Guest famousfive Posted June 14, 2010 Share Posted June 14, 2010 We are returning home in April of next year but not sure when to book flights.Is it an advantage to book this early or are there certain times of the year when new flight deals come up?I have looked at prices and they seem ok but not sure if we save or lose out by booking so far in advance. We are heading to Dublin and hoping to fly Singapore or Cathay Pacific and avoid London airports by flying in to Paris or Frankfurt.We will spend a couple of nights in all stopover destinations.Would love to do 3-4 stopovers along the way but may be very costly to do so,we have 3 kids and don't really want to miss the chance of showing them a wee bit of the world on our journey home. Any advice regarding best time to book would be appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest36187 Posted June 14, 2010 Share Posted June 14, 2010 Why dont you try adn get hold of NigelinOz (now proud2beaussie) he may be able to help you out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conniebygaslight Posted June 14, 2010 Share Posted June 14, 2010 We are returning home in April of next year but not sure when to book flights.Is it an advantage to book this early or are there certain times of the year when new flight deals come up?I have looked at prices and they seem ok but not sure if we save or lose out by booking so far in advance. We are heading to Dublin and hoping to fly Singapore or Cathay Pacific and avoid London airports by flying in to Paris or Frankfurt.We will spend a couple of nights in all stopover destinations.Would love to do 3-4 stopovers along the way but may be very costly to do so,we have 3 kids and don't really want to miss the chance of showing them a wee bit of the world on our journey home. Any advice regarding best time to book would be appreciated. Hi FF, When we booked wth Singapore recently is was a bit of a swizz. I logged on and got the quote then proceeded to booking- I then realised that I needed to transfer money into the account that my debit card is linked to this took me all of 3 mins by which time the fare had gone up 600 dollars for the 5 of us! I had to book it though as fares were going up on a daily basis and just had to swallow it. They also charged me a fee for using a debit card which I queried and was told it's just how it is. I don't think I would book so far in advance to be honest but that's just because of circumstances changing. Sorry that's no help at all is it lol!:hug: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo_uktooz Posted June 14, 2010 Share Posted June 14, 2010 Ok I'm probably a bit biased as my BF is one of them and I used to be one but I always book my fares through a travel agent,it's a bit of a myth that the only way to get good fares are on the internet,travel agents get special discounts that just never make it to the internet because consolidators (basically wholsalers) often buy blocks of seats and pass them on to agents only so I suggest you find a good licensed travel agent and give them your requirements,they will be able to arrange stopovers for you which can be tricky to do online and you have the advantage of dealing with a real person so that in the unlikely,but possible nonetheless event that your flight is changed or cancelled you will have someone available on the end of a phone rather than just an email itinerary. At the moment the discount cycle with the legacy carriers like Singapore and Cathay has bottomed out and many carriers are looking to build their market share again after the slump in bookings last year so fares will probably be on the rise for the rest of the year however there are always deals available if you know where to look. Personally I would contact an agent and ask their advice about any likely sales between now and the time you wish to travel,don't forget the earlybird sales which generally are released in early October for travel in the first few months of the following year. Good Luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest famousfive Posted June 14, 2010 Share Posted June 14, 2010 Thanks to you both, Joanne,will pm him later,thank you,is he a travel agent? That's what I need i suppose,asked at local agents but the gent I spoke to seemed none the wiser than myself!!Had a nice wee chat about Hong Kong though,haha. Conniebygaslight,sounds like you are all set then for the big trip home,I wish you the very best of luck with it.Do you mind me asking which company you booked with? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest famousfive Posted June 14, 2010 Share Posted June 14, 2010 Ok I'm probably a bit biased as my BF is one of them and I used to be one but I always book my fares through a travel agent,it's a bit of a myth that the only way to get good fares are on the internet,travel agents get special discounts that just never make it to the internet because consolidators (basically wholsalers) often buy blocks of seats and pass them on to agents only so I suggest you find a good licensed travel agent and give them your requirements,they will be able to arrange stopovers for you which can be tricky to do online and you have the advantage of dealing with a real person so that in the unlikely,but possible nonetheless event that your flight is changed or cancelled you will have someone available on the end of a phone rather than just an email itinerary.At the moment the discount cycle with the legacy carriers like Singapore and Cathay has bottomed out and many carriers are looking to build their market share again after the slump in bookings last year so fares will probably be on the rise for the rest of the year however there are always deals available if you know where to look. Personally I would contact an agent and ask their advice about any likely sales between now and the time you wish to travel,don't forget the earlybird sales which generally are released in early October for travel in the first few months of the following year. Good Luck Thank you,yes I think an agent is probably the way to go even though we booked through ebookers for our trip here and got a great deal through them.The earlybird sales may be a good idea for us as we a quite flexible about when we leave,Feb-May would do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo_uktooz Posted June 14, 2010 Share Posted June 14, 2010 Hi FF, Yeah Nigel has changed his username but you can find him here: http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/members/proud2beaussie.html He's in Kuala Lumpur until tomorrow on business but if you send him a PM he will get back to you as soon as he can. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest famousfive Posted June 14, 2010 Share Posted June 14, 2010 thanks again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conniebygaslight Posted June 14, 2010 Share Posted June 14, 2010 Thanks to you both, Joanne,will pm him later,thank you,is he a travel agent? That's what I need i suppose,asked at local agents but the gent I spoke to seemed none the wiser than myself!!Had a nice wee chat about Hong Kong though,haha. Conniebygaslight,sounds like you are all set then for the big trip home,I wish you the very best of luck with it.Do you mind me asking which company you booked with? Hi FF I used best flights .com. we leave 26th August and I can't believe how much there is to do-seems harder this way-no sure why. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest famousfive Posted June 14, 2010 Share Posted June 14, 2010 Feet up,glass of wine and make a list.Then....cross out all the things you can live without doing.Then....tear the list in half and giving your loving other their share.Then............pour another glass of wine as you now have plenty of time to enjoy it!!! Seriously though,why not ask a friend to help out[or oh] even if it is just taking the kids for the day allowing you the time and quietness to get things done. Then again,option A seems more fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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