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sellouts posted:That's a lot of Avios! Congrats! For both of us, it was 180,000 avios, a companion voucher, and then $2600 in taxes/fees. Still a steal though! Full price would have been close to $17k.
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Feb 27, 2014 04:41
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Given those fees I assume your awards are on BA? I avoided them on my award travel. Fees are just way too high.
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Feb 27, 2014 04:55
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sellouts posted:Given those fees I assume your awards are on BA? Yeah, we have a BA credit card. With the fees, we probably paid a little less than coach would have cost, but we get to go first class. I read they give you a pair of pajamas.
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Feb 27, 2014 05:13
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poo poo, that is expensive. When I went business from Australia to Japan to Canada for two people it was like $300 in fees.
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Feb 27, 2014 05:20
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Yeah my 11 or 13 flights in biz cost us around 500 in fees. Most of which were UK APD. I did bring my pajamas from a previous AA flight. For overnight flights they're great.
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Feb 27, 2014 17:49
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Emasculatrix posted:For both of us, it was 180,000 avios, a companion voucher, and then $2600 in taxes/fees. Still a steal though! Full price would have been close to $17k. Yowzers, that's nuts. Any reason why you couldn't find AA metal to avoid that YQ surcharge? I don't collect Avios (at least until my intra-Europe BA flights in a couple of weeks) but all the folks I know that do say their longhaul awards, especially on BA metal, aren't a particularly great value. But the short-distance awards, especially on partner carriers, are usually a stellar value.
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Feb 27, 2014 17:58
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For what it's worth J on AA's 773 exceeded CX as the best flight I've ever been on. Hard product, soft product, it all was great. F is probably that much better.
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Feb 28, 2014 02:16
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Emasculatrix posted:I read they give you a pair of pajamas. They do but they're nothing special. I used to do the catering for BA at JFK and snagged a pair or two 
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Feb 28, 2014 05:52
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Mackieman posted:Yowzers, that's nuts. Any reason why you couldn't find AA metal to avoid that YQ surcharge? I don't collect Avios (at least until my intra-Europe BA flights in a couple of weeks) but all the folks I know that do say their longhaul awards, especially on BA metal, aren't a particularly great value. But the short-distance awards, especially on partner carriers, are usually a stellar value.  We're not frequent flyers...we just earned points using our credit card, and this is what BA gave us for them.
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Feb 28, 2014 07:37
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Goodbye bereavement fares I don't know anyone that used them, but this makes it official on AA.
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Feb 28, 2014 09:30
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sellouts posted:Goodbye bereavement fares I've never seen them price out at less than the currently available fare, even same day. Which isn't to say it doesn't happen, I've just never heard of a case where it worked. Maybe a bereavement fare would force you onto an oversold flight or something. In other news, I'm at AUS heading off to CAN on my trip to China the long way, and thanks to UA's res system, checking the bag through to CAN was not possible. SHARES allows a maximum of three connections so I have to recheck the bag in FRA. I have like nine hours so it's not the end of the world, but it is a really dumb issue to have with baggage.
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Feb 28, 2014 14:09
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Emasculatrix posted:
Sure, but you don't have to be a frequent traveler to get better value for your points than you have with what you've currently got booked. But such is life; it certainly won't suck. 
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Feb 28, 2014 14:10
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Mackieman posted:Sure, but you don't have to be a frequent traveler to get better value for your points than you have with what you've currently got booked. But such is life; it certainly won't suck. Where can I find more information about how to get better value in the future? We still have more points and another companion voucher.
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Feb 28, 2014 17:51
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Speaking as someone who travels once or twice a year (relatively not much), I don't seem to understand the absolute need of some people to travel in first class (except maybe the exception of internationally). I like to think that economy seats get you to more places and is a temporary discomfort relative to the amount of time you are on that plane. Then again, I've never flown business or first, so there's that too.
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Feb 28, 2014 21:16
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Emasculatrix posted:Where can I find more information about how to get better value in the future? We still have more points and another companion voucher. Flyertalk, google, or here! $2200 on what should be a "free" flight should set off some alarm bells. Next time you're thinking about purchasing or using Avios put up a post. LaserWash posted:Speaking as someone who travels once or twice a year (relatively not much), I don't seem to understand the absolute need of some people to travel in first class (except maybe the exception of internationally). I like to think that economy seats get you to more places and is a temporary discomfort relative to the amount of time you are on that plane. Then again, I've never flown business or first, so there's that too. This is likely off topic, but yes, the appeal of premium cabins are long flights and thus international flights with people who travel frequently enough to have their patience worn thin or by people who have had the luxury before and don't want to think about going back without it.
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Feb 28, 2014 23:40
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Emasculatrix posted:Where can I find more information about how to get better value in the future? We still have more points and another companion voucher. Post here. Between sellouts (who's Avios-fu is stronger than mine) and I, we've got you covered.
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Mar 1, 2014 08:55
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I'm looking to fly to Bulgaria in June for a friend's wedding. Unfortunately, the place they are getting married is about 6 hours from Sofia but is about 1.5 hours from Bourgas. My plan was to get there a day before and drive from Bourgas to the city. I would also love to be able to see a friend in London after the wedding as well. I know there are some cheap flights from London to Bourgas. What's the best way to get there? Origin: IAD, BWI, PHL, others? I'm in southern Delaware with friends and family in the DC area. Destination: Sofia or Bourgas Bulgaria Duration: Wedding is June 7th, time is pretty much flexible but need to be back in the states by the 13th
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Mar 1, 2014 15:15
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My wife and I are going to fly to England in August for our friend's wedding (which is in London). The couple actually lives in Birmingham, however, and we'd enjoy a chance to see other parts of the UK and/or Ireland if possible during the trip. Dates: Would ideally like to fly out on the evening of 8/8 with return between 8/15-17. The wedding is 8/10 in London. Origin: RDU (although would also consider GSO, CLT, FAY - even RIC, BWI, IAD if the discount is substantial enough) Destination: LON or BHX to fly into, would consider going broader (MAN, etc) if price is right. Ideally we'd like to spend $1000 or less per person on tickets, but I'm not finding much that's cheaper than 1400.
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Mar 2, 2014 21:36
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Not to be insensitive to the poor passengers on the Malaysian Air flight, but has this event affected flight prices to Asia? I've been watching flight prices from Toronto to Japan from June-July for the last 2 months and noticed my preferred date increase by $400. I probably should've booked earlier.
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Mar 11, 2014 13:40
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Fart Jockey posted:Not to be insensitive to the poor passengers on the Malaysian Air flight, but has this event affected flight prices to Asia? I've been watching flight prices from Toronto to Japan from June-July for the last 2 months and noticed my preferred date increase by $400. I probably should've booked earlier. There is no indication whatsoever that the events of MH370 have anything to do with pricing or anything else in the industry at this point. Pricing is market driven, and that's how it goes sometimes.
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Mar 12, 2014 09:08
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I've been watching that too, transpacific flights are as expensive as ever. Especially June-August. If you find anything $950-1200 jump on it.
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Mar 13, 2014 02:22
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I'm doing some looking around myself but was interested to see if you guys could find any alternatives to what I'm finding for what I want to do. Point of origin: I usually leave through ORD, but I live in central MI so it's a bit of a drive. Destination: Santiago, Chile (SCL) Dates possible: Beginning of June until middle of August I want to take a trip down there for about 17 nights (though this is somewhat flexible) for as cheaply as possible. Lowest I can come up with currently is 1108USD round trip, but would welcome any ways to push this lower. Prices are usually around 1200. Thanks in advance!
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Mar 18, 2014 19:37
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Redczar posted:I'm doing some looking around myself but was interested to see if you guys could find any alternatives to what I'm finding for what I want to do. I don't see anything better currently.
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Mar 18, 2014 22:04
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Grab that asap dude, unless the transfers are crazy
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Mar 18, 2014 22:49
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On here I've read that if you're happy with a price you should just buy it now, but what if you're not happy with a price and the international flight is still 3.5 months away? I read somewhere else that about 8 weeks before a flight is the best time to book. Someone at work who flies to europe a lot says about a month before has been best in his experience. Is there any chance that current prices will drop by a couple of hundred in the next 6 weeks or do you pros find that they just keep getting more expensive? (Looking to fly from London -> Perth early July. We originally booked tickets (on sale?) a few months ago for around $1000 one way, but need to change it to a week later, and the same Emirates flight has since gone up by about $600 or so AUD. However Malaysia Airlines are pretty well priced at the moment...) Thanks in advance for advice, we really don't know whether to risk waiting longer but prices seam way too high at the moment.
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Mar 19, 2014 11:52
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art of spoonbending posted:On here I've read that if you're happy with a price you should just buy it now, but what if you're not happy with a price and the international flight is still 3.5 months away? You mentioned that the price went up, but what fares are you seeing? And are you looking at round trip or one way? There is no universal truth about when it's best to buy airfare. The bit about buying when it's at a price you're willing to pay is true, but the corollary of that the fare should be in line with market norms. Fares have gotten more expensive world-wide for the most part, so knowing what you're seeing and searching for will help.
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Mar 19, 2014 13:59
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Mackieman posted:You mentioned that the price went up, but what fares are you seeing? And are you looking at round trip or one way? edit [delete boring overly specific details] Because we're sort of locked in with a booking agent, unless it works out cheaper to pay the penalty fee to cancel altogether, you might not be able to help too much, the main thing we're hoping to know is if there's any likelihood of the flights getting cheaper in the next few weeks. Or if we should just bite the bullet and pay the several hundred more now before it's even more expensive. art of spoonbending fucked around with this message at 17:20 on Mar 26, 2014 |
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Mar 19, 2014 16:07
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I could probably use assistance! 2 passengers going on a trip to Ireland! We either need to leave from RDU (preferred) or GSO(doable, but rarely cheaper than RDU in my experience) Dates: 5/24/14(Saturday) to 6/3/14(Tuesday) Days are flexible slightly, but I've already picked those days of the week to try and dodge higher prices. So, I saw some nearly-$700s last Wednesday, but they're hovering closer to the $900 range this week. Kayak is suggesting that there's a decent chance that rates will go down if I wait? I just don't want to lose hundreds of dollars by not going for it today if that's what I should do.
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Mar 19, 2014 18:14
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$700 is really strong. I wouldn't wait too much longer but I also don't use Kayak to determine when I should buy tickets. Maybe others can chime in if it's reliable, but I just don't think past performance is a good qualifier for future pricing.
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Mar 19, 2014 22:36
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sellouts posted:$700 is really strong. I wouldn't wait too much longer but I also don't use Kayak to determine when I should buy tickets. Maybe others can chime in if it's reliable, but I just don't think past performance is a good qualifier for future pricing. Yeah, I'll probably just grab the $858 tonight if nobody advises against it. It's also got a really nice 4PM flight home, which should give me time to see a bit more of Dublin in the morning before we have to catch our flight. Unless somebody disagrees, of course.
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Mar 19, 2014 22:41
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I just did a quick look, if you can still grab the 858 I think that's a very solid price. I tried the game of getting a flight to JFK/EWR/BOS and booking that city to dub, and it all washes out and/or adds a lot of travel time.
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Mar 19, 2014 22:47
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sellouts posted:I just did a quick look, if you can still grab the 858 I think that's a very solid price. You could also try into DUB and out of SNN as it's not terribly difficult or expensive (usually) to get between the two, but yeah, I'd go for it around $800 myself.
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Mar 19, 2014 22:53
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Mackieman posted:You could also try into DUB and out of SNN as it's not terribly difficult or expensive (usually) to get between the two, but yeah, I'd go for it around $800 myself. Thanks friends! I went ahead and grabbed it. Now for the painstakingly long process of finding a good hotel everywhere we're visiting (I tend to cover a lot of ground and see ALL THE THINGS on my vacations). Just having someone else assure me that I wasn't being dumb is a huge help.
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Mar 19, 2014 23:02
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theflyingorc posted:Thanks friends! I went ahead and grabbed it. Now for the painstakingly long process of finding a good hotel everywhere we're visiting (I tend to cover a lot of ground and see ALL THE THINGS on my vacations). Glad we could help. I just got back from a trip to London, Vienna, Bratislava, Salzburg, Edinburgh, and Dublin in about 10 days, so let me know if you need help finding hotels and/or flats to rent.
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Mar 20, 2014 00:35
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Redczar posted:I'm doing some looking around myself but was interested to see if you guys could find any alternatives to what I'm finding for what I want to do. Incase you haven't booked this yet.. $550 with Spirit ORD LIM ORD $260 with LAN LIM SCL LIM So there is some scope for savings there, but you have to fly Spirit (extra fees) and get off at LIM. The $550 is a fare for June 2 and return June 18.. You have slightly higher fares, like $710 on Copa Airlines (they're decent) available all of June and July from ORD to LIM via PTY (Panama City), and the LAN fares are available as well so you could shave about $200 off the price if you're willing to pay for the inconvenience of changing planes at Panama and Lima, and having an unprotected connection at Lima (make sure you have at least 5 hours for that to cover for delays).
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Mar 21, 2014 12:51
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I'm currently in San Salvador, El Salvador and I need to get to Austin, Texas ASAP. Skyskanner isn't working with my internet currently, could I please get a good vector on a one-way ticket set to leave between March 30th and April 10th or thereabouts? Cheap is important, let's say an increase of $20 a day to get me home faster is acceptable. Thanks for the help! edit: Yes. I dropped the hammer on $550 for April 8th. Didn't seem like too much of a ripoff for twelve days' notice. i say swears online fucked around with this message at 17:25 on Mar 25, 2014 |
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Mar 25, 2014 15:54
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Are you a US citizen?
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Mar 25, 2014 17:22
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Hey guys, what would be the best time to buy tickets across the USA for a flight in early August? I'll be leaving from the DC area (either Reagan or Dulles) and landing in Seattle. I'll buy the tickets whenever I can expect the best deal, but the flight is gonna be the week of the 8th and the return flight is gonna be the 9th. I'll probably have 6-7 adults with me and 1 child. Hotels and car rentals are being handled by someone else, so I don't care about that.
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Mar 25, 2014 19:51
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Eulogistics posted:I'll be leaving from the DC area (either Reagan or Dulles) and landing in Seattle. I'll buy the tickets whenever I can expect the best deal, but the flight is gonna be the week of the 8th and the return flight is gonna be the 9th. I'll probably have 6-7 adults with me and 1 child. Hotels and car rentals are being handled by someone else, so I don't care about that. Be really careful when you do this that you don't do what I did on my trip to Costa Rica - I accidentally flew OUT of Reagan and back INTO Dulles. That sucked. A lot. Also, thanks for the advice on the Ireland tickets again everyone - prices have gone up $100 per this week! Another piece of advice: when you use Kayak, be very careful when they route you to the actual seller of the flight that the EXACT SAME FLIGHTS are selected. I was on the phone with Aer Lingus for forever getting things straightened out.
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Mar 25, 2014 19:56
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I travel internationally pretty regularly, 2/3 times a year. I tend to buy my tickets a a couple of months, usually 2, ahead of time. Is there any point in buying tickets even further out, say 6 months? I am looking at tickets from AMS or DUS to KIX in either September or October, but would buying them now be any cheaper than waiting until say June/July?
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Mar 26, 2014 11:20
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