77hil

Due to various reasons we can't book our Xmas flights to the uk until about October someone at work said we'll be hard pushed to get flights if we leave it that late. Is that right? I remember looking quite late on last year and I think there was still availability.

jimbo_d

Be prepared to pay a whole load more than if you book now.

jad n rich

We are in similar postition. So many ups and downs its not funny but I am NOT spending Xmas here.

I try not to book after august, there are seats left but of course very expensive. Usually take a FF seat instead, have points but the taxes are over $900 !!! on qantas on top of the bloody points

I sign up for every travel email that way if a special comes up at least i know about it.

77hil

When I looked late on though last year they were about $3000 and don't seem that much different now.

DadAgain

Good luck with that - I've never been able to find QFF seats any less than 320 days prior to flying! I've got seats this year for 14th Dec - 9th January.

I booked them back in January and check every couple of weeks to see if theres any availability closer to xmas that I can swap to so I dont use quite so much annual leave. - I dont expect to be succesful!

In general theres plenty of availability between LHR-SIN or LHR-HKG, but its pretty much impossible to get FF seats between BNE-SIN or BNE-HKG.

bcworld

I wouldn't expect them to change much either. Xmas fares are xmas fares, the airline doesn't need to discount them.

What does happen though I've noticed is that on the key dates, like the last Fri / Sat before Xmas that gives the longest possible stay, the flights often sell out far in advance, especially on the popular airlines.

But you should be OK to get something on October at pretty much the same prices as today.

jad n rich

Last minute, a few more seats pop up. Got partner on once 3 days before he was due to leave

bcworld

Wouldn't have been 2009 by any chance?

There were loads of Xmas FF seats due to the BA strike being called off last minute.

jad n rich

Yep, and he thought the flight would be empty it wasnt he got wedged between a asian gentleman with a stomach ailment and a very obese lady.

Ive got flights last min a few times, but often in business class so mega points.

bcworld

Yup I ended up doing my first US Airways FF booking that Xmas. Booked on Dec 18 and travelled Dec 23 on Thai. Even at 5 days out economy seats were still for sale at about $2800 (but I paid less for business ).

In Exile

unless you intend to do the business class air miles exchange that is detailed in another thread floating around, I would personally just book when the next 'acceptable' carrier has a sale.

I'm going back in September for a couple of weeks and I foolishly didnt book during Air Malaysia's recent sale, where it would have been 1900, because I was convinced I could get a cheaper ticket. Didnt happen. Ended up paying about 2300 with Sinapore.

I think only the lucky few get these last-minute standby mega cheap Christmas Eve flights that we all hear about anecdotally. In October time there will probably be little incentive for the airlines to have a Christmas sale, because people will have left it late anyway.

Next time, I'm just booking when I see a good price 6 months before.

jad n rich

I posted the malaysian $1280!!!! sale on BE about May?? time, but couldnt book it myself due to no final dates on projects.

Could bloody kick myself now, however I made some people very happy

In Exile

yeah, this figure was thrown around, but didnt that exclude taxes?

when I ran a provisional booking at the time of hearing, they all came back as 1900 or thereabouts.

jad n rich

Nope, it was genuine, including taxes, according to my Karma/the thread several people booked it.

Still suicidal about it myself

In Exile

dammit!
I'll give you karma to this post, for that post!

I heard about it and tried from Sydney to London but all I got was around 1900.

Its not all bad, I hear singapore are quite decent and I get to loaf around on the A380 in exit seats, so it should be ok - as far as being stuck in a metal tube for 22 hours can be .