Airfare from Atlanta to Germany

[meinschatz11]

Hello all! I am new to the board, but I've been reading the FAQs and some posts to try and get an idea of what I need to ask and do. I will give the details of the trip, and then I have some questions about bidding.

We would like to fly out of Atlanta on Dec. 19th (Saturday) or any day after that. We can fly into any southernish German airport (Stuttgart, Munich, Frankfurt, Cologne) and would consider flying into Basal or Zurich, Switzerland. We would like to stay 10-14 days. We must return no later than Jan 2 (could be an overnight flight leaving the 2nd and getting into Atlanta on the 3rd). We basically need the cheapest airfare into and out of Germany. As far as I can tell, the tickets right now are ranging between 800-850 dollars. I would like to try and find tickets, taxes and fees included, under $1000.

I read the post about bidding where I am instructed to list a different Atlanta suburb and different German suburb each time I bid. I'm just not sure that I understand the actual bidding process. Is there a post somewhere that explains the process? I see lots of posts about rebidding, but I need to know about the original bid.

I would appreciate any help you can give! I'm super nervous about using Priceline, but it seems that most people have a positive experience. Once we get our flights sorted out, then we'll haggle for rental cars!!!

I apologize if I've left out any critical information! I tried to include as much as possible!

[thereuare]

As far as I can tell, the tickets right now are ranging between 800-850 dollars. I would like to try and find tickets, taxes and fees included, under $1000.

Welcome to BetterBidding!

If tickets are currently $800-$850, then it would appear that 'retail' (non-bididng/non-opaque) rates are within your budget of under $1000, or is that $800-$850 fare not included taxes and such?

What is the best total price you're able to find for this route and what is the breakdown of that ticket of base fare and taxes/fees?

How much would you need to save to make a bidding for a ticket worthwhile? (give the fact you can't choose your schedule, layover city, length of layover, etc)

Please use these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links to begin your travel purchases.

[meinschatz11]

I would like the total for both tickets to be under $1000. The $850 is inclusive of taxes and fees. I think the breakdown was around 650-700 before taxes and fees. I am not concerned with layovers or where we fly or what time. I am looking for the lowest price. I would like to get the entire price for two tickets plus taxes and fees to be $1000. I think that's the info you're looking for, but if not, please let me know!

[thereuare]

You're not going to be able to get a discount on the taxes/fees of the ticket, so can you take a look to find out exactly how much the fees and taxes are, as that will determine where you need to cap your maximum bid.

Please use these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links to begin your travel purchases.

[meinschatz11]

The tickets to fly out on Saturday the 19th are $850 pp with $50 in taxes/fees (Delta). To fly AirFrance the same day and return on Dec. 31 it's $775 pp plus $106 in taxes and fees. Where would I start the bidding? Do you bid for just one airline? Am I better off bidding for Delta tickets because their taxes and fees are less? This is where I get confused. I don't know how the actually bidding works and if I'm bidding on just a flight or for a particular airline.

[thereuare]

You're bidding a tickets which wil take you from Atlanta to Germany... not on a particular airline, route, layover city, etc.

Taxes/fees will differ from flight to flight based upon what city is used for the connection/layover since the aiports charge per passenger each time the plane touches down. You'll be able to see the maximum total before clicking the submit button and can make sure you're under your $1000 target.

Assuming fees/taxes are $50/per ticket that leaves a maximum bid of $450/tix.

Use the re-bidding techiniques in the second post of this Priceline Airfare Re-Bidding thread, i'd start with $300/tix and increase $25 each bid, using a different small city near Atlanta (but only selecting the Atlanta airport when it comes time to select) in order to continue bidding each time.

Any questions feel free to ask.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.