Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Cheapest way to fly to Vienna?

Hello,



I%26#39;m looking to fly to Vienna in late October (out of New York). My dates are somewhat flexible, so I was wondering if anyone had any information about what days are cheapest to fly on, and what carriers are generally best. I%26#39;m wondering if I ought to buy now or if flights to Vienna get cheaper as the travel dates approaches. I%26#39;ve found most flights to be quite expensive so far.



Any advice you have to offer would be much appreciated! Thank you in advance.




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Generally week day flights are cheaper than weekend journeys.



You could look for this difference.



However, I think you must decide on which is best for you - a cheaper flight or more convenience via a non stop flight.





Many airlines offer chaeper prices for flights beginning in end of September - October. Those prices should already be advertised on their websites.



I often fly with Lufthansa. Their regular e- mail advertising shows numerous bargain fares from Eurpoe to America. Have you checked with them? Numerous daily flights from JFK and Newark.





You can probably find a cheaper flight to a major european gateway city such as Frankfurt, Munich, London, Amsterdam and then look for a discount carrier for the transfer from that city to Vienna.



Naturlly this takes longer , less convenient , may require another check in etc.



Lufthansa, KLM , British Air , discount carrier Fly Niki, easyjet some names to investigate.





Another alternative is a flight New York - Munich. Then a train from Munich to Vienna or even a stopover in salzburg on the way.





The new railjet train takes about 3 1/2 - 4 hours to Vienna in good comfort.



Not recommending this , but an alternative to add to your list.




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Well, you need to do some research by visiting the websites of the various airlines. There is no trick that always works. Speaking about finding the lowest fare always means heavy speculation. Most airlines offer discounted fares during autumn. Here in Europe you can now book very cheap flights to the US. I suppose that it is the same in the US now for reverse flights. Before you start a comprehensive search I would visit the website of Austrian Airlines as they often offer bargain flights for flexible customers. If you spot a fare whose airport of arrival is not Vienna, I would carefully think on the additional expenditures that may occur. If you add the costs and the wasted time, it is usually better to book a more expensive fare (on a direct flight). You should also be aware that if you book/contemplate separate flights (as an independant bundle), then think on the risk of delays and missed flights. In such a case the airline, whose flight you could not reach, is not responsible for the delay of the other flight and owe you nothing.




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Thanks a lot for your valuable feedback!




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A quick look at skyscanner.net for the end of October shows direct NY to Vienna flights at about $1000 return compared to direct flights to London and Frankfurt for about $600. This difference is presumably down to demand and competition on the routes. If you use skyscanner it comes up with return flights from NY to Vienna with a change at a hub airport for about $750. Hope this is useful to you.




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Austrian Airlines from JFK:





Outbound: October, 26th (OS88)



Inbound: November, 2nd (OS87)



Total fare incl. taxes and surcharges: USD 813.32







Outbound: October, 28th (OS88)



Inbound: November, 5th (OS87)



Total fare incl. taxes and surcharges: USD 773.32





Source: austrian.com




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If dates are flexible Momondo (http://www.momondo.com/Cheap_Flights.aspx) has a %26#39;price calendar%26#39; function that gives you an idea what might be the cheapest days to fly. It also goes thru quite a lot of different airlines and agencies and is likely to give you info from where to get the best price.




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I just went through the same routine, five different search-engines and a few airline-direct web pages. I wanted to go Toronto - Munich later in September, and found that in the span of three weeks, the flights got progressively more expensive (under 700.- CDN then, 1014.- now). So I%26#39;d say book early.





I then found a direct flight to Vienna for my time-slot, for 715.00 with Air Transat. The drive to my final destination will be about three hours, vs. two hours from Munich - so not much of an issue, since I always rent a car. The point is, you need to look at alternate airports.





For late October Air Canada shows CDN 639.00 La Guardia - Munich, which is pretty good for a direct flight. If you plan to rent a car in any event, the distance is only 457 km Autobahn.



There%26#39;s also a comfortable train.





Good luck!




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While searching for flights, I found this theme.



LaGuardia direct flight to Munich ?





I do not believe the above post.



Most living in New York area realize that Kennedy and Newark OK., but not LaGuardia. The %26quot;direct %26quot;flight mentioned is not direct. Air Canada to Toronto and Montreal , then onward with AC or a Star Alliance member.





Perhaps the price via canada is Ok but does not have the convenience or time saving of a direct non stop.

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