suec1

I always look and see how full is the plane - if its not very full, you can wait and hope. I do think capacity has been reduced - I like to fly non-stop so thay usually means I don't get the cheapest price but its worth it to me. This year I booked my May flights (ATL to FCO) in November - but the plane was already 80% full with only a few window seats open. No way I want to be in a middle seat on transatlantic. That price is not bad and if you want certain dates and non-stop, you should probably go for it.

FrankS

June is the toughest month to lock in a fare, and what you have available is fare...I mean fair

iris1745

Today, Wednesday, flying out on the 8th of June and returning on the 14th, the fare is $780 US www.Icelanderair.com Also, go to orbitz and check seating on Delta for the 10th to the 15th. . This flight is operated by Air France. It's very easy to check seating on this site. Richt now, it looks 'half full' with window seats remaining. Richard www.orbitz.com/

doodlebugg

Forgive my ignorance, but how do I go about checking to see how full the plane is? Is this a feature on the airline's websites? Please advise- I had no idea you could do this other than choosing your seat after you've booked your ticket.

iris1745

Hi; If you do Kayak.com this site will show the full fare, including taxes. Richard

travelgourmet

<i>Forgive my ignorance, but how do I go about checking to see how full the plane is? Is this a feature on the airline's websites?</i>

Some websites will let you book seats before buying the ticket. You can also see the seat map for some airlines on services like ExpertFlyer. But it doesn't matter since you can't accurately gauge how full a flight is from the seatmap. I find this especially true for flights to and from Europe. I've been on flights that showed only half the seats taken a day or two before departure that were oversold.

More importantly, just because a plane is full in coach does not mean it is full in business or first class. Airlines can and do sell more coach tickets than they have seats and simply bump some passengers up to the front. At the end of the day, ticket prices will be what the market will bear, regardless of how full the plane is.

iris1745

If you are just checking to see how full the plane is, go to www.orbitz.com This site allows you to check seating. But check on Delta [as it is operated by Air France]. Click on flight number 0321 and seating shows up. I prefer this flight over flight 337. Different aircraft. On flight 0337, seating is 3-4-3, but on 0321 seating is 2-4-2 and window seats are still available. Richard

yk

ditto what travelgourmet said.

Seat maps are USELESS when it comes to checking to see how full a flight is.

The only way you can find out how full a flight is, is either you work for the airline and has access to their computer system. Or, via Expert Flyer which gives you *some* idea of how many seats are left for each fare class.

There have been MANY TIMES when I check the seat map of my flight just 6 hours before departure and I see empty seats all over the place. But in reality, the flight ended up being >90% full.

This is esp true for trans-atlantic flights, because many Europeans buy their tickets through an airline partner, and they are not given an option to pick their seats. Their seats get assigned when they check in at the airport.

iris1745

Well I can't quibble with the Orbitz site. However, if you go direct to www.Delta.com you will find the seats that are open. Then chose the seat you want and start your reservation. At some point in making the reservation, they allow you to key in the seats you have chosen. This is just my experence and it has never failed. In the 90's I used to call and arrange our seating. But no more, strictly internet. Recently made our flight to Florida and D.C. All off the internet and looking at the seat plan, arranged for our seats. At times, when you book a flight by a 'code share', the operating airline will not allow you to arrange for a seat until the day of the flight. [United] We have done 30 trips to Europe and I have made all the arrangements. Don't let us scare you with the difference opinions. It's just different people with different experences. That's wat fodor's is all about. Confusing it can be. Call the Delta airline to ask any questions you may have. International sales 800-2414141 Just keep looking for the fare reduction.

janiekins

Hi doodlebugg, hope everything works out with your flights. As our trips get closer, I would love to hear your thoughts on restaurants in Paris - especially if you are going to celebrate your anniversary with a special dinner.

Jane

travelgourmet

<i>However, if you go direct to www.Delta.com you will find the seats that are open.</i>

Nobody is saying that you can't see what seats are 'open'. What we are saying is that the number of 'open' seats is not a good indicator of how many seats are available for sale.

doodlebugg

I've played around with dates and found a fantastic airfare on Iceland Air- thank to all of your tips- just leaving a day earlier than we planned- and coming back a day earlier.
It would save us $800! The layover doesn't sound too bad- just a little longer than an hour- we would get into france just an hour and a half later than if we took the direct flight on Air France.
However, my husband has read some reviews of Iceland Air that are horrible. Apparently customer service isn't their strong suit.
Has anyone flown this airline and can vouch for them? In particular- this route from Boston to Paris? I figure you can have a nice or horrible experience on any airline- depending on the circumstances, the crew and the customer service. I think we should go for it to save $800- he thinks we should hold off because he's scared of the bad reviews.
Any thoughts? Iceland Air- is it worth the bargain?

Christina

What exactly do these horrible reviews say that would be worth saving $800? I can't imagine such a thing, as long as it's a reputable airline that doesn't have bad safety issues. I haven't flown them but have a friend who does all the time as they are cheap (she flies regularly to Germany) and she doesn't have any problem with them.

I don't know what you are expecting, it's just an airline and you are going to Europe and the flight lasts several hours and then it's over. What do you want, anyway, that would make an $800 difference?

doodlebugg

The reviews say the FA's are rude, the airline routinely loses baggage or damages baggage and doesn't do a good job repairing or returning. Many reviewers say the airplanes are older and cramped- the seating on their planes is 3-3- which isn't ideal IMO on a transatlantic flight. Many reviewers also indicate that boarding procedures are disorganized, and customer service is non-existent.

Having said all that- I can endure these things because, as you say Christina- the flight is a few hours and then its over. I don't know anything about the safety record.

My expectations are to get to my destination on time in one piece. Having a pleasant experience is a bonus.

I was only querying to see if anyone on this board had pleasant experiences on this airline- to balance all the bad reviews I've read.

travelgourmet

Icelandair is pretty bad. But, $800 is a lot of money. Probably worth the savings.

cw

We flew Boston/Paris on Iceland Air in June 2007. The ticket price was significantly cheaper as well. We had about an hour layover in Iceland, just enough time to go through immigration and board the plane. On the way home we had a delay in Iceland of a few hours. It wasn't a big deal. It's a small airport but new and shiny, and they had plenty of wine and beer. I believe we landed at Terminal 1, on our return the terminal didn't have much to offer after going through security to our gate.

We had no problem with luggage either coming or going. The planes are 3 and 3 and, if I remember correctly, the entertainment was old American TV shows. Didn't matter much to me. I always have a book.

You'll probably be cramped on any airline in coach, except in the larger planes there will be a lot more of you. We bought our tickets on line, dealt with personnel at the airports in Boston and Paris, had no problems so I can't say anything about customer service--it all worked as it should.

For a modest price difference I'd take Air France but for a larger savings I would fly Iceland Air again. American used to have non-stops to Paris from Boston in the summer. You might check if they still do this.

Good luck! I hate playing the "will airfare go down" game.

iris1745

Hi; We hope to use Icelanderair.com in August. Our flight has gone from $921 to $997pp. It will go down. We don't concern ourselves with comfort, food, rude, [happens anywhere] just try to get a few hours sleep. That's all that matters. This is an important trip for you. Don't get distracted buy 'issues'. However, your non-stop flights will be on sale at some point. Try to be patient. Delta.com still has many seats that are open. Their web sits always shows what seats are open to purchase. While we don't like late flights, we also like sitting alone. As stated before, the early flight is 3-4-3 acros. The later flight is 2-4-2 across. Consider waiting a week or two. Remember, mid-week may be the best time to see sales. Richard

doodlebugg

The reason I am so jumpy about getting everything booked is our hotel the d'Aubusson has offered us a tremendous deal- but they say the offer is only good until Jan 12th. Perhaps they would offer us something in the ballpark if we waited, but who knows- I think it all depends on whether the rooms are sold.

The fare doesn't really change on Air France if I play around with dates- but it DOES drop significantly if I play around with dates on Iceland Air. If I go ahead and book my hotel- I'm stuck with those dates- which narrows my chances of getting the best deal on airfare.

I guess I could book the room and just watch the two fares for a month or two and see what happens. I will try to be patient Richard! When you say midweek may be the best time to see sales- do you mean doing our traveling midweek or checking on fares midweek?

iris1745

Hi; Checking fare mid-week is suggested. My flight to Germany in September was about $860. I kept checking and then on a Tuesday it was $569. My recent Kippinger's said quote 'Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturday afternoons are tipically the cheapest'. I know it's difficult, but keep watching delta.com and their seat availability. Today was $1300 non-stop boston to Paris. Most important---look every day. Plus look at this thread every day, someone will find a good fare. This will work out for you both. Everyone is trying to help. Richard

iris1745

P.S Look at the conditions of the hotel. Is there any cancellation charges? If not, book.