Booking tickets

[greeneyes]

I'm planning on backpacking through Europe next Spring with my boyfriend for three months and we're now in the stages of looking at booking plane tickets and such.

I've read through the forum and it seems like there isn't really a set time to book tickets, as waiting for prices to lower can really just result in everything becoming more expensive .. but is there such a thing as booking too early?

I'm looking for a flight from Vancouver to London April 08' and a flight from Paris to Vancouver August 08' and have been looking at ZoomAir as they seem to have the cheapest prices. Right now, a flight from Vancouver to London Gatwick next April is approximately $470.00 including taxes and I'm thinking about booking it ... except flights for August are unavailable (I'm assuming because it's so far ahead). Is it smart to book the one-way flight there, and just wait until flights in August become available and book my way home then? It seems like booking the two one-way tickets is cheapest unless I'm just not looking at the right place for round-trip prices.

I really appreciate any insight as this is my first time planning something like this. Thank you in advance.

[WillTravel]

August tickets will be much more expensive than April, generally speaking.

The prices can fluctuate all over the place. $470 one-way in April YVR-LGW is not bad, but it is not really excellent either. Just expect a much higher August price, whenever you book it.

I would probably wait to book both tickets at once. Then you might see it's cheaper to fly to Paris and out of London, or some other combination.

Sometimes if you wait until the very last moment, you can get a good deal, but it's very hard to predict and plan.

[me]

when booking tix in Dallas, generally speaking, sooner is better. [this doesn't mean Sooners are better! ;D (inside joke)] but, sometimes there are fare sales that offer really cheap tix.

if you buy a ticket, then it goes on sale the next week, you're pretty much SOL. so, just try to be aware of things that might bring a fare sale.

e.g., there are flights starting from DFW airport to London-Heathrow in the Spring. so far, all DFW -> London flights have been to Gatwick. so, i'm expecting there to be fare sales for the early DFW -> Heathrow flights. if my family situation lets me go, i plan to try & make a trip next Spring.

also, from DFW, one-way fares start at about 2/3 to 3/4 the price of a round trip fare - sometimes much more. so, two one ways cost more than a round trip ticket - sometimes way more! [i've seen one way fares that cost 2 or 3 times the price of a round trip fare. seriously!]

now, this is from North Texas i'm talking about, not lower British Columbia. your mileage may vary.

- d

[Eagle]

greeneyes, you might want to wait until later in the year to pick your flights. Zoom and Air Transat typically don't set the prices or schedules until the Fall (perhaps Oct. or Nov.?). Regarding prices I suspect you'll find that those two carriers will be fairly similar.

The prices on Zoom are fairly good, however if one selects the "premium seating" option, the costs are higher. This provides increased leg room, expedited check-in and a few other perks. I'll be able to let you know later this fall whether the premium seating is worth the extra money. On the return trip from Paris to Vancouver, the flights depart from CDG Terminal 3 (passengers are bused out to the plane).

IMO, it's not necessary to book flights this far in advance but you might want to speak with a travel agent to see what their advice might be?

Cheers!!!

[pointofnoreturn]

I flew with Zoom to Paris and from London in the Economy class. The seats were actually comfortable and roomy so I had no problems with Zoom whatsoever. I'd fly them any day! I had a good deal (around 700 dollars includ. taxes for an open-jaw ticket) so I was pleased with their service and would recommend them to anyone.

EDIT - I do wish Zoom would create a miles program because it kind of sucked having to fly to Europe and not get any miles with them... the possibilities!

[greeneyes]

Hi everyone,
Thank you for all the advice given to me so far. I know it's still pretty far away but I'm just so excited for this ttrip that I'm having a hard time putting my planning on hold until closer to.

Here is some new info I've found for Zoom Air and Air Transat.

Zoom Air:
A ticket to London from Vancouver in April is now $370.00 with tax while a ticket home from London in August is now $700.00 with tax .. so just under $1100.00 each for our 3.5 month trip.

Air Transat (on Canadian-Affair):
A ticket to London from Vancouver in April is now $299.00 while a ticket home from London in August is now $550.00 ... with taxes that is about $1150.00 each.

Seeing as I know nothing about finding a deal .. are these fairly good prices, about the range I can expect for a 3.5 month trip in pretty much the height of the tourist season? Ideally I'd like to fly back to Vancouver from Paris but when I looked that up on Zoom Air it was about $470.00 there and $790.00 back (roughly converted from Euro) ... so almost $1260.00 each and I'm not sure if that's one of those situations where booking that flight would ultimately be cheaper than getting back to London.

Again, I know its far ahead but I see that some sites are beginning to have available flights for next August so if anyone has any advice, or can find something cheaper, I'd appreciate it. Also, is there any advice on whether going through a travel agent is usually cheaper or more expensive than doing it on your own?

Thank you.