I need advice, flying next year from LAX to Nice, next leg Amsterdam to Stavanger, Norway, next leg Stavanger back to LAX. Would I be better off / cheaper flying from LAX to Paris or Milan or Zurich, then taking a train to Nice? Booking a separate flight from Amsterdam to Stavager and separate flight from Stavager back to Amsterdam, then Amsterdam back to LAX. I am looking for the least expensive way to make this trip. Confused with all the options?
Posted by
Lewiston, Idaho, USA
2092 posts
Sig, You'll need to figure out your priorities. You'll need to compare each method of travel then figure in the hassles and decide which is more important to you: the cost, the comfort, the time spent getting to your destinations. You say you're looking for the least expensive way to make the trip so does that mean that you don't care how long it takes or if you miss connections? For example, if you fly into Paris and the flight is delayed, will you mind having to buy a full-fare TGV ticket and waste the original ticket that you pre-purchased at a much lower price? Or would you instead give yourself several extra hours to make sure your don't miss your train? Also, you'd need to compare what the difference in fare really would be! One year we flew into Nice rather than Paris and it was just a few dollars more, much less expensive (and less hassle!) than taking the train!
Don't forget--the planning is part of the fun!
Posted by
OP
Prescott, AZ
153 posts
Thank you for the response, you have some great points. I will be retiring soon and can spend more time planning. Do you have any thoughts on when I should pull the trigger to purchase for June 2013 travel?
Posted by
Green Bay
21160 posts
Sounds like a college logistics course problem. Consider 3 separate tickets. 1. Round trip LAX-AMS ($1200 NS on KLM), ($900 on Turkish with connections) 2. Round trip AMS-NCE ($175 NS on KLM) 3. Round trip AMS-STR ($175 NS on SAS) Leaving extra days between legs in case of delays.
Source: Orbitz May 2013
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23626 posts
Sure, buy the ticket when it is at the lowest price. Of course, you will not know that until you are pass that point. Watch the prices for this year so you have some idea of the range and buy when you are comfortable with the price. Focusing on buying the cheapest ticket is generally a waste of time. Easier ways to save money.
Posted by
Lewiston, Idaho, USA
2092 posts
For our May-June 2013 trip, I started watching the fares (using itasoftware.com) 14 months ahead and purchased our tickets a couple of weeks ago. Keep in mind though that we leave out of a tiny airport, we don't have many flights and Delta & Alaska know what they can get away with! (We could drive to Spokane or Seattle but don't like the drive home after a long flight.) Also I am very particular about what flights and connections we have--I do not like flying across the US but prefer to make connections in AMS--not CDG. I buy when it's a price I can justify and the earlier the better. The last 3 years after I purchase, the tickets have only gone up. If there have been "special" deals, they've only been on flights I wouldn't want.
I buy directly through the airline site.