US Airways or Air Canada to Europe now, or wait?

For RT Europe (London) this June, US Airways & Air Canada look to have the best prices right now. I can pull the trigger now, but we'd prefer something better like Virgin Atlantic. Most other airlines are currenlty a few hundred more.

Should I just buy now and be done with it, or is it early enough that I can wait and find a better price on a preferred carrier? Thanks.

Prices tend to go up the closer you get to your departure date. I've already booked flights to Europe for mid-September; for June, I would have booked before Christmas - maybe that's a little OCD for some but it fits my comfort zone.

Playing the "Airfare Guessing Game" is usually a recipe for disaster.

I've booked numerous flights to europe/caribbean/etc and just because the "good deals" appear during X mth one year, doesn't mean they will appear the same time next year. Regardless of what anyone says Airfare prices are largely determined by supply and demand.

If you are comfortable with the airfares that are being published, I'd book now (but perhaps that is just me). In looking at airfare from Canada to Europe I'm seeing some fares $200 or so cheaper than I saw last year.

One thing to look at is whether or not your Air Canada flights are on their regular planes, or their new "Rouge" aka discount, brand.

Here is a link to a thread I started. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2144354

Only thing I can't compare is US Airways to Air Canada/Rouge. Rouge compared to Air Canada is definitely not as nice (IMHO).

For RT Europe (London) this June, US Airways & Air Canada look to have the best prices right now. I can pull the trigger now, but we'd prefer something better like Virgin Atlantic. Most other airlines are currenlty a few hundred more.

 

Should I just buy now and be done with it, or is it early enough that I can wait and find a better price on a preferred carrier? Thanks.

If you wait, you might find a lower price. But you might also get stuck with higher prices so ask yourself this: Am I both willing and able to pay more if I wait and prices go UP instead of down? If yes, feel free to gamble (wait.) If no, buy now and be done with it.

Thanks for the replies. I've never flown Air Canada or US Airways (int'l) and the online reviews are not very good, in general, which prompted my question.

I found a decent fare on the Virgin Atlantic website, which I didn't see on Kayak, skyscanner, etc. and I booked that today. Searching flights is a PITA, and it's always nice to get that part behind us, so we can focus on the fun details of touring, attractions, etc.

One thing though - Virgin now charges ~$40 per passenger/flight to pre-select a seat! :mad: I guess I'll be doing the Southwest thing and checking in exactly 24 hours before departure to get good seats. That's always fun for the return trip, when you're busy packing or out trying to enjoy the last day of your vacation. :rolleyes:

One thing though - Virgin now charges ~$40 per passenger/flight to pre-select a seat! :mad: I guess I'll be doing the Southwest thing and checking in exactly 24 hours before departure to get good seats.

Many European airlines charge for seat requests or don't allow them at all with the cheapest fares. An upcoming change with many airlines will only allow seat requests (free or for a charge) when booked directly, and unavailable if booked through OTA's such as Expedia and Travelocity. It hasn't started yet but stay tuned; it's another revenue source for the airlines, and they want to get rid of the OTA's.

I've never flown Virgin but like Southwest, the 24 hour pre-check may not score a "good" seat. Passengers who have status with the airline, paid higher fares, or paid the $40 charge will be ahead of you. Others on this board can provide an experienced answer, so you can decide whether the $40 is worth it to you.

That's always fun for the return trip, when you're busy packing or out trying to enjoy the last day of your vacation.

You need to ask yourself what's more important to you: Enjoying the last day of your holiday, or saving forty bucks?

For those keeping score... :rolleyes:

Although booked with Virgin Atlantic, the return flights (layover @ JFK) are operated by Delta, so I was able to select seats w/o add'l fees. Delta seems to have a slightly better reputation than US Airways or Air Canada. IDK, anyone think otherwise?

I can monitor avail seats on our outgoing Virgin Atlantic flight, and if things start to fill up, I'll fork up for a couple seats so at least my kids can sit together.

~11 hours in a middle seat between two strangers of unknown body shapes, oh man. :eek: