Booking Air to London/LHR

[movinout]

This is the question. I have been searching airfares for days for a late July Baltic cruise out of Dover. Everything now is at least $1250 per person...can we chance that these prices could go down in the next month or so considering it is still 7 months away? Should I just keep watching or should I book it in fear that they will only get worse? Anyone have a crystal ball out there?:) Do they tend to go higher as time goes by or lower if they aren't filling up?

 

Also, knowing that it is our habit to fly in a day early on cruises departing from the US..what about international flights? The one I am considering leaves ORD with two later flights non-stop as a default and arrive in Heathrow early AM. Would taking a arriving day of cruise flight be safe..with that thought in mind..any experiences out there with international flights? Like maybe more reliable? It would surely save a lot if we arrrived day of cruise and could just hop the transfer to Dover.

 

Like I said, I know it's all guesswork or a gamble.but any thoughts or experiences? Thanks

[Keith1010]

I would keep watching fares to get a sense of the price and then I would book. Don't expect the prices to go down though.

 

We always arrive at least one day before our cruise. So, if you are flying to the UK you'll want to fly two days before the cruise assuming you are flying in the afternoon.

 

The other advantage of getting in a day early is to get over the jet lag so when you board the ship you are well rested and ready for the cruise.

 

Keith

[Globaliser]

Anyone have a crystal ball out there?:) Do they tend to go higher as time goes by or lower if they aren't filling up?

Yes, they do.

 

That is, they do both.

 

And you will only know in advance which way it will be in your case (ie for your routes on the dates that you want to travel), and how far they will move in each direction, and when they will move, if you have a crystal ball that works.

[auntdot]

With gas prices skyrocketing, is the consensus that airfare will not likely come down?? I have no experience with overseas airfares and best booking times, but we have already booked our flight to LHR for October.

 

:eek:

[Mydnite]

I would also look at flights to Gatwick. I would also get in the day before, there are plenty of ways delays may occur, delays in flights and even delays waiting for luggage or traffic could result in problems if you are tight on time. Arriving in a day earlier is a safeguard, it will also help reduce the impact on jet lag which is usually worse when traveling west to east.

[greatam]

As you well know, flying from Louisville is NOT cheap anyplace. So figure that into your equation.

 

And you are flying PRIME TIME for Europe. $1250 out of your area is NOT a bad price from prime time July.

 

One thing you might want to look at-2 tickets-one on a LCC (Southwest, JetBlue, AirTran, etc) to a major hub-ATL for Delta, JFK/ORD/DFW for AA, ORD for United, etc. Sometimes it is cheaper to fly from a hub to London and then book a separate cheapie RT to/from home to the hub. Yes, you most likely will have to reclaim your luggage and recheck at the hub. But if you can save a couple hundred dollars, it may be worth it. Just another option you may want to look into.

[fti]

If there is a reason to fly in a day early to a domestic cruise port, it goes doubly so for an international cruise port. There are always chances of delays due to mechanical or weather issues, etc. If I were cruising from an international port and spending all that money on the flight and the cruise, there is no way in the world I would fly in the day the cruise departs. And even though there might be another flight or two on your airline to that destination, how do you know the flight won't be full? You have far fewer choices to be rerouted internationally to London than to most domestic cruise ports. Well, lots of choices but few that would get there quickly since most other options mean more connections.

 

I am not sure it would save you "a lot" by flying in the same day. You can get hotels in London through priceline or hotwire for well under $100/night the last I looked. And if the flights get messed up due to weather, 20 more flights from Chicago to London that arrive before your cruise departure won't help if none of them are flying due to weather issues :)

 

For summer travel, it is highly unlikely that the seats won't fill up. Look at international load factors the past couple of summers. By March most cheap fares to Europe for travel between June 1 and September 15 will be gone. $1250 RT from KY to London including taxes? That is a very good fare in my opinion. Taxes and fuel surcharges to/from London are running well over $400. That means the base fare is about $800-$850. That is a great summer price.

 

If I were traveling in the spring or fall, I would not be in a rush to book. But for summer, I know people who started to book last September.

 

John

[movinout]

Thanks for all responses..and yes, we will definitely fly in day before...I was just "thinking" of the ease of just getting there and transferring..but not at all worth the risk. Also I appreciate the thoughts on the airfares being "good"...going to book the flights and sleep well! :)

[fbgd]

With gas prices skyrocketing, is the consensus that airfare will not likely come down?? I have no experience with overseas airfares and best booking times, but we have already booked our flight to LHR for October.

 

:eek:

 

The price of oil isn't skyrocketing. The $100/barrel yesterday was one lone trader making a name for himself and they sold the oil immediately at a loss.

 

Besides airlines hedge fuel prices months, sometimes years in advance and short term fluctuations aren't going to make much difference. If airlines aren't selling seats they will go on sale regardless of whether oil is $100/barrel or $1000. The fact is in the middle of summer that isn't going to happen.

 

If the OP is balking at paying $1250pp from Louisville then I'd suggest one of two things:

1) Taking a short flight to a hub on a separate ticket. You won't get your interenational baggage allowance and you do run the risk of being screwed over if one of your flights is delayed/cancelled.

2) Pay a small amount extra and upgrade. Business travel during the summer is traditionally low and as such airlines often put their premium cabins on sale. It might only be a few hundred extra dollars per person over the economy fare, but you'll fly much more comfortably.

[fti]

1) Taking a short flight to a hub on a separate ticket. You won't get your interenational baggage allowance

 

It depends on the airline of course, but almost all major airlines now have the same luggage allowance for international flights as the domestic airlines have - generally 2 pieces of checked luggage, each piece weighing 50 pounds.

 

Having said that, buying two tickets will almost certainly be more expensive than one ticket all the way through.

 

John

[Globaliser]

With gas prices skyrocketing, is the consensus that airfare will not likely come down??

The price of oil isn't skyrocketing. The $100/barrel yesterday was one lone trader making a name for himself and they sold the oil immediately at a loss.

Yesterday's headline may have been because of that, but one must set it in context: the prevailing price before that single trade was $99.53, and after that the price fell back to $99.40, closing the day at $99.63 - see this report. So we're not talking about someone who has bumped up the price wildly in excess of market value, even if the man did spend $600 for some bragging rights.

 

And in any event, yesterday's trading did see a genuine $100+ price set: $100.09 in fact - see here.

 

However, there is no knowing whether oil prices will continue to rise, as they might - or whether they will fall back significantly. As recently as early December, prices had fallen back to below $90. And the winter is, for obvious reasons, a time when oil prices are high as the energy-hungry northern hemisphere consumes a great deal of it then.

 

So if oil prices start to fall back in February, March or April, and the economy takes a bath and demand for air travel falls off a cliff, then you might well see some much more affordable air fares being released onto the market.

 

But then, you might not.

 

The question that most posters asking this sort of question on CC really want to know is: "If I buy a ticket now, will it be cheaper later?"

 

The answer to that, literally, is "God only knows."

2) Pay a small amount extra and upgrade. Business travel during the summer is traditionally low and as such airlines often put their premium cabins on sale. It might only be a few hundred extra dollars per person over the economy fare, but you'll fly much more comfortably.

I'd be very surprised if it were possible at this low a premium. As a ballpark, my impression is that even a heavily-discounted premium cabin ticket during the summer is going to cost somewhere between $1,000 and $2,000 more than the cheapest economy fare.