Tamerlain

Hi people,

I'm planning a trip to Europe this August with some friends and I'm wondering when I should start looking for ticket prices. I think I'm a little early to start catching some cheap fares, since everything I've found is over $1000 but flights for May (when we were originally going to go) are still down around $750.

Also, are there any other popular discount sites besides: Expedia, Travelcuts and Travelocity that anyone knows of?

Thanks in advance.

-Tamerlain

maleficent

www.mobissimo.com is one of the best travel sites going... they also list fares for some of the other discounters like orbitz and cheaptickets...

Where are you flying out of? You might want to consider alternate airports if you can - or getting yourself to another city to save some cash...

The airlines suggest not waiting too long to book a flight - I'd probably suggest booking it about a month before you are scheduled to leave --

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Tamerlain

Flying out of Toronto, so it doesn't get much more centralized for a Canadian city.

August must just be a popular month, because I could leave in 5 days and a round-trip flight would cost just under $700 at Travelcuts.ca. Kind of disappointing, but oh well.

Thanks for that site maleficent, I'll check it out later today when I get home.

-Tamerlain

maleficent

if your travel plans are somewhat flexible -- also look at what the difference would be if you flew out on a weekend - or did a saturday night stay -- a lot of times it will be a little cheaper to come back on sunday (because not many people travel on sundays)

Also don't over look going directly to the airline sites.. like www.aa.com, or www.united.com or even www.aircanada.com -- they will often have specials advertised on the websites ...(and make sure you sign up for frequent flyer miles if you don't have them already - being a 'member' also will often get you more specials that are advertised for members only.)

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Charlatan

Check out the AirCanada websaver. You can subscribe to this and it will send you updates via email. They frequently sell off empty seats at lower prices.

You should also check out the Charter carriers like Zoom, Tansat, etc. They often have cheap flights.

I just booked two tickets to London on Aircanada for $488 each (return) on Air Canada. That was just about as cheap as I could find. I think I might have got cheaper with Zoom but my dates were set in stone. Mal is right, flexibility is key.

The other thing to research is where you are flying into. Some destinations in Europe are cheaper than others (for any number of reasons).

Also, August is the busy time for Europe so things are a little more expensive all around.

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yellowchef

60 days domestic and 90 to 120 days international are the best times to start looking.. if you are flying from the US I know continental and I believe American Airlines have a promise that their online fare is cheaper than any other fare you find. I dont know all the details but keeping that in mind can help too... I know 60 to 120 days seems like a lot but working with people in the travel industry they have given me all kinds of insight and tips. Also check out how much a refundable ticket would be... domestic travel isnt so bad if you're bumped from a flight, miss a flight... whatever.. but travelling internationally its a big deal. If you miss your flight in the states or Canada it could very well cost you an arm and a leg to be rebooked or rerouted. Most airlines domestically charge $100 if you miss your flight to reseat you on a later flight and if they cant get you out they charge you a difference in price to reroute you which can cost you several hundred or even thousands of dollars domestically.(and if youre travelling with a group doing standby could split you up and cost you time) So I can only imagine international flights. Its not a bad time to start looking... most sites offer price watching so you can enroll in that. Also check the price on refundable tickets... we all say "nothing will happen to me" but if you book them refundable most times reseating charges are waived and if anything happens causing you to miss your flight.... I mean anything(within reason and within their stated contract so "I was late doing my hair" does not count, though most times they dont ask) they have to reseat you or refund your fare.

Also Charlatan is very right, Europe is a hot spot in the summer... good weather... lots to do and many Americans are off for their breaks... so tickets will be expensive, dont be shocked if your ticket costs over $1000. Also remeber that Europe is pretty easily travelled by rail so do as Charlatan suggests and look into different cities.. rail passes arent that expensive for unlimited trips(ok they seem outrageous but you're getting unlimited use) so its worth checking out.

Also if you're going to be there a while dont be afraid to go see a travel agent, they may charge a nominal fee but if its a group of you going(more than 2 or 3) they can help ensure the smoothest trip possible, they can notify the airlines of seating arrangements, that you are travelling together, often they may be able to work out hotel arrangements and such. Even if you dont book with them they may be able to offer some help.

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Charlatan

You should also look into cheap flights out of the US. If you can drive to Buffalo you might find some cheap package deals.

Also, flights in Europe (as well as rail as yellowchef points out) are cheap. I flew my wife from London to Paris for a couple of Pounds plus tax on BMI.

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amonkie

When I went to Italy in July several years ago, we had our tickets booked by late February/Early March, if I remember correctly. There was a group of 6 going, but that seemed to be the time when we HAD to purchase tickets in order to get the lowest price still available.

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sailor

I personally prefer kayak.com for a flight search engine.

Don't forget, there are tons of budget airlines in Europe, but these only help you within Europe--but they are often cheaper than the trains, so keep that in mind. To find out where you can get from any particular airport, go to whichbudget.com. To search for flights, go to skyscanner.net.

One warning though--sometimes they fly into random, out of the way airports. For example, Frankfurt Hahn, a place where many fly, is actually several hours away from Frankfurt. Most arent that bad, just make sure to check on the airport you're flying into/out of.

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joemc91

Don't forget that all online travel sites, like Orbitz, Travelocity, etc. add on a little to the tickets they are selling. Most likely the same trip will be cheaper if bought through the airline's own website. Also don't overlook traveling on the European airlines. Sometimes picking a flight on BMI, Air France, Lufthansa, or any one of the european airlines. Certainly have fun out there!

sailor

That's why I like Kayak. It's an aggregate search engine, so it searches all those major search engines, plus the airline's sites. I've consistently found cheaper flights there than anywhere else--and yes, most of the time they were from the airline themselves, but it's good to know...

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Tamerlain

Thanks for the information guys, it's been very helpful. It's still a bit early to book a flight, but I have a better idea now of where to look for the cheapest ones.

Thanks again.

-Tamerlain

sailor

Oh, and the best think about Kayak--the interface. Very easy to tweak it, adjusting airports, airlines, departure/arrival times, etc, all without having to redo the search or reload the page. Wonderful.

(No, I don't work for Kayak, I just like it a lot )

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CaliLivChick

Other sites are Hotwire, Priceline, and CheapTickets.

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