Vincent Posted February 10, 2022 Report Share Posted February 10, 2022 Family of 4 booked on Odyssey of the Seas June 12th, 2022, departing from Rome (CIVITAVECCHIA, ITALY). I've been looking through our choices & options for flights, and leaning more towards United Premium Economy due to flight times and cost. However even Economy class seems a bit high right now. My questions are how far out should I wait to actually pull the trigger and book our airfare? As we'll depart from Omaha, NE to EWR to FCO, prices range from $1600 to $3K roundtrip. I know it was much cheaper pre-COVID in June when we originally planned to go 2 years ago. Also anyone's take on United Airlines Economy vs Premium Economy or Plus (are those the same?)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wordell1 Posted February 10, 2022 Report Share Posted February 10, 2022 I booked a while back for the same time period (June 2nd Wonder out of Rome) I booked premium economy and the prices were around $1800 RT on British Air/American from Austin. Premium economy gets a wider seat that reclines more - plus a better meal. Do a google on United premium economy and you will find some good reviews. I think there will be a lot of travelling this summer and I would book now. Vincent 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zacharius Posted February 10, 2022 Report Share Posted February 10, 2022 Demand is only going to go up as travel between the US and Europe increases month over month. This will, in turn, cause prices to continue going up. The odds of prices going down are very small, but the odds of prices going up are quite high. I would book now. Be careful with Premium Economy. United has a (relatively) new "Premium Plus" product that only exists on some planes and some routes. Some (but not all) 767s, some (but not all) 777s, and some (but not all) 787s. Then, on most planes and most routes, there is "Economy Plus" which has been around for years. This is essentially just a few extra inches of legroom and nothing else...same old economy seat, just a little bit more seat pitch. Premium Plus and Economy Plus are very different things, so make sure you know what you're buying. Vincent 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linda R Posted February 10, 2022 Report Share Posted February 10, 2022 I have Sept Europe trip and booked airfare last month. If it gets lower than I can change. But used airline miles for 1 of the tickets, so the 2nd ticket doesn't look that bad! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Va4fam Posted February 10, 2022 Report Share Posted February 10, 2022 We have a trip to Venice planned at end of May and booked airfares a month ago. I think people are starting to feel more confident about travel and prices will continue to rise. Did you look at Google flights to compare fares? Vincent 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pattycruise Posted February 10, 2022 Report Share Posted February 10, 2022 If you book through Air2Sea I believe it is refundable until final payment, which would be fairly soon? then there is a $200 fee for canceling. If you are booking directly with the airline be aware of their cancellation/refund policy and ask them about connection policy (see my paragraph below). Some are only giving airline credit to be used in a year. I do want to comment that if booking with Air2Sea ....their flight connections do not necessarily work to be able to connect to the next leg so be very aware of your connections and how long it takes to get to them. I had a return flight from Venice to Paris to JFK.....there was 1 hour to get off my flight in Paris and make my way through passport control to get to my JFK flight. Thanks to people on here, and a google check of how Paris airport works I learned 1 hour was no where near a long enough time to do that. Flights by Celebrity (same employees as Air2Sea) told me that if my first flight into Paris was late and I missed my connection they would cover my next leg home...but if I missed my flight because I couldn't get to my gate due to passport control I would be responsible for my next leg. I was so glad I had this blog group and had spoken with agent.. I learn something new all the time! As for pricing. I kick myself for not booking a few months back, prices have only gone up. As the Flights by Celebrity guy says, after I booked my flights, keep checking the prices might fall and I have up until final payment to cancel and rebook. (I can do this by doing a mock booking on their website) A side note, I had read that AA premium economy seats were nicer than Delta (that was my 2 choices out of JFK for non stop flights)....so google, google, google.... Vincent 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vincent Posted February 11, 2022 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2022 Agree, not going to get any cheaper, so plan to book today or tomorrow. But would like to ask thoughts on booking a 9:45 AM flight on Sunday, same day we arrive back at Port, departing again out of FCO? Unfortunately not a lot of options on United. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vincent Posted February 11, 2022 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2022 Thanks for the information and insight Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KJones Posted February 11, 2022 Report Share Posted February 11, 2022 Personally, I would not book that flight. If the ship docks at 6am, you probably won't be allowed off the boat until 7am. It's an hour from the port to the airport without any traffic issues, so you would really need to be among the first off the ship. Security lines can take awhile at FCO, and unfortunately global entry/ TSA precheck doesn't transfer over to countries (they should work on that! lol). Again, I wouldn't do it, but I hope everything works in your favor if you do! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wordell1 Posted February 11, 2022 Report Share Posted February 11, 2022 45 minutes ago, Vincent said: Agree, not going to get any cheaper, so plan to book today or tomorrow. But would like to ask thoughts on booking a 9:45 AM flight on Sunday, same day we arrive back at Port, departing again out of FCO? Unfortunately not a lot of options on United. Way too early for an international flight out of FCO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pattycruise Posted February 11, 2022 Report Share Posted February 11, 2022 51 minutes ago, Vincent said: Agree, not going to get any cheaper, so plan to book today or tomorrow. But would like to ask thoughts on booking a 9:45 AM flight on Sunday, same day we arrive back at Port, departing again out of FCO? Unfortunately not a lot of options on United. are you utilizing air2sea? they will only offer flights that they know they can get you to on time. You can call them and inquire about flights. Then take their information and figure out your own flights if that is how you are booking cruisellama 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisellama Posted February 11, 2022 Report Share Posted February 11, 2022 Booked early for a 3 June as soon as A2S opened up (9 mo prior). Its gone up consistently over the period of time (after I purchased) to where the combined airfares exceed the cruise fare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zacharius Posted February 11, 2022 Report Share Posted February 11, 2022 1 hour ago, Vincent said: Agree, not going to get any cheaper, so plan to book today or tomorrow. But would like to ask thoughts on booking a 9:45 AM flight on Sunday, same day we arrive back at Port, departing again out of FCO? Unfortunately not a lot of options on United. Even if it was an intra-Schengen flight (for example let's say you were flying Rome-Frankfurt-USA), 9:45am would be too early for any kind of comfort or risk in my book. If it's a flight outside Schengen (for example Rome-USA nonstop, or Rome-London-USA), it's way way too early. 7 minutes ago, cruisellama said: Booked early for a 3 June as soon as A2S opened up (9 mo prior). Its gone up consistently over the period of time (after I purchased) to where the combined airfares exceed the cruise fare. Just FYI, there's really no correlation between cruise fare and air fare, and it's not really fair to compare them. Usually, cruise lines know that your cruise fare will only be a portion (sometimes a small one) of the total money they get out of you...they'll get food, drink, excursions, souvenirs, gambling, etc. Whereas, aside from small things like a checked bag or a seat selection (and even those are usually optional), an airline knows the ticket is the only money they will get off of you. They're very different economic models. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisellama Posted February 11, 2022 Report Share Posted February 11, 2022 9 minutes ago, Zacharius said: Even if it was an intra-Schengen flight (for example let's say you were flying Rome-Frankfurt-USA), 9:45am would be too early for any kind of comfort or risk in my book. If it's a flight outside Schengen (for example Rome-USA nonstop, or Rome-London-USA), it's way way too early. Just FYI, there's really no correlation between cruise fare and air fare, and it's not really fair to compare them. Usually, cruise lines know that your cruise fare will only be a portion (sometimes a small one) of the total money they get out of you...they'll get food, drink, excursions, souvenirs, gambling, etc. Whereas, aside from small things like a checked bag or a seat selection (and even those are usually optional), an airline knows the ticket is the only money they will get off of you. They're very different economic models. No kidding. I'm only noting that the airfare was "cheapest" when A2S opened up and now that same airfare has ballooned in price to a point where it exceeds the cruise fare.. Just relaying an observation for a specific case I have first hand experience. Pattycruise and wordell1 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vincent Posted February 11, 2022 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2022 12 minutes ago, Pattycruise said: are you utilizing air2sea? they will only offer flights that they know they can get you to on time. You can call them and inquire about flights. Then take their information and figure out your own flights if that is how you are booking Ship shows that it arrives at 5 AM. Using air2sea, there are a couple of 10:50 AM offered from Delta, the rest are12:15 and after. I'm starting to think we need to rethink and look at leaving on Monday. Pattycruise 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonOasis Posted February 12, 2022 Report Share Posted February 12, 2022 5 hours ago, Vincent said: Agree, not going to get any cheaper, so plan to book today or tomorrow. But would like to ask thoughts on booking a 9:45 AM flight on Sunday, same day we arrive back at Port, departing again out of FCO? Unfortunately not a lot of options on United. United offers multiple nonstop flights out of Rome they have 2 daily nonstop flights out of FCO to EWR one at 9.45am and a second nonstop flight to EWR at 1pm. United also flies nonstop from FCO to IAD that flight departs at 11am and there is also a flight FCO to ORD that departs at 10:20am. Both Delta and American offer nearly the same number of nonstop flights back to the US, and most flights back to the US no matter the US carrier leave around mid-morning or early afternoon, this allows the aircraft to land in the US in the afternoon and then the same aircraft can then turnaround and fly back to any European destination that same evening. If you are looking for a 3pm, 4pm, or later scheduled departure out of FCO back to the US you might be out of luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wordell1 Posted February 12, 2022 Report Share Posted February 12, 2022 4 hours ago, cruisellama said: No kidding. I'm only noting that the airfare was "cheapest" when A2S opened up and now that same airfare has ballooned in price to a point where it exceeds the cruise fare.. Just relaying an observation for a specific case I have first hand experience. I definitely spent more on the airfare. The shore excursions are adding up to be more than the cruise fare also. WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jill Posted February 12, 2022 Report Share Posted February 12, 2022 Our flights were booked about 6 weeks ago to Rome using Air2Sea. We’re on American, main cabin and our flights were a little over $1k each. teddy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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