Welcome to Mumsnet's holiday forum. Discuss all international travel here, including both shorthaul and longhaul trips. Related topics: UK holidays & day trips, skiing, camping & campervans.
Holidays
Ryanair - anyone know the best time to book flights?
BellaLasagne · 10/04/2005 16:33
I want to book flights with Ryanair for our summer holiday in August. At the moment they're quoting £89.99 single for the dates I want, but if I wanted to go next weekend they'd be £4.99!!!
I know that the price quoted depends on demand and fluctuates, but can anyone shed any more light on this? Should I wait until 4 weeks before, 2 weeks.....when?
Thank-you,
BL
LGJ · 10/04/2005 18:51
BL
They will not go down in price, that is how he makes his money, he releases a certain amount of seats on every flight at silly money and then recoups it by hiking up the other fares. I have flown to Dublin for 99p plus taxes etc., and I have sat next to some one who paid £100 for the seat next to me.
I am on their mailing list and they actually said on their last e - mail that this was the last seat sale before the autumn. So if I were you, I would either shop around or bite his hand off.
LIZS · 10/04/2005 19:15
if it works like easyjet the earlier you book and less popular the flight time, the cheaper it is. Prices then rise with demand so as fewer seats are left so the price rises. Because it can cost relatively little to amend bookings if you plan ahead, some people book low cost airlines speculatively for peaks times such as half terms and school holidays and then tie up the details of accommodation and so on later to fit it. You may well find that by flying midweek or very early/late in the day it is even now a lot cheaper.
However we did have an odd situation with Easyjet last year. We booked flights from Majorca to Gatwick on the internet at less than 2 weeks notice and had to ring to check the name was ok on one of the entries because their computer had blipped and reversed dd's surname and christian name on the confirmation. We then discovered that the price of the tickets had subsequently fallen (probably 2 days maximum had passed) and we got a credit for the difference (not that we have actually been able to use it!). Without that phone call we would never have known anyway.
swedishmum · 11/04/2005 23:20
As we're abroad right now we book quite a few flights for relatives. The later we leave it the higher the price. Dd was about to book from the office for us to fly back to UK but waited last week to talk to me. By that evening the price had doubled... OK for an emergency but when just so mil dog could have a haircut... have 4 kids I Home Ed when the am I supposed to get MY hair cut let alone us paying double for them to visit us because of the * dog!
To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.