Hi Everyone,

David's daughter wants to come visit for a month during the summer - Jul 28 to Aug 26th or thereabouts. I can't find airfare lower than $1200 and to use frequent flyer miles means having to use double miles in order to make it work, and that would just about empty the 'stash'. Plus, she'd have to fly back with Air France via Paris and we would prefer that she fly direct each way.

Anyone have any ideas? We've asked her mom to look into air fares from her end... perhaps she can find something cheaper...

Jen

The rates are high during summer and Christmas season. I strongly advise to travel from January-April (not during Eastern though) and then September-Mid-December. try cheaptickets.com, also check out klm.com. If you don't fly from NYC (JFK) rates are higher anyway, unfortunately. See for our flight during Christmas they wanted more than $1300. I flew from Dec 25th through Jan 10th and paid $731. Now it's $450 to fly. So I strongly advise off-season flights!!!!!!

Yes, I KNOW off-season offers the best prices. For the times I went last year (Feb and Mar), I paid about $450 round trip from DTW to FRA.

We're planning for her summer vacation and so we're trying to get her here for a month. We have flexibiity with specific dates, but not time period.

i'm sorry, during summer you can't do much. My sister came in July and paid 800 Euros for her roundtrip, which was the cheapest offer with KLM (layover in Amstedam).

Jen,

cant she fly into Chicago and you guy drive there. Try to find the biggest airport. United offers direct connections from Frankfurt to Chicago.
KLM/NW is in my experience the cheapest if you fly via Amsterdam. But summertime is always super super expensive.

Netti

Good idea... I'll check on Chicago. I did check on fares from FRA to Newark, NJ (I have family in the NY/NJ area)... believe it or not, Northwest Airlines would charge around $800 for that trip... with a stopover in Detroit!!! Direct to Detroit is $1200! If she didn't have to check luggage, I'd do that and not have her take the connecting flight! You can do that on domestic flights... not sure Immigration would appreciate her getting off in Detroit when her destination was really Newark though...

Jen,
Immigration does not care. All she needs is a valid adress in the unites states. They dont care what the final destination is on the ticket. If Detroit would be her port of entry she would get her bags there and just wouldnt recheck them.
Also just check with the airline what happens on the return when she checks in at a different airport - or maybe online check in and then just luggage drop off - I would check all those things.
Good Luck. I hope you find a good flight.

Netti

Actually, you may be trying to book the trip a bit too early and that's why you get these high fares. About $1500 is the price for a full fare ticket and the very cheap seats may already be taken due to summer vacation bookings. The specials and promotions usually come out a bit closer to the actual travel date. For example, the current promotions for Lufthansa and United target spring travel. Lufthansa also has a special website targeting students - did you try this? http://www.generationfly.com/

Correct that immigration does not care - however, she may void the return flight by not doing the leg to the final destination. Frequently stopovers (what getting off in Detroit technically would be) are not allowed or very restricted (usually displayed by an X in front of the connection on your ticket receipt). And unless you have a fully flexible ticket you end up voiding the rest of the ticket when you don't show up for one part of the trip. So be careful!!!!

I can't fly into London during June-August for any less than around $800 as well.

From expedia.com:

$1,076.24

Mon 30-Jul Northwest 51
10:40 am Depart Frankfurt (FRA)
Arrive Detroit (DTW) 1:50 pm
Duration: 9hr 10mn Nonstop flight

Tue 28-Aug Northwest 96
10:15 pm Depart Detroit (DTW)
Arrive Frankfurt 12:35 pm
Duration: 8hr 20mn Nonstop flight


several other flights for same price.

Great tips/thoughts everyone, thanks. We actually thought about getting her to London and then flying from there... David's brother can see that she gets on the plane in London.

We welcome any other ideas.....

Jen

Hi - no giant pearls from me here, but I fly through Frankfurt a lot and for some reason I often find my best price on faremax.com. But I'm usually flying from Dulles, not Detroit. Anyway, it's a thought.

Here is one of the cheapest I've found...

http://www.onetravel.com/

Summer is more expensive.. I flew to Moldova last year... Idaho to Molova $1075 in April $1425 in Aug. at that time I used Expedia...but Onetravel seems to be about $100 or more cheaper.. then them..

Also leaving on a Friday and coming back on a Sunday is usually cheaper..

It goes from $1080 to $1029 leaving on a Friday and coming back on a Sunday.. using Onetravel.com

Another good website to check is www.kayak.com. But in my experience KLM or www.generationfly.com are the cheapest. For student travel, you could also try www.statravel.de, and www.studentuniverse.com. Sometimes these are cheaper than regular fares; sometimes not...but it doesn't hurt to check. Good luck!

I always find the lowest fares by calling a travel agency that is a consolidator. I just booked a June/July flight from Chicago to Sofia Bulgaria with one short stop in Italy for $991. The cheapest I could find online (one short stop) was $1384. I've used this company three times now- http://www.3kmtravel.com/ They do charge a 4% fee if you pay by credit card. They prefer you send a check draft form.

Good luck shopping!

Thanks everyone. The one student web site I checked required a .edu email address, which of course she doesn't have, being in Germany... I'll follow up on all of these leads.

Jen

Is Frankfurt the only option?
Example, Delta flies often and are cheaper into/out-of Dusseldorf. I know it's a hassel if you/she lives in Frankfurt since it's about a 2.5 to 3.0 hour drive. Also Munich is an option.

As far as price - I think it has been said here already, but you may be planning too early. Not that the cheap tickets have been sold, but may have not been offered yet. They release them as the plane is sold. If you're flexible on your departure/return dates, you can wait to catch a bargain - may want to use a good travel agent - tons of them in Germany. =)

By the way - found this in the newspaper recently...

WASHINGTON — The U.S. and European Union have reached a tentative agreement that would give airlines greater freedom to choose trans-Atlantic routes and potentially lead to lower fares, the government announced Friday.

While details of the pact were not released, it is intended to allow European airlines to fly from anywhere in the EU to any point in the U.S., and vice versa, while shedding rules that restrict how much carriers are allowed to charge fliers.

EU Transport Commissioner Jacques Barrot said he would ask EU nations to back the deal when EU transport ministers meet March 22. The U.S. Congress must also back the deal before the new rules would kick in Oct. 28.

"Any agreement . . . would provide enormous benefits to airline passengers," David Stempler, president of the Washington, D.C.-based Air Travelers Association said. Article Date March 03, 2007

This Could Be Good News...