Help with Flights, Please

[thepoint]

We will be traveling in January 2019 from either Boston or New York to Hanoi and returning from Ho Chi Min City in February. We will be on an AMA River Cruise. Flights are currently available for next January and February on most airlines. However, AMA says it will take them at least another 30 days to be able to start offering flights for this trip.

 

Should we book on our own, believing the best prices are usually when the flights first come out, or should we wait to see what AMA has to offer? We want to travel economy preferred (or whatever it is called on each airline) and know those seats are usually limited. So, I am not sure if waiting the 30 days is a good idea. We usually book our own flights, but this Asian trip seems to be a bit more complex then a simple flight into Rome or Paris.

 

What has been your experience with booking flights on your own or with the cruise line for Asian? Would you wait the 30 days? Will AMA really have that good of a price that it would make a difference? What airline would you recommend for this trip? Any information would greatly appreciated. Thank you

[Ashland]

Usually I prefer to book my own flights....but in this case I think I would wait and see what AMA has to offer....you still have time for this routing.

[Globaliser]

Should we book on our own, believing the best prices are usually when the flights first come out ...

This is not necessarily true. You could end up paying rather more than you need to if you adhere to this belief.

[Keith1010]

I prefer booking flights on my own so I can control it from start to finish including reacting to any airline schedule changes.

 

Keith

[hallasm]

I’m always booking flight myself and I tend to book early on long haul flights in order to ensure my tickets - in general the tickets are cheaper if booking early (my experience).

I always use momondo.com or Google Fly to check times, best airlines and connections but I never book flights on links from those sites - they do not necessarily provide the right prices - fees to be added at the end of the booking - always check the prices directly at the airline. Also check luggage allowance and any additional booking fees.

In case of change of flight I always book in one booking, do never book different legs from different providers. In case of delay, changes or cancellation for one of the legs you will be in deep troubles.

Also for a cruise I fly into the destination at least one day in advance to avoid any problems in case of delays or the luggage didn’t make the flight. For long haul travel it might also be good to have few days to recover from jet lag - primarily traveling towards east.

I have been flying worldwide for business and pleasure for more than 30 years and there have been delays due to weather and technical problems but never experienced problems with lost connections or not being rerouted. Never missed a cruise or holiday.

Also helps to be loyal to one airline alliance. I have always been loyal to my local Star Alliance carrier and has got a permanent Star Alliance Gold membership.

Do not save few hundred $$$ on the flight when you have booked an expensive cruise.

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Edited March 3, 2018 by hallasm

[mking8288]

Chinese/Lunar New Year 2019 is Feb. 5th

Flights around that time will be priced higher in the region and might sell out faster. Check with Boston's Chinatown TA about fares, routes & options. It will be a one stop connection minimum at a gateway city like Seoul, Taiwan or Hong Kong via JFK, fewer options out of Logan, keep in mind winter storm & weather related risks for delays. Carriers like Cathay fly newer equipments and better onboard meals & services, Korean Air's A380 double decker among our choices.

 

via Nexus 5X Oreo 8.0 w Tapatalk, VPN secured.

[barante]

We will take a HAL Westerdam 14-day cruise from Singapore Jan. 2.

 

I did a lot of searching and ended up buying two business class roundtrip seats from JFK To SIN for $2,748 pp. True, by upgrading us to business three months ago British Airways has spoiled us for good.

[sippican]

We will take a HAL Westerdam 14-day cruise from Singapore Jan. 2.

 

I did a lot of searching and ended up buying two business class roundtrip seats from JFK To SIN for $2,748 pp. True, by upgrading us to business three months ago British Airways has spoiled us for good.

 

Which airline?

[barante]

China Eastern Airlines, with a stop in Shanghai. hap5905@netzero.net

[sippican]

China Eastern Airlines, with a stop in Shanghai. hap5905@netzero.net

 

Thank you!

Did you price out throuh the cruiseline too?

[barante]

No, I did not. Too early, I think.

[sippican]

No, I did not. Too early, I think.

 

We have used Celebrity Air twice and they had the itineraries at the same time the airlines released schedules. I was curious because we saved a bundle on business class to Europe, but no savings at all to Souh America.

[rodlim]

I have always booked flights on my own, as the specific details on time of day and layovers etc are much more controllable if you do it yourself. Its harder these days to predict when prices go up and down so you have to watch it carefully and get an idea of what price ranges the flights you are on fluctuate. I would personally wait and see for sure. If your arrival window is tight to the cruise disembarkation, and you are a worrier, then its safer to book with the cruise line as they will wait for you.

[sippican]

I have always booked flights on my own, as the specific details on time of day and layovers etc are much more controllable if you do it yourself. Its harder these days to predict when prices go up and down so you have to watch it carefully and get an idea of what price ranges the flights you are on fluctuate. I would personally wait and see for sure. If your arrival window is tight to the cruise disembarkation, and you are a worrier, then its safer to book with the cruise line as they will wait for you.

 

I used to feel the same way (working in the travel industry).

We have used Celebrity Air twice now. I looked up published flights, found the ones that worked for us, and priced them out. Then I called Celebrity and told them exactly which flights we wanted to book. Once they were booked, all we needed was our reservation number to go directly on the airlines' websites and choose or change seats, check schedules, etc. There was no loss of control whatsoever and we've saved a significant amount. In fact last spring, business class seats were reasonable enough to splurge - (saving almost 2K pp from published fares)

It is also not true that they will wait for you if you are delayed. As with any cruisers, they may hold up sailing if the delay is small, and they are able to wait (some port authorites are strict about departures). They will make any arrangements necessary to get you reunited with the ship, at their expense (which the carriers will not do if you book direct).

[iancal]

We have spent four winters in SE Asia. Three times flying in and out of Bangkok, this winter in to Singapore and home from Bangkok.

 

Our experience is that it depends. We have never booked very far in advance. Once 120 days out, once 10 days out, and twice about 30-45. Best fares we have had were 120 days out and another at 10 days out. It if were us, we would wait.

 

Flights in SE Asia, Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia are very inexpensive. If you pick up an attractive fare to an alternate city it may give you an opportunity to see a little more and then catch an inexpensive flight to your final destination.