Confessions of a YYC Travel Junkie

[amorak]

Any deals to Rome in September 2011 from YYC? Seems like $1,500+ PP return right now - yikes.

[Tron_fdc]

Anything to Liberia, Costa Rica over christmas? Last minute, but I'm hoping something pops up

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by amorak

Any deals to Rome in September 2011 from YYC? Seems like $1,500+ PP return right now - yikes.

Yeah I'd watch for a while yet. Could also watch for a cheap Air Transat to London flight.

cM

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by Tron_fdc

Anything to Liberia, Costa Rica over christmas? Last minute, but I'm hoping something pops up

Unfortunately I think this was the flight you wanted...

" There's a Christmas flight to Costa Rica for $687 roundtrip after tax "

(posted Nov 15)

It was for Dec 18-26 though.

I haven't really seen anything else too exciting.

[cmyden]

Calgary to Panama (the country) in January - $529 roundtrip after tax

Air Transat just dropped the price of their January 11-18 flight to Panama City, Panama (PTY) down to $529 roundtrip after tax.



Typically, the cheapest flights are around $800 roundtrip, and the cheap ones are usually really lengthy and complicated flights. The fast flights are almost always $1100 or more.

This Air Transat flight has a short stopover on the way there, and direct on the way back.

Screenshot from AirTransat.ca



cM

[getbak]

Does anyone have an opinion on Air Canada vs Lufthansa? I'm thinking about going to Germany next year and would likely take the direct flight to Frankfurt.

Looking at Seat Guru, both planes seem to have very similar seating, so I'm curious for any feedback from people who've taken the YYC->FRA direct flight with both/either airlines...Anything to distinguish them: Quality of food; entertainment system; ease of communication (my German is nicht so gut); hottest FAs; anything else.

Thanks.

[Sidney Crosby's Hat]

Originally Posted by getbak

Does anyone have an opinion on Air Canada vs Lufthansa? I'm thinking about going to Germany next year and would likely take the direct flight to Frankfurt.

Looking at Seat Guru, both planes seem to have very similar seating, so I'm curious for any feedback from people who've taken the YYC->FRA direct flight with both/either airlines...Anything to distinguish them: Quality of food; entertainment system; ease of communication (my German is nicht so gut); hottest FAs; anything else.

Thanks.

Lufthansa is pretty unreal in my opinion. Most enjoyable flight I've ever been on was a YYC -> FRA a few years back. Food is good, the service is very good, the touch screen TVs were excellent as well. Service was available in English, Germany and a few other languages, too. Oh yeah, and free booze.

I've taken an Air Canada flight to Honolulu (that then went on to Sydney) which was solid as well, but that Frankfurt flight was great.

[billybob123]

If you collect Aeroplan miles, be careful on the LH cheap fares. Often they only earn 50% of the distance you fly - AC flights overseas earn 100% unless you're on some unusual fare.

[cmyden]

Calgary to Athens, Greece - $916 roundtrip after tax

Similar to the flights to Cairo that I posted recently, it looks like KLM has also dropped the price of their flights to Athens, Greece.



Flights up until the end of March are down to $916 roundtrip after tax.

Try March 22-29 for example, on KLM.com



Normally the cheapest flights to Athens from Calgary these days are around $1200-$1300 roundtrip after tax.

Theoretically, it could be done cheaper, if you can catch an extremely cheap flight to London (like the ones under $700 roundtrip that I occasionally post, or even down to $520 on occasion).

And then from London, you can get to Athens and back on EasyJet for around $150ish, plus the nickle+dime fees, so it could be possible for, let's say, around $200ish roundtrip after taxes + fees. So London + Athens could be done for around $720 to $920 if the stars align.

But $916 on a major carrier is definitely a great price, without the hassle of a London + Easyjet combo.

Also on KLM, flights to Copenhagen, Denmark (CPH) are down to $886 roundtrip after tax. Normally the cheapest are around $1100ish.


Calgary to Zurich, Switzerland in late June / early July 2011 - $719 roundtrip after tax

Condor's return to YYC this summer could be very good news indeed for Calgarians.

We've all seen the cheap flights to London or Manchester that come up every now and then, thanks to Air Transat, but it's nice to see another no-frills player in the mix to shake things up a bit to other cities. It could open up the possibility of some decent July/August prices to Europe as well.



There's some very interesting prices to Zurich, Switzerland at the moment. Try June 27 to July 8th on Condor.com for example:

Screenshot...



$719 roundtrip after tax. There definitely hasn't been anything that cheap to Zurich in a long time. If you've found anything around $1000 you're doing very well. Every other carrier in late June is around $1400-$1800ish at the moment. It's even more notable that Condor is offering this price so far in advance.

cM

[lucky1]

Originally Posted by getbak

Does anyone have an opinion on Air Canada vs Lufthansa? I'm thinking about going to Germany next year and would likely take the direct flight to Frankfurt.

Looking at Seat Guru, both planes seem to have very similar seating, so I'm curious for any feedback from people who've taken the YYC->FRA direct flight with both/either airlines...Anything to distinguish them: Quality of food; entertainment system; ease of communication (my German is nicht so gut); hottest FAs; anything else.

Thanks.

I regularily take both these flights....when leaving YYC I take LH as it arrives earlier in FRA so I can make my connection, coming home I take the AC flight. I prefer the AC over LH for a number of reasons....In economy, the LH seat bottoms are not as 'long' and are slightly more cramped. Better selection of booze on the AC flight, recognizable liquor like Crown :-)
Both have seatback TV screens, same movies...so its a wash there. As mentioned before, discounted LH fares (like of expedia) only pay 50% aeroplan miles, so be careful there.
If taking business class, hands down AC.....one of the most comfortable business classes currently in the industry, great great value.
So bottom line, if you need to arrive in FRA early, take the LH flight on the A340, if this is not a concern, take the AC flight on the 767.....

[theonlywhiteout]

is it just me or is that deal to Zurich amazing??

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by theonlywhiteout

is it just me or is that deal to Zurich amazing??

Definitely an amazing price compared to what's been available lately. Don't recall seeing anything too much below $1000 in a long, long time. And for late June, early July, not uncommon for it to be $1300 or more.

It's also interesting because Condor's flights are going to be direct to Frankfurt and back from Calgary, and those Frankfurt flights are currently $90 more than their Frankfurt + Zurich flights. (Also a decent price for Frankfurt btw, I just like the Zurich price more)

cM

[mykalberta]

Be advised Condor is/was Lufthansa's leisure airline similar to Air Transat. Dont expect normal Trans-Con service from Condor.

[no_joke]

Don't let that scare you away though. It's not that bad. You still get in-flight movies, food, drinks, etc. The one stopover is worth more than anything you can get in-flight in economy class!

[Sidney Crosby's Hat]

Hey cmyden,

Air Transat is offering $923 from Edmonton to London May 3 to 17. Is that anything to be excited about? Do you think that could end up dropping as we get closer to the date?

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by Sidney Crosby's Hat

Hey cmyden,

Air Transat is offering $923 from Edmonton to London May 3 to 17. Is that anything to be excited about? Do you think that could end up dropping as we get closer to the date?

Unlike from Calgary, Air Transat's prices from Edmonton don't seem to budge very often. In fact, searching through all my deal posts for Edmonton, I have yet to ever post one to London. They did drop their prices to Frankfurt down to $724 for September flights though, back in July. That's the only Air Transat deal from Edmonton I've ever posted.

Anything can happen, but I would definitely say the odds of it happening are lower from Edmonton. Everything seems to usually stick around $1000ish.

cM

[cmyden]

This flight just dropped to $389 roundtrip after tax!

Originally Posted by cmyden

Calgary to Panama (the country) in January - $529 roundtrip after tax

Air Transat just dropped the price of their January 11-18 flight to Panama City, Panama (PTY) down to $529 roundtrip after tax.



Typically, the cheapest flights are around $800 roundtrip, and the cheap ones are usually really lengthy and complicated flights. The fast flights are almost always $1100 or more.

This Air Transat flight has a short stopover on the way there, and direct on the way back.

Screenshot from AirTransat.ca



cM

[Freeway]

When's the best time to book flights from Calgary to London? I'm looking to travel in May, but I want to ensure I get a decent deal.

[cmyden]

Originally Posted by Freeway

When's the best time to book flights from Calgary to London? I'm looking to travel in May, but I want to ensure I get a decent deal.

There's no set rules when it comes to airfare prices, but in general I find that when Air Transat drops their prices, it's anywhere from 2-6 weeks ahead of departure. And Air Transat has been about the only one offering cheap fares to Europe, major carriers haven't budged.

Hopefully that will change this year with Condor flying from YYC.

cM

[cmyden]

Last minute: Flight + Hotel to Jamaica - $430/person after tax

It's not all inclusive (no meals or drinks, except breakfast), just flight and hotel (7 nights), staying at the Rooms Ocho Rios.



The price is about what you can usually expect to pay for the cheapest flights alone to Montego Bay, so it's basically getting the accommodation for free.

In fact, the flight for this particular package (through AirCanadaVacations) is $545 roundtrip after tax, or $115 more than flight + hotel together. Strange, but it sometimes happens that way.

So how is the Rooms Ocho Rios? Taking a look at the reviews on TripAdvisor I would say it's basically just a cheap, basic hotel on a beach in a good location right in Ocho Rios and nothing more. It's the kind of place where a room would normally run you $80-$100/night.

Here's a direct link to this package.

And yes, it shows it as being $400/person after tax, and then when you verify the price it goes up to $430.

cM