Bluegrass Lass

Hi all,

I know this topic has been beaten like a dead horse, but I gotta ask anyway. Hubby and I are looking to return to Glasgow to visit his folks for 2 weeks in Sept or Oct. Using all the regular sites (travelocity, cheaptickets, expedia, orbitz, etc), I can't find a flight for less than $900pp !! This seems outrageous given the time of the year - I mean no normal tourist goes to Scotland in Oct. so flights should be somewhat cheaper right??? Aren't prices still supposed to be low, or have I missed something?

So now we're looking for some travel agents that know where to look. If you are one, or can recommend one, either respond here, or send me a PM.

Thanks for any help everyone!!

Cheers!!
~Jamie

Bob

maybe fly to standstead or somin' and get a connection with ryan air or easy jet, would be a lot cheaper...hell, flying into heathrow would be cheaper, more flights=more competition....

Bluegrass Lass

That doesn't really end up being any cheaper - only by about $100. Plus that just adds the extra stress of trying to make additional connections. I wonder if the problem is our airport since it isn't one of the major ones? <sigh>...wish I was a student again so I could take advantage of those fares...

Bob

hmmm...well it's still a saving...and connections would make it cheaper..more connections, cheaper it'll be...don't know how much it'll cost to get to montreal for you guys, but flights to blighty from there are pretty cheap...as are connecting flights from iceland...or they were.

Other than that, get none confirmed standby tickets, they tend to be a lot cheaper, but then you wait at the gate and get any remaining seats and if the flight is full, you end up on the next flight, not great I know, but certainly dirt cheap.

sibsie

Could be that you're just looking too far in advance. Try fiddling with days of the week too.

NC Penguin

Maybe you're loosing out because the Dollar is so weak against the Pound. Like Sibsie says, you're attempting to book very early.

If I were you, I'd resume searching for fares nearer the time, e.g. a couple of months before the travel date and nearer.




NC Penguin

Silverdragon102

would also suggest checking that there is no school holidays. I am presently in the US on holiday and originally looked at coming this week and next week not realising that it was spring term which added over 150 quid to the price, just moving it back by 1 week reduced the cost greatly

NC Penguin

Well end of September/beginning of October is about the time when university students start their new academic year in England. Not so sure if Scotland follows the same academic year as England.




NC Penguin

AdobePinon

I agree that you're trying to book too early. I'd probably give it another two months. I don't have much luck with most of the web sites these days (expedia being the worst). Usually get better deals directly on the airlines' web sites, or through a real travel agent. Go visit a few. A good one will stick your name on a list, run the search every week and call you back when the prices start going down.

THFC1

[QUOTE=AdobePinon]I agree that you're trying to book too early.

Most airlines tend to be cheaper the earlier you book. They only have a limited number of cheap seats available and then yield up as the seats get sold. You can wait until the last minute and they sometimes drop the price if the flight is really empty but that could backfire if the flight is full as the price will be really high.

Always best to look on the airlines websites directly as opposed to Expedia/Hot Wire etc, as they will usually have the cheapest fares. They want you to book directly through them as it saves they on commision to third parties.

Silverdragon102

Thats universities but schools generally have a half term sometime between Sept and Dec and every year time will vary

licon

I'd say also look at Edinburgh, because Lufthansa and Air France fly to Edinburgh but not Glasgow, and both tend to have cheaper deals than some of the others. Continental's fares are still higher till November.

November will be cheaper than either September or October.

Make sure you're not looking at the half-term week/s in October (usually the two weeks from mid-end October).

Consider a double connection.

Don't leave it too late to book - the cheaper seats do book up a few months in advance.

Don't book US Airways until they're more secure. (At least, not for flights 6+ months in the future.)

Make sure you've looked at KLM/Northwest to Glasgow, as well as United.

American carriers have cheaper tax than European carriers (difference can be £60 or more).

Englishmum

Which US airport are you intending to fly out of? Are there alternatives which you would consider?

Bluegrass Lass

We're in KY, so there 3 airports we could consider: SDF (local), CVG (require 75 min. drive) or LEX (90 min. drive). CVG and LEX do have some better prices sometimes, but I hate to have drive all the way back home after traveling for that many hours! Not to mention I don't trust airport security to watch our car for 2 weeks. But if we have to, we have to I reckon.

Thanks for tips everyone!! I'll just keep watching those fares to see if there's a dip. Bad thing is, we need to pick dates so that we can tell our employers what days we need off. But we'll figure it out I'm sure.

Cheers!
Jamie

meauxna

Jamie, check out the Cheap Flights forum at eurotrip.com . I always find good pointers there. Several blessedly obsessive posters keep track of every deal going and how to get it. Keep in mind that the real winter deals do not kick in until 1 November.