Any interesting experiences Booking flights....

[B1TcoinLife]

If I need to return to farangland in 8 days and the best price now is about 22,000

Would it be any better to wait until the flight is about to take off and book it a couple of hours before? (empty seats are worth zero etc but they might charge you double just because they can too )

Anyone got any stories or ideas about it recently? ( i know in the past, booking months out was cheaper but they airlines know that trick now and use unusual pricing calculations)

[siam2007]

for a long haul flight, 8 days is short term enough. I would not wait longer than 3 days before the flight, but it may depend where you are heading

[speedtripler]

for a long haul flight, 8 days is short term enough. I would not wait longer than 3 days before the flight, but it may depend where you are heading

if the plane is half empty a few hrs before the flight is due to depart ,sometimes they make tickets cheaper rather than dearer

multistage flights are where that gets compliacted ...........half empty leaving bkk might be fully booked in dubai or germany etc when the collect more passsenegrs

you could pay 30-40,000 for the last seat on a full plane if you can afford that risk

Edited April 22, 2016 by speedtripler

[pgrahmm]

I like to book Way Early & feel sometimes there is a rate break.....It also takes some of the pressure/stress off knowing it's locked in & timeframes & arrangements are also in place with some controls++++ not stuck with a 30 hour layover somewhere....

Sometimes I've tracked flight listings and watched the costs go up day by day as they get closer to the departure date.....

Edited April 22, 2016 by pgrahmm

[lostinisaan]

If you've got the time you could try " standby". http://thepointsguy.com/2015/04/no-need-to-wait-for-tips-on-flying-standby-theyre-here/

[dddave]

Very few flights leave "half empty" these days. Airlines have cut the number of flights way back and more and more, use 777's and 380's to various hubs rather than direct to destinations.

I just returned last night from a quick round trip from BKK to LAX on Asiana: BKK-ICN-LAX. BKK to ICN was on a 380..full. ICN to LAX was a 747, full. Both return flights were 380's. LAX-ICN full, ICN BKK 90% full.

There is no one best way to get cheap flights...prices change by the hour. First scan the consolidators like Expedia, Kayak ect. Then go to the Airline websites...sometimes they have promotions the consolidators don't have. Some people have had good luck with travel agencies as they to sometimes get unlisted promotions. The more flexible your travel dates, the better your chances.

[KhunBENQ]

If the OP supplies more details it would be possible to judge from experience what the price of 22000 is worth.

A return flight to western Europe for 22k is cheap, book now.

"return" = return flight or oneway ?

"farangland" = on of the x European countries, USA, Australia... ?

What airline?

Edited April 23, 2016 by KhunBENQ

[B1TcoinLife]

it will be bkk (any) to either dublin ,ireland

there will be probably a stopover in dubai or mumbai ,and then another somewhere in germany ,russia ,poland or france, Amsterdam etc and then a final flight to ireland

(i know its cheaper to go by london but i dont want to stop anywhere in london )

[KhunBENQ]

22000 on a return to Dublin is cheap and you should not expect it to get much cheaper.

Sounds like Indian "Jet Air".

Blood exhausting long trip

From 27800 you get excellent connection with Turkish Air.

But, up to you.

I doubt there is a cheaper connection via London.

Edited April 23, 2016 by KhunBENQ

[B1TcoinLife]

22000 on a return to Dublin is cheap and you should not expect it to get much cheaper.

Sounds like Indian "Jet Air".

Blood exhausting long trip

From 27800 you get excellent connection with Turkish Air.

But, up to you.

I doubt there is a cheaper connection via London.

If return it would be great deal

That price is for 1way .... (Skyscanner)

[KhunBENQ]

Ouch. Oneway is always a difficult topic.

And also "in 8 days" seems to proof that such shortterm booking does not pay.

A week later you get much better connections for 20k oneway or so.

In 8 days: 1st of May?

Finnair, 22777 booked at the airline, 15h hour total, one the shortest flight you can get.

A daytime flight arriving 18h.

[B1TcoinLife]

Ouch. Oneway is always a difficult topic.

And also "in 8 days" seems to proof that such shortterm booking does not pay.

A week later you get much better connections for 20k oneway or so.

In 8 days: 1st of May?

Finnair, 22777 booked at the airline, 15h hour total, one the shortest flight you can get.

A daytime flight arriving 18h.

Visa is up on the 29th

But I could arrive at immigration at midnight I guess and wait at the gate for awhile if that's better

I didn't plan for trip at all but plans changed as they can.... And I need to go back, it's not optional to do border runs or something similar

Edited April 23, 2016 by B1TcoinLife

[dddave]

Try the EGENCIA booking site. geared to business travelers but the logistics co. I do work for uses them a lot for last minute, one way itineraries and the prices they pay which show on my itinerary are usually very low.

[mgjackson69]

"Way early" does not equate to lower prices. Honestly, I do not know how the airlines come up with their fare structures.

I can be looking at flights a couple of weeks out, move my departure date a day or two either way and things can change drastically.

Or, look at flights for a given day....check back tomorrow, they might be cheaper, or they might be more expensive.

Close in to the departure might get you a cheap fare, maybe....but the downside is the uncertainty of being able to get a seat, not to mention possibly getting extra attention as a potential "undesirable", particularly if booking one-way, which I do quite often.

Edited April 25, 2016 by mgjackson69

[laolover88]

One Way? You mean you don't want to come back to this beautiful country with its great beaches and charming people? You should be able to find a return on skyscanner about the same price as one way without having to sleep in a Middle East or Chinese airport.Jet and Finnair would get you there (Dublin) for less than 20000

Edited April 25, 2016 by laolover88

[mgjackson69]

One Way? You mean you don't want to come back to this beautiful country with its great beaches and charming people? You should be able to find a return on skyscanner about the same price as one way without having to sleep in a Middle East or Chinese airport.Jet and Finnair would get you there (Dublin) for less than 20000

Most of my flights out are either to various countries for work, or to USA to take care of family obligations there.

Many times it is easier to book one-way than to keep changing return dates, and getting banged with the change fees.

When I go to visit the parents in USA, that is typically a one-way, as it might be week, it might be a month.

[dddave]

EMIRATES just announced a six day sale starting today for travel to Europe May-September. One way fares are advertised and some are quite low. Check it out.