket. Likely, you have a consolidator/bulk ticket that does not have the same fare rules as a published fare ticket.

 

But, you did save some money. Good luck if there are irops.

[Lydia B.]

The price was the same on USAirways and Expedia. But gee thanks for the dash of cold water. Lydia

PS the price fell to $671 with a two stop on the return flight but we didnt book quick enough

[FlyerTalker]

The price was the same on USAirways and Expedia. But gee thanks for the dash of cold water.

Oh, sorry...I forgot that it's all supposed to be happy talk and smiles.

 

Better that you get the cold water now than when sitting at an airport wondering why you aren't boarding an aircraft. I hope that you have published fare tickets and that all goes well.

[CruiserBruce]

 

Better that you get the cold water now than when sitting at an airport wondering why you aren't boarding an aircraft. I hope that you have published fare tickets and that all goes well.

 

FlyerTalker, you have to quit inserting common sense and good judgment into these discussions. Lowest price is the one and only goal. You shall not worship any other! :D;)

[travelplus]

I hope you know that if the price was less on Expedia than from the airline directly you DID NOT get the same ticket. Likely, you have a consolidator/bulk ticket that does not have the same fare rules as a published fare ticket.

 

But, you did save some money. Good luck if there are irops.

 

Yes that could be true.

Edited December 7, 2013 by travelplus

[travelplus]

FlyerTalker, you have to quit inserting common sense and good judgment into these discussions. Lowest price is the one and only goal. You shall not worship any other! :D;)

 

Agreed:D