Air Travel

Question:

> Thanks, everyone, this gives me a much better idea what I’m doing. > Regarding the thirty days, however, I don’t think even our allotted > thirty-five days will be enough to see all we want to see–although > that is another thread. > But I would also like to know what are the chances of getting a > flexible return flight, that could be cancelled or postponed > indefinitely:  in case I wanted to stay longer.  Is that ever an > option?  What would you do if you weren’t positive when you would be > returning?

Buy the cheaper ticket and pay the change fees. Or pay a lot more for flexibility.

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > if you can get to Vancouver easily > and inexpensively you can save as > much as 300 USD per ticket on this route > YVR-LON 8/15 > MAD-YVR 9/20 > another reduction might come from a > shorter duration because lower airfares > and more discounts become available > for trips of 30 day or less duration > always shop at least three sources > because no single facility will ever have > the best flights or the lowest airfare all the time > airlines that use yield management pricing > change airfares every hour of every day > you are traveling at the cusp between peak > and shoulder season so it might be found > that any price for this routing which is less > than a thousand dollars per ticket is a bargain

Smart idea there. You just had to learn to wait for other people to post the info first, otherwise you would have been telling him to book weekends and pay $500 too much. You made one mistake. Airlines don’t generally change airfares every hour of everyday. They generally upload the daily fare changes at one time.

Response:

Thanks, everyone, this gives me a much better idea what I’m doing. Regarding the thirty days, however, I don’t think even our allotted thirty-five days will be enough to see all we want to see–although that is another thread. But I would also like to know what are the chances of getting a flexible return flight, that could be cancelled or postponed indefinitely:  in case I wanted to stay longer.  Is that ever an option?  What would you do if you weren’t positive when you would be returning? –Jason Van Cleve

Response:

> But I would also like to know what are the chances of getting a > flexible return flight, that could be cancelled or postponed > indefinitely:  in case I wanted to stay longer.  Is that ever an > option?  What would you do if you weren’t positive when you would be > returning?

The lowest fares require you to reserve a specific flight on a specific date, are non-refundable, and have a pretty hefty change fee.  "Open" reservations are the most expensive.  Another complication with an extended, indeterminate stay is ensuring you don’t violate the visa of the country you’re visiting. If you absolutely must leave your return open, the cheapest way is probably to buy a cheap RT ticket, making your best guess on return date.  If you decide to stay longer, just pay the change fee.  Of course, the extended date must still be within the maximum stay allowed by the fare rules, and the airline must have seats at that fare available.  During the summer, it’s a long shot. Ken Ishiguro

Response:

> A friend and I will be travelling abroad this fall for the first time, > and we’d like some ideas on how to purchase our plane tickets.  We’ll > be flying from Portland, Oregon to London around the 15th of August, > and we’ll return to Portland from Madrid around the 20th of September.

Decide what price is a good price, and be ready to buy on the spot if you see a good fare.  They can literally disappear in minutes.  Check websites such as Orbitz, Travelocity, etc.  Once you’ve determined which airlines have attractive fares, check out those airline’s individual websites to see if you can do any better. Some ways to save money: 1)   You may save by limiting your travel to 30 days.  Some of the good Transatlantic fares have a 30 day max restriction. 2)  Have flexibility on date and time of travel.  Midweek is usually best. 3)  Check fares out of SEA and YVR. 4)  Consider combining a cheap domestic fare with a cheap international fare.  For example, you may find a good fare out of ORD or LAX….then buy a ticket from PDX to the gateway and the total fare may still be cheaper. 5)  Fares to LHR should be good, but returning out of MAD will jack up the price. Good luck! Ken Ishiguro

Response:

A friend and I will be travelling abroad this fall for the first time, and we’d like some ideas on how to purchase our plane tickets.  We’ll be flying from Portland, Oregon to London around the 15th of August, and we’ll return to Portland from Madrid around the 20th of September. We are young men, fairly new to travel, and our budgets are limited, so any advice on doing this affordably would be most helpful.

Response:

if you can get to Vancouver easily and inexpensively you can save as much as 300 USD per ticket on this route YVR-LON 8/15 MAD-YVR 9/20 another reduction might come from a shorter duration because lower airfares and more discounts become available for trips of 30 day or less duration always shop at least three sources because no single facility will ever have the best flights or the lowest airfare all the time airlines that use yield management pricing change airfares every hour of every day you are traveling at the cusp between peak and shoulder season so it might be found that any price for this routing which is less than a thousand dollars per ticket is a bargain — Air Travel Center over the web at: airtravelcenter.com over the air at: airtravelcenter.ch voice over the wires at: 1-800-931-7222 1-717-732-7222 fax over the wires at: 1-717-728-1269 electronic mail at: mail over land at: 1 East Manor Avenue (rear bldg) Enola, Pa. US  17025-2822 – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> A friend and I will be travelling abroad this fall for the first time, > and we’d like some ideas on how to purchase our plane tickets.  We’ll > be flying from Portland, Oregon to London around the 15th of August, > and we’ll return to Portland from Madrid around the 20th of September. > We are young men, fairly new to travel, and our budgets are limited, > so any advice on doing this affordably would be most helpful.

Response: