To feel actively discouraged from flying abroad

[Timetable99]

Trying to organise a trip on a budget to see the Christmas markets in Germany/Austria and all I'm finding are flights presumably for business travellers - either early morning (meaning it's too early for us to get to the airport using public transport, and we don't have a car) or late in the evening (which means we'll arrive in the city around 11pm, which isn't ideal as we'll miss a whole day of our trip). Plus the baggage costs are stupidly high...

Has anyone else noticed that afternoon flights seem to be in really short supply right now, and those that are running are very expensive? Obviously I know that the airlines would have put fewer on since Covid, but I'm finding it almost impossible to book flights within our usual budget of under £150 each.

Sadly, the OP getting taking a flight to Europe isn't going to make any difference either way to climate change - the plane is flying anyway, with or without her.

But the plane will not fly (or at least the service will eventually stop) unless there are enough people buying seats on it to make it worthwhile for the airline.

We need huge changes in behaviour to address climate change problems. And this needs individual people to change how they behave.

@GreenFingersWouldBeHandy... the UK has been hovering around 35k - 40k cases a day since July. Yes German has had a big day and it is concerning.. and yes .. the trends in Russia and Ukraine are concerning.... but that article completely ignores the fact that the UK has been tracking case rates of 4 times that of most of the rest of Europe for months now... you are much much more likely to be in contact with COVID in the UK than anywhere else in Europe right now.. that may change.... but that article is so misleading. I am totally sick of the British media being so anti Europe.

I have been on a few flights to Europe in the last few months. Every one of them was. Completely full. Apart from the extra paperwork involved due to vacinne passports ect, it all looked and seemed completely normal pre lockdown.
People are deluded if they think we as a population will be travelling less. If anything I would say the appetite for foreign travel has grown post covid!

Just be wary of COVID infection rates shooting up across Europe; particularly in those areas you want to visit.

To be honest the UK covid rate is much higher than most of the places in Europe, in my experience.

@ichundich

YABU for wanting to fly over to Europe for just a weekend. Global warming? Look at train options or consider going by car. You can get to West Germany in about 6 hours from Dover.

That's all we'll and good if you live near Dover. The OP didn't state where in her post. What if you're in Yorkshire? Scotland? Belfast?

*well

@FreeBritnee

We have 35 years until extinction and you’re trying to garner sympathy online about not being able to hop on a plane to go to a market. Honestly read the room.

35 years is even more reason to make the most of now.

Brussels has a great Christmas market. Don’t know if it is on this year with Covid, but might be an option? Alternatively, Aachen is closer by, just over the border in Germany, close to Maastricht in the Netherlands and Belgium. Both would allow for easier and greener travel.

I can't actually believe that people would fly to go to markets. I mean, global warming? Carbon footprint? Is it really necessary? Do you have to contribute to ruining the planet just so you can buy some posh cheese that you could probably get from Asda anyway?

I didn't state anywhere it would just be for a weekend! I'm hoping to combine a week's trip with skiing and to see the markets, do sightseeing in Vienna again immerse, immerse myself back into German/Austrian culture etc. The problem is that the flights and travel to the airport at the moment look to be the same price or even higher than a 3/4 star hotel in a city.

Go by coach/train/boat. Seriously.

I'm in the north and have done a cheap German Christmas Market coach tour. Absolutely loved it. Also lots of ferries from Newcastle.

I think if its possible to avoid flying we all should.

Have you thought about staying at the airport the night before? Alternative airports? Are these all carriers? I quite enjoy staying overnight at the airport.

Ignore the eco warriors. I imagine most people on here have children which are also big contributions to CO2 emissions. I eat seasonally, don’t eat meat, walk as much as possible, don’t have children, wear secondhand clothes and I must give up flying .

Road traffic is much higher now than it was pre-covid, 2/3rds of car journeys made in the UK are less than 3 miles - let’s try to cut back on this!

Those saying to get the train, she’s hardly going to get the train to Frankfurt if she lives in Belfast! Not everyone is fortunate enough to live somewhere that is well served by public transport

I'm hoping to combine a week's trip with skiing and to see the markets, do sightseeing in Vienna again immerse, immerse myself back into German/Austrian culture etc.

ÖBB/Nightjet is launching a sleeper service in December from Paris to Germany and Austria - stopping at Munich, Salzburg and Vienna.

You would need to take a Eurostar departing London around midday and spend a couple of hour in Paris (and get to Paris Oest station) before getting the night train. Tickets for the sleeper service are reasonable - from €29 if you can make do with a reclining seat or €79 for a berth in a couchette.

OP - where are you looking? EasyJet fly in the afternoons and with 2 bags each it's coming up at £170 or thereabouts for the both of you

Don’t go by train. I did it once. A 90 minute plane journey became an 18?hour train journey after massive delays and not moving an inch for 12 hours. It was a nightmare.

I think it's a non issue anyway. I've checked a couple of airports that must be somewhere near the OP and they all seem to have budget afternoon flights to Munich.

If it's reasonably practical to get to London, taking the night train is a lovely way to travel and arrive at your destination in the morning without having to get up at crack of dawn. It makes the journey an enjoyable part of the holiday.

Have a look at www.seat61.com/Austria.htm#london-to-vienna-by-train

How about the ferry from hull to zeebrugge then drive?