 Poster: A snowHead
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DaughterOfFrankInston and I are very organised when it comes to booking flights. For the last five years we've booked 11 months in advance and benefitted from paying £80 return on BA from London - and seldom paying more than £120.
Next year is most definitely different. Flight prices are substantially higher and competition for seats much tougher - especially for long weekends.
We've yet to get long weekend flights for less than £132 each return and a one week delay in booking some flights in April means that the flights are closer to £200 each.
It seems to me that BA have dramatically reduced the number of cheaper seats on the booking.
Swiss always used to be a good backup for when I missed out on good BA flight prices. But it seems to be almost impossible to get bargains in the way we used to.
I've now got to hold out until Easyjet release their winter flights.
Given the state of the airlines this isn't going to improve anytime soon.
The moral seems to be - work out what you want to do as early as possible, be organised and don't procrastinate 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I've just paid £80 each EJ Luton to Geneva for October half term, that's without skis. I hope to pay no more for December. Half term will be interesting though. EJ are later releasing winter flights this year than last.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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FlyingStantoni, wow.
It will be interesting to see how this evolves.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Could be good news for TOs operating coach trips though.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I would rather eat my own eyes than go on a coach.
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I've just paid £137 each for New year week with BA out of Heathrow, which I didn't think was too bad.
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ssnowman - I wouldn't dispute that there are reasonable(ish) prices to be found (e.g there are still flights at £49 from LGW and £57 from LHR). But prices look much higher to me than last year.
Just my opinion though - your mileage may vary.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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bar shaker, a coach to the Alps is a pretty similar journey to a cattle-class Transatlantic flight, which will cost you a whole heap more AND leave you with a few hours of transfer the other end.
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Presumably part of the increase in fares is due to increases in Air Passenger Duty rates and airport and security charges?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Colin B wrote: |
| I've just paid £80 each EJ Luton to Geneva for October half term, that's without skis. I hope to pay no more for December. Half term will be interesting though. EJ are later releasing winter flights this year than last. |
Most folk dont go skiing in October !!
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| Bones wrote: |
FlyingStantoni, Didnt I read somewhere that airlines are going to try and recoup the costs imposed on them due to the Volcanic ash fallout by increasing flight costs ?
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Well unless they can get compensation from the government (i.e. from all of us whether we fly or not), they won't have much choice.
They have to recover those losses from somwehere.
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If this is true we are all going to pay the price, and they wont reduce their prices once those costs have been recovered |
That will depend on how many of them survive in the end, and how much competition there is.
But TBH, the prices in recent years have really not been sustainable, and it was always likely they wouldn't last much longer.
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Alastair Pink, Just looked at a flight to GVA in half term week with BA. Flight costs are £37 return. Taxes, fees, charges and surcharges per person are £75.90. I think the actual Air Passenger Duty is only £11 each way so not sure what else BA include in Taxes, fees etc
Edit: Having said that, £75 for a return to GVA is still pretty good value. Perhaps we have just been spoilt in the past?
Last edited by So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much  on Sun 2-05-10 22:21; edited 1 time in total
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You know it makes sense.
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| Quote: |
Most folk dont go skiing in October !!
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Well I am!
the point was really to illustrate that you still can get reasonably priced flights.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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is easyjet booking from newcastle yet?
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Poster: A snowHead
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chrisb, they are not booking from anywhere yet beyond October!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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the website now lets you pick Feb 2011 but not all routes open yet
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Easyjet Geneva to Bourenmouth in March £17.99 that's a bargain in my book 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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ive noticed car hire up siginificantly as well
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I've just paid £90 each, Luton to Zurich for next Feb half term, including bags and skis. I'm more than happy with that.
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I've just bought an EJ ticket Gatwick to Marseille end July/beginning August. By the time I've paid for a bag, paid by credit card, paid the carbon-offsetting amount, it tots up to nearly £150. Not terribly happy with that. Still, at least it's free transfer, free accommodation, free most other things from that point on!
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Hurtle, I always used to use Nimes when I flew that way. However that was with Ryanair in the days when a £20 return flight meant exactly that. Happy days!
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Boredsurfing,Us too, we've just bagged half term for 2 adults and 2 children B'mth to Geneva for £258 inc credit card charge and baggage. very cheap.
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Not a real bargain but just booked Easyjet GVA March £85 incl bag which was better than BA £98.
Until I read your post Boredsurfing I hadn't realised you could book so far ahead with them now, so cheers for that
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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still no newcastle flight to GVA. Maybe they will not run one next year?
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Frosty, Lou, Steady we don't want too many people discovering the gem that is Bournemouth International 
BTW I found this link for link for discounted Bournemouth airport parking
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Boredsurfing, LGW for me Though would have considered B'mouth if the price was really really good.
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You know it makes sense.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Chris Brookes, Jersey, while very nice, is not the most convenient place to live.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Chris Brookes, I thought that everyone who lives in Jersey is a millionaire so surely those prices are mere pocket money? Wouldn't taking your own aircraft be cheaper..?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Chris Brookes, it looks the same everywhere.
Same half term week, family of four, with bags, Manchester/Geneva; Jet2 £1,528, Easyjet £1,152 
That Jet 2 price has now doubled since 2005
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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One thing hasn't changed at all though, you need to book for half term as soon as the flights are released. I paid £190 Luton to Zurich, 19th to 27th Feb, 2 passengers plus luggage plus 1 ski bag, on the day they came out. Now over £500. Might be worth looking at Zurich if going to Switzerland, flight costs don't seem to get as steep as quickly as Geneva.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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paid £119 each for the four of us for first week in march 2011, So £476 for the family - London City to Geneva, so please with that price and free ski carriage and bags.
Going to La Clusaz, not been there before. cant wait.
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Bloody hell, a sensible contribution from the flying Dutchman there. 
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shouldn't that be the un-flying dutchman 
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| Colin B wrote: |
| shouldn't that be the un-flying dutchman |
I fly way to much (every week) but the Train is much more relaxing when heading to the Alps.
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Stanton
Thanks for your help. I have looked at Skyscanner but all the reasonable priced combinations have rubbish arrival times into Geneva as they need to make an onward 3h50m train journey onto Mürren to meet us.
I also looked at ferrying to France and then getting the train from Dinan to Mürren but the train journey will take 12 hours. I then looked at flights to Jersey to Paris but no flights at the weekend just weekdays plus London City to Berne, Paris to Berne,Southampton to Berne or Birmingham to Berne.....the joys !!
My last idea was for them to drive there (12h journey) which would cost them £900 including,ferry,fuel,night stop,vignette,parking and tolls.
We booked ours the moment BA released the seats and managed to get Sunday - Sunday (same flight times) for £260pp
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