How long can I wait to book Dalaman flights for 28th may-4th June?

shady63

Hi all,
As above, I was wondering if it'd be too risky to wait until mid April to book flights for 2 adults and 2 children heading out from the uk to Dalaman. Our villa is booked for 28th - 4th June.

If I book them now it will leave me really short, as they're 1k at the moment, but I am waiting on a 4k payment which will be made mid April. In your experience are the seats likely to have sold out by then?

Tia!

HXDave

from what i understand, it will be spring bank week, so flights will be busy. As you have already booked accommodation for a set date, leaving your flights to a later date could prove problematic - especially if the flights either sell out, or vastly increase in price. All it takes is 1 turkish operator or flight company to go bust, and there will be a rush for those affected to re-book, pushing availability down & prices up.

HXDave

jpsartre

You're asking a question that is almost impossible to answer. I personally wouldn't leave it until the April to book for May, especially since your dates are fixed but you may be less risk-aversive then me. They may not be sold out but I would expect prices to be much higher 3 months from now.

gibson123

I personally would not leave it so late, apart from price, there is a good chance that availability will not be good either. If you do leave it later, also look at alternative airports with longer transfers or go via Istanbul using a scheduled flight.

PompeyPete

gibson123 wrote: »

...or go via Istanbul using a scheduled flight.

+1. Internal flights are inexpensive. Have a stopover in Istanbul too, one of the world's great cities.

shady63

Thanks for the replies!

I realise it's not possible to give a 100% answer but I've never booked flights before so had no idea re availability.

Okay I will definitely not leave it until April, I could comfortably afford them mid Feb, would that be too late? I'd just rather avoid making myself completely broke...I've had two unexpected lump sums dropped on me which need paying ASAP and it's eating up the money I'd put aside for our flights.

zzzLazyDaisy

Could you get an interest free on purchases credit card and buy the tickets now with that, then pay it off when your money comes through?

http://www.moneysupermarket.com/shop/credit-cards/purchases-interest-free/?source=GOO-2D1F10F5&p=0&keywords=%2Bcredit+%2Bcard+%2BpurchasesBroad&mckv=szS9zuNLo_pcrid_12410772603_mtype_b_kword_+credit%20+card%20+purchases_2764ri918980&uuid=CB72E20D-E161-40C4-9E66-E94697AA93CC&gclid=COma_eCU0rQCFQzKtAodBjsA5w

Edit, just seen your post above. The problem is, non-one has a crystal ball. One of the airlines may have a sale between now and mid Feb so prices might be cheaper. Or an airline might go bust and prices may be a lot more expensive. But that is a week which is very much in demand so you should assume the chances are that prices will rise.

Just as a tip - it is worth checking skyscanner regularly to see what flight prices are doing - though don't rely on the prices on skyscanner, but go to the actual airline's webpage and check out the prices from there, to be accurate.

shady63

zzzLazyDaisy wrote: »

Could you get an interest free on purchases credit card and buy the tickets now with that, then pay it off when your money comes through?

http://www.moneysupermarket.com/shop/credit-cards/purchases-interest-free/?source=GOO-2D1F10F5&p=0&keywords=%2Bcredit+%2Bcard+%2BpurchasesBroad&mckv=szS9zuNLo_pcrid_12410772603_mtype_b_kword_+credit%20+card%20+purchases_2764ri918980&uuid=CB72E20D-E161-40C4-9E66-E94697AA93CC&gclid=COma_eCU0rQCFQzKtAodBjsA5w

Edit, just seen your post above. The problem is, non-one has a crystal ball. One of the airlines may have a sale between now and mid Feb so prices might be cheaper. Or an airline might go bust and prices may be a lot more expensive. But that is a week which is very much in demand so you should assume the chances are that prices will rise.

Just as a tip - it is worth checking skyscanner regularly to see what flight prices are doing - though don't rely on the prices on skyscanner, but go to the actual airline's webpage and check out the prices from there, to be accurate.

Thanks, the credit card is a really good idea, however I can't get a one due to an appalling credit rating.

It's not so much the price I'm worried about, just the availability. I think one month before flying is probably risky but I'm hoping that three months should be far enough in advance. Eeek I don't know what to do! I COULD book now but it'll mean being 1k down when I'm already 1.5k down due to these big expenditures I hadn't budgeted for so things will be tight if I book now as it's my only income really until April. Ah well - I guess we will just need to suck it up, tighten our belts and be grateful we're actually getting a holiday this year!

HXDave

have you had a look at some of the holiday companies for flights, as sometimes they may allow you to do just a deposit to secure the flights, as opposed to the full payment.

Also, are your dates rights - 28th May is a tuesday, and most turkey flights depart mondays & fridays. If it is the case that you have to fly tuesday, it will make it so much harder to get flights at a later date as there may only be 1 or 2 flights on a tuesday, as opposed to 7 or 8 on a normal flying day.

Dave

zzzLazyDaisy

OP if it turns out that you have to fly on a Monday, check out travel republic for cheap hotels in the area you are going to. You will only need one overnight on the day you fly in, so you won't need all the fancy trimmings, just a small basic pansyion to crash out when you arrive. This could work out cheaper than trying to find a flight on a Tuesday when there is less availability.

Obviously_the_best

Mid feb should be fine. Have you considered going into a high street travel agent who may let you make a deposit?