London to Perth flights - best time to book?

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  • Gloomendoom
    Gloomendoom Posts: 16,550 Forumite
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    edited 14 January 2019 at 12:37PM
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    OP Note that, from experience, the flights from Perth just after New Year tend to be very popular and the planes are full to capacity. I've just booked from Perth to Singapore on the 3rd of January and there were a fair few seats already booked despite the flight only having been available a few hours. If you want a bulkhead seat with provision for a bassinet, it might be best to book sooner rather than later.

    Also, booking through Topcashback or Quidco will give you 2% back with Singapore. Not to be sniffed at if you are buying four or five tickets.

    Edit: It appears that the cashback is based the on the total cost before taxes.
  • tgon
    tgon Posts: 710 Forumite
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    edited 14 January 2019 at 12:33PM
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    Interestingly, MSE suggest Momodo to check the best/cheapest time to fly. It quotes London to Melbourne best in May and November and to book 60 days in advance but to take it with a pinch of salt.(Not very helpful MSE!)

    Anyway, I'm also looking to fly to Australia late this year. I've no interest in non-stop to Perth as I look forward to a walk and a refresh for a few hours halfway. I am a fan of Singapore Airlines and having flown to Oz many times, I put them at the top of my list if I can. The Lite and Flexi options mean little to me as I'd take separate travel insurance to cover mis-eventualities and I dont travel that much to be interested in air miles. I'd love to be able to afford Business or even Premium Economy but the price hike from standard economy is out of my reach. (The airlines make their largest profit from Business people who dont pay for the trip personally or the financially fortunate in First.)

    When to book is still an unknown as the "sales" seem quite hit and miss. Remember, available or remaining seats are at that price point in time and dosent always mean that the flight is nearly full - a not-very-clever sales tactic! Also, I always use comparison sites to do the grunt work on fares and schedules but always book direct with the airline. I think I'll book when my other arrangements are firmed up, just as the OP says. The flight is just one part of the holiday. But the previous poster is correct, the peak season of Christmas/New Year is best to book early.
  • Tlc11
    Tlc11 Posts: 45 Forumite
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    Thank you everyone for your very helpful replies. I am leaning towards Singapore at the moment but would quite like to see what Emirates and Ethiad offer. I will have a look tonight at other European airports and see if there is a considerable difference in price. It would need to be a considerable saving to try it out with small children on an already very long flight though...

    The basinette would be a good idea for him to sleep in during the flight but he is too active to stay in it for any period of time. It might mean we get bulkhead seats though which are always good for travelling with children (in my experience anyway!)

    Unfortunately we will be entering the cabin and turning right! So comfort and space in economy is a big consideration!
  • Gloomendoom
    Gloomendoom Posts: 16,550 Forumite
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    One benefit of the Middle Eastern airlines is that the two legs of the journey are more equally spaced. More 50:50 than 75:25.
  • tgon
    tgon Posts: 710 Forumite
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    Gloomendoom wrote: »
    One benefit of the Middle Eastern airlines is that the two legs of the journey are more equally spaced. More 50:50 than 75:25.

    Good point.
  • ibizafan_2
    ibizafan_2 Posts: 920 Forumite
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    I travel to Brisbane every year to see family and always book the flights a long time ahead. This year I am going in April and this includes Easter. I booked Business Saver fares and those same dates are now over £800 more with all the Business Saver tickets gone for my dates. To be fair, however, I like to go from Birmingham, so am not very flexible, and I always go with Emirates. I have flown with Singapore from Heathrow once but prefer Emirates now. My eldest son, who lives in London is travelling during the same time period and hasn’t booked his ticket yet, but always seems to find some sort of deal. He has far more airlines to choose from though.
  • Murphy_The_Cat
    Murphy_The_Cat Posts: 20,967 Forumite
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    Tlc11 wrote: »
    I will have a look tonight at other European airports and see if there is a considerable difference in price. It would need to be a considerable saving to try it out with small children on an already very long flight though...
    !


    Happy hunting, are you ready to put your head into the shed, working out all of the positioning permutations - the savings can be substantial, but they do come at the cost of time and a (manageable) level of risk.
    My children see it as part of the adventure/holiday, that they now go a day earlier than usual, get a bonus flight (or 2) and visit an additional country.
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