GABIT attendees thread

[antoa]

I much prefer to fly direct whenever possible. I hate take off and landing and flying direct greatly minimizes the chances of lost (or delayed) luggage - it's virtually eliminated as long as you get to the airport and get your bags checked as early as possible.

I have looked at flights, but they are still too expensive. I will probably get my flights in the summer or early fall. I still don't even know how long I am going to be over there.

[MidwifeOnBoard]

Laurie-- buying a ticked this far out will cost you far more than booking closer to the date. Like Antoa, I too will not be buying a ticket until late summer/early fall.

[samcartersg1]

Laurie-- buying a ticked this far out will cost you far more than booking closer to the date. Like Antoa, I too will not be buying a ticket until late summer/early fall.

I always thought that buying earlier was better. The cost of my ticket has already gone up $50 compared to when I checked prices a month ago. Should they go back down at some point?

[Trindajae]

Hey LLP, something to know for future flights, but don't worry about changing the tickets you already purchased:

If you fly out of Vancouver, the leg from Seattle to Vancouver is a very short flight on a small plane (complimentary check at the gate of your regular-sized carry-on because nothing bigger than a large purse or briefcase will fit in the overhead bins). The small plane isn't that comfortable, but you're only on it for an hour or so. The leg from Vancouver to London is very large, very comfortable (for a plane), and they give you all sorts of complimentary things like meals and headphones for the in-flight entertainment (of which there is a wide selection for various audiences) and an almost never-ending supply of water.

Flying back from Toronto, though, is a short enough flight that you're on a smaller plane and they don't offer as many nice things. For example, I'm betting the meals aren't included. You can check the included stuff on your reservation. Look for an "F" in the "Meals" column and that's "Food for Purchase." They'll also likely charge for headphones, so bring your own.

As for Toronto's airport itself... It's a lot like Dallas or Chicago. Lots of people going lots of places means the runways get de-iced very quickly and the lines for security or customs can be long if you're unlucky. On your way back, you'll go through US Customs in Toronto, so you'll be landing at a domestic terminal in Seattle, not an international one.

I prefer Vancouver for pretty surroundings and shorter lines. (They clearly poured some money into the airport prior to the Olympics because the International Departures wing is very nice.) The trick for Vancouver is to know that it's almost like three airports in one. There's a domestic section, a Canada-US section, and an International section. Follow the signs after you land to the International section on your outbound flight and the ones for Canada-US on the way back. And on the outbound leg, Canadian Customs is super easy. As long as you're leaving immediately, they almost seem to not completely care what you have in your bags.

As for prices, I checked just now and the rates they've got advertised are about normal for most of the year. Airfare sales are unpredictable, but they can save you some money. I usually wait until I see a flight that (taxes included) comes to around $750-800. Of course, that's from PDX, not SEA. Your results may vary somewhat. But somewhere around $1000 is not a ripoff, and no guarantee that there would be a sale that good before November anyway. Lots of people want to go to London for the Olympics, so I'm guessing prices are going to be higher than normal for awhile.

Though I might be wrong. I flunked Divination.

[llp]

Haven't bought the ticket yet...but I did forget about the Olympics. However, the word is by Memorial weekend we will be having the highest prices for gas in the US we have ever seen.....not a good thing for plane fuel. And because of one of the main reasons (IRAN) who knows what it will be going to. And there are a few refineries back east that have shut down for "maintenance" - strange how they pick this time for doing that! I've flown on those little commuter planes from Seattle to Vancouver....you are right, not the most comfortable, but still convenient. Just not sure if I could handle one at the end of a long flight which is why I'm thinking about Toronto as a place to change planes....oh and they do offer a meal or snack on that plane. However there is a full meal on the one out of London and really just how much food can someone eat on one of those planes! Personally, I hope to sleep some of the time, and the flight from Toronto to Seattle might be the perfect time! Skip the food.

[EH-T]

The big unknown with flights is the fuel surcharge. Last time I checked the ticket to London the flight cost was listed as $250.00 or so but all the taxes, etc brought it up to $1,000.00. The fuel surcharge part of that was over $400.00.

[EH-T]

Here is the final tally from the bricks & blocks campaign:

February 15, 2012 . Winter campaign officially closes with $29,710 raised! Each of our charities will be sent over $5800, sums that make a difference. Thank you to everyone for their interest and contribution to building our village

[Celandine]

The US has a new federal airline regulation requiring full disclosure which began January 26th. What it entails is that when booking a flight, all taxes/fees are listed in the published airfares as well as all baggage fees.

So that amazing flight for $39 is no more. At least in the sense of what you see when you book the flight from the get-go.

I quite like it as it cuts the time for booking a ticket down (less pages to go through to get to the final price for a flight) and no surprises when you finally do decide and book it.

I'll most likely be buying my flight next month as I fear prices will be going up as the summer arrives. Not only for the Olympics but also the fact that everyone is saying gas prices are supposed to be at their peak this summer. I think the trickle down effect will hit the airlines as well, or at least give them a reason to explain why they're raising prices. Anyway, the quote I have now for a flight I found is actually cheaper than the flight I took overseas for AT3 waaaaay back when in '08. I did a little dance when I saw it.

[llp]

Celandine - I know what you mean. I can get a semi-good (but not great) price right now or do I wait until after the Olypmics and try in Sept. Last time prices of gas went up really fast but took forever to come down some...So will the prices be very good at the end of Sept? Not really sure. And then there is Iran....who knows what they are going to do! What I need is someone else to make my decisions for me...or even better, pay for my ticket!

[MidwifeOnBoard]

I just feel like a lot can happen in 9 months, and while I am anticipating going to the con and have paid for my ticket, things happen and I'd rather be out $500 than $1500. But I'm also in the 'I don't know how long I'll stay for' camp, as well.

[lame moose (mocha)]

the 1st time i went to england i flew sw air to boston and then iceland air to london. it actually saved me a couple hundred. check and see how much a flight from seattle to boston or new york is and then boston or ny to london. i also liked that it broke up the trip. hate those long rides. my legs get really uncomfortable.sw air flights are dirt cheap and they always have some kind of special going on. just a thought.

[Celandine]

I should be sleeping since I have another 2am wakeup, but...

Four years ago, I bought my ticket for AT3 a mere month before the event. Back then, these things didn't sell out right away. Anyway, I bought my flight right away through AA and it cost over $800. The flight I have my eye on right now has one stop-over (for an hour in Dublin) and amounts to a total of 10 hrs instead of the usual 8ish for a direct flight to London. Right now, saving $150 with the one layover compared to FOUR years ago when I payed more for a flight, I'm all over it. You'd think it'd be the reverse.

Midwife, if you want the airline let me know. I checked for your flight out of Boston and it came up to $740 w/taxes-fees.

Mocha, come down and fly out of Chicago!

[penjab]

Celandine - I know what you mean. I can get a semi-good (but not great) price right now or do I wait until after the Olypmics and try in Sept. Last time prices of gas went up really fast but took forever to come down some...So will the prices be very good at the end of Sept? Not really sure. And then there is Iran....who knows what they are going to do! What I need is someone else to make my decisions for me...or even better, pay for my ticket!

Laurie, I don't know if this is something you would be interested in but it may make the flight cheaper....maybe.

Have you looked into taking the train from Seattle to Vancouver and back? I did that the last time I went up there. The first trip of the day which is early, I will grant you is the actual Amtrak train and it is a great ride. All of the subsequent trips for the day from Seattle to Vancouver and from Vancouver to Seattle are by coach (bus) but still pleasant. From the train station, you can then take the Transport train to the airport or a taxi, whichever you prefer. The round trip ticket on the trains (or buses) is very reasonable. Something to think about anyway. You would just need to coordinate with your flight times. The only thing I hadn't considered was the time it takes to get your luggage off of the train. You need to allow at least a couple of hours time between train/coach arrivals and your flight times. You could always go up a day ahead of time...

[lame moose (mocha)]

I should be sleeping since I have another 2am wakeup, but...

Four years ago, I bought my ticket for AT3 a mere month before the event. Back then, these things didn't sell out right away. Anyway, I bought my flight right away through AA and it cost over $800. The flight I have my eye on right now has one stop-over (for an hour in Dublin) and amounts to a total of 10 hrs instead of the usual 8ish for a direct flight to London. Right now, saving $150 with the one layover compared to FOUR years ago when I payed more for a flight, I'm all over it. You'd think it'd be the reverse.

Midwife, if you want the airline let me know. I checked for your flight out of Boston and it came up to $740 w/taxes-fees. did not check flights w/stop overs-afraid my scooter won't continue the trip with me.

Mocha, come down and fly out of Chicago!

i live in chicago. well, 10-12 miles west. but the cheapest flight i've seen is about $1000 rt. i think that is with taxes. then, of course, add another $100 for luggage. i've checked AA, air canada, delta,brit air and united. 2 months ago the outbound flight for AA was going for $84. but then it changed to $400something. didn't have definite dates at the time or would have taken advantage of that.

[samcartersg1]

In case anyone else is flying out of New York, I found a flight out of JFK for about $700. It has one layover in Dublin for a 81/2 hour flight which isn't too bad.