Travel to Canada at Xmas

Hi all,

Normally I go back to Canada every Christmas but can usually take a long enough break that I'm not flying at super-peak times.

This year, however, I have to fly out around the 22nd and return around Jan. 2 and the fares are predictably astronomical.

So,

1) Anyone have a good tip on a cheap way to fly?

2) Does anyone know from their experience if it is better to book the flights ASAP as fares will only rise, or would it be smart to wait in the hopes of a crazy seat sale?

Many thanks for any replies!

JA Barnes

I read in the Guardian recently that the cheapest time to buy your ticket is 8 weeks before your travel date. Not sure if it still applies to Christmas time though!

Good luck!

I had to travel to Canada just after Christmas a couple of years ago from Cyprus for my father's 70th and I actually found the prices very reasonable going on British Airways. I would recommend that you consider the many airlines that fly into your destination small and large and keep an eye on them daily. Decide the range of prices that you are willing to pay and when you see a ticket around that price, grab it. Travel agents can also be keeping their eyes on seat sales for you starting right now. Maybe some UK discount airlines are crossing the pond into Canada and they are cheaper. Let me know if anything develops. I am from Toronto area, by the way.

There are a number of websites to check out. Canadian Affair offers direct flights from London and Manchester. Icelandair offers one stop service to Seattle.The site that I find best is faregeek.com I got an awesome deal on that site with BA to London from Vancouver. It is not a well known site but I had no problems at all and even called BA to confirm the flight. XMAS is a very expensive time to travel no one usually offers sales. Good Luck

Thanks confused-uk. I had never heard of faregeek.com - always happy to try another site.

Cheers!

I had never heard of them before either, but I did a google search and they came up. Their customer service is not great at all. They said they sent me email confirmations but did not. I went onto their site to get confirmations and then called BA to confirm. For the price I paid, I have no problem doing a bit extra work.

-- Sun Sep 26, 2010 10:36 pm --

Also If you get a good deal now take it, as the prices are only going to go higher as the planes fill up.

Cheers