Can find great price for cruise but not airfare ugh

[Roadtripster]

Why is it you can find a great price for the cruise, but the dang airfare is more than double the cruise price? I am so wanting to book a Baltic cruise, but the airfare is outrageous. Almost making me considering not going. I know my days are so far out for airfare and I can't see them, but just a general idea now is killing me. Hoping if I book the cruise, the airfare will become reasonable at some point. Until then, 198 days till I'm back sailing!!

 

Have you just taken the plunge and booked not knowing what airfare will be by then?

[minnesotamamafish]

I honestly don't know if this will help you, but when flights open up, look for flights from airports other than your local one. With more travelers leaving from St Louis, Chicago, or Atlanta, you might find cheaper flights even with the cost of parking your car. It might even increase your options with airlines not available near you, but cheaper. I wish you luck finding a reasonable option!

Edited May 18, 2015 by minnesotamamafish

[CruiserBruce]

With all due respect, there is very little info here to allow us to help you. When are you sailing? From what port? Where are you flying from? When are you flying in, and back?

 

If you are talking this summer, and you have booked last minute cruise fares, you may have fallen victim to the fact that last minute cruise fares may be great, but last minute airfares not so much.

 

By the way, cruise fare and air fare have no correlation. I could be in the cheapest cabin, and in first class on the plane, and pay 4 or 5 times in airfare what the cruise fare is. Or, in the Penthouse on the ship, and buy the cheapest airfare, and have my cruise fare be 5 or 8 times the airfare. Longer cruises will have greater cruise fares, etc.

Edited May 18, 2015 by CruiserBruce

[navybankerteacher]

Have you discussed with the cruise line's "consultant" the possibility of their referring you to whatever "cruise air" links they have? Virtually all lines have some arrangements which enable you to fly trans-Atlantic at fares well below (often well less than half) of the fares listed on airline sites.

[iancal]

Yes. More than once.

 

We often book inside the final payment window. Hold the cabin/price for a few hours to find airfare. Cruise air can come up trumps. If you are looking for return air, price the return fare as well as two one ways on cruise air. There can be variances such that two one ways are less than a return fare...hard to believe.

 

For our departure airport we have found over the past few years that the overseas air at 46-60 days is as low as it is booking months in advance. Maybe just luck.

 

We are watching a few Baltic cruises now. Hope to snag a late August departure once final payment window passes in mid June.

Edited May 19, 2015 by iancal

[crenee44]

Sometimes it may be cheaper to stay a night in a hotel and take an early morning flight a day later.

[Roadtripster]

Good ideas everyone. But, I have extra traveling to do so the "cruise air" won't work. I wish it could. I have several airports around me and its usually mine that is the cheapest for a major airline. Otherwise, I have to fly smaller planes with transfers to get to the main departing city. As I mentioned, the airfare isn't posted yet as it is too far out. I am looking for July 2016. I hope I can eventually find a good airfare, otherwise I guess I have to bite the bullet to go. But, after talking it over, I think I will be booking anyway.

[BlueRiband]

Why is it you can find a great price for the cruise, but the dang airfare is more than double the cruise price? I am so wanting to book a Baltic cruise, but the airfare is outrageous. Almost making me considering not going. I know my days are so far out for airfare and I can't see them, but just a general idea now is killing me. Hoping if I book the cruise, the airfare will become reasonable at some point. Until then, 198 days till I'm back sailing!!

 

Have you just taken the plunge and booked not knowing what airfare will be by then?

 

Supply and demand, supply and demand.

 

Waiting for a great cruise price only works if all 5 of these factors are true:

1) Lowest price it your primary goal over any other consideration

2) You are not tied to one sailing date

3) You can accept a category guarantee

4) You are willing to accept that the fare can to up or the ship can sell out before you make up your mind

5) airfare is not an issue.

[pris993]

We generally consider air options or have a good idea about what they are before booking a cruise. There are some cruises we would not book just because we don't like the air options, not just price.

 

We prefer direct flights, less hassel, less chance of losing luggage, like the first flight of the day if at all possible, especialy enroute to a cruise, coming back depends. We try to fly Tuesday thru Thursday, generally cheaper. Not always possible when connecting with a cruise. We travel off season, generally a better deal. Did a Baltic many years ago, did a cruise out of Dover England, May 1st... before the summer season. Cruise and air probably cheaper in May vs June etc.

 

We don't consider price alone, really look at is the less ware and tear on the body since we are seniors. We can't afford business class or better, so do opt for premium coach if we can get it.

 

I just purchased the most expensive air I have ever done because did a coach flight 1 year ago on the new 380 aircraft... it was worse than a greyhound bus (actually a greyhouse bus is more comfortable) from Paris to San Francisco... flights are full, seat are small, no luxury even on international. Hoping a premium coach seat will be a better fit for use traveling from San Francisco to Telviv next year, we will see.

 

If price is your primary concern, if you are working a TA, you might ask about a air flight consolidator... TAs are often familiar with these options.

 

Good luck.

[iancal]

You have nothing to loose by booking since you can cancel prior to final payment.

 

I would not expect to see decent air prices this far out......suspect you may not see tthem drop for quite some time.

[clm1982]

Id book and keep an eye out for specials. This is what we did and i scored 2 for 1 flights last night. So happy!!

[Lerin]

190 days early? I'd never consider booking air so soon.

Wait until you're a few months out and look again. Either the price will go down, or you will have had 100 days to save. ;)

[ontheweb]

Why is it you can find a great price for the cruise, but the dang airfare is more than double the cruise price? I am so wanting to book a Baltic cruise, but the airfare is outrageous. Almost making me considering not going. I know my days are so far out for airfare and I can't see them, but just a general idea now is killing me. Hoping if I book the cruise, the airfare will become reasonable at some point. Until then, 198 days till I'm back sailing!!

 

Have you just taken the plunge and booked not knowing what airfare will be by then?

 

This was our experience. We took a Baltic cruise on the Star Princess in 2007 for our 30th anniversary. When we found the cruise, it was exactly what we wanted, and we booked it well over a year in advance. (It was the only time we ever booked a cruise while we still had another booked.)

 

Our TA advised us to take the Princess air since it would guarantee we had air, and then start looking at airfare when it became available through the airlines. He said we could always, at least up to final payment, cancel the Princess air portion of our booking. (This was prior to EZ-AIR.)

 

We both looked, and had a fare quote with Continental that was somewhat lower. We were about to take that airfare when I noticed an internet special on Continental another couple hundred dollars lower. I called Continental, and was told they could not give me that fare over the phone, I should book it on the internet and do it quickly as it might disappear.

 

I filled out the form on the internet, and hit submit. Instead of getting the tickets, I got technical difficulties, try again or it gave an 800 number to call for tech problems. I tried again; same results.

 

I called. The tech I spoke to when I explained what had happened and gave my name said my name and my wife's name. I had not given the airline my wife's name when I reserved the earlier fare quote. It turned out that Princess had already put us on the flight. She asked if I had paid in full yet. I said only a deposit, and I could cancel until May. (This was in November, or possibly December, of the previous year.) She said to cancel, and them rebook at the new rate. I replied that we never wanted to actually have no flight, and that I was told the new rate might disappear soon. She hesitated, but then she took care of cancelling and rebooking. She told me to make sure I called our TA about the cancellation part, which of course I did.

 

So, we ended up flying roundtrip non-stop from Newark to Copenhagen for just over $700 each including all taxes. We basically could have bought 3 tickets for what Princess air wanted for 2 tickets on what turned out to be the same flight.

Edited May 19, 2015 by ontheweb
minor correcions

[iancal]

Yup. We have been looking at the cost of August flights to Amsterdam and or Copenhagen and late Sept/early Oct. flights home from either London or Athens.

 

Cruise air prices this time are high. We have been watching air for a while now. Air fares on our routes are actually less now than they were a month ago. Cruise air prices are the same...at least the cruise air prices on the Choice Air site.

 

Out of the last 20 plus cruises, many of them overseas, we have only once found an attractive cruise air price. It was last year on a one way Barcelona-home flight in early Nov. One other time we saved $37. on a flight. All other times, domestic and otherwise, cruise air was more expensive.

Edited May 19, 2015 by iancal

[greatam]

Why is it you can find a great price for the cruise, but the dang airfare is more than double the cruise price? I am so wanting to book a Baltic cruise, but the airfare is outrageous. Almost making me considering not going. I know my days are so far out for airfare and I can't see them, but just a general idea now is killing me. Hoping if I book the cruise, the airfare will become reasonable at some point. Until then, 198 days till I'm back sailing!!

 

Have you just taken the plunge and booked not knowing what airfare will be by then?

 

How much are you expecting to pay?? Icelandair flies from a lot of the US direct to Iceland and on to Copenhagen, Oslo and Stockholm. Right now, Boston to Copenhagen/Oslo is pricing out at $958 and up, depending on dates. You are also entitled to a free stopover in Iceland for up to 7 days, so if you ever wanted to see Iceland, this is your chance to do it at a reasonable price.

 

For mid summer 2015, Boston to Copenhagen/Oslo is pricing out at about $1250. A very good price for midsummer to the Scandinavian countries.

 

You may even save money getting a cheapo ticket to one of the main gateways that Icelandair flies out of instead of trying to book on one ticket out of a small airport in the South. This does have a potential problem if you book the flights too close together and the first one is late, but if you fly from your local airport to the international gateway early in the morning and then take the Icelandair flight late that evening, you should not have a problem.

 

Another option is SAS. Will have to get to a international gateway city but midsummer flights again are averaging for 2015 about $1150. RT from Nashville/Cincy prices out $1342.

[iancal]

Icelandair also has great one way fares. Condor does as well...but not always.

Once in a while you can get great one way BA fares on some air booking sites.

 

Our goal is to get there. Sometimes, like the comment above, we take advantage of the low European prices. We can get a very inexpensive flight home from London but not from Athens (so far anyway...we will not book until mid/late June). So we will take a $100 flight from Athens to London. Spend a few days in London, and then fly home from there. The savings will pay for our Athens-London flight and help pay for a two days in London.

Edited May 19, 2015 by iancal

[Roadtripster]

I will check into all the different airlines mentioned. I have just begun to skim the surface of what flights cost now, even though my date is so far away. I was just trying to get a ballpark idea so I can figure out finances. I know I have lots of research to do and hopefully can come up with the best solution.

[geoherb]

High airfare has kept us from taking a European cruise. Once DH retires from teaching, we'll be free to go at times when the airfare isn't as much. In the meantime, we've been able to enjoy our summer cruises to Alaska and the Caribbean and even a spring cruise from Quebec to Boston.