Wash DC (WAS) to Trieste, Italy (TRS)

[Slam tilt]

Hi!

Newbie here, I've never used HW or PL but am considering doing so due to the high airfares I've been finding. :)

Right now, the best available is;

$1359 which breaks down to $985 fare and $374 fees/taxes. I'm looking to leave around 6/18 and I'd like to be back by 7/4, but I'm really completely flexible with dates/times etc say within about 7 days +/-.

I can leave out of Dulles or BWI, (the WAS designation is supposed to cover everything in the Wash DC area in searches) and don't care where I connect through, probably will end up with 2 connections as TRS is a smaller regional airport. In the past, I've usually been able to get substantial discounts by flying into the nearest major airport, Venice, (VCE) which is about a 3 hour train ride from Trieste, but oddly this time the price is actually higher at $1363. ($1019 base fare). I've been tracking the prices for a couple of months and other than about a week where there was a sale fare of $770 plus $380 in fees/taxes, the prices have not budged.

So, any suggestions/hints/trips/tricks? :) Ideally, if I could get a ticket for less than $1000, (including everything), I'd probably do it. Otherwise I may wait til the fall when things should be cheaper.

Thanks!

Serg

[denangme]

You're probably already aware of this strategy, but in case you are not...

I'm heading to Italy (either VCE or FCO) for ~8-10 days near the beginning of July. Our plan was to fly Iberia to MAD or BCN for ~800 then take a discount European airline - Easy Jet or Ryanair - from there to our destination in Italy for ~150 roundtrip. Unfortunately, I don't see those fares into Spain anymore. Now our plan is to fly into London (LHR or LGW) for ~800 then out of LTN or STN to Italy for ~200 round trip. Add in another 50-100 in cab fares (or less for public transporation) and you got your flight to Italy and back for (1000-1100) plus a "free" stopover in another city. I see Ryanair flies from STN to TRS.

[Slam tilt]

Hi! I had thought about that. I've heard good and bad about Ryanair, but don't have any personal experience with them. One problem as I see it is the uncertainty of the connection time between LHR and LTN or STN. London traffic is notorious and it's a long way between these airports. I actually flew into STN many years ago on a charter, (anybody remember Arrow Airlines? :) ), and it's in the middle of nowhere. Obviously that's why you get the discounts and that was also many years ago, anybody flown through there recently and connected through? Also, when I first checked into Ryanair a few years ago, they wouldn't book people with US addresses, that may have been before e-tickets though. Anybody booked with them from the US? Still looking for a PL or HW strategy too if anybody has ideas.

Thanks!

Serg

[thereuare]

Based upon the discussion above it seemed to me that the route you would been from Priceline/HOTWIRE is still uncertain (as you may be using budget airlines to reach your final destination)... are you considering this option?

[Slam tilt]

I think I'd prefer to use major airlines if the price difference isn't that big. In a multi-connection flight itinerary where you mix budget/major airlines, I've always heard that the problem is getting to the airports where the budgets are, so on an international flight connection that makes me a little nervous. :) Other than that, I don't mind longer layovers or really where I connect through, although I'd probably prefer it to be a major airport. My folks live in Trieste, so I take this trip every couple of years. In the past I've connected through London, Munich and/or Brussels depending on where the best deal was. The best deal listed today is $1294, $920 ticket price and $374 in taxes/fees. If I can get it under $1000 total through PL or HW, I'd probably book it, otherwise I may wait until fall when it's substantially cheaper. I've never tried Pl or HW so if I try the PL/HW route, I'm just wondering if I'm totally out of the ballpark on price and if not, how to do it and if there are any strategies/tips for trying to get it.

Thanks!

Sergio

[Slam tilt]

Okay, I've tried PL and put in bids ranging from $500 to $650 at the top, going up in $25 increments. The $650 would have wound up being $992 with fees and taxes added in. Non of the bids were accepted. I also did change the date range somewhat from what I had previously listed to 6/12 to 6/26. I got offers with the lowest at $1418 all inclusive, that itinerary is currently advertised elsewhere at $1452 total, so not much of a difference. (The airfare for this was $1152.) Do you think HW would be any different or should I just bag this trip?

Thanks!

Sergio

[thereuare]

With airline capacity up, we don't see the deep discounts on airfare that we typically see in the hotel market, so you may not see the significant savings you're looking for on this trip.

However, with HOTWIRE there is no bidding and they actually show you the price, so it would be easy to do a HOTWIRE search and see what they offer for various dates for this route.