Air costs more than the cruise

[ccrain]

ones with lots of competition, then try getting to that city either the day before or the day of the flight.

 

There is no rule that says you have to book everything on one ticket. Especially when two tickets may be cheaper than one!

 

For example, for Europe try Chicago, New York, Dulles, Atlanta. For the Pacific try Seattle, San Francisco, LA. I use Kayak and the 3 days before and 3 days after option.

 

Prices from these high competition cities may be substantially cheaper - especially on foreign air carriers. Then you can try booking from your local airport to the gateway airport.

 

I typically find these prices much less than a single booked itinerary from your home airport.

 

Unless of course you live near one of these airports, in which case, you've pretty much have the best price anyway...

[Pia1913]

ones with lots of competition, then try getting to that city either the day before or the day of the flight.

 

There is no rule that says you have to book everything on one ticket. Especially when two tickets may be cheaper than one!

 

For example, for Europe try Chicago, New York, Dulles, Atlanta. For the Pacific try Seattle, San Francisco, LA. I use Kayak and the 3 days before and 3 days after option.

 

Prices from these high competition cities may be substantially cheaper - especially on foreign air carriers. Then you can try booking from your local airport to the gateway airport.

 

I typically find these prices much less than a single booked itinerary from your home airport.

 

Unless of course you live near one of these airports, in which case, you've pretty much have the best price anyway...

 

With reference to my Singapore booking, I did in fact look at flying from LAX or SF first. Much to my surprise, the price from JFK was less and even with flying into NY to get that flight, the total is still about the same. This way I saved flying into California and paying for a hotel for an extra day.

 

Since you're on the same cruise, what have you done yet; if anything?

[Kinkacruiser]

Unfortunately there is not a huge choice of itineraries from one's nearest port, so if you have to fly to join a cruise, the best idea is to make it worthwhile and include a land holiday...providing you have the time and holidays to take.

[cormike1]

We live in between 4 large airports including a 2-hr drive to a U.S. airport. It just seems to fly from Canada is usually way more expensive than driving the 2 hours to the U.S. airport and then there is a lot more choices in airlines and prices. We are doing the Baltic cruise in 2 weeks (a last minute choice) and our TA looked at lots of options and believe it or not she found KLM out of Montreal (2 hour drive) to Amsterdam, then on to Copenhagen for about $950 (don't have the exact price in front of me but close enough) I was really shocked as I was looking at $1200+ per person out of the U.S. and thought that was good. Of course it was more than the cruise lol. I look at it this way....if that is the vacation we want to go on then we have to bite the bullet and pay the price lol. I don't like it but I have little choice. At least in the U.S. you have lots of airlines to look at and choose from.

[emmieepoo]

I've seen some great prices for European and Exotic cruises but was shocked to see that often the airline tickets will cost more than the cruise. Just went on the Princess site to check out a cruise from New Zealand back to the USA next year and the air cost is $2750 per person. It's hard to book open jaw flights on your own but in the past we found that Princess air was quite reasonable. Not any more I guess.

 

I was just doing some checking today with flights and found if I booked flights one way they are cheaper. Used to be round trip was less but not any more. Something to check!

[likeashrek]

We live in NY and we have 2 hyandai's and use Geico. and yea, cruise line executives may be reading this, but they are taking a bath on cruise fares this year. I alone saved just about 2,000 on our cruise that we booked in January for the August 10 sailing of the Star.

 

Maybe Princess is now scratching it's head wondering why they moved the Caribbean princess from NY(where it sailed just about full every sailing) to Europe.

 

Boy this has been a fun thread!!!!

 

Happy Cruising

[BosoxI]

DW and I flew back home from Brazil using credit card points, a one way flight which cost us as though we had done a round trip. Ouch. The best thing is to marry an airline employee, check passenger loads frequently and choose flights for standby travel carefully. For those who are already married, this might prove to be a painful choice, but what the heck, if it's the cheapest alternative. :)

[Pia1913]

DW and I flew back home from Brazil using credit card points, a one way flight which cost us as though we had done a round trip. Ouch. The best thing is to marry an airline employee, check passenger loads frequently and choose flights for standby travel carefully. For those who are already married, this might prove to be a painful choice, but what the heck, if it's the cheapest alternative. :)

 

It wouldn't be for my husband. :p

[RMM34667]

this is a great thread. I hope it keeps going. I just check Kayak and flights are not yet available for my med cruise end of next May. The info I've read so far is helpful! Of course my hope is that OIL goes down, PEACE prevails, and airfares plumet. Well, the PEACE part is my best bet!

[rdsqrl]

I have one question. Where do you get auto insurance for $1200 a year for one car, never mind two.

From that cute little gekko . . . I pay just under $600/yr and for a convertible, no less.

Pia, your countdown signature is a laundry list of cruises I am dying to take. When I grow up, I want to be you (well, except for the paying too much for your car insurance thing . . . ).

[Woobstr112G]

You really have to be diligent with air. Especially one way air. I do dummy bookings way before I need them, just to get a feel of who is flying where. I just got air to Singapore from JFK for $744; what I consider a bargain, and only one stop; in Shanghai. However, these fares probably won't be available to those who book a last minute cruise. Either you save on the cruise or save on the air. Sometimes both, but hardly ever at the last minute.

 

I do the same thing as well. Used a consolidator and got a good price on business class seats for our October T/A cruise. I spent hours searching till I found the good price.....:):):)

 

Bob

[hb1491]

You really have to be diligent with air. Especially one way air. I do dummy bookings way before I need them, just to get a feel of who is flying where. I just got air to Singapore from JFK for $744; what I consider a bargain, and only one stop; in Shanghai. However, these fares probably won't be available to those who book a last minute cruise. Either you save on the cruise or save on the air. Sometimes both, but hardly ever at the last minute.

 

Pia, I do the same sometimes for hours & days like going from Tucson to Santiago for $540 and now for Oct. to Venice $571 pp, They are out there you just have to find them.

Horst

[avalong]

My husband and I are planning a land-based trip to New Zealand next February and nearly needed smelling salts when we looked into airfare. Using Orbitz we came up with $2100 pp. (Los Angeles to Auckland) :eek: We are suddenly feeling very un-Kiwi-ish...

[caribill]

I have one question. Where do you get auto insurance for $1200 a year for one car, never mind two.

 

Maybe you can get a lower insurance premium if you tell them you do not drive half of the year since you are on a cruise ship then.

[captainron]

I've seen some great prices for European and Exotic cruises but was shocked to see that often the airline tickets will cost more than the cruise. Just went on the Princess site to check out a cruise from New Zealand back to the USA next year and the air cost is $2750 per person. It's hard to book open jaw flights on your own but in the past we found that Princess air was quite reasonable. Not any more I guess.

 

Hi,

Realize it's a haul across the states. You might just consider doing the return flight from your home to Los Angeles on a separate PNR.

 

You should try and stay away from the major carriers...Star Alliance group etc and other major carriers and those that want to charge you for the extra bags. Both times we've flown to Oz or NZ, we flew Air Pacific (FJ - Fiji's National carrier) at a fraction of the cost of AA, AC, UA, DL, NZ, QA or CO.

 

Air Pacific flies a stretch B747-400 which departs LAX at about 2230hrs, arriving NAN in Fiji about 0530hrs local Fiji time. You will have about four hours in the airport (good to stretch legs and get circulation back in the old bum) before you continue on to AKL on your 3+/- hr flight getting into AKL about 1430 AKL time.

 

Airfare on FJ is considerably less than the major carriers and we found the service of the inflight crew to be very friendly. Check out the website at:

 

http://www.airpacific.com/

 

Hope this helps, and...

 

Ciao for now!!!

[Kiwi Kruzer]

Finding this thread very interesting....

This is what we have to go through, only the other way around if we want to join cruises up in your part of the world.

Guess thats why , when we do venture up your way , we try to do a back to back cruise,and/or, combine the flight and cruise with a pre/post cruise stay...to eek out some value from the hefty air fares.:)

 

[caribill]

There is no rule that says you have to book everything on one ticket. Especially when two tickets may be cheaper than one!

 

For example, for Europe try Chicago, New York, Dulles, Atlanta. For the Pacific try Seattle, San Francisco, LA.

 

When doing this, remember that the luggage allowance for the trans-ocean flight will not apply to the seperately booked domestic ticket.

 

For example, you may have two pieces of luggage at no charge from LAX to SYD, but may pay through the nose to get those two pieces to LAX from your home city.

[silvercruiser]

A couple of years ago when I was searching vayama.com for one-way fares to Venice to board a TA I discovered that I had to spend at least two weeks checking fares every day at different times to learn that after midnight on Wed. or Sat. was when I found the cheapest fares. Set the alarm for 2am and snagged a one-way fare for $405pp. By morning it was back up to $455 and after that went up to over $600 and stayed there.

[Pia1913]

Maybe you can get a lower insurance premium if you tell them you do not drive half of the year since you are on a cruise ship then.

 

LOL. Very funny. But true. My car's mileage turned to 5000 this morning and I got it on June 2nd of last year.

 

 

Pia, your countdown signature is a laundry list of cruises I am dying to take. When I grow up, I want to be you (well, except for the paying too much for your car insurance thing . . . ).

 

I haven't grown up yet. When I do, I want to be like the folks who can book suites and fly business class.

[Toto2Kansas]

I feel bad for those who want to cruise but the air sometimes cost more than the cruise itself. Here are a few tips:

 

For those out there who have travel rewards tied in with thier credit cards(especially those with no black-out dates) make use of them. I have two cards with American Express,

an American Express Gold tied in with Membership miles and a JetBlue American Express tied in with the JetBlue TrueBlue Points program. There are others such as Capital One, but I will focus on what I use.

 

Some people do not like to carry balances on their credit cards, but who says you have to. In today's electonic age I can purchase gas, with let's say with my JetBlue AE card and get double points), go home and then make an electonic payment to them. With gas as high as it is, filling my tank once a week (15 gallons at $4 bucks a pop is $60 X double points) is 120. Times that 42 times a year. Now I have 5040 points, good for 1 one-way ticket on JetBlue. You need the gas, so make use of the program. Dining out is also double points. My wife and I go out at least once a week, spend $40 X double points = 80 points X'S 50 times a year, thats another 4000 points. Many of you need auto insurance, ours cost about $1200 a year for 2 cars, that's another 1200 points. Now I have at least 1 round trip ticket. If you know you can pay cash, then use the card instead. Make an electonic payment and soon your flying for free.

 

Check out the American Express Jet Blue web site, back in February when American Express offered me the Jet Blue card, it came with this promotion. Purchase anything within the first 3 months and get 10,000 True Blue points, purchase anything over $500.00 within 3 months and get another 10,000 points for 20,000 TrueBlue points, good for 2 round trip tickets anywhere Jet Blue flies. One car insurance payment, and whoopee!!! 2 free tickets!!! With no black out dates.

 

We are now building up Jet Blue points so we can use them for a last minute cruise special, sometime next year. Our first grandchild was born this past June 10th. John Henry came into lives at 7lbs 14oz. Son and wife live in Seattle, we're in New York. Grandma went there the next day, for free, using a free ticket. Nearly a $1000.00 savings!!! I could not make the trip because of work, but I will be there next month. For free of course!!! But I sure wish I could be there now.

 

Now let's look at the American Express Gold card. My wife and I have been together 10 years, married seven. Since 2002, we completely remodeled our home. New roof, windows, siding, you name it, we bought it. All on the AE Gold card with membership miles. We amassed 191,000 points on the program, with many things at double points (by the way, these points never expire). When we booked our air this past January to Rome and return from Venice, it was $2400.00 for 2 from JFK. Using our points, it cost us only $224.00 for the both of us. Amazing!!! Star Princess and Europe here we come!!!! The money we saved is paying for all our tours. This is our first time to Europe, and we don't know when we are returning. So we plan on seeing as much as we could.

 

When you sit back and think about what you spend throughout the year, the numbers do add up. Gas, dining, food shopping, insurance, etc. Before you know it, your flying for free!!

Yep, we do the same. EVERYTHING possible goes on our credit cards, and we build up our points until we have enough for first class air for a long flight. We pay off the cards each month, and have never paid one penny of interest on them. When DH had his own business, everything for that business went on his CC, and everything for the house, including cruises and travel, went on mine. It's amazing how quickly those points can build up. So far we have gotten 3 RT first class flights to Hawaii, and 3 RT first class flights to Europe.

As for that car insurance thing, we insure 5 cars/trucks, two with full coverage and three with liability (as the three are farm only use) for a total of $1300 a year for all 5 of them. I thought that was terrible, but after reading this thread, doesn't seem so bad now. :)

[hubofhockey]

For Europe try Aer Lingus - can't help with US. Last year I booked a 27 day Transatlantic cruise from Ft Lauderdale to Venice for this May. Thought it was a good price then looked at airfares to get back home and almost had a heart attack. Ended up with Aer Lingus to JFK with a change in Dublin for $950 US Dollars for the both of us which wasn't bad.

 

We are big Aer Lingus fans as well. From Boston, we have two airlines that discount to Europe. One is Aer Lingus and the other is Icelandair. Got me tickets early for this summer. But prices from Boston to Barcelona on Icelandair for four of us averaged $420. On the way back, we're using Aer Lingus and paid about $560 average per person. Aer Lingus also allows you to stopover and take a day or two in Dublin at no extra cost. We are doing that again for the second straight year. In total, for four people, air was less than $4K - not bad.

[RAPM5856]

I have one question. Where do you get auto insurance for $1200 a year for one car, never mind two.

 

I don't mean to butt in.... I'm getting 2 vehicles ('05 Chrysler mini-van and my old '98 Dodge Stratus) for $440/year with 21st Century. The cheapest I've been able to get it for years.

[Iamcruzin]

total of $1300 a year for all 5 of them. I thought that was terrible, but after reading this thread, doesn't seem so bad now. :)

I pay $1800 a year just to have my son listed as a driver on a 10yr old Daewoo and I don't even have collision or theft on that policy. Plus I also insure 2 other cars. With this expense, college tuition, and the ever increasing property taxes I can barely afford the cruise. Forget airfare to Europe.

[Toto2Kansas]

I pay $1800 a year just to have my son listed as a driver on a 10yr old Daewoo and I don't even have collision or theft on that policy. Plus I also insure 2 other cars. With this expense, college tuition, and the ever increasing property taxes I can barely afford the cruise. Forget airfare to Europe.

OUCH! I can only imagine. :(

[ccrain]

With reference to my Singapore booking, I did in fact look at flying from LAX or SF first. Much to my surprise, the price from JFK was less and even with flying into NY to get that flight, the total is still about the same. This way I saved flying into California and paying for a hotel for an extra day.

 

Since you're on the same cruise, what have you done yet; if anything?

 

I got supersaver *A Biz class from SFO to SIN on ANA for both of us. 125,000 miles total.

 

Cost to SFO will be about $150 each and YVR to COS will probably be in the $300 each range, but I will probably do supersaver one way on United rather than pay that much.

 

I had saved up 250,000 miles to do the whole thing on a standard award, but hanging out at flyertalk helped a lot.