Buying tickets in euros from KLM NL website

MartinM_3

I'm sure this must have been covered before, but I can't seem to find it anywhere....

We (2 pax) want to fly from Bristol (UK) to Denver, Colorado next March. I have the following options on KLM:

KLM UK web site, Bristol - Denver, via Amsterdam ...£1007
or
KLM UK web site, Bristol - Amsterdam ...£197
KLM NL web site (in English!), Amsterdam - Denver ...E901 == £620
...so £817 all in

Any reason not to go for the latter?
- Is it OK to buy flights from the Netherlands in Euros over the web?
- Would we be able to be checked in for the transatlantic flight at Bristol check-in

I would phone KLM, but they don't advertise any phone numbers on their web sites. Seems they've gone 'internet only'

Have also looked at expedia, opodo and travelocity. Nothing better available. Suggetsions for other places to look please...

TIA, Martin

aerostar

I just put in at Expedia.co.uk Bristol Denver 1st March - 15th March and it came up with for 2 £805

Continental direct flight Bristol to Newark - Onward flight to Denver
same routing on return.

Justin_Scotland

MartinM wrote:

I would phone KLM, but they don't advertise any phone numbers on their web sites. Seems they've gone 'internet only'

KLM Contact details
UK:-
Reservations by phone
For making, changing or canceling reservations by phone, please call us at 08705 074074.
For changing or canceling Internet reservations, or for other questions related to your Internet reservation, please call 0870 243 0541.

Netherlands:-
Reservations by phone
For making, changing or canceling reservations by phone, please call us at 020 - 4 747 747.
For changing or canceling Internet reservations, or for other questions related to your Internet reservation, please call 0900 BOEKKLM /0900 2635556.

Flights to Denver...
wouldn't be for a ski trip in the Rockies would it?

Best wishes

Justin

MartinM_3

aerostar wrote:

I just put in at Expedia.co.uk Bristol Denver 1st March - 15th March and it came up with for 2 £805. Continental direct flight Bristol to Newark - Onward flight to Denver, same routing on return.

I agree. But put in 16 March - 29 March and it's (now) £1012 !

Can't really see why there's such a difference between the first and second half of March :mad:

Justin - yep, just under two weeks in Breckenridge :j

I'll give KLM a call...
(EDIT) and they said:

- as a UK citizen I am allowed (!) to buy tickets from the NL web site in Euros
- I will end up with two booking numbers (BRS-AMS-BRS, AMS-DEN-AMS)
- I will have to recover the luggage at AMS and check in for the transatlantic flight separately.

The chap also gave the impression that he was talking to a lunatic, and couldn't understand why I would want to do this

WiseInvestor_2

MartinM wrote:

Can't really see why there's such a difference between the first and second half of March :mad:

I haven't checked my diary but could it be Half Term or Easter or US Spring Break?

It could also be because many airlines (UK in particular) switch from their Winter to Summer season schedules in late March, so they may not be too sure exactly what services will be on offer by then.

Justin_Scotland

MartinM wrote:

- I will end up with two booking numbers (BRS-AMS-BRS, AMS-DEN-AMS)

It gets worse. This is the routings I used for my last ski trip to Denver and you have to either change in Memphis or Minneapolis St Paul as KLM/Northwest don't do direct flights to Denver. (or they didn't this last winter)

We ended up getting to Memphis on time but due to additional security checks missed our connecting flight to Denver. Therefore we had to wait around for 2 hours and then catch a flight to Las Vegas and then wait for a couple of hours and then catch a flight back to Denver. Instead of getting to Denver at 19:00 I finally got in at 02:00 the next morning. With my 5 month old daughter it wasn't fun. On the way back I flew on my own as my wife is American so she stayed out longer with her relatives. I flew Denver to Minneapolis fine but then got to check in area and the flight to AMS was rammed. Ended up taking the $750 they were offering for a layover in a hotel over night and getting home 16 hours behind planned schedule.

The one bonus was if you use KLM a lot like I do and you have a Silver Elite card or better then you can usually get free upgrades (space permiting) on all your internal US flights. We did which made the internal flights far more enjoyable.

The other option is to fly BA direct from London to Denver. This is another route we try to use if the prices are not too much more as the convenience and 10 hours+ saved is definitely worth it.


Per Person GBP 489.10 Total GBP 978.20

Thu, 16 Mar
12:55 Depart - London Heathrow, UK (LHR) British Airways

15:40 Arrive - Denver, CO (DEN) Nonstop
Total travel time: 9hrs 45min


Wed, 29 Mar
19:15 Depart - Denver, CO (DEN) British Airways 218

12:10 Arrive - London Heathrow, UK (LHR) Nonstop
Total travel time: 8hrs 55min - Next day arrival

cougar_3

MartinM wrote:

Justin - yep, just under two weeks in Breckenridge

Don't know if I've caught you in time, but you should seriously cinsider Copper Mountain as an alternative to Breck. It's the next resort along from Breck so isn't dissimilar. There were enough slopes for at least a week and a powder bowl on the back of the mountain with loads of blacks.

The main incentive is that you get a free lift pass (i.e. £200 ish) when you stay in Copper Mountain's own accommodation for 7 days or more. Taking this into account, we paid a little more than we would for a European skiing holiday. We booked with Skisafari and they were able to get the direct flights.

If you do go to either Breck or Copper Mountain, visit Frisco, it's a small town between the two (nearer Copper) and the people are so friendly and the restaurants are outstanding. We went to the Butterhorn Cafe for breakfast every day after we discovered it!

Above all, the one place worth eating at is the Historic Mint, in Silverthorne. It's relatively unknown, but popular with locals. It's an old building near the Silverthorne shopping complex, and it's just off the Interstate to/from Denver. You should be able to get there in maybe 20mins from Copper or Breck, I can't remember. Anyway, it's a grill your own meat restaurant and it is the best meat I have ever had. Admittedly, I had a Kobe steak (the cows they feed lager and massage) but they were happy to announce it was half the price of anywhere else. I actually split it with someone else becuase they were American portions.
The Mint doesn't look like much form the outside, but eat there just once and you will be rewarded!

Copper Mountain's in Summer mode right now, so it won't offer you much help. Hope I did though!