OK - I know I am obsessed

[vacationhappy]

Hi -

 

For the first time in my life I am obsessed with purchasing airline tickets. We travel frequently but for some reason I am stuck on our trip next summer - purchasing open jaw seats from the East Coast US to Venice and then back from Barcelona. It just seems like the prices are very high and the airlines are not flexible...we are flying in two days before just to have some wiggle room if needed. Right now good flights are running around $1500 per person, bad flights (multiple stops and unreliable carriers) are about $1300. We have to travel high season due to schedules (in July) so our dates are not flexible. I have found some good flights at $1350 so I could consider this a relative deal - I keep wondering if the prices will drop - I am buying four tickets so even a small drop adds up....any thoughts?

[Jiminkcmo]

In that you have no control over the price of airline tickets, to save yourself from large medical bills due to a nervous breakdown just buy the tickets now and don't ever look at the prices again.

 

Save yourself from yourself. <G>

[lvtotrvl1]

With the state that the airlines are in, the flights you purchase now will either change 20 times or be altogether cancelled by the time you travel...noone knows what will happen in the next year...I don't see it getting any better...I agree with poster above...you will drive yourself crazy...buy them and check on them every once and a while..

[ab0si]

Many airlines haven't posted flights for next summer yet. Also ..

 

1) One can try to guess when/if/how much prices will go down. There are even some websites that can help, but no one really knows. That said, barring a major terrorist attack, it does appear the oil will stabilize in the mid $90 range (OPEC is targeting that).

 

2) Booking on lower cost airlines can increase one's anxiety. Whether it is worth it nor is a question you have to answer. Alitalia is in reorganization. Iberia is in the process of being purchased by BA (more or less). Who knows what their flight schedule will be next summer.

 

3) If you are willing to do some digging and have some flexibility, there are many options. For example, Aer Lingus often has good fares. They fly to Rome an Milan, but not Venice. You might want to try them and take the train to Venice.

 

4) If you travel light, there are many additional options. Europe has a very expensive network of low cost airlines. You can find a flight to and/or from just about anywhere in Europe and connect via a low-cost operator. The downside on this is that intra-Europe flights have lower baggage allowances than Americans are used to and many low-cost carriers have VERY low allowances and very high charges for excess. This varies greatly, though.

[scottbee]

Hi -

 

For the first time in my life I am obsessed with purchasing airline tickets. We travel frequently but for some reason I am stuck on our trip next summer - purchasing open jaw seats from the East Coast US to Venice and then back from Barcelona. It just seems like the prices are very high and the airlines are not flexible...we are flying in two days before just to have some wiggle room if needed. Right now good flights are running around $1500 per person, bad flights (multiple stops and unreliable carriers) are about $1300. We have to travel high season due to schedules (in July) so our dates are not flexible. I have found some good flights at $1350 so I could consider this a relative deal - I keep wondering if the prices will drop - I am buying four tickets so even a small drop adds up....any thoughts?

 

 

Try pricing out a return USA-BCN-USA

and buying a separate one way from BCN-VCE you might be surprised that it's a better deal.

 

Likewise, you might find that a return from the USA to DUB/CDG/AMS/FRA (Dublin/Paris/Amsterdam/Frankfurt) + a one way from the above to BCN + one way from VCE to the above is cheaper. I've avoided London as a gateway option as there are high taxes/fees to enter the UK that generally put it at a disadvantage.

 

 

Intra european airline flights are generally very inexpensive as there are a lot of low cost carries that don't appear in the big resevation systems. Example, CLICKAIR fly BCN-VCE for E35

[SelectSys]

... Europe has a very expensive network of low cost airlines. You can find a flight to and/or from just about anywhere in Europe and connect via a low-cost operator...

 

Extensive rather than expensive? However, you are right in that costs can become relatively expensive if the baggage limits are exceeded by a significant amount.

[scottbee]

Extensive rather than expensive? However, you are right in that costs can become relatively expensive if the baggage limits are exceeded by a significant amount.

 

 

extensive (and INexpensive). Still, even if you have to pay $100 in baggage fees, you may still be ahead. Also, the low cost carriers have driven down costs everywhere

[ab0si]

Extensive rather than expensive? However, you are right in that costs can become relatively expensive if the baggage limits are exceeded by a significant amount.

 

oops. Dang spell checker put in the wrong word. EXTENSIVE. Thanks for the catch.

[vacationhappy]

Thank you everyone for your great advice...I saw some good flights on Swiss and Luftansa that were toward the bottom of the price range and grabbed them. Since we have to fly high season, I just don't think the prices are going to go down that much if at all....and it was less than what the cruise line quoted by several hundred dollars. So I feel good about it.

 

I also booked hotels in both Venice and Barcelona since it is hard to find quads in Europe...so, all the big stuff is done. Thank you for all your help.

[PennyAgain]

I don't check prices as often as I used to. Nerves!

 

However, today bored with waiting for Ike to damage Texas I checked AA.com and got a nice price on a set of flights for Oct. 2008.

 

There is hope!

 

Just not so much obsession.