dirty ethel rackham Posted October 16, 2019 Share Posted October 16, 2019 Dd is studying in Madrid for the Spring semester. She is planning on visiting some family friends in Barcelona just after the new year before she moves in with her host family. She is also planning on staying a few days after move-out to either travel or visit this family again. I am just overwhelmed trying to book her tickets. Plus, I have to buy our tickets to visit her towards the end of Mark. How to get best prices? How to make it easy for a non-seasoned traveler? Should I book tickets into and out of Barcelona instead of Madrid? I hate the thought of her having to navigate traveling to another city after a long flight. Any advice? I'm a grown up. This shouldn't be this hard. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyoffive Posted October 17, 2019 Share Posted October 17, 2019 3 hours ago, dirty ethel rackham said: Dd is studying in Madrid for the Spring semester. She is planning on visiting some family friends in Barcelona just after the new year before she moves in with her host family. She is also planning on staying a few days after move-out to either travel or visit this family again. I am just overwhelmed trying to book her tickets. Plus, I have to buy our tickets to visit her towards the end of Mark. How to get best prices? How to make it easy for a non-seasoned traveler? Should I book tickets into and out of Barcelona instead of Madrid? I hate the thought of her having to navigate traveling to another city after a long flight. Any advice? I'm a grown up. This shouldn't be this hard. So she is visiting the family in B and then going to M to study? I don't know if I would book her back out of B unless she is sure she is going to visit them again. Not sure where you are flying from, but there are some good deals right now to Europe. Other than that use google flights O: Amsterdam (AMS) Athens (ATH) Barcelona (BCN) Basel (BSL) Berlin (TXL) Bologna (BLQ) Brussels (BRU) Bucharest (OTP) Budapest (BUD) Casablanca (CMN) Chișinău (KIV) Cologne (CGN) Dublin (DUB) Düsseldorf (DUS) Edinburgh (EDI) Florence (FLR) Frankfurt (FRA) Gdansk (GDN) Geneva (GVA) Genoa (GOA) Gothenburg (GOT) Hamburg (HAM) Helsinki (HEL) Istanbul (IST) Krakow (KRK) Kyiv (KBP) Larnaca (LCA) Lisbon (LIS) Ljubljana (LJU) Luxembourg (LUX) Malta (MLA) Manchester (MAN) Marrakesh (RAK) Marseille (MRS) Milan (LIN) Milan (MXP) Moscow (SVO) Munich (MUC) Naples (NAP) Nice (NCE) Palermo (PMO) Paris (CDG) Pisa (PSA) Porto (OPO) Prague (PRG) Riga (RIX) Rome (FCO) Santorini (JTR) Sofia (SOF) St. Petersburg (LED) Stockholm (ARN) Stuttgart (STR) Tallinn (TLL) Thessaloniki (SKG) Trieste (TRS) Turin (TRN) Valencia (VLC) Venice (VCE) Vienna (VIE) Warsaw (WAW) Wroclaw (WRO) Zagreb (ZAG) Zurich (ZRH) FROM: Albany (ALB) - $486 Albuquerque (ABQ) - $515 Allentown (ABE) - $486 Appleton (ATW) - $506 Asheville (AVL) - $486 Aspen (ASE) - $502 Atlanta (ATL) - $468 Austin (AUS) - $504 Billings (BIL) - $483 Birmingham (BHM) - $486 Boise (BOI) - $497 Bozeman (BZN) - $497 Burlington (BTV) - $486 Cedar Rapids (CID) - $486 Charlotte (CLT) - $468 Charlottesville (CHO) - $486 Chattanooga (CHA) - $486 Cincinnati (CVG) - $468 Cleveland (CLE) - $486 Cody (COD) - $507 Columbia (CAE) - $486 Columbus (CMH) - $486 Corpus Christi (CRP) - $499 Dallas (DFW) - $504 Dayton (DAY) - $486 Des Moines (DSM) - $486 Destin (VPS) - $504 Detroit (DTW) - $468 Duluth (DLH) - $486 Durango (DRO) - $480 El Paso (ELP) - $486 Eugene (EUG) - $488 Everett (PAE) - $496 Fargo (FAR) - $486 Fayetteville (XNA) - $486 Fort Lauderdale (FLL) - $468 Fort Myers (RSW) - $486 Fort Wayne (FWA) - $486 Grand Junction (GJT) - $502 Grand Rapids (GRR) - $486 Great Falls (GTF) - $507 Greensboro (GSO) - $486 Greenville (GSP) - $486 Harrisburg (MDT) - $486 Hartford (BDL) - $462 Huntsville (HSV) - $486 Indianapolis (IND) - $486 Jackson (JAN) - $486 Jackson Hole (JAC) - $502 Jacksonville (JAX) - $486 Kalispell (FCA) - $502 Kansas City (MCI) - $486 Knoxville (TYS) - $486 Las Vegas (LAS) - $486 Lexington (LEX) - $486 Lincoln (LNK) - $486 Little Rock (LIT) - $486 Louisville (SDF) - $486 Madison (MSN) - $486 McAllen (MFE) - $499 Medford (MFR) - $481 Memphis (MEM) - $486 Miami (MIA) - $468 Milwaukee (MKE) - $486 Minneapolis (MSP) - $468 Minot (MOT) - $486 Missoula (MSO) - $502 Mobile (MOB) - $486 Moline (MLI) - $506 Nashville (BNA) - $486 Norfolk (ORF) - $486 Oakland (OAK) - $485 Oklahoma City (OKC) - $486 Omaha (OMA) - $486 Orlando (MCO) - $468 Panama City (ECP) - $486 Pasco (PSC) - $501 Pensacola (PNS) - $486 Peoria (PIA) - $486 Philadelphia (PHL) - $462 Phoenix (PHX) - $486 Pittsburgh (PIT) - $465 Portland (PDX) - $486 Portland (PWM) - $486 Providence (PVD) - $486 Raleigh (RDU) - $468 Rapid City (RAP) - $486 Redmond (RDM) - $497 Reno (RNO) - $497 Richmond (RIC) - $486 Roanoke (ROA) - $486 Rochester (ROC) - $486 Sacramento (SMF) - $476 Salt Lake City (SLC) - $504 San Antonio (SAT) - $486 San Diego (SAN) - $486 San Francisco (SFO) - $506 Sarasota (SRQ) - $486 Savannah (SAV) - $486 Seattle (SEA) - $486 Shreveport (SHV) - $486 Sioux Falls (FSD) - $486 South Bend (SBN) - $486 Spokane (GEG) - $476 St. Louis (STL) - $486 Syracuse (SYR) - $486 Tampa (TPA) - $468 Tucson (TUS) - $507 Tulsa (TUL) - $486 Westchester (HPN) - $567 Wichita (ICT) - $486 Wilmington (ILM) - $486 WHEN: Varies by route. Generally November 2019 through May 2020 and August through September 2020, some routes include Thanksgiving but all exclude Xmas/NYE NORMAL PRICE: $850+ roundtrip AIRLINE(S): Air Canada (Star Alliance) Brussels Airlines (Star Alliance) Lufthansa (Star Alliance) Swiss (Star Alliance) United (Star Alliance) ADD-ON FEES: The cheapest available fares are basic economy, which means early seat selection and a checked bag are not included. For most routes, it costs $60 each way to upgrade to regular economy, which includes a checked bag and early seat selection. A checked bag costs $60 each way à la carte BUY BY: We think these fares will last 1-2 days THat is from Scotts Cheap flights 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyoffive Posted October 17, 2019 Share Posted October 17, 2019 https://www.airfarewatchdog.com/blog/50084900/sas-scandinavian-airlines-europe-on-sale-from-278-roundtrip/?source=54&nltv=144959_b&nl_cs=51647131%3A%3A%3A%3A%3A%3A144959_b&mcid=21443&mi_u=CSIAL6L2ZB 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mbelle Posted October 17, 2019 Share Posted October 17, 2019 Although, I am a seasoned traveler and especially to Europe I have not been to Spain. I like the Amesterdam airport for layovers because I find it such an easy layout, but other cities are totally fine too. If you go with cheaper tickets through something like Scotts cheap flights you will not have the same freedom to choose connections, but the prices are really awesome. My dd did a summer study abroad when she was 16 and I was nervous (in fact I felt totally exhausted the first week and had to lie on the couch a fair bit .lol), but she did fine. I'm not sure how long your flight to Europe will be, but for us it's a max of 8 hours and usually overnight, so it's really not too bad. (Now if I'm flying 20 hours or more that is completly another story). I know when I traveled when I was younger it was a total adventure and I didn't care one bit about being tired, or worry at all about how I was going to get around. However, as a Mom I'm more apprehensive about my kids traveling, so I do unerstand the worry. I would get the cheap tickets to a relatively easy airport/city as possible and then plan your first day as best you can so that you have steps to take and know what you will do and that should help with feeling confident that everyone knows what they are doing. These days I like to get an Uber to where I will stay, but when I was young I just took public transport, then eat a big breakfast and lots of coffee. Do some light sight seeing just to get used to the place and time zone. If she will have friends of family to stay with then that should be even better to start off with. I do love catching up with friends and it can really help you stay awak the first day. I will be glad to answer any questions if this is not the right info you're looking for. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frances Posted October 17, 2019 Share Posted October 17, 2019 I can’t give much advice on airline tickets, as we always use credit card points to get them free. But I do like the site rome2rio to get all the options and prices for traveling from one city to another. I used it quite a bit when planning our Europe trip a few years ago. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El... Posted October 17, 2019 Share Posted October 17, 2019 I've used Skyscanner.com to find good prices, and then I buy the tickets from the airline with the best offer. When I've been searching for a while online, I've observed that the prices seem to go up while I'm shopping. I've found that clearing the browser cookies can make the prices drop again (within reason; if it's a sudden trip it's harder to find a good deal). Do consider more airports. I can fly out of any of six airports in three countries within two hours of my home, and the prices vary wildly. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica_in_Switzerland Posted October 17, 2019 Share Posted October 17, 2019 I'm terrible about getting ticket deals. Sorry! Barcelona vs Madrid... When I studied abroad, my program was in the south of France- I flew into Marsailles. But I knew I wanted to visit Paris, so I took a chance and booked my return ticket for one week after the program ended... from Paris. I figured in the course of the semester I'd figure out how to get myself from the south to the north during that week, as well as what I would do during that extra week. And it worked out fine. This can be part of the adventure. The flights will be cheaper if you get round-trip from the same city, rather than two one way tickets to/from the two cities. I'm sure there is a train or similar to get her from one to the other if she doesn't figure out another way (riding with friends, etc.). Her study abroad program should also be able to make suggestions and help once she's in place. I'd reconsider the wait-and-see approach if she is particularly nervous, but if she has the travel bug or the spirit of adventure, she will be able to get herself rom one major city to the other... worst case on a cheap hopper flight perhaps, which can be booked last-minute. Also, when I did this, I was in my senior year and had attended school out of state all four years and was used to navigating airports... I might feel differently for a very young college student who was a more fledgling adult. BUT... it's not that hard. Really. There are signs, there are arrows... she can do it!!!! In that vein, constantly remind her and yourself that she must physically haul everything she brings with her or buys there everywhere. Pack light, pack light, pack light. Spring is tough because of changing weather. It's less bulky to pack a base layer (thin thermals) than lots of outer layers (sweaters, etc.). I'm not sure how cold Spain actually gets though. Look at stuff like capsule wardrobes and packing for long-term travel... there are lots of blogs and youtube channels on this. The easiest thing to get will be your own tickets, because you'll have a precise date and location. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted October 17, 2019 Share Posted October 17, 2019 Madrid (the airport code is MAD) is her destination. She will have a lot of stuff with her. She will be tired. Her destination airport from the USA, should be MAD. I would try to put her on Delta, if they serve the route she is going on (Origin and Destination cities) because Delta seems to be the best of the major U.S. carriers at this time. I would avoid, at all costs, Charters and airlines whose financial status is unknown, considering the very recent collapse of Thomas Cook and some other European airlines. Here's where you are going to get it, financially. There are few, if any, discounts for Round-Trip travel now, and for a long stay, there are probably no discounts for Round-Trip travel. Many years ago, there were excursion tickets, 7 days, 14 days, 21 days, etc., but I believe those have been discontinued. However, ask... So, when you have the date in concrete, for the trip to MAD, I would book it, pay for it, and then try not to worry, if the fare goes up or down. That's what we did for the trip DD made to the USA in August. We booked it early in April, because the date was in concrete. We arranged for DD to arrive 1 or 2 days early, in case something went awry. DD went on SPIRIT, so that's very simple. They charge extra for EVERYTHING. When we made the reservation, we paid for a Carry-On bag and also for one Checked bag. (The Carry-On was more expensive). Fortunately, about 7 or 10 days before departure day, DD realized that would be an issue, because she had a long connection (better than a short connection IMO) in FLL (Fort Lauderdale) and what would she do, with her "Personal item" and the Carry-On, if for example, she went into a restroom. When she checked in, we asked the SPIRIT agent to change the Carry-On to a 2nd Checked Bag, and she did that for us and that made the trip much easier for DD. I suggest that your DD do the same. The airline your DD goes on to MAD may be unbundled like SPIRIT, or, depending upon the tariff rules, may permit one or more checked bags and may or may not also permit a Carry On bag. It depends upon the airline involved and also on the agreements between the 2 countries involved. Check that carefully or it can be a costly experience. On the same aircraft, there will probably be many different Tariff levels and obviously the more expensive the ticket, the more things they permit the passenger to do. Compare Apples with Apples. Do not compare Apples with Oranges. From here, I think the Nonstops to MAD are about 9 1/2 hours. From where you are about that or more. Tell her to drink lots of bottled water, to keep hydrated. Tell her never to drink water that isn't in a bottle, or, for example, coffee on an airplane. The water may be very contaminated. That is not unusual on airplanes and may involve any carrier. Difficult for them to control that, even if they try to control it. Much of what I suggested above applies to other routes. My DD would like to go to Japan next Summer and she has been invited to go to China. If Delta is competitive price-wise, and they have good schedules, I will suggest that she go on Delta. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyoffive Posted October 17, 2019 Share Posted October 17, 2019 We have been to Madrid and Barcelona. Does she speak Spanish? Round trip from the same location back, isn't always cheaper. Lots of times you can get the same price flying into one city and out of another. Even if it is more expensive, think of the costs of back tracking to the other location. Personally I don't recommend Delta over other carriers. Our favorite American airline would be American Airlines to go overseas. But honestly they are all about the same. You can get a free ticket to Europe with just one purchase. https://dannydealguru.com/2019/09/07/barclays-aviator-red-60k-bonus/ 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica_in_Switzerland Posted October 17, 2019 Share Posted October 17, 2019 Just to stick a wrench into what everyone else has said... I would NOT fly an US carrier at all if you can avoid it! European airlines have more leg room in economy, better food, and better service, in my experience (1-2 USA-Europe flights a year for 15 years running). A US airline company may be unavoidable if you don't live near a major hub, though. As Lanny said, look for connections that have generous layovers (3 hours) for a non-seasoned traveller. Even as a "pro", I prefer a longer layover because I'd rather be bored than stressed or stranded. I regularly pay extra for a direct flight because the convenience is worth the money to me. I hadn't thought about duration of stay, so yes, as others have said, the price is probably not going to matter between 1 round trip ticket or two 1 way tickets, so it probably makes more sense for her to leave from the city of her school. Travel is a hassle, but not rocket science. She will do great! Did I say to pack light????!!!! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyoffive Posted October 17, 2019 Share Posted October 17, 2019 3 minutes ago, Monica_in_Switzerland said: Just to stick a wrench into what everyone else has said... I would NOT fly an US carrier at all if you can avoid it! European airlines have more leg room in economy, better food, and better service, in my experience (1-2 USA-Europe flights a year for 15 years running). A US airline company may be unavoidable if you don't live near a major hub, though. As Lanny said, look for connections that have generous layovers (3 hours) for a non-seasoned traveller. Even as a "pro", I prefer a longer layover because I'd rather be bored than stressed or stranded. I regularly pay extra for a direct flight because the convenience is worth the money to me. I hadn't thought about duration of stay, so yes, as others have said, the price is probably not going to matter between 1 round trip ticket or two 1 way tickets, so it probably makes more sense for her to leave from the city of her school. Travel is a hassle, but not rocket science. She will do great! Did I say to pack light????!!!! Not sure I 100% agree with this. We have flown some European airlines and didn't like them. The food wasn't good, there was not more leg room, and the staff wasn't nice. We didn't like Iberia, Finnair, SAS was ok only because we were not in economy. Still not good service and we didn't like the food at all. But there are some that do have better service, but not all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica_in_Switzerland Posted October 17, 2019 Share Posted October 17, 2019 One other make-it-easier tip: When coming back in to the US: Her luggage will need to go through customs at her point of entry, then be rechecked if that is not her final destination. Airports are set up for this, so it's not like she'll have to run from point A to point B to point A again, but it is still an annoyance and hassle, and a time suck for a tight connection. If at all possible, have her point of entry into the US also be her final destination. For us, for example, we would rather do Geneva-Amsterdam-San Francisco than Geneva-Washington-San Francisco because in Washington, we would need to get our bags, go through customs, then re-check them. Big annoyance! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Tick Posted October 17, 2019 Share Posted October 17, 2019 Train system in Spain is great. I haven't been to Barcelona, but traveled with my family on the train from Madrid to other cities and back easily. I bought tickets online in the US before we left, but you can buy them at the station too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted October 17, 2019 Share Posted October 17, 2019 How many suitcases will she bring, and what are the approximate dates? (My kids were always able to do a semester in Europe with a large suitcase and backpack...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted October 17, 2019 Share Posted October 17, 2019 2 hours ago, mommyoffive said: We have been to Madrid and Barcelona. Does she speak Spanish? Round trip from the same location back, isn't always cheaper. Lots of times you can get the same price flying into one city and out of another. Even if it is more expensive, think of the costs of back tracking to the other location. Personally I don't recommend Delta over other carriers. Our favorite American airline would be American Airlines to go overseas. But honestly they are all about the same. You can get a free ticket to Europe with just one purchase. https://dannydealguru.com/2019/09/07/barclays-aviator-red-60k-bonus/ Round trips now seem to always be the combination of two One-Way fares, and each of the One-Way fares may be very different than the other one. I don't think there are many, if any, Round-Trip fares now. They are combinations of two (2) One-Way fares to total a Round-Trip. RE: Delta. YMMV. As I recall, Delta was #1 or 2 in the AQR (Airline Quality Report) earlier this year. I think JetBlue was next? Of the 9 largest carriers in the USA, United was 6, Spirit was 7, American was 8 and Frontier was 9. With all due respect to American Airlines, one might take into consideration that they have problems with two (2) of their unions at this time: Mechanics and Flight Attendants. Those issues may or may not involve any particular flight. I do not believe the Mechanic who sabotaged a departing aircraft is typical of their Mechanics and I believe it is generally a very safe airline. Probably one can find lower fares on American than on Delta, because of the issues they are having with their Management and with those 2 unions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirty ethel rackham Posted October 18, 2019 Author Share Posted October 18, 2019 Thanks for the advice so far. So helpful. Thanks for the links and the reminder to clear my cookies. I had forgotten about that. More details ... She will be flying out of Chicago and is planning on arriving in Barcelona on January 3rd and staying with family friends. She checks in with her host family in Madrid on January 7th. After that, the study abroad orientation starts and classes begin soon afterwards. I'd much rather her fly into Barcelona because, although she is a somewhat adventurous person, I imagine she will be very tired from a long day of traveling and I'd rather that the last part of this trip go smoothly. If she goes to Madrid first, she'd need a place to stay or she'd need to get further travel to Barcelona. I know that after 10+ hours of traveling, the last thing I'd want to do is arrange more travel in an unfamiliar area. She has no firm plans about what she plans to do after the semester is over (May 14th), which is making her return trip planning difficult. She'd like to stay a few days longer ... her visa is supposed to expire a week later. She may meet some people while she is over there that she'd like to travel with or she may go back and visit the family in Barcelona and go rock climbing with them (that is how we met and they are avid climbers.) She has been following the advice of people who have been on this program (it is another campus of the university she currently attends here in the states, so there is a fairly large contingent of students from her university that go to Spain.) Based upon the advice she has received, she plans to pack very light (she is very good at this) and buy a fair amount of her clothes in Spain and be very judicious about what she will bring back. She is aware that what she wears at school now would be out of place in Europe. She has had 4 years of high school Spanish (and the last 2 years, no English was allowed in class.) I'm not sure how much time she will have to brush up on her Spanish before she goes since she is taking 18 credit hours as an engineering student. I am working on a list of Spanish language movies, TV shows, and podcasts for us to listen when she is home for winter break. (I minored in Spanish in college, but need to brush up beyond the 3 months of duolingo I did last summer.) I know I need to get past the frozen tongue when faced with native speakers ... my mind goes blank and I sound like a stupid American and then I replay the conversation in Spanish in my head with all the things I meant to say. (Shhh ... I am admitting that I am totally living vicariously through her since I wanted to study in Spain when I was in college, but my dad forbade it. He had a point. Back then college at an in-state school was really cheap and study abroad was really, really expensive in comparison. These days, it will cost us the same. At least I get to go visit her next March.) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica_in_Switzerland Posted October 19, 2019 Share Posted October 19, 2019 As far as frozen language goes (haha, had never heard that expression!): Even now, after living here 15 years, I can still have that happen to me! I have taken to spending 1 minute before making a phone call or asking a store clerk or whatever to think through how I'd like to start the conversation. What is my first sentence or two going to be? Once I have the ball rolling, it's all good and I can respond to questions and carry on an already moving conversation. If I don't do this, I sometimes find myself stammering at the start! For some reason, my brain switches into French once the other person starts speaking to me in French, but if I'm the person who has to initiate, I have a hard time getting my French to the tip of my tongue. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted October 19, 2019 Share Posted October 19, 2019 OP: If she needs to arrive in Barcelona on 03 January 2020, you need to get this booked and the ticket(s) purchased IMMEDIATELY. That is a PEAK season. DO THIS TODAY (19 October 2019) or TOMORROW at the latest! BUY HER TICKET TO SPAIN THIS WEEKEND! To illustrate, using an entirely different route, looking at the Basic one-way farea on SPIRIT, from our city, Cali, Colombia; to Fort Lauderdale, many days in December, ending with 30 December, one can go for $191.42. However, on 03 January 2020, the fare for that flight is $900.60. That is comparing "Apples to Apples" and everything else is extra, whatever day one travels, because SPIRIT charges extra for everything. There are a FINITE number of seats available. You will have more options, from Chicago to Barcelona, but there will be a lot of people moving around the USA and around the world at that time. NOTE: I would not worry about booking her Return from Spain to the USA at this time. Buy her ticket so that she can arrive in Barcelona on 03 January 2020 and worry about the Return later... I hope that your DD enjoys her time in Spain! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted October 19, 2019 Share Posted October 19, 2019 OP I checked on Google Flights, from Chicago (ORD) to Barcelona, leaving on 02 January 2020. They put the best flights (fastest, and lowest fares, etc.) at the top. At this time it looks like the connection in Dublin is the fastest and least expensive. 10 hours and 45 minutes from scheduled Departure in Chicago to scheduled Arrival at the Gate in Barcelona. NOTE: DO NOT look only at the fares. Look at the scheduled elapsed time, from Origin to Destination. Sometimes (frequently) from here, the fare to somewhere in the USA is the same whether it takes 8 hours or 28 hours (or more). Look at the airline(s) involved, at the connection city, and at the length of the connection. https://www.google.com/flights?hl=en#flt=ORD.BCN.2020-01-02;c:COP;e:1;sd:1;st:none;t:f;tt:o Best flights Total price includes taxes + fees for 1 adult. Additional bag fees and other fees may apply. Sort by: Sort by Best flightsPriceDeparture timeArrival timeDuration 16:00 – 09:45+1 Aer Lingus British Airways 10 h 45 m ORD–BCN 1 stop 1 h 0 m DUB COP 2,527,866 NOTE: That connection in Dublin is VERY tight. Scheduled for one hour. That doesn't allow much time for issues. Hopefully everything will be perfect. If not, hopefully Air Lingus will take care of her and get her to her destination city, which is Barcelona, ASAP. NOTE: I don't have time to check this now, but I suspect the fare on those same flights, if they leave the day before (New Years Day 2020) might be lower. The fare shown in COP is Colombian Pesos. Rough ball park is approximately $750 USD, ball park figure since I don't have a calculator here and need to go. DO NOT PURCHASE TICKETS SEPARATELY. Passengers who do that, if something goes wrong, are on their own. Both flights should be on the same ticket... Consider the possibility of purchasing Travel Interruption Insurance, in case she needs to pay additional expenses. Consider the possibility of leaving one day earlier (01 January 2020) instead of on 02 January 2020. I haven't been in the Dublin airport but I was (unexpectedly due to ill passenger) on a flight that made an unscheduled landing in Shannon and the airport there (at that time) was very tiny). That one hour connection is something I would try to avoid, here in Colombia or on a domestic trip in the USA, but hopefully the airport in Dublin is very small and hopefully the flight from ORD will leave on schedule (or before) and have favorable winds behind it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 19, 2019 Share Posted October 19, 2019 Hardly am I a seasoned traveler to Europe, but I wanted to mention dd has gotten her tickets through Student Universe and the prices are rock-bottom. She has even managed to get non-stop from Dulles to Paris for under $500. She did not buy hers round trip, for a similar reason; she wanted to possibly travel around afterwards, although you have to be careful not to overstay the visa length. (She was to,d she could go out of France before the visa expired and then just come back into France as a vacationer to not disrupt the visa.) When I went over to visit, I used credit card points and I did buy my tickets round trip. I was not able to get a non-stop flight on credit card points; I didn’t prefer the layovers, but oh well. Coming home, I found the layover in Atlanta more frustrating or depressing because I was tired of traveling, wanted to be home and was still several hundred miles from my home city. I agree with advice to pack light. The members here gave me that advice and I was a thousand times so happy I did this! I made detailed notes about that I packed, too, so the next time I go I can eliminate additional things. I had a set of dressy clothes in case I would end up somewhere with a dress code, but I wouldn’t do that now unless I knew I was absolutely going somewhere that required it, like maybe an opera house or something. Even then, maybe I would buy something there rather than pack it. It was a waste of weight and space to have a blouse, nice pants and dress shoes. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted October 19, 2019 Share Posted October 19, 2019 OP: If your DD can go on New Years Day, 01 January 2020, at this time on Google Flights they are showing on TAP Air Portugal, a fare approximately 40% lower (ballpark estimate) than the fare on 02 January, going on Air Lingus, via Dublin. Also an extremely tight connection, 55 minutes, but if she misconnects in Lisbon, that's a lot closer to Barcelona and probably there are many flights between those 2 cities. Best flights Total price includes taxes + fees for 1 adult. Additional bag fees and other fees may apply. Sort by: Sort by Best flightsPriceDeparture timeArrival timeDuration 18:20 – 11:45+1 Tap Air Portugal 10 h 25 m ORD–BCN 1 stop 55 m LIS COP 1,396,744 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted October 19, 2019 Share Posted October 19, 2019 Just a quick note on connections. It's important to check baggage allowance, both size and weight, if you have a change of plane, to make sure that the US norms apply all the way, as European allowances are usually lower. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted October 19, 2019 Share Posted October 19, 2019 4 hours ago, Laura Corin said: Just a quick note on connections. It's important to check baggage allowance, both size and weight, if you have a change of plane, to make sure that the US norms apply all the way, as European allowances are usually lower. If the Ticket covers both flights, not two different tickets, purchased in separate transactions, which I would never suggest to anyone, because of the financial and other issues that can result; the baggage allowance should be the same on both carriers. However, when I read what you wrote, I remembered about "Code Share" flights. Code Share flights are operated by one airline, but in the reservations computer systems, may also be sold by one or more affiliated airlines. There is a post upthread here, or in the other thread, where someone copied and pasted something from Scotts Cheap Flights. At the bottom was the list of Carriers. United was one of them and several other carriers, in the same group, were also listed. Why is this important? Because the fares, on the same flight on the same date in the same seat with the same Baggage Allowance, etc., and the rules, may be different, depending upon which airline the passenger purchases the ticket from. So, if the flight is a Code Share, check the web sites of the 2 or more carriers that share that flight and see if there is an advantage to buying the ticket from one of them and not from the other one. Total price of the ticket, baggage permitted, etc. Refund/Change penalties, etc. I think if I was to look at the Avianca web site (Avianca is a "full service" airline based in Colombia) that I would see that they permit 1 or 2 checked bags and a carry on, on flights to and from the USA. I believe that has to do with competition and/or agreements between the 2 countries. However, that's not mandatory, SPIRIT, an ULCC (Ultra Low Cost Carrier) charges extra for everything. And SPIRITS fares vary wildly, as I pointed out upthread, using an example of from here to Fort Lauderdale in late December or early January. That's comparing "Apples to Apples". The fare will depend upon supply and demand on the day one is going to travel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted October 20, 2019 Share Posted October 20, 2019 @OP This is not about airline schedules or fares, this is about the violent protests currently going on in Barcelona and (I think) also in Madrid. Your daughter's trip is in approximately 2 1/2 months. Probably everything in will be very calm and this will be ancient history when she arrives in Spain. I suggest that she register with the ACS (American Citizen Services unit) in the U.S. Embassy, before she arrives in Spain. Also, suggest that she reads their current information on the ACS web site and that she checks that, from time to time when she is in Spain. She can probably register on their web site. https://abcnews.go.com/International/violent-protests-continue-barcelona-catalan-leaders-prison-sentences/story?id=66390001 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirty ethel rackham Posted October 25, 2019 Author Share Posted October 25, 2019 On 10/20/2019 at 4:06 AM, Lanny said: @OP This is not about airline schedules or fares, this is about the violent protests currently going on in Barcelona and (I think) also in Madrid. Your daughter's trip is in approximately 2 1/2 months. Probably everything in will be very calm and this will be ancient history when she arrives in Spain. I suggest that she register with the ACS (American Citizen Services unit) in the U.S. Embassy, before she arrives in Spain. Also, suggest that she reads their current information on the ACS web site and that she checks that, from time to time when she is in Spain. She can probably register on their web site. https://abcnews.go.com/International/violent-protests-continue-barcelona-catalan-leaders-prison-sentences/story?id=66390001 The school is very familiar with what is going in in Barcelona and this has been discussed in dd's study abroad meetings. My friends who live in Barcelona say that the city is still really safe ...The unrest is in small and easily avoidable pockets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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