any travel agents on PH ?

[Mr POD]

Okay, simple really. I want 4 return flights (family of 4) to Chicago on or about the 18th of July, return about 2 weeks later.

I want to travel from Manchester if possible.

How to identify the most cost effective flights ?
When should we book? Sooner rather than later ?
How do we protect our investment ? (By that I'm thinking I'm going to pay by Credit Card, so if the travel agent or airline goes tits up I'll get my money back, but then I'll have to book at potentially a higher cost closer to the time)

[aciddrop616]

i'll ask my sister, she works for a travel agents. i'll send her a text now and see what she says.

any other details that i can include or is that everything ??

2 weeks will be the 1st of the next month. is that when you want or do you want the 31st of july?

also specify family of 4? i know its simple 4 people, but s this child teen adult OAP?

these details will make a difference in price

Edited by aciddrop616 on Monday 12th January 09:33

Edited by aciddrop616 on Monday 12th January 09:34

[aciddrop616]

right then, your looking at 525 per person, thats 2 adults and 2 children, the age of the children can give some discount towards travel. but for sake of finding prices i stuck the ages at 10 and 12

prices stay roughly the same 'til about a week before the flight, its just do you really want to risk leaving it that long?

thom

Edited by aciddrop616 on Monday 12th January 09:39

Edited by aciddrop616 on Monday 12th January 09:42

[Mr POD]

aciddrop616 said:

i'll ask my sister, she works for a travel agents. i'll send her a text now and see what she says.

any other details that i can include or is that everything ??

2 weeks will be the 1st of the next month. is that when you want or do you want the 31st of july?

also specify family of 4? i know its simple 4 people, but s this child teen adult OAP?

these details will make a difference in price

Edited by aciddrop616 on Monday 12th January 09:33

Edited by aciddrop616 on Monday 12th January 09:34

ages of family : 42, 42, 16, 13.

Fairly Flexible on Dates. I have enough holidays to take 3 weeks, but prefer 2.

Wedding is on 25th July, neice is sorting out accomodation at Dayton University from 20th to 27th. Before that I'm planning 2 or 3 days in Chicago before hiring a car for the remaining time and driving to Dayton. After 27th we are staying with my sister.

[Mr POD]

aciddrop616 said:

right then, your looking at 525 per person, thats 2 adults and 2 children, the age of the children can give some discount towards travel. but for sake of finding prices i stuck the ages at 10 and 12

prices stay roughly the same 'til about a week before the flight, its just do you really want to risk leaving it that long?

thom

Edited by aciddrop616 on Monday 12th January 09:39

Edited by aciddrop616 on Monday 12th January 09:42

I didn't think it'd be cheap. Feck me.

[chris.mapey]

Just had a quick look on Kayak - 495 return - direct outward and return with a stopover in Heathrow for 2hrs before flying up to Manchester

Edited by chris.mapey on Monday 12th January 11:15

[blindswelledrat]

chris.mapey said:

Just had a quick look on Kayak - 495 return - direct outward and return with a stopover in Heathrow for 2hrs before flying up to Manchester

Edited by chris.mapey on Monday 12th January 11:15

I would have thought it would be well worth the extra £25 to avoid that carnage.
I would rather die than irrelevantly stop at a second english airport as though I was on a bus

[aciddrop616]

Mr POD said:

aciddrop616 said:

right then, your looking at 525 per person, thats 2 adults and 2 children, the age of the children can give some discount towards travel. but for sake of finding prices i stuck the ages at 10 and 12

prices stay roughly the same 'til about a week before the flight, its just do you really want to risk leaving it that long?

thom

Edited by aciddrop616 on Monday 12th January 09:39

Edited by aciddrop616 on Monday 12th January 09:42

I didn't think it'd be cheap. Feck me.

well, my sister says thats expensive.

you can cheaper with BA (that was US airways) and they do direct flights (that was 1 change at philly)

Best bet is to get sooner rather than later.

I used expedia (google it as i can remeber full link) to get that price. they use them where my sister work as some travel operators charge extortionate amounts for flights.

Hope thats of some help to you.

Also *touch wood* i doubt BA will be going under anytime soon, so it should be a pretty sound investment to get them now.

Thom,

[Dilligaf10]

You have mail

[ultegra]

I can't believe that travel agents still exist........

.............not now you can book online so simply.

I guess its to serve blue-rinsers and the IT illiterate?

[Arese]

ultegra said:

I can't believe that travel agents still exist........

.............not now you can book online so simply.

I guess its to serve blue-rinsers and the IT illiterate?

Those that have changed with the times have become more like 'travel managers' or corporate travel agents, those that haven't have mostly failed and closed down.

Another thing, would you book a £5000 or above cruise, for example, online? Or would you prefer to go and sit and chat with someone who knows everything about it, having been on said cruise and more like it?

[aciddrop616]

ultegra said:

I can't believe that travel agents still exist........

.............not now you can book online so simply.

I guess its to serve blue-rinsers and the IT illiterate?

nope its because they still get better deals than alot of the websites. And an agent is more personal, anyone can read a reveiw but that review will only say so much, it doesnt explain what there is to do for a given type of person (atleast ones ive read dont) maybe im biased because my sister is a travel agent.

who cares.

Thom

[Stablelad]

ultegra said:

I can't believe that travel agents still exist........

.............not now you can book online so simply.

I guess its to serve blue-rinsers and the IT illiterate?

...and very much still the Business Traveller who has a need for something a little more complicated than just A to B and back to A again. Also, many efficient Corporate entities prefer that their employees concentrate on their designated jobs and not on trawling the internet for flights/accommodation etc.

Having somebody on the end of the phone when it all goes t1ts up and you're standing in a huge queue awaiting the brush off from BA,KLM etc. etc. can also be pretty useful.

Upgrades, rule-waivers, refunds, 'creative'-ticketing and a pro-active approach are all something a good Travel Agent can bring.

...but then I'm slightly biased.

Edited by Stablelad on Monday 12th January 12:09

[jamoor]

Stablelad said:

ultegra said:

I can't believe that travel agents still exist........

.............not now you can book online so simply.

I guess its to serve blue-rinsers and the IT illiterate?

...and very much still the Business Traveller who has a need for something a little more complicated than just A to B and back to A again. Also, many efficient Corporate entities prefer that their employees concentrate on their designated jobs and not on trawling the internet for flights/accommodation etc.

Having somebody on the end of the phone when it all goes t1ts up and you're standing in a huge queue awaiting the brush off from BA,KLM etc. etc. can also be pretty useful.

Upgrades, rule-waivers, refunds, 'creative'-ticketing and a pro-active approach are all something a good Travel Agent can bring.

...but then I'm slightly biased.

...but then I

Or someone that knows how to type a few things into a few boxes online

Back to the point,

you're going bang on peak season, so will be expensive.

Just look at kayak, it's £465 on AA 21stJul-4th Aug.

[V8mate]

Virgin have a sale on at the moment. You can fly Premium Economy for a little over £500 with them.