Is this a reasonable price for summer 2015 airfare?

[luv2gonow]

Hi,

I am doing a NCL 15 day land/cruise tour next summer.

Looking at airfare...

From JFK to Venice then

Rome to JFK..

End of July/beg August

 

price nonstop for $1683pp.

 

Should I wait....do prices usually drop or is it best to book as far ahead as possible.

 

I am used to Southwest with no change penalty.

Thanks

Kerri

[CruiserBruce]

Seems a small bit high, but not over the top. Without exact dates, can't give you solid numbers, but Venice is a pretty expensive airport to fly into. Looking at some random dates, and putting in some stops, I am seeing as low as $1115. Non stops can add lots of $$$ in some cases.

 

I would have asked this on the Cruise Air board, where there are MANY experts, and lots of info on the "when is the best time to buy" question.

Edited September 20, 2014 by CruiserBruce

[CintiPam]

Hi,

I am doing a NCL 15 day land/cruise tour next summer.

Looking at airfare...

From JFK to Venice then

Rome to JFK..

End of July/beg August

 

price nonstop for $1683pp.

 

Should I wait....do prices usually drop or is it best to book as far ahead as possible.

 

I am used to Southwest with no change penalty.

Thanks

Kerri

 

Seems very high IMO. You should be able to find an airfare at least $200 lower.

Edited September 20, 2014 by CintiPam

[bermudiana]

Kerri, check Aer Lingus from JFK. We took them the end of May from JFK to Venice, then Barcelona back to JFK for around $1100 each. The flights are not direct however as both flights go through Dublin. We really liked Aer Lingus and would fly with them again. :)

[mapleleaves]

Does it have to be non stop? Look at RT for NYC/London, or NYC/Paris, or other major cities then use a small european carrier for the other legs.

I've used Jet 2 and Ryan Air for flights to Venice. I typically travel mid or late May and find flights to Venice for under $100. You're travelling during peak times but even so $1600 sounds high.

On our last trip we found the best price on Delta.

[Langoustine]

Or look at flying in and out of Milan (there's a lot of competition) on the MYC-MIL route right now) and use trains for the intermediate cities.

[millineumwoman]

Have u tried flight network as they have some great deals and offer price drop protection

[luv2gonow]

Thanks for all the great ideas everyone:D

Definitely some research ahead of me.....Gonna be expensive tho:o

Kerri

[LEtue]

That also seems very high to me from NY.

 

Don't overlook NY to Milan and utilizing the train between Venice and back from Rome on your return. I saw some really low fares in the $600 - $700 range when I was playing with options for our trip this year.....

[rockdoctor]

From what I am seeing, I am preparing myself for a reduced cruise calendar.

[Twickenham]

Well, using what I assume are your travel dates (July 22-August 5), I'm seeing some interesting options on Turkish Airlines in the $1100-1200 range. Of course, they include a stop in IST, so you have to ask yourself what premium you are (or aren't) willing to pay for non-stop flights.

[luv2gonow]

Well, using what I assume are your travel dates (July 22-August 5), I'm seeing some interesting options on Turkish Airlines in the $1100-1200 range. Of course, they include a stop in IST, so you have to ask yourself what premium you are (or aren't) willing to pay for non-stop flights.

 

I did see that. I actually saw one in that range stopping in Russia:eek:

 

I think I do need a nonstop I hate to fly so I need to minimize the time.

Not totally ruling it out but I would definitely not fly into Istanbul with the current

situation. Although I have always wanted to go there.

 

I just wish I could book and not get penalized to change it's ridiculous.

Wish SWA went to Europe:o

Thanks

Kerri

[Donray]

I always try for non stop if the price is within $500 of alternatives. I want the best routing and least stops.

[Twickenham]

I did see that. I actually saw one in that range stopping in Russia:eek:

 

I think I do need a nonstop I hate to fly so I need to minimize the time.

Not totally ruling it out but I would definitely not fly into Istanbul with the current

situation. Although I have always wanted to go there.

 

What situation? We flew TK thru IST in August (actually had an overnight connection), and it all went quite smoothly. Granted, being in business class helped :D, but IST is a pretty efficient airport - certainly no worse than LHR or CDG for a connection.

 

Now, you can decide that you want to pay more for a non-stop - and I was seeing some pretty good pricing on Delta using ITA Matrix for an open-jaw, only maybe $100 or so more than TK, although I couldn't reproduce the pricing on their website. But realize you will probably be paying more. A perfectly valid option, but coming at a cost, and only you can decide what price you're willing to pay for that option.

I just wish I could book and not get penalized to change it's ridiculous.

 

You absolutely can buy a ticket that can be changed without penalty. However, the initial price will probably be double or more what the cheapest fares are. Again, your choice.

 

I always try for non stop if the price is within $500 of alternatives. I want the best routing and least stops.

 

I find it interesting going between reading here, where everyone seems to want the most direct routing possible, and reading over at Flyertalk, where there are threads talking about the crazy routings people have taken for miles/benefits/cost reasons. Personally, as all of my travel from my local airport involves some sort of connection, I have no trouble having 2 or 3 connections in order to save a substantial amount of money.

[leftyofnorth]

Seems a small bit high, but not over the top. Without exact dates, can't give you solid numbers, but Venice is a pretty expensive airport to fly into. Looking at some random dates, and putting in some stops, I am seeing as low as $1115. Non stops can add lots of $$$ in some cases.

 

I would have asked this on the Cruise Air board, where there are MANY experts, and lots of info on the "when is the best time to buy" question.

 

Can you provide the link to the Cruise Air Board, I couldn't find it.

 

Thanks,

[Twickenham]

Can you provide the link to the Cruise Air Board, I couldn't find it.

 

Thanks,

 

It's in the Cruise Discussion Topics section: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=128

[Educators2]

We have a December cruise out of Rome. Delta is the only non-stop out of NYC from JFK and it is $1330 or so per person. I know about all the options but they make getting to the cruise much more exhausting. The room, a balcony, is half the price of the air. We booked both around July 1; the cruise fare went way up, the air was never much less.

[CruiserBruce]

We have a December cruise out of Rome. Delta is the only non-stop out of NYC from JFK and it is $1330 or so per person. I know about all the options but they make getting to the cruise much more exhausting. The room, a balcony, is half the price of the air. We booked both around July 1; the cruise fare went way up, the air was never much less.

 

Cruise fares and air fares have ZERO correlation. Absolutely none.

[Educators2]

There is no official correlation but a very high airfare discourages the potential traveler. That is why the "American" cruise ships in Europe do not have mostly American cruisers. When airfares were lower 10 years ago, we traveled much more frequently on both land vacations and cruises. And, cruise ships are in many home-ports so people can drive to the port.

[CruiserBruce]

Hmmm...the cruises I have done in Europe on "American" ships have still had majority American passengers. Yes, the passenger list is more diverse, but still majority American.

 

Oddly enough the population who seems to be traveling most is the Australians. And they have the longest flights to Europe, so the cost/declining travel correlation isn't strong.

 

All cruises have home port attractions to locals, any where.

 

So is there a solution here? Airlines should drop prices and start losing money so more people can go on cruises?