I'm flying to Ireland for a two week trip in late June/early July. When is the best time to buy airfare? I'm not willing to wait till the last minute for the chance at some last minute deal. Six months out? Seven months out? ASAP?
And what is the best time to fly? I'm leacing Seattl e and hoping to get there in as few layovers as possible. Should I land early morning, early afternoon or early evening (those appear to be my options from the airlines)? Thanks in advance! Ron
Ron....that's gotta be the $64,000 question on this board! You'll get advice ranging from "buy now" to "wait until just before you leave." Personally, I start checking right away on comparative sites like kayak.com, and I input several different airports close by....in your case, Seattle, Bellingham, and even Portland. I usually check a couple of days a week to see if any deals pop up...if there's something in my comfort zone, I buy. If not, I usually start checking more frequently 6-7 months before departure. I also sign up for newsletters from all the airlines that fly from my home airports to my destinations, on the off-chance they may announce some sales. You might also want to consider alternate destinations like Shannon, or even Manchester or Glasgow, from which you can reach Dublin via discount airlines like Ryanair and Aer Lingus. London, too, might be worth consideration. While, in most cases, you'd have to change airports, you can get connections to Dublin from Heathrow thru Aer Lingus and BMI. Bottom line....it's a crapshoot.
What Norm said.
In addition, June/July isn't going to be cheap no matter when you buy since it's headed into the peak of the tourist season.
I fly from Chicago and the flights from there leave in the evening and land in the morning. That works for me because it gives me an almost full day to do a few things. If I arrived in the evening I'd feel like I wasted the first day just getting there. Of course, your travel time will be longer from Seattle, but I'd still opt to arrive in the morning.
Hi Ron,
I agree with Norm, Kayak.com is a great way to monitor fares. There is a feature called "Buzz"--you can put in your destination(s), price point, month of travel, etc. and Kayak will send you an e-mail when the price drops below your point. Unfortunately these days it takes time searching and some luck to find a great airfare--doesn't seem like the fares are going down much. Good luck!
There is alot of stuff going on right now w/in Aer Lingus.
Not only do I start checking sites about this time thru january before booking for the summer, but I also keep up w/what is going on in Ireland w/Aer Lingus.
You can get up to date info: RTE.com This is the Irish national TV/Radio website. Has a lot of handy information including up to date weather info. There was a lot of rain in Ireland in August & Sept of this year and a lot flooding. I hope this means a dry summer next year!! :)
I can't wait I'm going home for three whole week!!!
slan
For what it's worth, here's my experience.
My wife and I got 2 roundtrips between Dublin and NYC for $1000 total, which I think was a pretty good deal. We bought last September and traveled in May.
As others have mentioned, the latter date is important as prices go up starting in June. If you can travel in late May instead you may be able to get a better price. Plus, you'll avoid more of the crowds and May is actually one of Ireland's best months for good weather.
Best of luck with your planning.
Enjoy your trip!
You can go to the Aer Lingus web site and sign up for their e-mail specials. Going during the peak tourist season will cost much more than April or May.
