early booking ticket

[hendrik666]

As you know several airlines are advertesing with chars for prices you won't believe.

 

Last year I was searching for a cheap ticket for a department in 4 month. Amsterdam Bangkok. I found Amsterdam Zurich Bangkok for 660 Euro, a return with a return date 6 months later. Normal price about 800 - 900 Euro.

 

Amsterdam Zurich Swissair

Zurich Bangkok Thaiair

 

So early booking is wize.

 

Regards, Henk

Edited March 20, 2017 by hendrik666

[Butch]

Hi Henk

 

Welcome to the forum. You are right, in many cases early booking pays off. I usually start looking 8 months before and make a note of prices, then at the 6 month date I try and book.

[js007]

Sometime, you just never know. I've seen some last minute deals that were almost unbelievable. I guess it helps if you're flexible and can leave anytime.

[midlifecrisis]

A curious first post.

[marleyboy]

I just booked (well last week!) a flight Heathrow to Bkk for September this year.

 

I paid £480

 

(could have got Eva cheaper but I prefer Thai flying times).

[teelack]

The one rule about booking early is that you should never look and second guess the thing. You make a decision and make the booking and then leave the subject alone. It can be depressing if you could have got better or euphoric if you did a great deal but whatever else it is, in most cases, set in concrete. The other point is that depending on how long you are staying, an extra few dollars makes little difference to your holiday. If I saw a better airline with better times I would be happy to pay a bit more. Book and be damned!

[midlifecrisis]

The one rule about booking early is that you should never look and second guess the thing. You make a decision and make the booking and then leave the subject alone. It can be depressing if you could have got better or euphoric if you did a great deal but whatever else it is, in most cases, set in concrete. The other point is that depending on how long you are staying, an extra few dollars makes little difference to your holiday. If I saw a better airline with better times I would be happy to pay a bit more. Book and be damned!

 

It's like chasing the stock market. The airlines I use, I can get a decent price but it means that I have to pay a fee to cancel.

[Bullfrog]

The one rule about booking early is that you should never look and second guess the thing. You make a decision and make the booking and then leave the subject alone. It can be depressing if you could have got better or euphoric if you did a great deal but whatever else it is, in most cases, set in concrete. The other point is that depending on how long you are staying, an extra few dollars makes little difference to your holiday. If I saw a better airline with better times I would be happy to pay a bit more. Book and be damned!

Well said...I will be flying home to Blighty in August and have already selected Airline, dates, times and seats ....Doing this enables me to book a Travelodge well in advance saving at least 200 quid over the whole holiday period.....I can also book National coaches well in advance... Sometimes peace of mind is more important than a couple of quid..

[Goldpanner]

Booking very very early works. You need to book before the big companies do their ticket allocations with the airlines.

Early this year Qatar were selling tickets London Bkk London for £321 for October/November departures.. !!

THEN the big boys came in with their seat demands and allocations and the ticket prices went up by over £100 they are now around the £430 upwards.

They will come down when the big boys have to dump their allocations or pay around a month or 6 weeks prior to the departure dates.

So, either book them very early or very late, never in the middle.

[Goldpanner]

Well said...I will be flying home to Blighty in August and have already selected Airline, dates, times and seats ....Doing this enables me to book a Travelodge well in advance saving at least 200 quid over the whole holiday period.....I can also book National coaches well in advance... Sometimes peace of mind is more important than a couple of quid..

 

Why dont you take your car and book a Hotel and Car Parking package prior to departure? Thats what we always do.

Drive down to LHR and stay at a decent Hotel then drive round to T2 Long Stayin the morning and park up. Our package past year was around £140 for Hotel and parking plus free transfers.

[Bullfrog]

Why dont you take your car and book a Hotel and Car Parking package prior to departure? Thats what we always do.

Drive down to LHR and stay at a decent Hotel then drive round to T2 Long Stayin the morning and park up. Our package past year was around £140 for Hotel and parking plus free transfers.

My flight originates here (in Thailand). In the past I used to fly in to any terminal I fancied,used a free hoppa to a hotel and have a good nights kip then rent a car...

 

Interestingly I considered Emirates business class which advertises a free chauffer driven car within a 70 mile radius of the arrival point... How bored are you today?? If you have time check out the Devizes Travelodge (SN10 2HL)radius to LHR...Even check out the AA shortest route......Emirates say it is outside !!!!!!

[TheFiend]

Booking very very early works. You need to book before the big companies do their ticket allocations with the airlines.

Early this year Qatar were selling tickets London Bkk London for £321 for October/November departures.. !!

THEN the big boys came in with their seat demands and allocations and the ticket prices went up by over £100 they are now around the £430 upwards.

They will come down when the big boys have to dump their allocations or pay around a month or 6 weeks prior to the departure dates.

So, either book them very early or very late, never in the middle.

 

I picked up MAN-BKK in May with Qatar for £339 booking 5 months in advance...... Less than a week later the price had already shot up and on a recent search wasn't showing any cheap ticket availability at all on the flights we've booked.

[Goldpanner]

Exactly, I should have booked in January but wasnt sure of my dates. Qatar were £321 at one point.

[bastos60]

6 months or 4 months in advance is a bit far fetched. Up to 2 months in advance still gives you the best prices, unless you plan to travel during peak flying periods like the summer holidays.
I usually start checking the prices after I have returned and check again 3 months later, I fluctuates but usually get the best prices between 2 and 3 months in advance. Have been lucky with
prices as well a few weeks ahead of my trip.

[midlifecrisis]

6 months or 4 months in advance is a bit far fetched. Up to 2 months in advance still gives you the best prices, unless you plan to travel during peak flying periods like the summer holidays.

I usually start checking the prices after I have returned and check again 3 months later, I fluctuates but usually get the best prices between 2 and 3 months in advance. Have been lucky with

prices as well a few weeks ahead of my trip.

 

 

 

For me, because of numerous sports related injuries from my youth, I find it excruciating to fly anything other than business class. I need to be able to lie flat as I can't sit for as long as I wish I could.

 

As I prefer the cooler high season and that business class seats are fewer, I am limited to certain airlines who arrive around noon Bangkok time and price, I book much farther in advance. It is basically 6 months in advance.

 

There is no one size fits all. You do what works for you.

[teelack]

Following up on another post. I saw a fare that looked good.

Next day it had increased by about $40. This for me was a double whammy as I have a "lowest price guarantee" as well as a $20 voucher off my next flight. I cleared the cache and as a result the lower price returned. I copied and pasted to my travel agent and got the best price less $1 plus my voucher. All up about a$70 savings. Thanks for the tip whoever posted it.

 

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

[Goldpanner]

6 months or 4 months in advance is a bit far fetched. Up to 2 months in advance still gives you the best prices,

 

 

Not on departures from the UK sir. I used to sell air tickets to the Far East. (anyone remember Thai Travel) As I explained if you check some fares 9 months in advance you can get some brilliant deals. As I explained, in January this year, Qatar, Emirates and even Eva Air tickets could be bought for between £321 to £350. Now they are all around £100 more. As I explained, in the UK the big Operators like FETC Kuoni etc block book around 10 to 15 rows on most flights from UK to Bangkok around7 to 8 months in advance. Thats when the prices go up.

Now around 6 weeks before departure dates those companies have to either pay for their seats or give back their unsold seats. Thats when the prices drop.

2 years back Thai were selling their LHR-BKK-Lhr flights for around £490. 2 weeks prior to departure there were some seats being sold for under £400 on the same flights.

Its like everything, if you want a cracking deal you need to know the rules and pay attention.

[bastos60]

Now around 6 weeks before departure dates those companies have to either pay for their seats or give back their unsold seats. Thats when the prices drop.

2 years back Thai were selling their LHR-BKK-Lhr flights for around £490. 2 weeks prior to departure there were some seats being sold for under £400 on the same flights.

Its like everything, if you want a cracking deal you need to know the rules and pay attention.

 

I fly from the mainland, and I think far more options are available to us. I fly either from Brussels Airport, Schiphol (Netherlands) or Charles De Gaul (France).

Cheapest flights I book usually through KLM. But prices rarely drop the last weeks even with a plane with a 78% occupancy. But you can book their cheapest rates up to 2 months beforehand.

Thai airways from Brussels also offers good prices booking 2 months beforehand.

 

My next trip I am flying Qatar, with short stopovers on both legs and bought the ticket for about £430, KLM current cheapest is also betweek £410 and £450 if you book upfront. Thai lowest is about £500 from brussels.

[Goldpanner]

 

I fly from the mainland, and I think far more options are available to us. I fly either from Brussels Airport, Schiphol (Netherlands) or Charles De Gaul (France).

Cheapest flights I book usually through KLM. But prices rarely drop the last weeks even with a plane with a 78% occupancy. But you can book their cheapest rates up to 2 months beforehand.

Thai airways from Brussels also offers good prices booking 2 months beforehand.

 

My next trip I am flying Qatar, with short stopovers on both legs and bought the ticket for about £430, KLM current cheapest is also betweek £410 and £450 if you book upfront. Thai lowest is about £500 from brussels.

Qatar are at present £430 from the UK but as stated were £321 in January. Im going out in October and I will wait untill early October to get my ticket now.

Thai are £457 at present.

[TheFiend]

Did a search recently for the exact dates and flights of my May trip with Qatar...... And the flights came back as double what I paid...

[jacko]

Did a search recently for the exact dates and flights of my May trip with Qatar...... And the flights came back as double what I paid...

Well if the flights are filling up, and you limited your search to specific dates, I would expect that.

[TheFiend]

Well if the flights are filling up, and you limited your search to specific dates, I would expect that.

 

After I book I always keep an eye on the prices of the flights that I have booked..... I always seem to book at just the right time when there are bargains to be had.

[jacko]

 

After I book I always keep an eye on the prices of the flights that I have booked..... I always seem to book at just the right time when there are bargains to be had.

I got a mileage ticket by booking 7 months in advance.

Normally not a sniff of them for when I booked.

[Goldpanner]

Air ticket prices should stay pretty high-ish and stable now untill after July/August except if anyone has a lot of spare allocations then you might see some good price dumps like a few years back when Thai dumped several hundred seat for £325

[yselmike]

Eva and KLM have the only direct flights from Schipol,EVA have flights 9 Jan return 28 Feb 2018 for 601euro,9Jan is a Tuesday,it's the same price for those dates as this year,you won't get it cheaper for a direct flight.