Best time to buy flights/hotel for summer holiday
Discussion
Was going to book something over the weekend for end of August for a holiday somewhere in Europe - just a week break.
For the plane, was costing about £1.2k return for family of 4 to Turkey being one example of flights. Pretty typical pricing. One thing I noticed was that when you go to select seats, there was only 12 seats taken on the entire plane. Now I know that some people won't pay to book seats, but when you're spending £1.2k for 4 (or £600 a couple) its only £6.99 per seat to sit together so I'm thinking that the fact that there is hardly anyone going on the plane, that would mean it might be better waiting to closer to the time?
Who's going to blink 1st here, the customers or the airlines? Will the prices come down closer to the time?
I've never really done a last minute booking for a holiday, so kind of looking a bit of advice here. Is last minute booking still a thing these days or am I best to just buy now and secure the flights and hotel?
For the plane, was costing about £1.2k return for family of 4 to Turkey being one example of flights. Pretty typical pricing. One thing I noticed was that when you go to select seats, there was only 12 seats taken on the entire plane. Now I know that some people won't pay to book seats, but when you're spending £1.2k for 4 (or £600 a couple) its only £6.99 per seat to sit together so I'm thinking that the fact that there is hardly anyone going on the plane, that would mean it might be better waiting to closer to the time?
Who's going to blink 1st here, the customers or the airlines? Will the prices come down closer to the time?
I've never really done a last minute booking for a holiday, so kind of looking a bit of advice here. Is last minute booking still a thing these days or am I best to just buy now and secure the flights and hotel?
soupdragon1 said:
Was going to book something over the weekend for end of August for a holiday somewhere in Europe - just a week break.
For the plane, was costing about £1.2k return for family of 4 to Turkey being one example of flights. Pretty typical pricing. One thing I noticed was that when you go to select seats, there was only 12 seats taken on the entire plane. Now I know that some people won't pay to book seats, but when you're spending £1.2k for 4 (or £600 a couple) its only £6.99 per seat to sit together so I'm thinking that the fact that there is hardly anyone going on the plane, that would mean it might be better waiting to closer to the time?
Who's going to blink 1st here, the customers or the airlines? Will the prices come down closer to the time?
I've never really done a last minute booking for a holiday, so kind of looking a bit of advice here. Is last minute booking still a thing these days or am I best to just buy now and secure the flights and hotel?
Ok - not an expert on international travel, planes or the pricing mechanisms - but we do book flights both in and out of holidays.For the plane, was costing about £1.2k return for family of 4 to Turkey being one example of flights. Pretty typical pricing. One thing I noticed was that when you go to select seats, there was only 12 seats taken on the entire plane. Now I know that some people won't pay to book seats, but when you're spending £1.2k for 4 (or £600 a couple) its only £6.99 per seat to sit together so I'm thinking that the fact that there is hardly anyone going on the plane, that would mean it might be better waiting to closer to the time?
Who's going to blink 1st here, the customers or the airlines? Will the prices come down closer to the time?
I've never really done a last minute booking for a holiday, so kind of looking a bit of advice here. Is last minute booking still a thing these days or am I best to just buy now and secure the flights and hotel?
I have also noticed that 'picked seats' only make up a fraction of those available on the aircraft. When I actually get on, certainly the last few years trips, the plane has been full.
I tend to book in late jan to get the best prices - but ymmv dependant on airline and route. We used to pay for picked seats but bear in mind airlines must seat minors (up to the age of 12 IIRC) with at least one parent so just leaving it to them to deal with is an option - but depends on your kids age and how happy you are with that....
I don't know if Turkey has any issues that might preclude people holidaying there at the mo - it's not a destination for me - but I would be abs staggered if somewhere down the line you saw those prices get cheaper (and to be fair 1200 for 4 to Turkey in the school hols seems actually pretty decent)?
Lots of people don't pay to book seats, particularly families travelling for an annual holiday as the assumption is you will all be sat together if travelling with kids. In reality next to kids could mean the row in front or behind. Also if you are booking a package with the likes of Easyjet then I don't think you can select seats until much nearer the time of the flight - flight only you do get the option to select seats at the time of booking the flights. Have a look at the same flight leaving in the next day or two and you will probably see that most seats are taken.
I have travelled on flight only trips with TUI and EasyJet for lots of summer holidays. I have always found that the prices have only gone up nearer the time. The cheapest time to book has been when flights were released. The price you have quoted seems pretty cheap so I would go with that.
I have travelled on flight only trips with TUI and EasyJet for lots of summer holidays. I have always found that the prices have only gone up nearer the time. The cheapest time to book has been when flights were released. The price you have quoted seems pretty cheap so I would go with that.
I have also found flights only go up the longer you leave it, particularly if it's a flight that is likely to be very busy or sell out.
If your flexible with locations then browse Skyscanner etc for different destinations on dates that suit you, that's what we do. You would be surprised how much it can vary.
If your flexible with locations then browse Skyscanner etc for different destinations on dates that suit you, that's what we do. You would be surprised how much it can vary.
ScubaBiker said:
Lots of people don't pay to book seats, particularly families travelling for an annual holiday as the assumption is you will all be sat together if travelling with kids. In reality next to kids could mean the row in front or behind. Also if you are booking a package with the likes of Easyjet then I don't think you can select seats until much nearer the time of the flight - flight only you do get the option to select seats at the time of booking the flights. Have a look at the same flight leaving in the next day or two and you will probably see that most seats are taken.
I have travelled on flight only trips with TUI and EasyJet for lots of summer holidays. I have always found that the prices have only gone up nearer the time. The cheapest time to book has been when flights were released. The price you have quoted seems pretty cheap so I would go with that.
In season or any other time of peak demand prices will only go up. I have travelled on flight only trips with TUI and EasyJet for lots of summer holidays. I have always found that the prices have only gone up nearer the time. The cheapest time to book has been when flights were released. The price you have quoted seems pretty cheap so I would go with that.
Sometimes I've managed to get a good price on flights within a month in off peak of travelling to places that aren't tourist destinations but I wouldn't count on it.
Same with accommodation. Usually it only gets more expensive the closer you get.
Update 5 weeks later. We decided to wait. To be honest, partly because we couldn't settle on where we wanted to go.
Found a great place in Tunisia, close to booking it then seen some reviews about young girls being photographed, touched up by staff etc...grrrr! My daughter is 13 so no, just put me right off and decided to rule out the entire country off the back of that. Prejudiced, I know.
Anyway, fast forward 5 weeks and some cracking deals to be had. easyJet had a big sale recently. Below example was one we looked at to Menorca. £70 return basically, £280 for the 4 of us, 21st Aug for 7 nights. Would need to add another £160 for seat selection and bags though but amazing price for summer.
Nice was similar, never been to South of France, it was £90 return.
Turkey got much cheaper as well and flight to Rhodes, was £160 return, but we ruled out Rhodes too.
Turkey actually got so cheap that I was able to get a 3 star hotel, 4.5/5 on trip advisor, all flights, bags and transfers for almost the same price as flight only was a few weeks ago. £374pp.
In the end, we did what we always do and went for a premium all inclusive hotel in Turkey.
I really fancied a hotel with breakfast only and spend time eating in different places. Going to Nice and doing a trip to Monaco etc. Going to Rhodes and trying out different towns and eateries. Or even going to Turkey to do the same, instead of all inclusive.
But no. We've settled on sit by the pool/beach, good food in the hotel with a few excursions to mix it up a bit. So looking forward to it.
Seems that there are plenty of good value offerings out there at the minute. Not sure if this a reflection on the overall economy or not?
We don't usually leave it this late and from earlier comments in the thread, it's not normal for competitive prices this close to the actual departure date. I guess in this instance, being indecisive has actually worked out ok in the end. So off we go to Turkey for the 5th time in about 9 years. A good chance to stock up on some quality clothing at good prices
Found a great place in Tunisia, close to booking it then seen some reviews about young girls being photographed, touched up by staff etc...grrrr! My daughter is 13 so no, just put me right off and decided to rule out the entire country off the back of that. Prejudiced, I know.
Anyway, fast forward 5 weeks and some cracking deals to be had. easyJet had a big sale recently. Below example was one we looked at to Menorca. £70 return basically, £280 for the 4 of us, 21st Aug for 7 nights. Would need to add another £160 for seat selection and bags though but amazing price for summer.
Nice was similar, never been to South of France, it was £90 return.
Turkey got much cheaper as well and flight to Rhodes, was £160 return, but we ruled out Rhodes too.
Turkey actually got so cheap that I was able to get a 3 star hotel, 4.5/5 on trip advisor, all flights, bags and transfers for almost the same price as flight only was a few weeks ago. £374pp.
In the end, we did what we always do and went for a premium all inclusive hotel in Turkey.
I really fancied a hotel with breakfast only and spend time eating in different places. Going to Nice and doing a trip to Monaco etc. Going to Rhodes and trying out different towns and eateries. Or even going to Turkey to do the same, instead of all inclusive.
But no. We've settled on sit by the pool/beach, good food in the hotel with a few excursions to mix it up a bit. So looking forward to it.
Seems that there are plenty of good value offerings out there at the minute. Not sure if this a reflection on the overall economy or not?
We don't usually leave it this late and from earlier comments in the thread, it's not normal for competitive prices this close to the actual departure date. I guess in this instance, being indecisive has actually worked out ok in the end. So off we go to Turkey for the 5th time in about 9 years. A good chance to stock up on some quality clothing at good prices
Mopey said:
For that price who did you book through? Been looking for similar but can’t get anywhere near that price per person in school holidays.
That particular Turkey trip I posted above is from the TUI website. I'm in N Ireland and I'm only a few miles away from Belfast international airport so I always try to fly from there, or Dublin for longer haul.I needed to be careful on dates to get the best prices. Our 4 person trip was £1200 more if we went Sat to Sat instead of Fri to Fri, which is what we selected as it was a huge difference.
The easyjet holiday flights were 15% off across the board, but that finished yesterday. Perhaps another promo will come but I think it was an indicator that bookings weren't as buoyant as they may have hoped, hence the sale.
Saying that, I think the easyjet package holidays are still on sale. As a rough rule of thumb, from my own workings, if you go package holiday with easyjet, you basically get hold bags, seats and transfers thrown in for free, versus booking it all separately.
Had a quick look to see if my Tui trip was an anomaly.
This is the hotel I ended up booking. We liked the idea of something close to the Dalaman airport and this hotel has fantastic reviews.
Leaving from Belfast, ours was £1,087 pp but London, Manchester are £1,340 area for the exact same holiday, so for some reason, our flights are cheaper. That's surprising as it's nearly always more expensive for a Belfast departure so that's really unusual.
Saying that, I was paying similar to London apart from that 1 Friday flight which was saving us over a grand for our family of 4.
Keep an eye on easyJet flight offers. Rhodes, Menorca, Nice were super cheap from my location so if you're flexible on location, might be a bargain out there. I found £70 return flight which is crazy low for summer time.
This is the hotel I ended up booking. We liked the idea of something close to the Dalaman airport and this hotel has fantastic reviews.
Leaving from Belfast, ours was £1,087 pp but London, Manchester are £1,340 area for the exact same holiday, so for some reason, our flights are cheaper. That's surprising as it's nearly always more expensive for a Belfast departure so that's really unusual.
Saying that, I was paying similar to London apart from that 1 Friday flight which was saving us over a grand for our family of 4.
Keep an eye on easyJet flight offers. Rhodes, Menorca, Nice were super cheap from my location so if you're flexible on location, might be a bargain out there. I found £70 return flight which is crazy low for summer time.
soupdragon1 said:
Had a quick look to see if my Tui trip was an anomaly.
This is the hotel I ended up booking. We liked the idea of something close to the Dalaman airport and this hotel has fantastic reviews.
Leaving from Belfast, ours was £1,087 pp but London, Manchester are £1,340 area for the exact same holiday, so for some reason, our flights are cheaper. That's surprising as it's nearly always more expensive for a Belfast departure so that's really unusual.
Saying that, I was paying similar to London apart from that 1 Friday flight which was saving us over a grand for our family of 4.
Keep an eye on easyJet flight offers. Rhodes, Menorca, Nice were super cheap from my location so if you're flexible on location, might be a bargain out there. I found £70 return flight which is crazy low for summer time.
Thanks for the info! This is the hotel I ended up booking. We liked the idea of something close to the Dalaman airport and this hotel has fantastic reviews.
Leaving from Belfast, ours was £1,087 pp but London, Manchester are £1,340 area for the exact same holiday, so for some reason, our flights are cheaper. That's surprising as it's nearly always more expensive for a Belfast departure so that's really unusual.
Saying that, I was paying similar to London apart from that 1 Friday flight which was saving us over a grand for our family of 4.
Keep an eye on easyJet flight offers. Rhodes, Menorca, Nice were super cheap from my location so if you're flexible on location, might be a bargain out there. I found £70 return flight which is crazy low for summer time.
I used to book through Expedia. Did that for years. The hotels were always of a good standard.
Then about 7/8 years ago I started using BA holidays. We usually go away for the last week of June. Just me and her. It's always All Inclusive and every trip with BA is spot on. I normally book it over Christmas so around 6 months before. We went to Malta this year and got 7 nights for the 2 of us for £1200. Decent 4 star in a nice part.
Then about 7/8 years ago I started using BA holidays. We usually go away for the last week of June. Just me and her. It's always All Inclusive and every trip with BA is spot on. I normally book it over Christmas so around 6 months before. We went to Malta this year and got 7 nights for the 2 of us for £1200. Decent 4 star in a nice part.
Well, the 'limited time 15% off flights' offer from easyJet is straight back on again, less than a week since the last one.
Must be loads of seats left.
My only worry, not that I ended up booking with easyJet, I'm TUI, is that there could be cancellation risks if planes aren't filled adequately.
Package holiday Vs build your own holiday is something to consider in this environment
Must be loads of seats left.
My only worry, not that I ended up booking with easyJet, I'm TUI, is that there could be cancellation risks if planes aren't filled adequately.
Package holiday Vs build your own holiday is something to consider in this environment
soupdragon1 said:
Well, the 'limited time 15% off flights' offer from easyJet is straight back on again, less than a week since the last one.
Must be loads of seats left.
My only worry, not that I ended up booking with easyJet, I'm TUI, is that there could be cancellation risks if planes aren't filled adequately.
Package holiday Vs build your own holiday is something to consider in this environment
Was reported in the news that Ryanair's profit was down 50% this year so they expect seat prices to drop (and I expect ancillary prices to rise).Must be loads of seats left.
My only worry, not that I ended up booking with easyJet, I'm TUI, is that there could be cancellation risks if planes aren't filled adequately.
Package holiday Vs build your own holiday is something to consider in this environment
Still can't get to Australia for less than a grand though.
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