Flights Predicament to Faro...

[Julie]

We are going to the Alto Golf Apartments in Portugal for half-term week in May 08. When I booked the accommodation, using my points, back in July, the flights for BA were already looking quite expensive being school hols week. I think they were coming out at about £184 each and as there is 4 of us it was looking already quite pricey.

So had decided to wait for the Easyjet flights to release hoping that I might fare better! Well Easyjet do not release their summer timetable for at least another month now and the BA flights are now hitting £300 each with charter flights coming out at £254 each.

I have booked many times with the cheaper airlines and found them very competitively priced but only at off-peak times. Do you have experience of booking with them at peak times and should I now hold out for next month hoping they might come out a little cheaper. I expect they are not so competitive over the peak holiday times.

Any feedback much appreciated...

[garylittlestone]

Hi, I have just gone into http://www.travelsupermarket.com and put in Faro from Gatwick, Stanstead and Luton for Saturday, 24 May for 1 week and BA have a price of £164.60 with Ebookers. The budget flights like Easyjet, Flybe, Bmibaby etc probably haven't come out yet, but should be a lot cheaper.

[DerekW]

If the flights to Faro were operated by GB Air under franchise to BA, then in March 2008 GB Air will be sold to Easyjet and the BA interest will cease.

So I suggest you check who actually operates the planes.

[Sue B]

Hi Julie

We have booked on low cost airlines at both low and peak times - mainly using BMIbaby. The peak time flights do tend to be a bit more expensive than off season as you would expect.

If you get online as soon as the flights become availabile, then you should be okay. As the seats are taken up on certain flights, the prices start to go up. Are you registered with the low cost airlines via their websites so that they send you advanced notice of their new schedules? I remember trying one time at midnight of the day they announced the start of their summer schedule. The website was totally overloaded and we had to leave it until later on. Got what we wanted early that morning though.

Have you checked out any other scheduled airlines? Have you tried TAP the Portuguese airlines? We are going to Madeira with them in March 2008 and got some very reasonably priced flights - around £120 per person (including all taxes) compared to our local airport where prices were around £250 per person. I have read somewhere that, at peak times, scheduled airlines can be just as cheap as low cost. BA also have special offers on so it is worth watching out for these.

Sue

[Julie]

Sorry for the delay in responding, but our computer has been down all week due to no internet connection. Have so missed it.

Well have now checked travelsupermarket.com (super website) but the flights are still coming out at around £250 with BA and TAP so will wait for Easyjet to release. I wish I could have seen that £164 BA flight Gary!

Thanks Sue for the reassuring advice. You do get a bit panicky when you see all the flight prices rocketing and the accommodation is already booked which means we have to fly! Yes I have registered with the Easyjet website and think it's best to wait now until they release their summer timetable and I will book straightaway.

Did check out the other low cost airlines but they do not fly to Faro from the London airports, but have certainly made a note of them for future.

Thank you for all the advice given which has left me feeling somewhat happier!

Julie