Avoid Delta and Atlanta
 

In article .net,
Hilary wrote:

Why on earth would anyone book an air ticket a year in advance?

Many people do. People who need certain dates, who get a good fare and
want to lock in

How can you possibly get a good fare a year in advance? I've never
seen a fare sale for more than 6 months out. Even on routes where
there is predictable, high demand (e.g., US to India for Christmas),
you'll never get a good price a year in advance.

I used to have people return from one flight and
immediately book the same for next year to get in before the price
increases.

For a flight 12 months from now, the price will drop first before
increasing.

Avoid Delta and Atlanta
 

In article , Pete wrote:

It seems very clear that DL will keep flying, bankruptcy or no
bankruptcy.

Since you obviously can foretell the future, why haven't you made a
fortune in the stock market?

How can I make a fortune in the stock market off of my prediction that
Delta will still be flying a year from now?

No, it is not "clear" that Delta will keep flying.

It's blindingly clear to me.

Why on earth would anyone book an air ticket a year in advance?

Booking a frequent flier award ticket far in advance may be the only
way to ensure getting specific dates.

Good point. I thought she was talking about paid tickets, though.

Avoid Delta and Atlanta
 

In article .com,
wrote:

Why on earth would anyone book an air ticket a year in advance?

I would have for a cruise I am taking in April of 2007. I say this, as
I came across a fare of $191 + taxes for DEN-FLL or DEN-MIA on AA. I
figured that fare would not last and more than likely would go up in
price.

I doubt very much it would go up. It seems about the average for
this route, and there will be all kinds of sales between now and then.
Even now, I see that US Airways/America West are selling DEN-MIA for
$191 + taxes for this coming July, August, and September.

Also was locked into certain dates and wanted to make sure I got
a flight at a good price. I had to wait a few weeks before I could book
this fare (can only book 330 days in advance) and then I had to fly
DEN-FLL and MIA-DEN to get this fare.

Had you waited, you would have gotten a better price and better flights.
Of course, there is a lot to be said for the convenience of booking
and forgetting, even if you overpay for the ticket.

Avoid Delta and Atlanta
 

I dont know about a year in advance but if you want to get decent fares
to some destinations like India at peak seasons like the last 2 weeks
of december, you need to book at least 9 months ahead.

Quark

VS wrote:
In article .net,
Hilary wrote:

Why on earth would anyone book an air ticket a year in advance?

Avoid Delta and Atlanta
 

Had you waited, you would have gotten a better price and better flights.
Of course, there is a lot to be said for the convenience of booking
and forgetting, even if you overpay for the ticket.

Possibly, but the last time we took a cruise out of Fort Lauderdale the
fares were never this low for DEN-FLL or DEN-MIA and I started looking
in September for a cruise in February. The cheaper fares were only
available on certain days and that not work with our cruise schedule.
Also just can't see the fare going too much lower than $216 with taxes.
Of course with Southwest flying from DEN we might have gotten a better
fare, but at this point their cheapest fare is around $280 with taxes.
Who knows maybe their fares will go down in another few months when the
allow reservations to be made for April of 2007. Just know that $216
with taxes seems like a good deal to me and can live with fact the fare
might go down by a few dollars.

Michael

Avoid Delta and Atlanta
 

No, it is not "clear" that Delta will keep flying.

It's blindingly clear to me.

Only because you are too young to remember Eastern.


Pete

Avoid Delta and Atlanta
 

I used to have people return from one flight and immediately
book the same for next year to get in before the price increases.

That's not literally true, is it? Most (all?) Americans airlines seem
to have 330 day (or thereabouts) limits on advance buying. Of
course, maybe you are referring to a 4+ week vacation, in which
case you literally could book immediately for next year.


Pete

Avoid Delta and Atlanta
 

In article , Pete wrote:

No, it is not "clear" that Delta will keep flying.

It's blindingly clear to me.

Only because you are too young to remember Eastern.

I remember Eastern and PanAm very well. I don't see many similarities
between Eastern and Delta. If anything, Delta pilots learned a good
lesson from their ALPA colleagues at Eastern.

Avoid Delta and Atlanta
 

In article .net,
Hilary wrote:

Some airlines don't really do fare sales except on new routes, so if
you're flying an established route you gain nothing by waiting.

What airlines are those? I've seen a few turd-world airlines that have
fixed fares, but in the US and Europe every airline I can think of has
fares that vary all the time, starting from high, then getting lower,
then increasing again as time gets closer.

On popular routes - like UK-India or UK-Australia at Christmas - you need
to book as far in advance as possible to get the cheaper seats because
they sold out very quickly. 9+ months was normal for those.

Even for those, I find it very hard to believe that booking 12 months
out is the best strategy. 6 to 9 months sounds about right, but not
12 months.

For a flight 12 months from now, the price will drop first before
increasing.

Nope. Most airlines release an entire year's fares at once.

Give me a route where you think today's price for a flight in June
2007 is the best price one can possibly get, i.e., there won't be any
time between now and then when the same seat on the same flight will
be selling for less.

Now, some people don't really care about the price, and just want to
book and forget instead of hunting for the best deal. Even then I
doubt very much that booking 12 months in advance is a good strategy.

Avoid Delta and Atlanta
 

because you're a douchebag

"Herb Ludwig" wrote in message
...
We are Europeans living near Birmingham and have often business and
personal friends visiting us. In recent months, we have heard from 2
couples and several single travelers that European travel agencies are
warning to stay away from Delta (long waiting times at check-in and poor
service, particulaly eastbound over the Atlantic) and Atlanta ( very slow
arrival clearance with baggage that has to be recovered, handled and
checked in again. Long lines in front of uninterested customs people etc.)
Why are Atlanta and Delta singled out?