Price drop

[yselmike 347]

I see the prices have started to drop for the direct flights from Amsterdam.EVA have dropped a couple of hundred Euro's,under a €1000 now.KLM just over 1k.

That's for flights from the the first two weeks in December till the last two weeks in January,around 50 days.Would get me away for the darkest and longest nights.

[jacko 8,578]

Wow.... looking 40+ weeks in advance? Ten months. 

[yselmike 347]

1 hour ago, jacko said:

Wow.... looking 40+ weeks in advance? Ten months. 

I won't book yet! In the past July is the month to get the best price for a flight in January.I am just curious to see what's going on with flight prices.Same as I check the exchange rate on the TT website.I don't expect €600 flights any more.Things could get strange.

[jacko 8,578]

2 hours ago, yselmike said:

I won't book yet! In the past July is the month to get the best price for a flight in January.I am just curious to see what's going on with flight prices.Same as I check the exchange rate on the TT website.I don't expect €600 flights any more.Things could get strange.

Talked to someone recently out from UK via Amsterdam, KLM, his ticket quite expensive and a few terms and conditions came with it. 

[forcebwithu 4,355]

Noticed fares back to the US are slowly coming down as well. Finally crossed the insane price threshold into the expensive territory. Since I haven't been back in 3+ years I've rationalized the higher price by reminding myself I'm still money ahead because of missing the cost of three of my annual return trips.

Unfortunately my long time preferred carrier, Delta, is still in the insane price territory. The flight in May I just booked is a United code share with ANA. ANA gets high marks, not looking forward to the United portion of the flights.

[yselmike 347]

4 hours ago, jacko said:

Talked to someone recently out from UK via Amsterdam, KLM, his ticket quite expensive and a few terms and conditions came with it. 

The flight i would go for allows changes,€50 plus flight costs.Thats a biggie for me because I come for 4 weeks and then get an extension if I want to stay longer.KLM have always had the attitude that we should be grateful they allow us on their planes.

[keyman 1,325]

I came over using KLM just recently. It was expensive, the food was utter crap and all the flight attendants bar one was over 45 and some significantly older. Certainly not the best for the money.

[yselmike 347]

2 hours ago, keyman said:

I came over using KLM just recently. It was expensive, the food was utter crap and all the flight attendants bar one was over 45 and some significantly older. Certainly not the best for the money.

KLM and EVA are the only airline's that do direct flights to Bangkok from Schiphol,not exactly spoiled for choice.Both are always fully booked in high season.I usually go for EVA.One option for me is to go via the gulf and then stay for a few nights in Bangkok,then make my way to pattaya.I will then not spend a few nights in Bangkok at the end as I have done for the last 25 years.I like to go shopping in Bangkok but I really don't need any more clothes, certainly no stuff.

[yselmike 347]

I have booked with EVA January 9 to February 6.

Clearly the days of cheap flights are over. Paid €1085,pre COVID it was €600-650 .It's a direct flight,free choice of normal economy seat and 35kg hold luggage.KLM is a few hundred euro more.Flying via the gulf or Turkey was around €900 with the stopover.

 

[awesum4 1,997]

I have been looking at flights all year for late June. Last year in May I got flights for $1,500 return.

This year I looked and looked and couldn't get it for less than $2,500.

Then I decided to try Booking.com who I use for accommodation.  I got return flights with reasonable  (not good) travel times for $1,900.  So $400 more than last year, but $600 less than travel agents or airlines themselves. 

[yselmike 347]

57 minutes ago, awesum4 said:

I have been looking at flights all year for late June. Last year in May I got flights for $1,500 return.

This year I looked and looked and couldn't get it for less than $2,500.

Then I decided to try Booking.com who I use for accommodation.  I got return flights with reasonable  (not good) travel times for $1,900.  So $400 more than last year, but $600 less than travel agents or airlines themselves. 

There were flights with only carry on,no pre check in seat choice.They are not for me.Flights with a stop over and under 18 hour flight time we're all above €900.

[yselmike 347]

1 hour ago, awesum4 said:

I have been looking at flights all year for late June. Last year in May I got flights for $1,500 return.

This year I looked and looked and couldn't get it for less than $2,500.

Then I decided to try Booking.com who I use for accommodation.  I got return flights with reasonable  (not good) travel times for $1,900.  So $400 more than last year, but $600 less than travel agents or airlines themselves. 

If that's the price for June,what will they be like during the high season?

[awesum4 1,997]

22 hours ago, yselmike said:

There were flights with only carry on,no pre check in seat choice.They are not for me.Flights with a stop over and under 18 hour flight time we're all above €900.

I've not got checked baggage traveling light this time. I normally check in a pack which holds heaps of things I never actually wear or use in Thailand. 

The actual time in the air is about 18 hours,  have two stops on each leg adding another 4 hours in total.  If it saves me several hundred dollars I can handle it.

I've never bothered with seat allocation I can sit anywhere as long as I don't get stuck between 2 extra large people. It hasn't happened so far.

[Jon77 7]

Currently in Japan and noticed good deals this month flying from Japan to BKk

[yselmike 347]

I have booked for my next trip 2 January 2025 till 1 March 2025.Direct with EVA from Amsterdam,€1200.Standard economy,choice of seat 23kg luggage. Premium economy for the return trip,it's over 13 hours so the better seat and service are appreciated.Cleaned out the old Eva tickets,a 2019 ticket same dates cost € 636.

Looking on Skyscanner there are no cheap flights to be had,none! Because Eva and KLM are the only direct flights from Schiphol and lack of deals I decided to get it while it's a price I am willing to pay. The flights are usually crammed full mostly with older folks like me,as we die off I wonder if we will be replaced.

[jacko 8,578]

5 hours ago, yselmike said:

The flights are usually crammed full mostly with older folks like me,as we die off I wonder if we will be replaced.

Oh I  expect so, time stands still for no-one!

Lots of younger folks coming to stay longer term too.

Edited April 5 by jacko

[Rawhide2 1,325]

I'm looking to go start of October and come back end of March 2025

Saudi keep popping up at around £560 slightly longer transit times than I'd normally do but on 6 month trip no real issue (or least obviously outbound !)

Eva is popping up around £690 using Travel Supermarket

Not too many carriers showing at the moment as most (but not all) dont quote until the return sector is within 330 days of the current date

Might just do what I did this year and one way out and sort out teturn next year

Edited April 7 by Rawhide2

[yselmike 347]

5 hours ago, Rawhide2 said:

I'm looking to go start of October and come back end of March 2025

Saudi keep popping up at around £560 slightly longer transit times than I'd normally do but on 6 month trip no real issue (or least obviously outbound !)

Eva is popping up around £690 using Travel Supermarket

Not too many carriers showing at the moment as most (but not all) dont quote until the return sector is within 330 days of the current date

Might just do what I did this year and one way out and sort out return next year

For my dates only two Saudi and one Cathay Pacific flights show under €1000.That's via Skyscanner,not sure if that's with hold luggage and seat choice.

 

[Rawhide2 1,325]

18 hours ago, yselmike said:

For my dates only two Saudi and one Cathay Pacific flights show under €1000.That's via Skyscanner,not sure if that's with hold luggage and seat choice.

 

Saudi included checked bag on pricing I gave above. No idea on seat selection. I always wait until online check in opens and select aisle seat without paying any airline

Never sat anywhere other than aisle. Check in block off seats in advance knowing only to well people will ask at check in. Nothing is likely to piss off a passenger more than being told at check in middle seat only (if you're arriving 3 hours early) and airlines want you to fly with them again rather than going elsewhere next time

 

Edited in...Yes Cathay includes 1 checked bag or at least from London

Edited April 8 by Rawhide2

[yselmike 347]

1 hour ago, Rawhide2 said:

Saudi included checked bag on pricing I gave above. No idea on seat selection. I always wait until online check in opens and select aisle seat without paying any airline

Never sat anywhere other than aisle. Check in block off seats in advance knowing only to well people will ask at check in. Nothing is likely to piss off a passenger more than being told at check in middle seat only (if you're arriving 3 hours early) and airlines want you to fly with them again rather than going elsewhere next time

 

Edited in...Yes Cathay includes 1 checked bag or at least from London

The prices Skyscanner showed were all via agencies,not the Arline sites.They all seem to get negative reviews, customer service non existent etc etc.I only book on the airlines sites.High season prices December to March are brutal,no idea if they will come down but EVA only have flights from Schiphol 3 days a week.KLM daily but they are always expensive,ok if you only have hand luggage are prepared to gamble on where you seat. I'll be 73 by the time I fly in January I need an aisle seat.My prostate and sciatica nerve demand I move a lot.

[sailingbill 888]

2 hours ago, Rawhide2 said:

Saudi included checked bag on pricing I gave above. No idea on seat selection. I always wait until online check in opens and select aisle seat without paying any airline

Never sat anywhere other than aisle. Check in block off seats in advance knowing only to well people will ask at check in. Nothing is likely to piss off a passenger more than being told at check in middle seat only (if you're arriving 3 hours early) and airlines want you to fly with them again rather than going elsewhere next time

 

Edited in...Yes Cathay includes 1 checked bag or at least from London

A tad OT but even for my domestic flight, aisle only. I go forward immediately when allowed on landing. If rarely spoken to I say I'll be on my motorcycle back to the village before you unload that queerly large bag from the over head bin.   

Edited April 8 by sailingbill

[Rawhide2 1,325]

1 hour ago, yselmike said:

The prices Skyscanner showed were all via agencies,not the Arline sites.They all seem to get negative reviews, customer service non existent etc etc.I only book on the airlines sites.High season prices December to March are brutal,no idea if they will come down but EVA only have flights from Schiphol 3 days a week.KLM daily but they are always expensive,ok if you only have hand luggage are prepared to gamble on where you seat. I'll be 73 by the time I fly in January I need an aisle seat.My prostate and sciatica nerve demand I move a lot.

Just go on to Travel Supermarket

See the flights you want and click through. It tells you what baggage is included.

If you then insist on paying more for your flight then go direct to the airline site and book there !!

How come I've never had a single problem using agents lol.....when I have needed to get hold of customer service their responses have been superb and proactive (and I needed that service as recently as March when the airline itself didnt answer via Twitter Facebook Email and offices closed at weekends to phone calls.....22 minutes it took for Travel Trolley to respond to my subsequent email after their own office opened at 9am UK time on a Saturday)

This internet "myth" that somehow its better to book direct with the airlines has somehow turned into an internet "fact" this last 25 years

Its wrong on so many levels.......you take Southall Travel. Now I use one of their 5 seperate online agents. Can you only imagine how much business they give as consolidators to all airlines every single day ?? 1000s of booked flights daily and then some. Now why would an airline piss off these guys by not responding immediately to any queries they have ?? 

in short they dont.

Utter myth that booking direct is better. Plus inavriably it costs more

Edited April 8 by Rawhide2

[forcebwithu 4,355]

^^^
I always find it amusing when based on one person's great experience with a business, any others that report a negative experience are discounted and their reports classified as "myths".

A data point of one is statistically irrelevant.

[yselmike 347]

50 minutes ago, Rawhide2 said:

Just go on to Travel Supermarket

See the flights you want and click through. It tells you what baggage is included.

If you then insist on paying more for your flight then go direct to the airline site and book there !!

How come I've never had a single problem using agents lol.....when I have needed to get hold of customer service their responses have been superb and proactive (and I needed that service as recently as March when the airline itself didnt answer via Twitter Facebook Email and offices closed at weekends to phone calls.....22 minutes it took for Travel Trolley to respond to my subsequent email after their own office opened at 9am UK time on a Saturday)

This internet "myth" that somehow its better to book direct with the airlines has somehow turned into an internet "fact" this last 25 years

Its wrong on so many levels.......you take Southall Travel. Now I use one of their 5 seperate online agents. Can you only imagine how much business they give as consolidators to all airlines every single day ?? 1000s of booked flights daily and then some. Now why would an airline piss off these guys by not responding immediately to any queries they have ?? 

in short they dont.

Utter myth that booking direct is better. Plus inavriably it costs more

I'm in the Netherlands not the UK.The reviews are horrendous,some of the sites are very dodgy.I did use one site for years "vliegwinkel" nl,even when they were a bucket shop on the Rokin in Amsterdam,I never had a problem with them.I just put my dates into Skyscanner and they come up with a list of providers and the cheap ones come with a long list of grievances,some are self inflicted like spelling the name wrong like,mike instead of Michael.

[Rawhide2 1,325]

On 4/8/2024 at 11:21 AM, forcebwithu said:

^^^
I always find it amusing when based on one person's great experience with a business, any others that report a negative experience are discounted and their reports classified as "myths".

A data point of one is statistically irrelevant.

Force

I "doubt" very much if this is anyone (on any forum) who has done more London Bangkok round tickets  with a fair proportion on staff tickets and a few booked direct with airline down the decades

At least of the overall total I'd say a minimum 100 have been "agent" tickets. Never once have I had a problem. Not once. Have they all been booked with one single agent...nope far from it

When I have had issues or want changes did the agent deal very effectively with the requests....yep each and every time

The problem with what you (and others say) is invariably we always only (in the main) hear the bad experiences (doesnt matter what the subject matter is the same scenario applies)

100/100 succesful bookings is some five star rating am sure you agree

If peoiple want to book direct crack on and pay more but with none of the benefits of an agent if things go awry with a booking

Out of interest 1 month after contacting an airline direct over a minor issue am still waiting for a response from their registered Twitter and FB messenger accounts after it transpired they closed their phonelines at weekends.....it took my agent in March who really shouldnt have needed to get involved just 22 minutes to respond and sort)

As Trink would have said.....further words are superfluous