flying

mariaalice

What have people found to be the best way to get the cheapest flights if you are coming home every weekend...coming home Friday and going back on Sunday.

How far in advanced do you book and how many flights do you book at a time.

Thanks.

silvervixen84

Skyscanner and a lot of planning.

I don't know anyone here who flies home every weekend, but I book flights home months in advance or keep an eye out for sales/deals.

LadyMayBelle

Don't know anyOne who goes home every weekend... Also depends which airport in London you want to fly from and which in Ireland you plan to fly into (I imagine you want to minimise your travel time if it's every weekend?)
Generally we've found six weeks before a flight is a 'sweet spot' for booking.. Oh and always search incognito

djpbarry

mariaalice wrote: »

What have people found to be the best way to get the cheapest flights if you are coming home every weekend...

There are so many variables that it's difficult to provide a straight answer. I only fly home 2 or 3 times a year and, as said above, I find booking 4 - 6 weeks in advance will generally allow me to pay just taxes and charges. But, I'm prepared to be flexible with flight times (I usually opt for mid-afternoon) - flying on Friday or Sunday evenings is always going to be expensive.

beer enigma

Just for those who are looking to get home for the bank holiday - Aer Lingus are looking at strike action that weekend ! I'm already booked but for those who haven't it may be worth looking at Ryanair or Cityjet from London city

S.M.B.

I presuming now is as good a time to book for Christmas? Flights aren't too cheap at the moment but is there any chance some seats could reduce in price?

enda1

I go home every weekend. Home is here I live and my partner lives, not some regret.

Jack B. Badd

S.M.B. wrote: »

I presuming now is as good a time to book for Christmas? Flights aren't too cheap at the moment but is there any chance some seats could reduce in price?

In my experience, flights don't reduce in price for the Christmas period. I'd book as soon as is reasonable - I usually book flights for Christmas in Sept/Oct.

LadyMayBelle

We book ours in August but there's really never a need as they don't change in price come Sept/oct.

S.M.B.

Turns out I booked mine in early October last year.

Paid an extra £100 this year for delaying my purchase by 10 days or so.

djpbarry

S.M.B. wrote: »

I presuming now is as good a time to book for Christmas? Flights aren't too cheap at the moment but is there any chance some seats could reduce in price?

I usually do sail and rail when going back to Dublin for Christmas - considerably cheaper than flying. Granted, it takes a while, but I can busy myself with work on the train/boat (both of which have wifi).

LadyMayBelle

djpbarry wrote: »

I usually do sail and rail when going back to Dublin for Christmas - considerably cheaper than flying. Granted, it takes a while, but I can busy myself with work on the train/boat (both of which have wifi).

I guess that's not too bad at xmas, but when youre limited on time (ie work mon-fri in London and home in ireland fri night-sun night) it's not the best..again depends where you re going to in Ireland; I cant see it being all that worth it when you want to maximise time with family and friends.

djpbarry

LadyMayBelle wrote: »

I guess that's not too bad at xmas, but when youre limited on time (ie work mon-fri in London and home in ireland fri night-sun night) it's not the best...

Oh, yeah, absolutely agree. It’s a Christmas option for me – doesn’t make sense most of the time when a return flight is available for around the £80 - 90 mark.

nager

I fly back to Dublin every Friday evening with AerLingus, and return each Sunday evening (Heathrow). It is usually is about £95 return.

I usually book my flights about 2 months in advance. They start getting more expensive with 6 weeks to go.

They have gotten more expensive since the start of the year - it was around £65 return back in January.

Playboy

There was an article in the mail yesterday saying that to get the best deal on flights you should book 30 days in advance and fly out on a Tuesday and return on a Wednesday.. Supposedly you save up to 30%

rebel girl 15

Met a person when I was flying Dublin to Stansted, comes home every weekend and has his flights booked two months in advance if not more

S.M.B.

S.M.B. wrote: »

Turns out I booked mine in early October last year.

Paid an extra £100 this year for delaying my purchase by 10 days or so.

I did the exact same thing this year. I'll never learn.

£280 for my ideal flights and not a whole lot to save by being flexible.

What's the craic with the sail and rail? Can it be booked in advance?

Vokes

Sail n Rail tickets can be booked 12 weeks in advance.

I usually do sail n rail to Ireland - about 40quid single. But fly back on the return, which is 55 euro for me this year.

S.M.B.

Think I'll do the same as yourself.

I must look into the sail and rail journey duration a little but sounds like it could be the smart move already.

rainbow kirby

I booked my flight to Dublin for Christmas 2 months ago, and booked the 4 Jan one back 3 weeks ago. I regret nothing, total of around 130 quid with a checked bag each way.

Sail and rail just sounds like way too much of a slog for my liking. I'm lazy like that.