Airfare for this Spring/Summer - sky high!

Green Dragon · Guru

Airfare for this Spring/Summer - sky high!

Roy · Guru

It's such a crap shoot. I booked our tickets from Dulles to Shannon 0n 17 February. Prices right now are much higher. Whether prices go down is anyone's guess. You're right about the fuel surcharges going up. Wish you well with your ticket prices.

Roy · Guru

Here's a link to a CN story about airfare: http://money.cnn.com/2011/03/03/pf/saving/rising_airfare/index.htm?hpt=Sbin

Green Dragon · Guru

Thanks, Roy - Funnily enough, just after posting it, prices went down by $100. I'm going to wait until Tuesday, when fares 'should' go on sale. I'll buy then, hopefully.

Michele Erdvig · Host

It's a roller coaster ride. Roll the dice and take your chances!

Michele

Roy · Guru

I remember several years ago Michele suggesting clearing cookies on your computer between searches for flights. Have you tried looking at dates near your projected dates of travel? I saved quite a bit moving our holiday up two days and returning two days sooner?

Michele Erdvig · Host

Roy,

Thanks for remembering that. I use that trick when looking for car rentals too. BTW, I like your new avatar photo.

Michele

Roy · Guru

Thanks Michele. That picture was taken at my brother-in-laws farm in Co. Westmeath.

Itallian Chauffeur · Moderator

Just 'Bit The Bullet' and bought my tickets for June 11-26. hmm

Flying into SNN and out of DUB, ex Orlando (MCO) at $1000 each. confuse

Since I paid $900 each back in 2000 for nearly the same dates, I suppose that isn't TOO bad???? cry

Downside of being a lover of Ireland that lives in Florida, I suppose ....

Looks like this will be the time to re-explore Waterford, Wexford and Wicklow... biggrin

Bob

Roy · Guru

It's all a crap shoot Bob. I paid $776 for Dulles to Shannon June 16-30. The price dipped slightly lower once and have been well over $1000 since. Direct flights t Ireland from Dulles have been eliminated and we'll be changing planes in Boston. In 2009 I paid $740 for the same flight.

Itallian Chauffeur · Moderator

Roy --

I agree.

Cheapest tickets from Florida (out of 14 trips) was about $585 -- in April of 2001. Most expensive was last July, at $1400 each furious

, but that included an 'Interim' stop in England and Wales.

Once we retire, we'll be able to take advantage of some of those off-Season, $399 RT deals. smile

But, even THEN, that's out of Boston or New York and it will cost another $2-300 EACH to get from HERE to where the Cheap Seats are!!!! furious

It makes me a LITTLE cranky, but NOT cranky enough to move back to snow Country!!! biggrin

Ah, well ...

It IS what it IS! confuse

Bob

Roy · Guru

Bob- Actually flights direct from JFK and Boston are sky high for the summer too. We flew direct JFK to Shannon in 2007 and I think they were pretty cheap seats relatively speaking. I agree that it will be nice someday to travel in the low season.

EngagingKate · Senior Member

Those fuel surcharges probably aren't going to go down in the near future, unfortunately. The prediction is that the price of crude will continue rise, as will demand, through the summer travel moths; therefore, we will continue to pay and pay and pay.

Also, there is increasing demand for oil/gas in countries like China and India, so we in the U.S. aren't the only ones wanting lots of crude anymore... sigh.

And, living out here almost on the West Coast, getting to Ireland is even more fun than for you all in the mid-section or East Coast. We first have to get to the East Coast, and then we get the last leg that goes to Ireland. We used to be able to fly from LAX or SFO, but those days are long gone. :( It takes us a solid 24 hours of straight travel to get from Boise to Ireland. We don't want to have to stop and spend a night on the East Coast to break it up, either, because then that's less time we get to spend in Ireland! (Though coming back in June, we will have to stay overnight in Newark, because we'll get back too late to catch any flights home. Anyone know of a decent, inexpensive hotel near the airport in Newark?)

EngagingKate · Senior Member

I need an editor, apparently!

The prediction is that the price of crude will continue *to* rise, as will demand, through the summer travel *months*... Although, we do get a lot of moths in the summer around here! LOL

Time for bed...

CowboyCraic · Guru

It makes me ever so glad that we purchased our tickets for this upcoming trip last August. Some times it pays to do that and other times it doesn't biggrin

Green Dragon · Guru

I had been watching the prices since about the end of November on, and they really only dipped slightly in late January (to around $875) and then held steady at $1050. Last week, they dipped to $936, and were still there when Tuesday evening came around - the day I decided to buy. I waited until PM in case there were any sales, and then grabbed them. This morning they were up to $1075 - I think I did fine. OH, and $500 of that was ticket - $400 was fuel surcharges....

But airfare, rental car, B&Bs, and trip insurance is all taken care of. It's official now! I never really feel the vacation is 'set' until I buy the airfare.

Roy · Guru

Kate- so you'll be going in late May? Where are you traveling from and through? Sorry if you've posted this elsewhere and I've missed it.

EngagingKate · Senior Member

Roy,

We actually will fly out on June 2nd and return June 25th. Our actual origination point is Boise, Idaho, but we are using frequent flyer miles to get from here to Newark. Then we'll fly from EWR to DUB. After we get to Dublin, we will take the Translink Enterprise train from Dublin to Belfast. On the 24th, we'll head back to Dublin and fly out from there on the 25th.

We would have flown directly into Belfast, but we have some people in Kildare that we want to visit with before we head home, and we want the experience of riding that train, so we can share it with our podcast/blog followers. Also, I can use the experience when I start to sell travel (after I finish with my training program).

I don't think you missed much. I haven't posted my itinerary or anything. I've just spoken about it in vague terms...

We bought our airline tickets back in November and paid around $930 each, and, from what others are saying, we didn't miss out on any special fares it seems.

murphy · Guru

Am also glad we purchased our tickets early, on July 31, 2010 for March 26, 2011 travel. I had been watching the prices for over a year, and had determined that $805 (plus $50 travel ins.) from the west coast, was definitely a price I could live with, and we had a definite travel time frame due to school spring break, so I decided not to wait.

I know..... they say you should never

look back, but I did. At one point we could have gotten tickets for around $775, but it was a very brief time period, and from there on, the price was steady for about 3 months, then steadily higher. I checked about once a week....inquiring minds want to know! smile

Kate....I hope a trip report is upcoming! Already starting to think about our next trip.... to Northern Ireland! biggrin

Dan

-- Edited by murphy on Thursday 10th of March 2011 01:33:33 AM

-- Edited by murphy on Thursday 10th of March 2011 01:35:04 AM

EngagingKate · Senior Member

Dan,

I will do my best to get a trip report posted here, but I can't promise how quickly that will happen... Assuming we can get the WiFi we're supposed to at our accommodation (or can find an Internet cafe or two along the way), we will be posting updates about our trip on our news blog at our website. smile

I've spent so much of my extra time these past three months on homework, I still haven't put together a solid itinerary for our trip! It's just a rough schedule of a couple of days here and three days there... hmm

I'm really enjoying my travel classes, though, so it doesn't seem *too* much like work. It's just time-consuming.

Roy · Guru

Currently one ticket is approximately what I purchased our two tickets for.

Green Dragon · Guru

My tickets (bought at $936) have been going steadily up since I bought them. They're at $1117 now.

Roy · Guru

Dulles to Shannon 16 June to 30 June are currently over $1500! I paid $776 each. It will be interesting to see if they come down but I feel less stress having made the purchase.

Marie · Guru

WOW! biggrin Am I glad I went ahead and bought my non-stop from Philly to Dublin (May 5th - 18th) for $800.00?!!!! I thought it a bit high at the time, but I was afraid of losing a seat.

Marie

Roy · Guru

Marie- it's all such a stressful crap shoot.

-- Edited by Roy on Monday 28th of March 2011 09:11:24 PM

Michele Erdvig · Host

Car rentals are high too. It is at least $200 more for the same length car rental this year. And that's for a small manual! Recession? What recession?

Michele

Roy · Guru

I booked our car rental early too. Rates have been going up ever since.

Michele Erdvig · Host

Roy,

You are way ahead of the game. I don't even know my exact dates yet.

Michele

Roy · Guru

Usually I don't book as far ahead as I did this year. It was a gut feeling, and you're right that it defies logic of a country in recession, high unemployment, and declining tourism. Maybe they are banking on an increase in tourists this year?

Michele Erdvig · Host

Roy,

If you listen to Tourism Ireland everything is always rosy in Ireland. They are hoping for an increase in tourists this year. Time will tell. But with airfares and cars up in price, who knows?

Michele