Booking flights a long way ahead

[Dancergirl]

So after leaving it very late to book our summer holiday this year, I want to be more organised and start thinking about next summer.

How far in advance can you book flights and how much can you typically save by booking early?

Once booked, is it possible to cancel?

You can book exactly a year in advance, in most cases.

I wouldn't even give Brexit a second thought WRT booking flights, TBH.

I agree with your DH, OP. Remember the frothing about the 'millennium bug'?!

Roxers
What has the millennium bug got to do with the UK leaving a treaty ?

If you are happy to book flights, go for it
but Heathrow are costing in being shut for two months

roxers yes that's exactly what I thought.

Thé millenium bug was avoided because lots of work was done behind the scenes.

Jeeez... this is turning into Brexit bingo.

I imagine it's analogous to (say) car insurance or similar. Say you were a named driver on your partner's policy, if you remove your name from their policy you now have no insurance to drive unless you get your own insurance. So your partner can still legally drive, and other people can still legally drive. Just not you, until you sort yourself out

if you want to use this as an analogy it would be like this.

You have left the insurance company.

You need to set up your own insurance company

That company needs to recruit and train staff to inspect maintain and repair your vehicle every few hundred miles.

That insurance company needs to be legally recognised by the courts as capable and competent to issue you with a driving license.

You need to negotiate a separate agreement with every single place you drive to, or through, that your driving lisence and insurance is valid according to their laws.

Or you need to return to your original insurance company, and beg to be allowed back, at what ever cost, and what ever conditions they feel they should attach,

also, noone else can drive down your street until your insurance is sorted out....

suspect this will either be agreed just before March, or there'll be another event (GE or decision to hold a vote on the deal) which will allow the transition period to be extended

If the govt really do push it to the brink and flights are grounded then they will have no choice but to rush very quickly with their begging bowl and ask to be part of EASA

I think so too, because as yet noone has come up with another way.

But it totally invalidates the whole idea of Brexit, because it will mean placing ourselves back under the juristriction of the European courts.

because there's no way people with cancelled holidays are not going to be making a huge amount of fuss. The news programmes are full of grumbling passengers when planes are delayed after bad weather.

to be honest, I think we are well beyond caring about luxury holidays being cancelled!

This is an issue of shortages of food and medical supplies, and other air freight

Millennium bug. Ffs. bangs head on desk God help us if there is a second referendum.

@Clairetree1 Thank you for a much more comprehensive explanation - I did think my version was rather over simplistic!

Although, apparently, we could just giggle about the millennium bug 🙄

True! Our problems could really be a great deal more widespread than whether we get to have our jollies. As for accepting we're under the EU jurisdiction in terms of aviation or indeed other areas, I imagine that's a valid a brexit as some of us want, go hard & completely alone or go home being pretty suicidal. The arguement that asking to continue being in the EASA is not brexit troubles me little personally - although the Daily Fail wouldn't like it.

The arguement that asking to continue being in the EASA is not brexit troubles me little personally

it doesn't trouble me either, it looks like being the only possible way forward, my only concern is that it could be prevented on the grounds that it means the government isn't actually going through with a Brexit

A guess they are just going to have to spin it somehow to make it sound Brexity!

and then stick it on the side of a bus - anyone who doesn't agree gets a front page in the Sun with 'Traitorous Scum' underneath! Perhaps Tommy Robinson or Farage need a bit of extra cash for court case costs or beer and cigars and could endorse it?

At the moment you can book to about early July. We've been looking at summer flights for the school holidays, long haul, - can see some flights for way put at the moment, but not the returns.

We have flights booked for the Easter holidays - leaving late March. I know several people with flights booked for after that time. What will be will be. Its booked now anyway. I was a little undecided, having read about it on here, but DH was convinced it'd be fine. It isn't in Europe's (or anyone's) interest to having flights grounded after all. I can't imagine it will really get to that stage. But, we shall see. Luckily its only the flight cost that would be at jeopardy anyway.

It isn't in Europe's (or anyone's) interest to having flights grounded after all.
Yerp will still be flying between their cities and the rest of the world.
Its only the UK that will be screwed.
I can see the big Euro area hubs rubbing their hands with glee

Can’t wait to come back to this thread in April

Well, you know now that there is a risk, however small, that any flights booked may be cancelled without refund. If you are ok with that, that's up to you.

Roxers
If there is a Brexit deal we will all be mightily relieved.

Hope for the Best ~ Prepare for the worst

Tie up your camel, then trust in Allah

If there is no Brexit deal, summer holidays will be the least of my worries