When is the optimum time to book a flight?
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The only prices that I have seen for Ryanair 2019 are the idiot prices. For example if you want to fly to Nantes, mid October 2018 you can get flights for as little as €16/€24. Next March/April they are circa €60/€70. They will always catch a few at these prices. I will wait for them to fall back.
A lot of their 2019 prices are not loading at all today on a number of routes.
A lot of their 2019 prices are not loading at all today on a number of routes.
Brendan Burgess
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I have moved these posts from another thread as it's an important issue.
They would have caught me. I had assumed that prices were cheapest the further away you book.
So when should one book?
Brendan
They would have caught me. I had assumed that prices were cheapest the further away you book.
So when should one book?
Brendan
galway_blow_in
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Do you know if Ryanair have added any extra destinations in Croatia, place I'm hoping to visit next year is a long way from where they fly to.
I nearly always book my Ryanair flights about six to eight weeks before flying. The popular sun destinations can be a bit tricky so I check these on a daily basis. I have noticed that you can get the outgoing flight much cheaper than the return flight so I often book only the outgoing leg and wait for the return leg to drop in price. It nearly always does. If not then I sometimes will fly back with Aer Lingus.
This year has bit a bit different to other years. With the ongoing Ryanair woes they are announcing sales on an almost daily basis. Their forward bookings must be very poor.
Aer Lingus is different. When they announce a sale if the price is right I book these as soon as they announce. Their seats sell up quickly. For example they had a flash sale a few weeks back for Malaga, offering a code to use. I wanted the early morning flight for late October as I was travelling on to Estepona. They had been for sale for close to €90 before their special offer. I ended up getting these flights for just over €40. You can no longer get the early morning flight at these prices, now €68. You can still get a flight that arrives in Malaga at 11 p.m. for just over the €40 price if you want though.
I have noticed in Aer Lingus's latest sales they have included the wording "as part of a return package". Not sure how this will work if I play Ryanair off against Aer Lingus for each leg.
I certainly would not be booking any of the Ryanair 2019 prices until late January for late March flights. They will catch a few people just after Christmas with their first New Year sale but these prices will drop further. Easter next Year is April 21st so you have to be careful planning around this date.
It is also worthwhile joining some of the chain Hotel's reward offers. Melia, Accor, NH. Pierre & Vacances etc. They have some great offers for early bookers, or for 3 night stays.
See also.
This year has bit a bit different to other years. With the ongoing Ryanair woes they are announcing sales on an almost daily basis. Their forward bookings must be very poor.
Aer Lingus is different. When they announce a sale if the price is right I book these as soon as they announce. Their seats sell up quickly. For example they had a flash sale a few weeks back for Malaga, offering a code to use. I wanted the early morning flight for late October as I was travelling on to Estepona. They had been for sale for close to €90 before their special offer. I ended up getting these flights for just over €40. You can no longer get the early morning flight at these prices, now €68. You can still get a flight that arrives in Malaga at 11 p.m. for just over the €40 price if you want though.
I have noticed in Aer Lingus's latest sales they have included the wording "as part of a return package". Not sure how this will work if I play Ryanair off against Aer Lingus for each leg.
I certainly would not be booking any of the Ryanair 2019 prices until late January for late March flights. They will catch a few people just after Christmas with their first New Year sale but these prices will drop further. Easter next Year is April 21st so you have to be careful planning around this date.
It is also worthwhile joining some of the chain Hotel's reward offers. Melia, Accor, NH. Pierre & Vacances etc. They have some great offers for early bookers, or for 3 night stays.
See also.
I book multiple flights. About 6 months in advance. Particulary if it's any flights that are around school holidays. I have a pretty good idea of when it will be cheapest. For example after Halloween to about 2 weeks prior to Xmas is the cheapest and quietest time to travel.
Both Aer Lingus and Ryanair have sales. But this just knocks a few Euro off and when I compare the sales with what I've already booked I've never overpaid. The reason for this is the cheapest seats sell off first, so by the time the sale comes you might be at the next price level up.
Most Ryanair flights we use are nearly fully booked. We always book a seat now too. And I recently cancelled 4 flights for the new baggage rules and booked 4 alternative flights with the bags in the hold included and the difference in the 4 cancelled and the 4 new bookings was 1 Euro. But now we have priorty boarding, plus a bag on board.
The most expensive time is Halloween, mid term, Easter and not xmas so much as you have so many options on that, in general. It's worst when xmas is very close to the Friday. We no longer fly to Ireland for xmas. As it is just not worth it. Instead we find if you travel anywhere just after the 25th and back on or before the 31st it's also quite cheap .
July and August is also expensive because of family holidays.
Ryanair have a neat tool on their website where you can actually pick which day in any given month is the cheapest.
And if you're willing to travel in the middle of the night, ie 6 am, those tend to be the cheapest option.
iamaspinner
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I use Google Flights to keep track of flights. It has a lot of tools and it includes low cost airlines like Ryanair. You can set up email alerts, e.g. when prices change, which allows you to monitor prices over time. But I find that I'd rather pay for a flight at a price I'm happy with than waiting for it to drop, especially if travelling with the family. Waiting too long could be very costly. Once I buy the tickets I can dedicate my stress allowance to other things!
Just booked to go to Spain over the past couple of days. Ryanair are looking for €1822.85 to fly return to Barcelona Reus for 2 adults and 2 children in the first two weeks in June 2019. For a laugh at lunchtime, I looked at Aer Lingus to New York on the same dates with same bags etc.: €1746.08! Cheaper to fly to New York than Barcelona!! It is no coincidence that Ryanair has an Irish monopoly on the Reus route.
So we booked to Reus via Luton Airport with Ryanair and Easyjet for c. €825 on the same dates. Just the €1000 saving then!!
So we booked to Reus via Luton Airport with Ryanair and Easyjet for c. €825 on the same dates. Just the €1000 saving then!!
If you look at flight prices to Barcelona Reus for the late October pre Halloween Halloween period this year, you will see that the prices are as low as €22 per person on the outward leg but considerably more expensive for the return leg. However if you were to return from Barcelona main airport in November rather than Reus (no return available in November) there are decent prices available.
For the end of this month you will see prices to Reus for as little as €31.
Ryanair have just loaded their summer 2019 prices this week. They need time to settle. There is absolutely no way that the €1822 price above will hold. I would even suggest that the €825 price will not hold either.
Reus is always more expensive to fly to than the main Barcelona airport.
This thread is a little out of date but you can check on either the Reus travel forum or Barcelona travel forum of Tripadvisor for more updates about transfers from Barcelona main airport to Reus/Salou or similar..
For the end of this month you will see prices to Reus for as little as €31.
Ryanair have just loaded their summer 2019 prices this week. They need time to settle. There is absolutely no way that the €1822 price above will hold. I would even suggest that the €825 price will not hold either.
Reus is always more expensive to fly to than the main Barcelona airport.
This thread is a little out of date but you can check on either the Reus travel forum or Barcelona travel forum of Tripadvisor for more updates about transfers from Barcelona main airport to Reus/Salou or similar..
On the contrary we did this exact journey this year as well. Ryanair's flights to Reus never dipped below €1550 all-in while our €825 route went to €1350!! Ryanair from Dublin to Reus has been available since May so no 'settling down' is required. Quoting prices to a holiday destination well outside the main holiday timings is also fairly pointless. My point is that Ryanair has an Irish monopoly on this particular route (see also Shannon to Reus for prices!!) and they are simply gouging customers. Of course it is a free country and many people seem willing to pay these prices, but I voted with my wallet!!
I quoted prices for the Halloween period. Many schools are closed for a mid term break at this time, unlike early June.
Maybe we can track the prices on this thread over the coming months and see what happens. As I said the Reus prices are more expensive than the main Barcelona flight prices.
That is why I suggested flying in to the main Barcelona airport and getting a transfer.
P
You'd be crazy to do that because Ryanair is a point to point airline and anything goes wrong you're stumped. EG if one of the flight times gets changed on one leg, if a flight is cancelled, etc you're no recourse on the second booking etc.
Why not go somewhere else.
You'd be crazy to do that because Ryanair is a point to point airline and anything goes wrong you're stumped. EG if one of the flight times gets changed on one leg, if a flight is cancelled, etc you're no recourse on the second booking etc.
Why not go somewhere else.
Shuttle Direct will do a transfer for two adults and two non teenage children in an air conditioned coach for €140 "return" from Barcelona airport to Salou area. Time is 1 hour 20 minutes approx.
Other transfer operators may be cheaper or more expensive. It is usually a shared coach with stops at different locations along the way.
Certainly if I was getting an early flight and check in time to my hotel was 3 p.m. I would consider the transfer option.
Although knowing me I would most likely get a taxi from Barcelona airport to the main train station in Barcelona and a train toward Salou. Travelling with children would make me think differently though, especially if I was dragging along extra suitcases and a buggy.
Other transfer operators may be cheaper or more expensive. It is usually a shared coach with stops at different locations along the way.
Certainly if I was getting an early flight and check in time to my hotel was 3 p.m. I would consider the transfer option.
Although knowing me I would most likely get a taxi from Barcelona airport to the main train station in Barcelona and a train toward Salou. Travelling with children would make me think differently though, especially if I was dragging along extra suitcases and a buggy.