Booking Europe intercontinental flights

Just like the intercontinental flights, Viet, the answer always comes down to unwillingness to spend money versus convenience. Convenience costs. Only in very rare sales do some budget airline fares go down once they have been released. They almost always go up as the plane fills. If you want maximum flexibility you will pay maximum fares.

Being flexible is real important, my experience with some of Europes short haul carriers has been sketchy, be prepared for delays and pricy weight restrictions, otherwise book early for best prices.

Thanks for the advice. I think I will book my inTRAcontinental flights ahead of time. Another question: how early do you need to arrive for these flights? 2 hours? 1 hour? Thanks!

Viet, As you noted, the flights you'll be taking will not be "intercontinental", but rather domestic flights. To answer your question, YES, it is risky to book a week prior to the flight! There are two reasons for this: > Euro airlines often use a "sliding scale" so the prices increase as the flight fills up. If you can get a last minute booking, you'll be paying top dollar. > Many flights book up several weeks in advance. If you wait until the last minute, you may not even be able to get a seat. I took two flights with Euro budget airlines this year and both were completely full! As the others have mentioned, you'll need to be careful with luggage weight allowances. If your checked luggage will be over the allowable limit, it's cheaper if pay for more weight at the time of booking. It's more expensive at the gate. Also note that Euro airlines often have a rule of one carry-on item ONLY of the approved size (and they usually check that). That DOESN'T mean "one plus a personal item", it means ONE ONLY. Happy travels