Booking flight for July

[Anthony5]

I have a friend who wants to come over for a visit with is wife mid July, and will stay for 2 weeks. He flies from Europe.

Looking at the flights on Skyscanner and alike they all offer prices with the cheapest around 750 Euro/p with one stop.

They also claim that there are only a very limited number of seats left, like 3 or 2. I think that is hard to believe.

Should he book now or is their a big chance that he will buy the same ticket cheaper in a few months time?

[NanLaew]

Check again on a Tuesday evening/Wednesday morning Thai time.

Oh yes, clear your browser cache first.

[KhunBENQ]

Where is Europe

I had look for Frankfurt.

Some reasonable offers for Qatar if one is fully flexible with dates.

Monday, 13 July to Monday, 27 July starting from 501 EUR.

Nonstop Thai Air 683.

The problem with July and the one stop companies: high holiday season in Europe.

The shuttle to the hub is often full even when the route to Bangkok is not crowded.

And there is some demand for family visits during European holiday season (families with children, teachers e.g.).

I have little experience with flights during European summer.

Only two times long ago, but both times on a last minutes basis and very cheap.

Edited January 9, 2015 by KhunBENQ

[Anthony5]

Check again on a Tuesday evening/Wednesday morning Thai time.

Oh yes, clear your browser cache first.

Why is that specific day preferred for a flight 6 months in the future?

What has my browser cache or cookies an influence on the price?

[faraday]

I get fed up when I see a decent price on some sites, & when I try to book it they've 'just sold out'...yea, right!

[Anthony5]

Where is Europe

I had look for Frankfurt.

Some reasonable offers for Qatar if one is fully flexible with dates.

Monday, 13 July to Monday, 27 July starting from 501 EUR.

Nonstop Thai Air 683.

The problem with July and the one stop companies: high holiday season in Europe.

The shuttle to the hub is often full even when the route to Bangkok is not crowded.

And there is some demand for family visits during European holiday season (families with children, teachers e.g.).

I have little experience with flights during European summer.

Only two times long ago, but both times on a last minutes basis and very cheap.

They will fly from Brussels or Amsterdam, and most likely on 18 or 19 July with a return on 30 or 31 July.

I should add, they have no intention to travel 25 hours.

Edited January 9, 2015 by Anthony5

[siam2007]

there are SO MANY Airlines plying the Europe - BKK route that it is absolutely unnecessary to book that early.

Expect plenty of Promos in the next few weeks and months - just monitor what's on offer.

on the other hand, if that 501 € fare mentioned by KhunBENQ is really a fully flexible tariff (hard to believe indeed, so better make sure it's true), then you can not make a big mistake. It won't get much cheaper, particularly as most probably the Euro will continue declining which will result in higher EURO fares as the international aviation currency is the US$

[Anthony5]

there are SO MANY Airlines plying the Europe - BKK route that it is absolutely unnecessary to book that early.

Expect plenty of Promos in the next few weeks and months - just monitor what's on offer.

on the other hand, if that 501 € fare mentioned by KhunBENQ is really a fully flexible tariff (hard to believe indeed, so better make sure it's true), then you can not make a big mistake. It won't get much cheaper, particularly as most probably the Euro will continue declining which will result in higher EURO fares as the international aviation currency is the US$

My bet is that the further oil price decline will compensate for the Euro decline.

I found a 683 Euro flight from Amsterdam with Quatar, 15 and 16 hours travel time.

Would that be worth early booking? They claim to have 2 seats left, which I have a hard time believing 6 months in advance.

[siam2007]

there are SO MANY Airlines plying the Europe - BKK route that it is absolutely unnecessary to book that early.

Expect plenty of Promos in the next few weeks and months - just monitor what's on offer.

on the other hand, if that 501 € fare mentioned by KhunBENQ is really a fully flexible tariff (hard to believe indeed, so better make sure it's true), then you can not make a big mistake. It won't get much cheaper, particularly as most probably the Euro will continue declining which will result in higher EURO fares as the international aviation currency is the US$

My bet is that the further oil price decline will compensate for the Euro decline.

I found a 683 Euro flight from Amsterdam with Quatar, 15 and 16 hours travel time.

Would that be worth early booking? They claim to have 2 seats left, which I have a hard time believing 6 months in advance.

I doubt that Oil price will continue to decline a lot below 50$, but of course we are all no prophets.

If you think it will decline, then wait with your booking. now matter how, as I mentioned above, make sure that the fare is really fully flexible. usually super-cheapo-fares apply a change-date fee which can be up to 250€, or the date can not be changed at all..... SAFE JOURNEY

[ryanhull]

use http://www.lastminute.com and select the calendar view 'my dates are flexible' button on the search results,

You can get some very cheap flights from Amsterdam to Bangkok as opposed from the UK, in fact although I live in the UK I often fly from Amsterdam as its cheaper.

I have had direct flights from dam for 320 pounds return in the past which is really cheap considering its direct,

Cheers

[beano2274]

Emirates, Qatar and BA have sales at the moment but you have to be quick to get the cheapest price.

Also get your friend to look at Ebookers

[Anthony5]

I think some may have missed the subject of the thread.

My friends are not looking for last minute flights, since their holiday is still 6 months away.

As for the promotions on Emirates, Qatar and BA. Are they available for the month July or are they for dates in the nearer future.

The question actually is.

Is it advisable to book 6 months in advance for a holiday in the second half of July, or won't they loses anything if they wait a few more months.

[ryanhull]

I think some may have missed the subject of the thread.

My friends are not looking for last minute flights, since their holiday is still 6 months away.

As for the promotions on Emirates, Qatar and BA. Are they available for the month July or are they for dates in the nearer future.

The question actually is.

Is it advisable to book 6 months in advance for a holiday in the second half of July, or won't they loses anything if they wait a few more months.

I am not referring to last minute flights however it is still the cheapest way to find flights in my experience regardless of how far away it is.

Booking in advance does not always mean it is going to be cheaper, many factors come into play however using the calendar view which as far as I know this is the only one will find you a good price.

Once you've used this calendar view to find a good price, then re-check direct with the particular airline to see if you can save even more, if your prepared to go late evening or an odd time plus long flight duration you can get extremely cheap flights however you can also find good deals on good flights.

Sky scanner is my opinion is not all that good, plus the end price usually always does not reflect what sky scanner has given you.

[padsist4]

I've just booked Emirates from uk june23 for a month £483 direct on Emirates site China air stop at amstadam so should be cheaper ie a direct flight and prices in uk now less than £500 my friend also booked August for less than £500

[KittenKong]

I dont know what the OP is looking at but for flights AMS/BKK/AMS on Jul 18 out and Jul 31 return I see prices around 26,500B with Qatar for 15-16 hours each way. Fly on the 16th and 29th and the same flights are 24,000B.

Personally I start looking for my yearly business class ticket about 11 months in advance as soon as the dates are released, and I buy it as soon as I see a good price. My ticket for 2015 cost me GBP100 less than the same one for 2014.

[Anthony5]

What is very annoying with the majority of those search engines is that so far, Skyscanner is the only one that allows to get the price quote in Euro.

All the others are in Dollar or Pounds and are not changeable, which works very confusing.

[NanLaew]

Check again on a Tuesday evening/Wednesday morning Thai time.

Oh yes, clear your browser cache first.

Why is that specific day preferred for a flight 6 months in the future?

What has my browser cache or cookies an influence on the price?

I could provide links and relate my experience but suggest you google "is tuesday the best day to book flights" and "clear your cache before booking flights." The top 5 hits in each search pretty much explains it all.

[NanLaew]

What is very annoying with the majority of those search engines is that so far, Skyscanner is the only one that allows to get the price quote in Euro.

All the others are in Dollar or Pounds and are not changeable, which works very confusing.

I recommend ita matrix software (now owned by google) for a variety of search options and selectable currencies. It is the core of a lot of other web-based airfare search engines.

Edited January 9, 2015 by NanLaew

[NanLaew]

July is the front-end of European 'high season' so in my experience, booking now would be better. I have been a 'victim' of oversold, 'last minute' flight bookings on the LAST WEEKEND OF SCHOOL HOLIDAYS in France (all flights full ex-Senegal), Brazil (all flights full ex- Houston and Miami) and Japan (all flights full ex- San Francisco). Your friends should check on the corresponding dates for European brats being airborne but I think they might be OK.

Edited January 9, 2015 by NanLaew

[Diplomatico]

I found a 683 Euro flight from Amsterdam with Quatar, 15 and 16 hours travel time.

Would that be worth early booking? They claim to have 2 seats left, which I have a hard time believing 6 months in advance.

I suspect that what you are seeing is that they have 2 seats left at that price. Once those two seats are sold, you can still buy a seat but it will be in a higher fare bucket.

[craigt3365]

Remember to clear your browser cache frequently. I've tried all sorts of tactics. Buy early, buy last minute, buy 2 months before. It's all hit and miss. I once passed up a great fare as it was 6 months out. I waited, thinking 2 months out was better and deals tend to get announced after new years. Well...the price jumped by about 25%. A lot of money when you are looking at 2 tickets.

I bought 2 tickets to Europe 2 years ago. I bought about 4 months out. I then tracked the prices and I got the best deal...but the prices didn't really go up. Another issue is seat selection. Sure is nice locking in that nice exit row seat. They tend to sell out quickly...if you are allowed to reserve them in advance.

Seems you've got a pretty good price. You might save a bit if a good fare comes up, you might also lose out. Nobody can predict what's going to happen.

Use multiple search engines. Keep a tab open with a currency converter. When you are happy with the price, buy and don't look back.

[uptheos]

Where is Europe

I had look for Frankfurt.

Some reasonable offers for Qatar if one is fully flexible with dates.

Monday, 13 July to Monday, 27 July starting from 501 EUR.

Nonstop Thai Air 683.

The problem with July and the one stop companies: high holiday season in Europe.

The shuttle to the hub is often full even when the route to Bangkok is not crowded.

And there is some demand for family visits during European holiday season (families with children, teachers e.g.).

I have little experience with flights during European summer.

Only two times long ago, but both times on a last minutes basis and very cheap.

Can you please provide a link for that 501 Euro fare?

That's about 400 pounds, 20,000 Baht. rip their arms off......

.........Non stop Thai Air are you sure?

[Anthony5]

What is very annoying with the majority of those search engines is that so far, Skyscanner is the only one that allows to get the price quote in Euro.

All the others are in Dollar or Pounds and are not changeable, which works very confusing.

I recommend ita matrix software (now owned by google) for a variety of search options and selectable currencies. It is the core of a lot of other web-based airfare search engines.

Not sure if the ita matrix is the best search engine.

My friends send me an email overnight fom a skyscanner result Düsseldorf - Bangkok 18/7 - 30/7 for 649 Euro with Etihad/ air berlin. Travel time 15.40h in both ways.

I did a search myself on Skyscanner and got the same result. Went to the booking site and there are no extras.

The same flight on ita matrix is 743Euro.

Edit: the matrix software has been functional for exactly 1 search. After that it doesn't recognize any airports anymore. Need to clear browser cache every search to make it functional again.

Edit 2 : After getting the second search to work even clearing cache doesn't work anymore. Worst search engine I have found ever.

Edited January 10, 2015 by Anthony5

[KhunBENQ]

Not sure whether a link will work.

Just use skyscanner.com (skyscanner.co.th) and enter the data:

FRA - BKK / 13.07.14 to 27.07.14

What I get is this:

I you uncheck 1 Stop/2 Stop you see the nonstop price.

I can not garantuee that this "Airtickets24" is a respectable provider or if its better to spend more on a different booking site?

Maybe someone can comment on that and other providers ("Tripsta"?).

Edited January 10, 2015 by KhunBENQ

[KhunBENQ]

For the topic starter this news might be more interesting!

(seen in another TV thread)

Qatar Airways flies from Amsterdam starting June.

http://www.businesstraveller.com/news/101171/qatar-airways-to-fly-to-amsterdam

I did a short check for July 13 and up to end of July and you get a price of 640 EUR on the Qatar website.

616 EUR with Bravofly (?) searching with Skyscanner.

18 to 30 July on Qatar: 672 EUR, 652 EUR with Bravofly.

Looking from Thailand, Bravofly exactly says:

Total cost of the flight 25,300.40 ฿ "Confirm"

That about 657 EUR at todays rate.

Edited January 10, 2015 by KhunBENQ

[uptheos]

Not sure whether a link will work.

Just use skyscanner.com (skyscanner.co.th) and enter the data:

FRA - BKK / 13.07.14 to 27.07.14

What I get is this:

I you uncheck 1 Stop/2 Stop you see the nonstop price.

I can not garantuee that this "Airtickets24" is a respectable provider or if its better to spend more on a different booking site.

Maybe someone can comment on that and other providers ("Tripsta"?).

That's an excellent price from Frankfurt and quite a short transit in Doha.....however,

I checked the same flight on Qatar Airways site and it's 617 Euros, so not sure how Airtickets can do it at this price.

Edited January 10, 2015 by uptheos

[Anthony5]

Not sure whether a link will work.

Just use skyscanner.com (skyscanner.co.th) and enter the data:

FRA - BKK / 13.07.14 to 27.07.14

What I get is this:

I you uncheck 1 Stop/2 Stop you see the nonstop price.

I can not garantuee that this "Airtickets24" is a respectable provider or if its better to spend more on a different booking site.

Maybe someone can comment on that and other providers ("Tripsta"?).

That's an excellent price from Frankfurt and quite a short transit in Doha

Thanks for this.

I think to recall posts on this forum that Doha is to avoid for transits, due to the security checks overthere.

Is this correct or am I confused with Mumbai?

[uptheos]

Not sure whether a link will work.

Just use skyscanner.com (skyscanner.co.th) and enter the data:

FRA - BKK / 13.07.14 to 27.07.14

What I get is this:

I you uncheck 1 Stop/2 Stop you see the nonstop price.

I can not garantuee that this "Airtickets24" is a respectable provider or if its better to spend more on a different booking site.

Maybe someone can comment on that and other providers ("Tripsta"?).

That's an excellent price from Frankfurt and quite a short transit in Doha

Thanks for this.

I think to recall posts on this forum that Doha is to avoid for transits, due to the security checks overthere.

Is this correct or am I confused with Mumbai?

I use Qatar quite a lot, never had a problem and the new airport is quite nice.

TBH I usually transit so fast I've never noticed any problem with security checks.

[Anthony5]

Not sure whether a link will work.

Just use skyscanner.com (skyscanner.co.th) and enter the data:

FRA - BKK / 13.07.14 to 27.07.14

What I get is this:

I you uncheck 1 Stop/2 Stop you see the nonstop price.

I can not garantuee that this "Airtickets24" is a respectable provider or if its better to spend more on a different booking site?

Maybe someone can comment on that and other providers ("Tripsta"?).

Same flight on Skyscanner gives me 550 Euro as result

[KhunBENQ]

Same flight on Skyscanner gives me 550 Euro as result

Thats interesting.

Same search made from the Netherlands gives different price and provider list.

Funny to see that in the global internet world.

All the booking stuff is purely virtual, no physical shipment, payment by credit card.

Is this a new application for VPNs (simulate a different location/country)?

Or is there a drawback later in the booking (can pay only with Netherland CC)?

Just tried a Netherland VPN and now I am even more confused, see below.

I give up here

Seems to be a matter of the right hour/minute when to look:

(German VPN: 495, 508 EUR )

Edited January 10, 2015 by KhunBENQ