airfare: should I buy now?

[pinknic38]

yeah so I have been checking kayak as of recent to see where I am at as far as prices go on plane tix for my europe trip in june... I've been looking and saw that Zurich and Frankfurt were the two cheapest cities to fly into that fits into my itinerary. anyhoo, as of like 3 weeks ago, tix to both were around 850 from columbus, round trip. now the ones in zurich are up to almost a grand but the ones to frankfurt are down to 750... I know I still have a bit of time, but shoot I don't think it is going to go lower than that for june. should I buy now or wait it out?

[SGRHewitt]

750 sounds about right, especially during the summer months. Thats probably the best deal you'll get. But who knows, I've waited for tickets before and ended up getting a $430 roundtrip flight from Indianapolis to London before during March. A price I have never seen since.

[lauren313]

My gut reaction would be to go for it. I know it's still a good few months off, but I bought my plane tickets about 5 months in advance, so it's not far off that really. It sounds like a good deal, and you'd be pretty gutted if they went up to a grand or something. Although, on the other hand, I guess you'd be gutted if they went down to $500. Remember that it's going into summer season, so probably nearer the time it gets, the more expensive they'll be (in my experience, anyway).

[joe7f]

^That's been my experience as well. Plus buying that ticket is a great feeling! Go for it!

--Joey

[DC_Jessica]

I agree, and even as light traveling as we tend to be, there are always a few things you need right before you leave. If you buy the plane tickets well in advance, it won't feel like you're spending so much moola all at the same time. By the time your trip rolls around, they'll be a sunk cost!

[pinknic38]

okay well I checked my whole list of places to check (frankfurt, zurich, berlin, brussels, a-dam, and prague), from both cbus and cincinnati and everything is at least 1100 bucks which is way up from 3 weeks ago... zurich and frankfurt are the only two reasonable ones... so i think I am going to go ahead and buy now, because I will be sick to my stomach if I try to wait til like march and they're like 1500 bucks. going to check a few more things out first (with flexible dates), and I'm goinh to buy the cheapest ones! :D

thanks tpunks!

[pinknic38]

omg so I was looking, those exact dats I chose were 753, but if I would have gone any other days to the right or left, I would have been paying 1200 bucks to go to frankfurt.

there's something to be said about flying out on a thursday, I suppose!

[pinknic38]

OMG OMG OMG I bought my plane tickets! woooot! 753 bucks! it's with air canada, flying out june 12th and back the 26th...gives me a week at home before the trip and a week at home after the trip before I have to go back to NC. perfect. 15 days.

I have a 5 hour layover in toronto so might have to do lunch/dinner with you toronto tpunks!

omg soooooo excited!!

[DC_Jessica]

Hooray!!

[joe7f]

That's an awesome feeling! Congrats Nicole

--Joey

[lauren313]

Yay, congrats!

[jengt]

Congrats Nicole!

[simply_angelic]

Originally Posted by pinknic38

OMG OMG OMG I bought my plane tickets! woooot! 753 bucks! it's with air canada, flying out june 12th and back the 26th...gives me a week at home before the trip and a week at home after the trip before I have to go back to NC. perfect. 15 days.

I have a 5 hour layover in toronto so might have to do lunch/dinner with you toronto tpunks!

omg soooooo excited!!

Aaaw, wish I was in town then (well, you never know, I COULD be...it's just not likely). Although you should be really careful with flying international through Toronto. Mid week, and in march probably won't be TOO bad but we only have one terminal for all international lines and the lineup can get pretty damn long. If, during your layover, your bags are automatically transferred to the next plane you should be fine though.

[pinknic38]

Originally Posted by simply_angelic

Mid week, and in march probably won't be TOO bad

it's going to be in june, so I'm sure it will bemuch more hectic. I am hoping to carry on my back pack and carryon but we'll see. it's the liquids bs that gets me every time

[maracle]

Congrats!

[SGRHewitt]

Congrats, I'm sure you made a good choice. I really believe 753 is a good price especially the middle of summer... And with the Euro(soccer) being played during that time period, that seems quite reasonable.

[SGRHewitt]

Interesting, leaving from Indianapolis. Going to Frankfurt saves 200 dollars from about anywhere else in Europe that I've found so far. Why is it so cheap to fly to Germany I wonder.

[pinknic38]

^ I wondered the same thing myself but I read on wikitravel when I was trying to find cool stuff in frankfurt to do for a day and it said that frankfurt's airport was the second buesiest in europe, second to london heathrow. so all the main hubs are always cheaper to fly into. I just did not know that frankfurt was such a huge airport. read below, courtesy of wiki travel frankfurt:


Frankfurt is the largest traffic hub in Germany. This is the place where Germany's major Autobahns and railway-connections intersect. About 650,000 people commute to the city each day, not counting the 660,000 people who really live here. With a huge airport — the second-largest in Europe — it is the gateway to Germany and for many people also the first point of arrival in Europe. Further, it is a prime hub for interconnections within Europe and for intercontinental flights.
----
By plane
Frankfurt's principal airport (IATA: FRA) is among the busiest in Europe — second in passenger traffic after London Heathrow (LHR) — and one of the busiest airports in the world. Frankfurt is the banking center of Germany and host of a number a international trade fairs. Therefore all major airlines and all airline alliances fly frequently to Frankfurt and connects it to every continent and major city in the world. The German flagcarrier Lufthansa is the main airline in Frankfurt and offers the best connections.
The airport has today two terminals (Terminal 3 is under construction). Terminal 1 is the home of Lufthansa and the Star Alliance airlines. Terminal 1 is separated into Concourses A, B and C. All other airlines depart from Terminal 2. Terminal 1 is a multi-level maze with poor signage that inexplicably sends passengers through numerous security checkpoints. The restrooms near the gates are perhaps the worst-designed facilities in Europe, accommodating only one to three users at a time, so go early or hold it until you're on your plane. However, the departure gates themselves have some of the most innovative seating around, with bench seats facing many directions and cafe-style tables and chairs for those who wish to whip out their laptops (sans coffee, alas). Passengers requiring special assistance should be advised that they might have to descend several flights of stairs to get to a bus that takes them to the plane, rather than disability-friendly ramps, so talk to the gate agent early if stairs are a problem.
The airport is connected to downtown Frankfurt by taxi, bus (Line 61 to Frankfurt Südbahnhof (Frankfurt South Station), and most easily by S-Bahn (fast commuter trains). To get to the city, take lines S8 or S9 direction Offenbach Ost or Hanau at the Regionalbahnhof (regional train station) in Terminal 1 (entrances in section A and B): interactive route planner. The lines S1-6/8/9 travel through the cornerstone of the system, an underground tunnel (the Citytunnel) through central Frankfurt. If you want to change to long-distance trains get off at Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof(Frankfurt Central Station) or Frankfurt Südbahnhof (Frankfurt South Station), if you want to go downtown, get off at Frankfurt Taunusanlage, Frankfurt Hauptwache or Frankfurt Konstablerwache, which are in the heart of the city. The ride from the airport to the central station takes 14 minutes. Be sure to purchase a ticket at the vending machines in the train station before boarding the train.
If you want to go to the airport via S-Bahn, take the S8 or S9 direction Wiesbaden. Don't take the S1 - while it has the same general direction and leaves the central station at the same platform, it will go along the wrong side of the river Main. The line S1 does not stop at the airport.

Frankfurt am Main International Airport


The Frankfurt airport also has connections for inter-city trains. Regional trains to Mainz, Wiesbaden, and Hanau stop at the same place as the S-Bahn to Frankfurt. Connections outside the Frankfurt region have a separate train station, the Fernbahnhof ("long-distance train station"). Here, you can board high-speed trains to Cologne, Munich and other destinations.

• Frankfurt Airport website, including arrival/departure schedules

Frankfurt has just one airport but the smaller airport called Frankfurt/Hahn (IATA: HHN), mostly used by no-frills airlines, advertise with the proximity to Frankfurt. However, Hahn is far away from Frankfurt and it actually takes about 2 hours to drive from downtown, so allow for that airport more time into your travel plans and budget. A Bus from Frankfurt/Hahn to Frankfurt main airport and on to Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof (Frankfurt Central Station) costs about 13 euro and leaves roughly every hour.

[LiveFreeorDie]

Frankfurt is fairly large. Unfortunately I have had to run the length of it on several occasions! I never really noticed it to be as disorganized or as poorly designed as they portray it in Wiki, but then again, I had to move my ass on several occassions when connecting through there. Most things designed by the Germans are very well done, though.