I was really disappointed when I went looking at airfares for a trip back to Scotland in late summer. It looks to me like they are nearly double what I paid in August 2009. Am I right, or have I got a really faulty memory for what I paid. I could have sworn my ticket was around $750 and then when I added on upgrade charges got to around $1,250. I can't see anything for less than $1,400 base fare unless I go in September. I assume that the number of seats have dropped and that's driving fares up, or have I missed something. Or was I just really, really lucky last summer? It was a last minute trip. Pam
Posted by
Atlanta, GA
115 posts
I think most airfares to Europe this year are generally higher than 2009. I paid 620 r/t from Albany, NY to Stockholm, Sweden last August. I think fares are about 400+ higher this year compared to last. However, the packages that the airlines are offering for flight/car/hotel are better this year than last. Take a look at Aerlingus for example and play around with their vacation store.
Cheers,
Evan
Posted by
Lake Forest, CA, USA
1633 posts
Pam, I have also been searching the AA site for fares in September and October and noticed that they are almost double that of 2009. So, looks like I'm going to use my miles for our fall trip. Maybe, as it gets closer to the date you want to go, fares will drop. It's a game, isn't it? Good luck on your search.
Posted by
OP
New York City, NY, USA
5678 posts
Yes, I was thinking that maybe this would be a year to use miles...I'm spoiled though, I've had upgrades the last few trips and will be tough to go back to the back! But then again, I can't afford the upgrade if the fare is this high. I'm glad it's not just my faulty memory! Pam (BTW I checked AA and Expedia.)
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
61 posts
I'm totally annoyed with the airfare game right now. I've been looking at Kayak and all the rest that we talk about, and everytime I find a decent looking fare I get an error message stating, "we cannot verify that fare with the airline" the the fare they are able to verify is several hundred dollars more. It all feels a bit bait and switch to me. I've been using these sites for years and it's never been this bad.
I also traveled to Scotland last year in June and my airfare was about $1300 RT. I'm having difficulty finding anything less than $1350 for open jaw airfare in and out of Italy from O'Hare. I'm going to give it a few more weeks then I may just bite the bullet so that I can get the actual flight times and dates that we want.
Posted by
Atlanta, GA, USA
2790 posts
I think it's a little early to book for August. But then again, I don't have a crystal ball.
I will say that there is a lot less capacity on some routes so that probably will result in higher fares, but I would hold off for a little while.
If you want to use miles, start trying ASAP however. I booked a mile trip yesterday for August and it took some work to get what I wanted. Same problem, fewer flights mean fewer "free" seats.
Posted by
Columbus, OH, USA
2084 posts
I'm glad to see your post, Pamela. I have been looking at various possibilities for travel to Europe this spring, and have come away wondering the same. I'm happy to see I have a few more marbles left than I was beginning to think. Fares all around seem high to me; we may just drop the ball and wait...or forego.
Posted by
OP
New York City, NY, USA
5678 posts
Interestingly, I looked at flying in and out of Heathrow and that was only going to save about $100 which isn't much more than the train. I also got an email today from www.scotland.com with an ad on its site for Icelandic Air emblazoned with "Cheap Flights to Scotland!" I checked it out, and while I had some conversion issues, it didn't look much better. You have to fly from Boston, via Reykjavik and of course need to pay for the fare to Boston.
I'm going to check on miles this weekend, but I too may just end up biting the bullet and paying. Or staying home. But oh, I hate to do that! ; ) Pam
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32352 posts
Pamela,
I've also been finding that airfares are quite high at the moment, and hoping these will go down somewhat in the near future. The cheapest fare I've been able to find on the net so far is $1700 for the travel dates I want.
I've provided my travel dates and preferred flights to my Travel Agent, and I'm hoping she will be able to find something a bit more reasonable. I just received an E-mail bulletin from one of the airlines and the fares seem to be softening a bit.
Good luck with your flights!
Posted by
Weeki Wachee, FL, USA
75 posts
Unfortunately, Ken, I can't even find a local travel agent who wants to help. Either they don't book airline tickets, or they won't take the job since they don't earn anything for it. In my neck of the woods (Florida) if you aren't a senior citizen who wants to book a cruise or a gambling trip to Biloxi, you are worthless to the travel agents. So, I guess we're on our own.
Posted by
Atlanta, Ga, USA
2023 posts
Ticket buying is definitely a game. We are trying to fly into Lisbon and out of Paris with touring Spain by rail and car. Delta informs us that we can't use miles unless we up it to 90,000 miles ( have 60 th) which we do not have. Planning to leave in mid May and until we book the flight we cannot proceed with hotels so I guess $914.00 is looking good now. The positive thing is the flights over the pond will be Air France so the food and wine will be good.