Flights & Ferries - ****ing Expensive!
Discussion
Have just booked the ferry for 2 adults and 2 motorcycles from Portsmouth to Bilbao in August, with the cheapest cabin available.
£1060.
Then booked flights from Gatwick to Malaga, in August. 2 adults, 1 child, 1 infant.
£1150.
Travel is getting SERIOUSLY expensive!! I know it is in the school holidays but jeez.... we did the same trip on the ferry 4 years ago but with 3 adults and 3 bikes and it cost us £990. There are only 2 of us this time!!
£1060.
Then booked flights from Gatwick to Malaga, in August. 2 adults, 1 child, 1 infant.
£1150.
Travel is getting SERIOUSLY expensive!! I know it is in the school holidays but jeez.... we did the same trip on the ferry 4 years ago but with 3 adults and 3 bikes and it cost us £990. There are only 2 of us this time!!
They say the sweet spot for prices is something like 32 days before. You just have to keep dipping in and out and getting ris of cookies as some say if you keep loging in, the price goes up but I suspect that's an urban myth.
Ferries have always been expensive - part of the reason we've never been on one between the Canaries.
Ferries have always been expensive - part of the reason we've never been on one between the Canaries.
Du1point8 said:
how did you manage malaga at that price?
I checked on skyscanner and its £559 for everyone for a week with infant in lap on monarch.
Try again for August 10th returning August 24th. 2 adults, 1 child, 1 infant on lap. 4 bags.I checked on skyscanner and its £559 for everyone for a week with infant in lap on monarch.
Departure times between 11am and 4pm on both flights.
Out of interest I just went on Skyscanner.
The cheapest it could find for the criteria above was:
Going out on Easyjet (10th August 11.50am)
Return on Monarch (24th August 1pm)
Total price quoted was £1014.94 NOT including baggage.
By the time I had added baggage to both flights:
Easyjet £639.97
Monarch £508.40
Total £1148.37
So I think I'll pay the extra £2 to go with BA - who give more baggage as standard as well as car seats and buggies for both children FOC.
The cheapest it could find for the criteria above was:
Going out on Easyjet (10th August 11.50am)
Return on Monarch (24th August 1pm)
Total price quoted was £1014.94 NOT including baggage.
By the time I had added baggage to both flights:
Easyjet £639.97
Monarch £508.40
Total £1148.37
So I think I'll pay the extra £2 to go with BA - who give more baggage as standard as well as car seats and buggies for both children FOC.
A lex said:
Youve not done well on those flights 
Agree about Ferries though, farkin expensive
Even the overnight ferry from Hull to Rotterdam is getting to be a pisstake - paid 550GBP for a return last summer and its over 300gbp for my Xmas return trip.
The flights are the going rate!Agree about Ferries though, farkin expensive
Even the overnight ferry from Hull to Rotterdam is getting to be a pisstake - paid 550GBP for a return last summer and its over 300gbp for my Xmas return trip.
Unless you can travel at 2am (just not possible or enjoyable with a 3 year old and 1 year old).
A lex said:
As someone else mentioned (if you dare) you have to wait for the 'sweet spot', usually about 30-40 days in advance.
The increased UK departure tax is also affecting the price of flights - bloody hateful government.
I don't fancy risking it! It's such a popular time and destination I can imagine missing out.The increased UK departure tax is also affecting the price of flights - bloody hateful government.
Rosscow said:
Du1point8 said:
how did you manage malaga at that price?
I checked on skyscanner and its £559 for everyone for a week with infant in lap on monarch.
Try again for August 10th to August 24th. Departing between 11.30am and 4.00pm.I checked on skyscanner and its £559 for everyone for a week with infant in lap on monarch.
You could get a really antisocial Monarch flight out (landing at 02:30 on the Sunday morning) and a civilised one back at 13:00 on your desired Saturday for £644 if you've got the infant on your lap, or £800 if you want them in their own seat.
If your £1,150 includes a separate seat for the infant, that's still a £350 premium for an extra half day in the resort. I wouldn't pay it, but you might think it's worth it.
What I suspect you may find more annoying is that if you'd opened your search window by 25 minutes, you could've saved nearly £200, even with a seat for the infant, as there's a Monarch flight departing at 16:25 and returning at 13:20 for £964, or £767 with the little one in your lap.
Rosscow said:
Du1point8 said:
how did you manage malaga at that price?
I checked on skyscanner and its £559 for everyone for a week with infant in lap on monarch.
Try again for August 10th returning August 24th. 2 adults, 1 child, 1 infant on lap. 4 bags.I checked on skyscanner and its £559 for everyone for a week with infant in lap on monarch.
Departure times between 11am and 4pm on both flights.
Monarch runs one slightly outside of your requirements at 16:25 on way out direct, but the rest is fine and everything else included is £888.
Go a few hours earlier and you can go a lot cheaper on norwegian air for circa £500-600.
Kermit power said:
Well you just answered your own question there. When did flights get so expensive? When you decided you wanted to travel at the most expensive time of day!
You could get a really antisocial Monarch flight out (landing at 02:30 on the Sunday morning) and a civilised one back at 13:00 on your desired Saturday for £644 if you've got the infant on your lap, or £800 if you want them in their own seat.
If your £1,150 includes a separate seat for the infant, that's still a £350 premium for an extra half day in the resort. I wouldn't pay it, but you might think it's worth it.
What I suspect you may find more annoying is that if you'd opened your search window by 25 minutes, you could've saved nearly £200, even with a seat for the infant, as there's a Monarch flight departing at 16:25 and returning at 13:20 for £964, or £767 with the little one in your lap.
Again, you haven't included baggage.You could get a really antisocial Monarch flight out (landing at 02:30 on the Sunday morning) and a civilised one back at 13:00 on your desired Saturday for £644 if you've got the infant on your lap, or £800 if you want them in their own seat.
If your £1,150 includes a separate seat for the infant, that's still a £350 premium for an extra half day in the resort. I wouldn't pay it, but you might think it's worth it.
What I suspect you may find more annoying is that if you'd opened your search window by 25 minutes, you could've saved nearly £200, even with a seat for the infant, as there's a Monarch flight departing at 16:25 and returning at 13:20 for £964, or £767 with the little one in your lap.
With infant in lap you are still looking at £1026 with comparable baggage to BA (23kg bag per passenger). Cheaper but still almost £900 would be their basic baggage allowance, which only gives 10kg for the infant.
But this means you won't arrive in Malaga until 20.20. By the time you clear passport control, reclaim your baggage get a taxi and drive for an hour we won't be at the Villa until getting on 11pm.
I know I'm b
hing and it's my choice but bloody hell - insane prices!Du1point8 said:
you choose the busiest time to go and complain its expensive... Yet wont entertain going earlier, yes I do understand you have infant and child, never stopped my folks doing it with me and my twin brother when we were infants.
Monarch runs one slightly outside of your requirements at 16:25 on way out direct, but the rest is fine and everything else included is £888.
Go a few hours earlier and you can go a lot cheaper on norwegian air for circa £500-600.
That's nuts - I'm not going to try and get a flight at 11pm with 2 toddlers that arrives at 2.30am local time!Monarch runs one slightly outside of your requirements at 16:25 on way out direct, but the rest is fine and everything else included is £888.
Go a few hours earlier and you can go a lot cheaper on norwegian air for circa £500-600.
And returning we'd have to leave the villa at 4am!!
I don't think that would be very fair on other passengers, either.
Rosscow said:
Again, you haven't included baggage.
With infant in lap you are still looking at £1026 with comparable baggage to BA (23kg bag per passenger). Cheaper but still almost £900 would be their basic baggage allowance, which only gives 10kg for the infant.
But this means you won't arrive in Malaga until 20.20. By the time you clear passport control, reclaim your baggage get a taxi and drive for an hour we won't be at the Villa until getting on 11pm.
I know I'm bhing and it's my choice but bloody hell - insane prices!
Hadn't thought of baggage, as I only fly on business, and not for long enough for baggage to be an issue.With infant in lap you are still looking at £1026 with comparable baggage to BA (23kg bag per passenger). Cheaper but still almost £900 would be their basic baggage allowance, which only gives 10kg for the infant.
But this means you won't arrive in Malaga until 20.20. By the time you clear passport control, reclaim your baggage get a taxi and drive for an hour we won't be at the Villa until getting on 11pm.
I know I'm b
hing and it's my choice but bloody hell - insane prices!The thought of flying anywhere with three kids under the age of ten is a nightmare I'm just not willing to contemplate, so I'm happy sticking to destinations I can get the car to, whether that be driving the whole way, using a ferry or putting the car on a train.
You've just given me further reasons for validating my thinking!
Rosscow said:
Du1point8 said:
you choose the busiest time to go and complain its expensive... Yet wont entertain going earlier, yes I do understand you have infant and child, never stopped my folks doing it with me and my twin brother when we were infants.
Monarch runs one slightly outside of your requirements at 16:25 on way out direct, but the rest is fine and everything else included is £888.
Go a few hours earlier and you can go a lot cheaper on norwegian air for circa £500-600.
That's nuts - I'm not going to try and get a flight at 11pm with 2 toddlers that arrives at 2.30am local time!Monarch runs one slightly outside of your requirements at 16:25 on way out direct, but the rest is fine and everything else included is £888.
Go a few hours earlier and you can go a lot cheaper on norwegian air for circa £500-600.
And returning we'd have to leave the villa at 4am!!
I don't think that would be very fair on other passengers, either.
I gave you a departure at 4:25pm (25mins after you wanted) due to it being a direct flight and not dual bookings. The flight back was at 1pm, so I fail to see where you get these 11pm and 4am from?
16:25 LGW – 20:20 AGP
direct
2h 55
13:00 AGP – 14:25 LGW
direct
2h 25
So how is that nuts?
The other flight was reasonable out but needed to be dual booked to get a reasonable time back (7am flight), but even then it can be done cheaper than the other flight, but I dont like dual bookings so dismissed it.
Rosscow said:
That's nuts - I'm not going to try and get a flight at 11pm with 2 toddlers that arrives at 2.30am local time!
And returning we'd have to leave the villa at 4am!!
I don't think that would be very fair on other passengers, either.
Don't see the problem myself. If your kids are that badly behaved they are going to be a nightmare at anytime of day or night.And returning we'd have to leave the villa at 4am!!
I don't think that would be very fair on other passengers, either.
Don't panic and rush to buy, try to wait 1-2 months and watch the prices, they CAN drop quite a bit (book early my arse!). A year ago I was booking August flights to Poland and the prices went from nearly £200 pp to sub £100 when booked around Jan/Feb.
Edited by chris7676 on Wednesday 12th December 10:14
chris7676 said:
Try waiting 1-2 months and watch the prices, they CAN drop quite a bit (book early my arse!). A year ago I was booking August flights to Poland and the prices went from nearly £200 pp to sub £100 when booked around Jan/Feb.
My Xmas flights this year dropped from £400 each to £250 each with 1 month to go... Tyre Smoke said:
Don't see the problem myself. If your kids are that badly behaved they are going to be a nightmare at anytime of day or night.
It's not their behaviour, it's the fact they will be awake and on a plane instead of asleep!They don't like being woken up or unable to sleep - trust me
Gassing Station | Holidays & Travel | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff