Best time to book flights

[papabear310]

I will be heading to BKK in July 2011 and returning in August of same year from BHT (coughet). My question is, is it better to book now at current rates or wait till later and hope the rates are cheaper and seats still available? Will probably be going with Singapore Air as their times suit however would consider others if members suggest.

 

[samh004]

Welcome to AFF!

While not being that knowledgable about all the airlines out there, I think the consensus is a month to 2 months before travel will show the same prices as say 6 months before, or more like now. If a sale comes along that covers your dates and is unbelievable, jump on it, but I don’t think buying now at non-sale rates would be a wise choice.

I don’t travel internationally much though, so I’d suggest waiting for a more senior member to answer too.

Hope you stick around.

 

[harvyk]

Welcome to AFF

I would wait until a month or two out from actually travelling unless a sale come up.

Make sure you sign up to the newsletters of the various airlines which you'd consider an option as they usually publish notifications of sales in such things, and you may be able to find some great deals.

Also consider other routings eg there may be a sale fare from SYD-HGK. eg You may be able to put something together which takes you MEL-SYD-HKG-BKK which saves loads of $$$ over the direct option.

 

[papabear310]

thanks for the replies so far. All good advice.

 

[mjm056]

You might want to consider Jetstar - Starclass return to coughet with domestic flight with others to BKK - JQ Promotional fare for Starclass return around July - Aug 2011 is a tad over $1500. Just checked and still available mid july and mid aug. I am pretty sure Travelling Starclass with JQ gets you Business class points & SC's If you are QFF ( and comfort ) ALSO 30kgs baggage. domestic from PHU to BKK is pretty cheap and some inconvenience one way only. This is approx the same as discount economy with QANTAS for Syd - BKK ( and Less SC's if that is important) I am not a massive fan of Jetstar but Star class is worth thinking about.

 

[timster]

Many international air fares are still cheaper now than they have been for a number of years, due to the GEC. The chances of them still being that cheap by next year for one of the high seasons (ie northern hemisphere summer, our winter) I reckon are pretty slight. And seats at that time will get hard to come by if you leave it late.

Qantas SYD-BKK-SYD is around $1441 now, $999 next month, and $1441 again for July 2011.

That is unless the situation in Thailand deteriorates again, and the Aust Gov issues another 'do not travel' advisory. Knowing that Thailand's troubles are still basically unresolved, that's quite possible. On the other hand, your chances of getting in trouble in Thailand even if things do deteriorate in the same way again is pretty slim. Savvy people in BKK last time just avoided the small trouble areas. And outside BKK there was no trouble.

Of course if you want to fly through SIN, flights from here to there won't be affected by what may be happening in Thailand.

But if you're thinking Singapore airlines (ie via SIN), it may or may not be cheaper to grab a low cost airline to Thailand from/to SIN, especially since you're flying out of different Thai ports. Altho make sure you pay enough for your likely luggage weight upfront.

As mjm056 says, Jetstar's starclass may be worth a look ... never tried them but they do seem to come on sale often ... but still seem to end up a bit more than econ fare with a full service airline.

 

[dundas]

Many international air fares are still cheaper now than they have been for a number of years, due to the GEC. The chances of them still being that cheap by next year for one of the high seasons (ie northern hemisphere summer, our winter) I reckon are pretty slight. And seats at that time will get hard to come by if you leave it late.

Qantas SYD-BKK-SYD is around $1441 now, $999 next month, and $1441 again for July 2011.

That is unless the situation in Thailand deteriorates again, and the Aust Gov issues another 'do not travel' advisory. Knowing that Thailand's troubles are still basically unresolved, that's quite possible. On the other hand, your chances of getting in trouble in Thailand even if things do deteriorate in the same way again is pretty slim. Savvy people in BKK last time just avoided the small trouble areas. And outside BKK there was no trouble.

Of course if you want to fly through SIN, flights from here to there won't be affected by what may be happening in Thailand.

But if you're thinking Singapore airlines (ie via SIN), it may or may not be cheaper to grab a low cost airline to Thailand from/to SIN, especially since you're flying out of different Thai ports. Altho make sure you pay enough for your likely luggage weight upfront.

As mjm056 says, Jetstar's starclass may be worth a look ... never tried them but they do seem to come on sale often ... but still seem to end up a bit more than econ fare with a full service airline.

Jetstar do offer QF J class miles and status credits, and not only do they offer a 30kg luggage allowance, they also allow 2 10kg bags as carry on. Great if you're on a shopping trip.

The promotional *class fares come up regularly, but like most cheaper fares are non-refundable, and will probably cost money if you need to change your booking.

Legroom is OK 38", but the *class seat is hard and numbing after a few hours. Service is impersonal, even in * class, at least in my experience, and I'm not sure how seamless connecting in BKK to/from Jetstar would be. And Jetstar is a LCC, and it shows - try ordering a special meal, for instance.

I prefer Thai Y, which offers OK comfort for a 9 hour flight, friendly service, OK food and effortless connections in BKK. Thai sometimes sell Y fares at very cheap prices (similar to Jetstar Y prices) on their main website but these tend to be at short notice and may not be available when you want them.

As for "how far in advance?" it's always a gamble. I recently had the experience of buying tickets on South West in the US not long after the fares became available, a while later realising I had paid too much. I cancelled the tickets (non refundable, but could be cancelled), and used the credits to buy the new, cheaper tickets. I've got US!00 in credits, which this year at least I can even give to someone else. How's that for making it easy for the punters? I don't think any airline makes that kind of offer between Australia and Thailand!