How far in advance to you purchase your airfare to Barcelona for good rates

[Cat54]

I booked my airfare last week for our cruise next year. We are leaving 6/22/12 on the Serenade. I was able to get a price of 1,029.00 on Aer Lingus out of Boston. In 2010 we also went on a cruise out of Barcelona in June. My TA told me I should book out 330 days for airfare. I thought the price was too much and waited for a sale. No such luck! I ended up paying about $300.00 more per ticket.:( I would started to shop around now.

[Desert Cruizers]

I bought our tickets, abt 8 months out. We are flying from So Calif to Barcelona and our TA was able to get us on US Air right out of our home city, skipping LAX, thru Phoenix then Philly and right into Barcelona total for $1228.20 1 way. My TA informed to when checking prices, to put in the day of departure if the dates are not available yet. If you leave on a Tuesday and show a Tuesday to the closest dates.

[PhylSam]

We booked about 75 days out this past May for flights July 25 out of FLL, Philadelphia into Barcelona (r/t) for $853 pp on US Air. Although it looked great on paper, USAir left us and more than 27 people stranded in Philadelphia by booking connections too close together (less than 2 hours). We all missed our flights and they booked everyone then to Frankfort Germany and then a 5 hour layover and then into Barcelona. In Frankfort, they gave everyone vouchers (which took us 1 1/2 to line up for) and then disappeared on everyone. A bunch of us banded together, found an earlier Luftansa flight and got of Frankfort within 2 hours. It was exhausting! For days after, we met person after person who was displaced by USAir. If you have another choice, take it. Thank goodness we all arrived into Barcelona a day early.

 

ALWAYS TRAVEL A DAY OR TWO EARLY!!

[flahagan]

Well, I broke the cardinal rule of booking and then never checking fares again. Booked in late March for r/t Orlando-Barcelona for our November, 2011 cruise, fare was $838. I actually could have gotten a slightly better fare at that time with another airline, but wanted to fly Continental out of Newark to travel with friends also going on the cruise. It was their only choice out of Louisville, and they were VERY anxious to nail down airfare, as the rates were inching up.

Previously, we've always booked 2 1/2-4 months out, so out of curiosity, I've been continuing to check. Today, I could fly on my dates with AirFrance for $709, Delta for $695. Ouch!!! Continental is $820, some cheaper but not enough to make me cry. But those other fares, oh my.

I keep reminding myself that we'll just be starting the fun early since we'll be going with our friends, but boy that's a steep price! Lesson learned.

[gmadvm]

This thread inspired me to get off my butt and look at flights for our May 5 2012 cruise out of BCN on serenade. I booked direct with aer lingus for $754 round trip out of boston. cross one thing off the to do list.

 

gerri

[waverley7]

I signed in today to find out the answer to this question! Funny, someone beat me to it! Our ship docks at 5:00 a.m. so I am looking at a 10:40 flight and a 12:30 flight......I would think those times should be okay. At least the 12:30 flight should be good, ya think?

 

I also am checking flights now, very frustrating process for sure. So many airlines and so many places to search!

 

I have read recently that Tuesday at midnight is the time to book flights. (I think it was an article on here last week)

[GlendaleCruiser]

Right now for your dates, I see airfare around $1373. If you find it for $1100 or lower, jump on it. IME, this would be a great fare for this routing/time of year. You want to travel at the beginning of vacation season and airfare is going to be high.

 

Change fee for most international tickets is $250, not $150.

 

 

I would agree with that sentiment. We booked airfare Phoenix to Barcelona about 9 months ahead. We got a rate of just under $1100 and I really had a feeling that they would go up and not down. By January (we went in May) they were up at $1300 pp so I guessed right that time and I think that's about all you can do--guess. But I would jump again for $1100 or less.

[rolladice]

I am looking for airfare from Kansas City, MO to Barcelona for dates 4/26-5/11. I just got a price alert of $883.00 on US Airways. Thinking I should go for it. Any opinions. It leaves BCN at 10:45am

[Ms_Fl_Cruiser]

We booked about 75 days out this past May for flights July 25 out of FLL, Philadelphia into Barcelona (r/t) for $853 pp on US Air. Although it looked great on paper, USAir left us and more than 27 people stranded in Philadelphia by booking connections too close together (less than 2 hours). We all missed our flights and they booked everyone then to Frankfort Germany and then a 5 hour layover and then into Barcelona. In Frankfort, they gave everyone vouchers (which took us 1 1/2 to line up for) and then disappeared on everyone. A bunch of us banded together, found an earlier Luftansa flight and got of Frankfort within 2 hours. It was exhausting! For days after, we met person after person who was displaced by USAir. If you have another choice, take it. Thank goodness we all arrived into Barcelona a day early.

 

ALWAYS TRAVEL A DAY OR TWO EARLY!!

 

Hi, I find this very interesting as I am considering a Med cruise for next September and see that US Airways is the cheapest flight out of MIA-FTL.

 

I do have one question though and I don't want to blame you or any of the 27 people who were left behind, but does it seem that some folks made it on to the connecting flight if they 'hurried' up or it's just plain impossible to reach the connecting flight with a layover of less than 2 hours?

 

This would be our first overseas flight and if anyone else can chime in, I would greatly appreciate.

 

Thanks in advance for any info you can provide!! :D

[6rugrats]

Hi, I find this very interesting as I am considering a Med cruise for next September and see that US Airways is the cheapest flight out of MIA-FTL.

 

I do have one question though and I don't want to blame you or any of the 27 people who were left behind, but does it seem that some folks made it on to the connecting flight if they 'hurried' up or it's just plain impossible to reach the connecting flight with a layover of less than 2 hours?

 

This would be our first overseas flight and if anyone else can chime in, I would greatly appreciate.

 

Thanks in advance for any info you can provide!! :D

I don't understand that post. Poster stated they were flying FLL-PHL-BCN and says two hours wasn't enough time to make a connection in PHL? They say nothing about their flight from FLL arriving late to PHL.

 

No idea how this poster missed their connection. They were on the same airline for all flights. They would have had their boarding passes in hand and didn't have to recheck bags. All they had to do is get from one gate to another. 45 minutes would have been plenty of time. What they were doing with their two hours that caused them to miss the connection, I have no idea.

 

There must be more to this story.

[LoraJ]

I have been pricing out airfare for months and when the flights finally opened for our dates they were $200 less than what I had been seeing for other dates so I jumped on them.

[Desert Cruizers]

For our Oct 2011 TA, and checking prices, we had the best fair some 8 months out from our departure to Barcelona. We live in So Calif and received a one way fare of $1228.20 Total flying coach. Our flight home was out of FT Lauderdale and put on our diners points. By the time we were ready to leave the fair had jumped to some $1500.

I also want to highly recommend for shuttle services, Autos Vilar if you have a large group of 4 or more. They provided our shuttle to the Hotel and Pier.http://www.autosvilar.com/

[waverley7]

DEAL ON AIR FRANCE TODAY ONLY

 

Just checked this because I was curious about an email sale they sent me.

 

I just checked for April 2012 and from Toronto to Barcelona 760.00 return, taxes in.

 

Excellent flights time too, good deal.

[Cat54]

We are flying into BCN on June 21, 2012 on Aer Lingus out of Logan International. I booked airfare when the flights opened. Glad I did! Airfare has already gone up over 100.00 per person.

 

We flew into in BCN in June of 2010. MY TA recommended that I buy tickets when the flights opened. I chose not to thinking that I would get a cheaper price later. I ended up paying over $200.00 more per ticket and did not get the flights that I wanted. It's a gamble:eek: