We plan to travel to Austria in the Fall. Most of my European travel has been connected to my DoD job and all travel arrangements were made via government. What is the best way obtain affordable airline tickets? We plan to start our tour in Vienna. Any tricks or "need to know" ways to save? We are flexible as we are both retired and can plan accordingly.
Thanks!
Posted by
Huntsville, AL, USA
8319 posts
I too fly out of BNA, the cheapest airport in the southeast to fly out of. There are many websites online that you can purchase flights out of. Kayak.com, Orbitz.com, Expedia.com are popular names. You can also go to the airlines directly. I use http://matrix.itasoftware.com/ to look for flights, as they have a calendar that shows the cheapest prices day by day for a month. You cannot buy the flights there, but it points you to which airlines go where and when. You can buy the same flight elsewhere. Many people are flying into one city and out of another, and that's when you sign into "multi-city" on the online flight programs. FYI: It looks as if the best way to Vienna from BNA is on Air Canada connecting in Toronto. If you went United, you'd have to connect through Dulles. I'd prefer Toronto any day.
If you're looking for a place to stay in Vienna, the best location and price in Vienna is at K&T Boardinghouse. We've stayed there, and Tina and Kaled are neat people. They're also online. We absolutely adore Vienna, and consider it one of the most underrated great cities in Europe.
Posted by
Windsor, Ontario, Canada
4088 posts
You have already accomplished the top money-saver by travelling in the fall. Trans-Atlantic tickets for the summer are sky-high, pun fully intended.
In general, non-stop tickets can be more expensive than itineraries with a stop but that is not hard-and-fast rule. Shopping around is tedious but often worthwhile. Set a target price and then seize the opportunity, never worrying about possible discounts you subsequentlly miss. Buying directly from the airline may save a little over the agencies. I always balance convenience against price, paying a premium to avoid getting out of bed at 4 a.m. or sitting around an airport for five hours for a slightly cheaper connection.