Why Pay More for Your International Flights?

Sunday, Nov. 25, 2007

Learn more about retiring overseas in International Living Postcards--Sunday Edition

Vicki and I recently booked two round trips, one from Chiang Mai, Thailand, to Los Angeles on China Airlines, the other from Seattle to Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Delta. Both trips cover about the same distance, and economy fares cost us $900 each. In Thailand, I booked the flight through a travel agent, and I found my U.S. flight on www.expedia.com. But here's the weird part--even though economy fares were the same price, business class on China Airlines was $2,000, while business class on Delta was over $6,000.

I tend to spend some time studying airfare alternatives. I found we no longer have to pay a premium for longer stays. Until recently, the best fares were for 30 days or less. Stay longer than that, especially if you stayed over six months, and you had to pay full fare. But Vicki and I flew on Delta from Seattle to Buenos Aires in September 2007 with a return in May 2008 and paid the same fare, about $900, as for a 30-day stay.

I also found that www.expedia.com seems to offer the same low fares for last-minute travel, say, two weeks before departure. These last-minute fares sometimes offer lousy schedules--a 6 a.m. departure, for example, with a long layover in some intermediate city before the overnight flight. Still, you get the same low price as with a 60-day advanced purchase, yet with the ease of last-minute flexibility.

For travel between the U.S. and Asia, I still think EVA Air offers the best value. EVA's $1,200 Deluxe Economy fare costs just a bit more than coach--about $300 more on a round trip--and offers something close to business-class comfort. Kick back in the big lounge seats and sleep during the long flight over the Pacific.

Not all airfares come down in price. For example, flying between Europe and South America costs nearly double now than what Vicki and I paid just three years ago; instead of the $700 I paid in 2004, now they're asking $1,400. Airfares between South America and Australia have also reached new highs, perhaps because there's little competition.

My advice is to check with www.expedia.com or your favorite online booker every week, remember to look at business class fares, and also see what a local travel agent can offer. Airlines have been offering great deals for some 20 years now. With a little effort you can still get those deals today.

Paul Terhorst
For International Living

P.S. Adding hotels to the mix, consider reserving online for the first night only. I tried this at a Travelodge in San Clemente, Calif., recently, and got a big discount when I asked if I could stay a couple of extra days. I also could have gone to the hotel down the street and negotiated a better rate. I've used this strategy before, but only when I was reasonably sure that rooms would be available.