Planet-Love.com Searchable Archives

Hey- starting to plan our trip back to Ukraine to visit my wife's relatives and my inlaws.

We would like to go sometime beween May and September- what is the cheapest month to fly???  Last time I used Lot- we will be flying from Florida to Kiev and then someone will pick us up for the journey to my wife's home city--  any advice on cheap fares or airlines that offer cheap fares?  

Thanks,

Keith

... in response to need advice on ukranian trip, posted by keithandkatya on Mar 19, 2004

thanks guys!

... in response to need advice on ukranian trip, posted by keithandkatya on Mar 19, 2004

hi we are flying tampa to kiev via chezch airlines for $670+ at the end of may.
I'll try to remember the website of the travel agent, but it was someone local....

... in response to need advice on ukranian trip, posted by keithandkatya on Mar 19, 2004

Consolidators will give you the very best rates.  They have contracts to buy tickets in bulk from the various carriers.  You can call each major airline and, amazingly, they will tell you the names and phone numbers of the consolidators that buy from them.

So, the best procedure is to check on the websites for Travelocity, Expedia, Orbitz, etc., for the flights that best suit your schedule.

Then call the airlines to find out the relevant consolidators.

Then call these consolidators to get the best prices.

I did that for my upcoming trip to Kiev which I got for $695 roundtrip from Columbus, Ohio from a consolidator for Northwest/KLM Airlines leaving in early May.  

As far as the prices for various months, it is no great mystery.  The base prices are all determined by what is considered Low, High and Shoulder season.  Each airline can have a slightly different set of dates corresponding to these categories.  Shoulder season generally starts in April or May and High season in June.  Shoulder season comes back in late September to early October.  Low season is, of course, something like mid November through March or so.  Exceptions occur around various holidays when the basic rates go back up for a few days.

... in response to Only use consolidators, posted by Yorkman on Mar 21, 2004

If you like certain consolidators, please list any you have used. If you still have their number that would help a bunch of guys wanting to get a decent price.I understand that the gas prices are jacking up the coast even more.

... in response to Please Post Consolidators Names  And Num..., posted by fishtiger on Mar 23, 2004

As I mentioned, my procedure is to find the flights that are best for me using the big search engines like expedia, orbitz and travelocity.

Then I call the airline involved and ask the name and phone number of the relevant consolidators.  This list (of relevant consolidators) is always changing as they sign a series of rolling contracts; as I understand it.

For my trip to Kyiv, I found NW/KLM flights that best fit my bill.  They steered me to a consolidator which was AirK Travel in Chicago.  The phone number is 1-800-865-5249.

Be aware that each consolidator may only deal with one airline, which may not be the best times for you to fly, so I would not advise starting first with a particular consolidator.

... in response to Only use consolidators, posted by Yorkman on Mar 21, 2004

I paid $918.00 (including taxes) roundtrip Casper Wyoming/Kiev on United/Lufthansa departing May 6 and returnin May 26.  This was through Orbitz.

The same ticket flying out of Denver was $100.00 cheaper.

... in response to As a comparison....., posted by Philb on Mar 22, 2004

I just paid 806$ for a trip from DC-kiev, and from Kiev-Chicago.
I am leaving May 11 return may 27.

Thru Russia House
they were $75 cheaper than Glavs

... in response to As a comparison....., posted by Philb on Mar 22, 2004

Yes, you could have probably saved $100-150 by going through Russia House which is a consolidator for Lufthansa.

... in response to Re: As a comparison....., posted by Yorkman on Mar 22, 2004

I tried them and they were a bit more.  I think it really depends on a number of factors (and I do not know what all of these factors are).  When you get outside of the major hubs things get really strange.

Right now running a search through Orbitz departing May 6 return May 26 Casper/Kiev/Casper I get $1056.00.  The same trip through Russia House is $1137.50.  Same dates Denver/Kiev/Denver I get Orbitz $923.00 Russia House $848.50.

I have no ideas how the itineraries compare and these flights are on different airlines.

I am not saying Orbitz is always cheapest I have bought my tickets from a variety of sources. (this includes consolidators, various online sources, and the airlines directly they have all been the cheapest at various times)  One of my favorite links for searching for ticket prices is Booking Buddy.  You can search multiple sites from this webpage without having to re-enter the data every time.

Here is the link.

http://www.bookingbuddy.com/

I agree about pricline.  You have to be very careful.  Also you do not get any frequent flyer miles when you purchase a ticket through them.

... in response to Actually ....., posted by Philb on Mar 22, 2004

I forgot or overlooked in my previous posts a very important lesson.

That is that you can never be sure which method or outlet will produce the lowest price for a given flight.

To really save that last $50 to $150 dollars can take quite a bit of checking around.

... in response to Only use consolidators, posted by Yorkman on Mar 21, 2004

for Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines.  That is why you see good deals with them and they both service Kiev, as well as Odesa at some times of the year.  They can also get these low prices for airlines that are in association with Lufthansa such as United, etc.

Scope Travel has a lot of good deals to Ukraine because they are a consolidator for Ukrainian Airline.  There are a lot of good deals from USA to Kiev and return, if Ukrainian Air is used for a long leg, such as from Kiev to London; and if Ukrainian Air has an agreement with the connecting airline.

... in response to Only use consolidators, posted by Yorkman on Mar 21, 2004

Yorkman,
The airines will give you the consolidator for a specific flight?
KenC

... in response to Re: Only use consolidators, posted by KenC on Mar 22, 2004

Each airline will tell you the name(s) of consolidators who buy their tickets in bulk.  I am not certain, but my understanding is that the consolidators buy bulk tickets for all the flights of that airline.

... in response to Only use consolidators, posted by Yorkman on Mar 21, 2004

Did you incur taxes on top of that $695.00 ticket.  I was just curious, and if so, how much.  (That is of course you don't mind sharing that info.)
Thanks, Jim

... in response to Not to be too nosy but...., posted by Oatmeal1 on Mar 21, 2004

$695 is the total price including taxes.  I think it is pretty misleading where guys post numbers that leave out taxes or other such fees, so I make it a point to give total dollars.

... in response to need advice on ukranian trip, posted by keithandkatya on Mar 19, 2004

Priceline.com worked for me well. I could shave $200 off the lowest fare listed on discount sites.

... in response to Re: need advice on ukranian trip, posted by romachko on Mar 21, 2004

With Priceline, you cannot specify much.  They can have you fly out anytime within a 24 hour period which makes it difficult for those who must arrange transport to airport, etc.  Also, they can put you on an unlimited number of legs of the flights with long delays between the legs.  You could potentially lose several days of your vacation on these various legs.

... in response to Be very wary of Priceline, posted by Yorkman on Mar 21, 2004

You can specify the day and time if you wish. Also, you can specify your preference as to how many stops you can take. Of course, you can insist on non-stop only. You have to give up, though, something for price advantage. You don't know which airline will take you or where they stop over. It's a give-and-take game and you have to decide your priority.

... in response to Re: Be very wary of Priceline, posted by romachko on Mar 22, 2004

Priceline has different options.  For the option where you name your own price and it is automatically accepted and your credit card charged, you CANNOT specify your departure time (hour) and you only get a range of possible legs.  You are left out to dry even more for the return times and legs.  For the options where you specify exactly what you want, the Priceline prices are no different than those you find on Expedia, Orbitz, etc., and don't even come close to what the consolidators will sell for.

I know a guy who went with Priceline recently.  It took him over 48 hours to get to a destination that can be reached in about 14 hours.  He lost two days of vacation, plus a big cab fare because friends couldn't take him to airport at the time that Priceline chose for him to depart.   He was stuck because the charge had instantaneously gone onto his credit card.

So, all in all, Priceline is a complete waste, unless you don't mind the risk of spending a lot of your vacation on backtracking legs or sitting in terminals between flights.  Note I did not say this always happens.  I am referring to the RISK that it might happen.

... in response to need advice on ukranian trip, posted by keithandkatya on Mar 19, 2004

airfarenow.com

Atlanta based and
specializes in FSU air fares.

... in response to Re: need advice on ukranian trip, posted by AJ277 on Mar 20, 2004

It's the same one I used in my last post.

... in response to Airfarenow.com is the same as Russia Hou..., posted by Oatmeal1 on Mar 21, 2004

Can be transfered from the Atlanta office #
I can't find those (toll free)numbers right now.

... in response to There's a Miami office too.., posted by tfcrew on Mar 21, 2004

877 700 3535

... in response to need advice on ukranian trip, posted by keithandkatya on Mar 19, 2004

www.bestdiscountfares.com
www.airfareplanet.com

... in response to need advice on ukranian trip, posted by keithandkatya on Mar 19, 2004

Hey there Keith,

I can say that generally speaking, Summer months will be the highest priced flights due to more tourist travel during the summer months.

I have often observed that sometime during late May, the rates really seem to start climbing and don't really start making a fall until around October and seem to bottom out in February.  This is of coarse just a generalization but seems to hold fairly steady from year to year.

I have checked on a variety of sites and I believe that it is definitely wise to check all avenues that you can.  One time someone posted a huge list of travel sites that I copied and still use to check flight prices.  I am sure that you could probably get and equally large list from dogpile or another such search engine.  I also checked with a couple of Russian agencies in New York which gave me a good deal last year but this year they could not beat Russia House Travel.

I don't always know the variables involved so my best advice is to still check all options.  This year my wife and I are flying from Dallas to Moscow and then flying back from Kiev to Dallas from May 12 thru May 26th and the price was about $750 per person with $141 tax.

Good luck,
Jim