Buying airfare for the summer trip

[tanyaru 3]

Ok, so we weighted all the circumstances and deceided that we will be good to go on my side of the world by june...

We looked online and have discovered that student fares are more expensive then regular economy ones

Another trick we know is fly on Tue or Wed because it is supposedly cheaper.

Flying out of JFK appears to be more expensive in June then from Philadelphia or DC.

Also, we have visited multiple websites like Kayak, Cheapoair and etc and it seems like it is more expensive to buy from them then directly from the airline company...

Our Route is: DC - Ekaterinburg (Russia); Moscow (Russia) - DC

Oh, and we do prefer Lufthansa but open for suggestions, however, no Aeroflot.

Based on the info I provided plese advice any additional tricks we can use to overcome the total of $2550 (this is including taxes and fees) for 2.

PS. We are planning on purchasing in the end of Dec beggining of Jan.

Thank you.

[mkg265 2]

I use Shermanstravel.com You can search many sites at once. Also Newark Airport is always cheaper than JFK

Edited December 4, 2008 by mkg265

[bobb 0]

I would suggest you consider waiting until Feb before looking for a flight. With the way gas prices are plummeting, and still not at bottom, flight costs aren't going to go up between now and then.

I'm going to fly from SFO to Moscow and back in mid-May. The lowest prices I've seen so far are 1320 from Lufthansa. I'm not even going to consider buying the ticket until February.

[Neonred 3,564]

I would suggest you consider waiting until Feb before looking for a flight. With the way gas prices are plummeting, and still not at bottom, flight costs aren't going to go up between now and then.

I'm going to fly from SFO to Moscow and back in mid-May. The lowest prices I've seen so far are 1320 from Lufthansa. I'm not even going to consider buying the ticket until February.

Depending on which days you fly, I see that Delta has that flight for $1072 in May.

[mox 298]

yapta.com is a great way to keep track of prices. When prices drop on the flight you're tracking they'll notify you.

[Lyuba 0]

Look into Aerfolot for non stop from DC. Look into AA for non stop from Philadelphia and Boston.

[russ 1]

Be patient, you should be able to find a flight for $700 (what we paid June last year).

Fuel prices are dropping, this will be reflected in prices soon. We just bought a ticket from Tampa to Moscow for $750 on Delta.

Why no Aeroflot? They operate US built aircraft (B767s) to the US. I would consider that "safe." (I'm a pilot).

[tanyaru 3]

Be patient, you should be able to find a flight for $700 (what we paid June last year).

Fuel prices are dropping, this will be reflected in prices soon. We just bought a ticket from Tampa to Moscow for $750 on Delta.

Why no Aeroflot? They operate US built aircraft (B767s) to the US. I would consider that "safe." (I'm a pilot).

I have hard feelings for them.

Thanks for your reply.

[Turboguy 6]

Why no Aeroflot? They operate US built aircraft (B767s) to the US. I would consider that "safe." (I'm a pilot).

I have flown Aeroflot to Russia several times. I would gladly pay a few hundred extra to fly almost anyone else but not so much for safety, however:

Yes, they fly US aircraft on their international routes. Inside of Russia about 95% of their fleet is Tupelovs. Russia has one of the highest ratios of crashes in the world. The interesting part of that is that almost all of the crashes involve the 5% of their fleet made by Boeing. The reasons for that I hear sited most often is that thier mechanics are not as well trained on Boeings. If someone is concerned about safety that might be a consideration.

My wife is planning her first trip back to Russia when her school lets out in May. Hopefully I can get a decent rate on Delta. If she has to fly Aeroflot I really am not planning to lay awake nights worring about the flight and I am sure she will make it fine.

[Danno 1,228]

If the OP is still looking, I can give him (or anyone) the phone number to a Russian agent here in the states that has gotten me and others better prices than I could find on line, it doesn't hurt to call and ask. In fact she got me a better price than her web-site showed.

PM me

Edited December 28, 2008 by Danno