nav[aria-label="Primary Navigation"] { padding: 0; & ul { list-style: none; width: 100%; display: flex; flex-direction: row; justify-content: start; align-items: start; gap: 30px; padding: 0; & li { margin: 0; } & ul li { list-style: none; } } }

Booking airline tickets at 330 days out!

terrilynn

Just wanted to thank whoever recommended booking airline tickets at the 330 day mark from the return trip (which is actually the first day you can book) == I know the topic was about Business Class seats, but we can't afford that - we usually fly coach and pay about $1300-1500 each on MultiCity flights. We booked on our opening window day, at 330 days out for our return for our Tauck Oberammergau Ultimate Alps & Dolomites for September 2022 and we were able to get Delta Comfort+ seats (bigger than coach) for $1200 !! We are very happy. Tauck's price was quite a bit higher, so we did book on our own.
Thanks to everyone who posted about this --- TerriLynn.

Comments

Portolan

And just FYI: the 330 day mark used to be absolute, but for several years now I've found that some flights show up a week or so earlier. We use United miles to book United and Star Alliance flights and have seen quite a few partners show up a bit more than 330 days out and then the United flights are often a bit late, at least for award flights. I frequently grab something at the first opportunity and then change the flights if a better option shows up (with now change fees under the current policies).

AlanS

Portolan is correct about the so called "330 day booking window," especially with some foreign carriers. I haven't run into any that are shorter, but several foreign carriers have a longer window, even in the same alliance.

I think the COVID era "No Change Fee" policies are starting to change. For better timing and aircraft, I recently made a change to our March J&E flights. For our long haul flights,Turkish whose policy I didn't know, charged an $80 p/p change fee and for our domestic connection flights, Delta, who hadn't charged change fees for over a year, charged us $10 p/p.

To those booking your own flights but are not aware, the 330 prior period opens up 330 days prior to the beginning of your return leg for a r/t or open jaw/multi-city itinerary.

MCD

Tauck just changed the starting date of my "Jerusalem, the Red Sea & Petra Tour." It meant that I had to change my Turkish Air flight, which cost me about $65. Tauck told my TA than they would reimburse up to $250 in change fees. Though it didn't affect me because I was so far under the $250 cap, it seems to me that because Tauck changed the tour date, they should pay whatever change fee is assessed.

British

I’ve told this story before. Tauck pre Pandemic, canceled our departure date for our Singapore Bali tour. The agent said the tour was not proving popular. She offered another date which we took, reluctantly, because it was at the start of the rainy season. We had booked our own air and it cost us over $1000 to change because the price had gone up. The agent told us that there was a $250 cap, unless you sent Tauck receipt to show that the airfare change was more than that. We sent receipts and got a check back from Tauck very quickly. Your agent should have told you the full story. We met someone else on another tour who had had their Singapore Bali date eliminated too, but she had been offered a much better date, if we had been offered that date, we would have preferred it.
Then the Pandemic happened, Tauck cancelled the tour, so they were out a $1000 right there. We did not rebook the tour initially, believing that the Pandemic would still be ongoing in 2021. We asked for a refund. Several months later, we booked the tour for 2022. Mr B really wants to see the Komodo dragons and see more of Singapore where his father was stationed just after the war. We were in Singapore for just 24 hours many years ago.

marsha_bazzoli

Hello, I came across this thread today and it got me wondering about a Tauck trip we are taking (fingers crossed) in May 'The Best of Ireland' . At the end of the trip we have tickets for the RHS Chelsea flower show in London and because of the expense of one way flights I thought about a RT flight from our departing city to Dublin with a return date 4 days after the tour ends. When the tour ends, I'd take a RT flight from Dublin to London and then leaving for home from Dublin. There are quite a few daily flights from London to Dublin, I just have to make sure I have at least 3 hours before the DUB to CLE departs ,which does look possible. I hope this makes sense.

My question to all of you who are more experienced in booking international flights, does this sound feasible or is there another more sensible way to get London into this trip without a huge increase in $$ for the flights.

BKMD

One way flights from Dublin to London are dirt cheap. I picked a random date in May and it's anywhere from $21 to $40 (Ryanair or British Air). If you book a flight from CLE to DUB, then return LHR to CLE, there shouldn't be a premium or one-way charge. Many Tauck trips fly into one country and out of another and there are no significant issues booking a multi-city round trips.

Smiling Sam

marsha_bazzoli - I assume you've looked into the multi-city version of a ticket: Cleveland to Dublin, Dublin (or whatever your tour end city is) to London, and then London to Cleveland. Give that a try and see how the price compares to your two round trip ticket options. The multi-city approach has the advantage of being one reservation, whereas your two round trip ticket option requires two reservations which has some inherent risk. Good luck.

MCD

I'm doing back-to-back trips to Portugal and Spain next year, Covid permitting. When I looked into flights from BOS-OPO/ LIS-BCN/MAD-BOS, 330 days out, the cost was ridiculous! Over $6,000 (business class). I ultimately booked BOS-OPO and MAD-BOS on United with a separate LIS-BCN on Air Tap for half the price. Moral is: check various options. Now let's hope that the trips happen.

AlanS

Some years ago we did Best of Ireland and planned to fly to London for a few days first. In that case flying Aer Lingus for the one-way from London to Shannon was cheaper than a multi-leg, open jaw itinerary on one airline. As MCD says, check various options.

Also, look at all modes of transportation- We are doing XMAS Mkts on the Rhine in '22 and after the tour ends in Dusseldorf we plan to make a quick stop in Hamburg on the way home. It is much cheaper and actually just as quick to take the train from Dusseldorf to Hamburg, then flying home from there (via CDG). All air legs are on a single ticket, a multi-city, open jaw itinerary on Delta/AF.

British

I usually leave the flight booking to my husband. I am confused about what you want except that it reads as if you want to go back to Dublin to fly back to the US. Can’t you fly back from Lomdon instead, is there a reason to go to Dublin again. Many Tauck tours start in one place and end in another. It is not more expensive to return back to the US from another city. If you are not experienced in booking flights, I think this might be a good time to use a travel agent, or maybe a trusted friend who travels a lot might help you out.
May is a lovely time to visit and I just love the Chelsea Flower show.

Smiling Sam

marsha_bazzoli - You better hope your flights are on time. The 3 hrs 40 mins, I assume is to clear customs and get to your London/Dublin gate from your Cleveland/London flight. You will no doubt have to change terminals in that process because it is likely that the trans-Atlantic flight will be in a different terminal than your London/Dublin flight. You should be able to make it but it could be a bit nerve racking (at least it would be for me).

Things to do in the 3 hrs 40 mins:
a) exit plane (if in business class this will be a shorter time) - could be 10 minutes
b) get to baggage claim and retrieve bags - could be 20-40 minutes
c) clear customs - could be 20 - 60 minutes, depending on how many planes arriving
d) change terminals - could be 20 - 60 minutes
e) get to airline check bag location and check bags - could be 10 - 40 minutes
f) get through security in your new terminal - could be 10 - 40 minutes
g) get to your gate - could be another 10 minutes

FYI - I hate Heathrow for the above reasons! Good luck.

BKMD

Smiling Sam
FYI - I hate Heathrow for the above reasons!

I agree. I try to Avoid Heathrow whenever feasible.

British

And then there is the Covid test checking!

marsha_bazzoli

Well, I feel like a dummy. I was incorrectly putting in the multi city information. I sure made it confusing for myself. So it's CLE-DUB then DUB-LHR (with Brit Air) and finally LHR-CLE. It's a more sensible route and will be the least expensive and less stressful. Thanks for all the ideas and info. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!