Too soon to book air for a June international flight?

[So Cal John]

Wow. I should have known better than to post a comment. Too many experts out there. 
I spoke to United, Delta and American. All three have a 330 day window. Good luck flying to Paris on Southwest. 
Yes, S&D are the drivers. There is far more demand for travel to/within Europe in August than there is in Feb or March. How do I know this? I priced flights from Mar out to June in August. Prices went up significantly over that time. Why? S&D. 
 

As far as seat selection goes, yes you can get bumped for odd reasons. That is the exception.  It if the seat you want is already taken by someone who booked before you then you are out of luck. 
 

All I should have said was I found the train to be a great option between Paris and Bordeaux. 

[d9704011]

13 minutes ago, So Cal John said:

All I should have said was I found the train to be a great option between Paris and Bordeaux. 

It can be tough on here!!! Originally, you stated that the train you took was from Bordeaux to Paris; now it may be interpreted as Paris to Bordeaux... clarity and precision are absolutely necessary.

 

Oh, yes... Air Canada sells tickets about 350 days in advance.

Edited November 18, 2023 by d9704011

[So Cal John]

I was specific. I said “between”. Thanks for your input. I’ve learned a lot. 

[Harry Lake]

On 11/17/2023 at 10:45 AM, FlyerTalker said:

I assume you mean "non-stop" flights, which is different than "direct".  (They are not synomyms)

 

I wonder how many people got upset because they didn't know that. A direct flight makes a stop, you don't get off the plane and then it goes on. So you really don't want to confuse them.

 

[Globaliser]

8 hours ago, Harry Lake said:

A direct flight makes a stop, you don't get off the plane and then it goes on.

 

Sometimes this is true, and sometimes it is untrue.

 

I have taken plenty of direct flights when I have been required to get off the aircraft, throw away any outsized liquids, clear security, and only then be allowed to board the aircraft again for the next sector.

 

I have even taken direct flights when I have been required to get off the aircraft, clear immigration, clear customs, throw away outsized liquids, clear security, and only then be allowed to board the aircraft again for the next sector.

[6rugrats]

11 hours ago, Harry Lake said:

So, you really don't want to confuse them.

 

Doesn’t matter what you do.  We have a saying that people leave their brain at the airport door.  I counted, and last week (I worked five days), I had 12 people come to me for rebooking because they were waiting at the wrong gate.  Two add’l people were waiting at the correct gate, but simply failed to board.  One actually tried to scan her boarding pass at the gate reader for the wrong flight. They complain, “no one told me,” and are upset because they have to wait until late evening for the next available flight.

There are departure boards listing the gates in the terminal, and each gate has its own board with the flight information.  The boarding passes clearly say “gates may change.”  Announcements are made about the flight number and destination, missing pax are paged, and they still miss the flight.

People are easily confused and many pay no attention to anything.

 

[Fairgarth]

On 11/18/2023 at 11:30 AM, So Cal John said:

 

Airlines cannot sell tickets more than 330 days in advance. They are all the same. (At least for purchases in US). I don’t know the reason.

 

I suspect it goes back to the early days of computers when storage was limited and expensive.  So don't enter the year.  But it actually has one major advantage in avoiding foul-ups.  If you want a flight on 17th June, for example, there is only one 17th June in the res system.  For a cruise booking, in contrast, you would have to specify 17th June 2024 or 2025 or even 2026.  Given Murphy's Law, how many customers and agents would get that all screwed up?

[d9704011]

10 hours ago, Fairgarth said:

 

I suspect it goes back to the early days of computers when storage was limited and expensive.  So don't enter the year.  But it actually has one major advantage in avoiding foul-ups.  If you want a flight on 17th June, for example, there is only one 17th June in the res system.  For a cruise booking, in contrast, you would have to specify 17th June 2024 or 2025 or even 2026.  Given Murphy's Law, how many customers and agents would get that all screwed up?

An interesting possibility.

 

I think it's more of a practical matter that most people simply cannot plan their flight needs that far in advance (say, more than 11 months) to make it worthwhile to maintain airline schedules and pricing structure.  Additionally, I think it is an industry convention for major airlines to stay more-or-less with this.