How far in advance do you book your flights to Europe for a Med Cruise

[xcell]

So I have a cruised going out of Barcelona for 2022 Xmas.  There was a direct flight with AC cost $994 but I didn't jump on it.

 

Checking google flights, they completely removed that flight from their schedule so now there is no longer a direct flight and the costs have gone up.

 

Curious, I know it is a supply vs demand (probably why they removed the flight) thing but has anyone had that happen to them before?  Do you book that far in advance?

 

First time going to Europe..

[Enzma]

In general most airlines don't post more then 3 months out on their sites.there are a several web sites that have bookings that far-into Dec time frame but as you say no direct from Toronto at any rate possibility of going thru major USA hubs as a 1 stop

[Fouremco]

I did a random search on AC using December 20 and 28 as the flight dates out of YYZ. No direct flights are showing, but there are several 1 stop flights for under $1600 return. Not cheap for a basic economy seat, but I have no reason to think that they'll get any cheaper in the months to come.

 

You might want to find the best flight available now, and change if a better offer comes available. AC is still offering No Change Fees for bookings made by May 31: "Book this trip today knowing you can modify your travel date or destination without change fees, up to 2 hours prior to your departure if your travel plans change. Just pay the fare difference, if any. Applicable for bookings made until May 31, 2022."

[bennybear]

We often book ten months out,  but you need to understand penalties and have good insurance.   

[xcell]

There was a direct flight with AC but they just took it off the table, probably a few days ago because I check daily but have not because I just caught Covid and this is the first day functioning.

 

I hope the direct flight comes back...

[hancogran]

We've used Air Transat a few times for direct flights from YYZ to Barcelona, Rome and London.  The don't have flights every  single day but we've always found  something  and the prices  are usually  lower than AC.  No complaints about the service either,  even though they are a charter airline.  

 

We check prices starting about 6 months before we want to leave and when we find a price we're comfortable with, we book it.

Edited May 15, 2022 by hancogran

[Dismomx5]

2 hours ago, hancogran said:

We've used Air Transat a few times for direct flights from YYZ to Barcelona, Rome and London.  The don't have flights every  single day but we've always found  something  and the prices  are usually  lower than AC.  No complaints about the service either,  even though they are a charter airline.  

 

We check prices starting about 6 months before we want to leave and when we find a price we're comfortable with, we book it.

Air Transat is who we used when we flew to Rome in 2019. They were great!

[xcell]

thanks --- didn't even consider air transat -- just looked nothing up for Dec just yet but will definitely look.

[gnome12]

9 hours ago, hancogran said:

We've used Air Transat a few times for direct flights from YYZ to Barcelona, Rome and London.  The don't have flights every  single day but we've always found  something  and the prices  are usually  lower than AC.  No complaints about the service either,  even though they are a charter airline. 

Air Transat is no longer exclusively a charter airline; they operate scheduled and charter flights.

[lx200gps]

16 hours ago, xcell said:

So I have a cruised going out of Barcelona for 2022 Xmas.  There was a direct flight with AC cost $994 but I didn't jump on it.

 

Checking google flights, they completely removed that flight from their schedule so now there is no longer a direct flight and the costs have gone up.

 

Curious, I know it is a supply vs demand (probably why they removed the flight) thing but has anyone had that happen to them before?  Do you book that far in advance?

 

First time going to Europe..

Which cruise line are you sailing with, and do they have their own flight booking system? We usually sail Princess, and their EZ-Air system is sometimes fantastic. They offer multiple flight options from different airlines including AC and Air Transat at decent, sometimes excellent pricing, but also offer many very useful perqs as well. Things like free change and cancellation, no booking fees (Pay only at time of cruise final payment), late arrival protection etc. If you book with them, you can watch the pricing and change your flights as many times as you want to take advantage of price drops.  Worth looking into if you haven't already done so.

[xcell]

Going with MSC -- I don't think they have an air part to thier bookings but that is always an options for others.

[Dismomx5]

5 hours ago, lx200gps said:

Which cruise line are you sailing with, and do they have their own flight booking system? We usually sail Princess, and their EZ-Air system is sometimes fantastic. They offer multiple flight options from different airlines including AC and Air Transat at decent, sometimes excellent pricing, but also offer many very useful perqs as well. Things like free change and cancellation, no booking fees (Pay only at time of cruise final payment), late arrival protection etc. If you book with them, you can watch the pricing and change your flights as many times as you want to take advantage of price drops.  Worth looking into if you haven't already done so.

That's how we did our Air Transat flight in 2019...through HAL's Flight Ease. I knew exactly what and when I wanted (we went early to explore Rome). Our TA had it added, although we could have done it on the website ourselves. The perk of not paying until final payment of the cruise is a big plus for us!

[TheHawk1]

I am cruising out of Barcelona in mid September.  Air Canada has daily flights from Toronto still showing that month, probably because it is the tail end of the tourist season.  I booked the AC direct flight about a month ago and I see the price has gone up by about 25% already.

[Magicat]

We book as soon as the flights begin to appear.  For Air Canada that usually starts happening around 330 days out.  In these times you have to be a little flexible or realize your plans may change.  Our direct flight to Copenhagen originally was leaving on a Wednesday was changed to leave Thursday.  We will lose one day touring and lost a great deal on a hotel.  

[desibee]

TAP Air Portugal usually has the cheapest flights to Barcelona.  A good deal can get you there for around $500 though flying during Xmas holidays usually ramps up the price quite a bit for every airline.

 

You can also try to get a deal on a flight to anywhere in Europe and then sort out your final destination from there.  Once you get overseas, flights (or train trips) to neighboring European countries are usually super cheap.