Booking flights for Christmas 2021
#1
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Dec 2011
Location: Greenwich, CT
Posts: 132
Booking flights for Christmas 2021
Just looking for some wisdom! After missing Christmas in 2020, I'm planning to take the family back for Christmas 2021. When is the best time to book international flights? Normally I wait for a sale (Easter, July 4th etc), but this year feels different. Lots of expats heading back. Do you think we'll see any kind of sale? The US (CT especially) and the UK is doing a great job with vaccinations, so I'm confident COVID will be under control by then.
So buy now, or hold for a better price?
So buy now, or hold for a better price?
#2
Re: Booking flights for Christmas 2021
Best guess if it was me, I would wait in the hope more flights return to the schedule and capacity increases. Of course if that doesn't happen you might end up chasing to few seats.
#3
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Jan 2006
Location: San Francisco
Posts: 12,865
Re: Booking flights for Christmas 2021
Agreed. I've thought about a UK December/January trip but, given there are currently zero non-stop flights from San Francisco, I'm holding off booking anything.
#4
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Thread Starter
Joined: Dec 2011
Location: Greenwich, CT
Posts: 132
Re: Booking flights for Christmas 2021
The schedules are loaded for December with direct flights though most of the look pretty empty so far. I usually hold out til July 4 or Labor Day sales. Was listening to Radio 2 today and the talk of a 3rd wave; still optimistic for a Crimbo trip though!
#5
Re: Booking flights for Christmas 2021
I hope you manage to get back for Christmas this year. We were hoping to do the same last year and this year (from Australia) but given that we don't know when our international borders will open again, we've decided to hold off booking.
#6
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Jan 2006
Location: San Francisco
Posts: 12,865
Re: Booking flights for Christmas 2021
That's progress then.. I now see five non-stop flights per day on the schedule for San Francisco to London. So I can happily ponder a Europe trip for a while and see how things play out .
#7
Re: Booking flights for Christmas 2021
Just looking for some wisdom! After missing Christmas in 2020, I'm planning to take the family back for Christmas 2021. When is the best time to book international flights? Normally I wait for a sale (Easter, July 4th etc), but this year feels different. Lots of expats heading back. Do you think we'll see any kind of sale? The US (CT especially) and the UK is doing a great job with vaccinations, so I'm confident COVID will be under control by then.
So buy now, or hold for a better price?
So buy now, or hold for a better price?
#8
Re: Booking flights for Christmas 2021
I use Aer Lingus out of Bradley. They are mailing me fairly constantly but I wouldn't be booking anything yet. Things keep changing at too rapid a pace. Might be worth seeing how the UK handles the growing(?) issues in the surrounding countries. Be a bummer to go over to spend 2 weeks in a Butlins quarantine hotel.
#9
Re: Booking flights for Christmas 2021
Yes, this. I'm looking/hoping for an autumn trip, but not sure whether to book and be prepared to change or leave it for a bit yet. Still not vaccinated myself yet, but my mum back in the UK is due her second dose soon and I am not doing international travel until I have has my shots/jabs. I'm still having to travel for work but being as safe as I can while doing so.
This is also me, sitting on an Aer Lingus voucher for flights that the Little Lion and girlfriend couldn't make this past Christmas. I haven't seen him since Christmas holidays 2019/2020 with no flying possible - canceled spring holiday here March 2020, canceled summer 2020, impossible autumn 2020, canceled Christmas 2020/21, spring 2021 still not possible. I'm not a happy camper. Waiting for vaccines all round, then I'm on the first possible flight over there, assorted quarantine and covid test rules permitting. But still no idea when that will be.
Holding off on Christmas for now, waiting for things to become a bit clearer. Not sure when to pull the trigger either.
#10
Re: Booking flights for Christmas 2021
I use Aer Lingus out of Bradley. They are mailing me fairly constantly but I wouldn't be booking anything yet. Things keep changing at too rapid a pace. Might be worth seeing how the UK handles the growing(?) issues in the surrounding countries. Be a bummer to go over to spend 2 weeks in a Butlins quarantine hotel.
So at the moment, from the US, you can 'quarantine' with the people you are going to stay with. You only have to go to the Butlins if you come from a short list of countries that the UK has deemed more dangerous. Having said that, I'm not sure that quarantining wtih and causing possible risk to my nearest and dearest is exactly the way I want to go.
#11
Re: Booking flights for Christmas 2021
So at the moment, from the US, you can 'quarantine' with the people you are going to stay with. You only have to go to the Butlins if you come from a short list of countries that the UK has deemed more dangerous. Having said that, I'm not sure that quarantining wtih and causing possible risk to my nearest and dearest is exactly the way I want to go.
#12
Re: Booking flights for Christmas 2021
Yes, once all parties are vaccinated it's about as good as it gets and I would then be comfortable visiting them. My son and girlfriend are obviously in the last vaccine priority group, being young and healthy. Sister and BIL have had theirs.
#13
Forum Regular
Joined: Jan 2017
Location: Connecticut
Posts: 107
Re: Booking flights for Christmas 2021
I use Aer Lingus out of Bradley. They are mailing me fairly constantly but I wouldn't be booking anything yet. Things keep changing at too rapid a pace. Might be worth seeing how the UK handles the growing(?) issues in the surrounding countries. Be a bummer to go over to spend 2 weeks in a Butlins quarantine hotel.
#15
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Feb 2004
Location: Midlands - MA - CO-CA
Posts: 2,763
Re: Booking flights for Christmas 2021
I would love to visit the in-laws for Christmas, as we will all have our 2nd vacs by then, but there is no guarantee that other folks on the plane would have had any vaccines or tests. Or even if the seats, tray table etc, had been sanitised. We will hold off until summer 2022. I would just keep looking at flights and fares for the time you want to go, and the covid situation, both here and there.