Airline tickets are screwing me
Posted by Maleficent_Oil_5855@reddit | Shoestring | View on Reddit | 27 comments
So I got invited kinda last minute for a videography meetup in Split Croatia. I really want to go since I would be able to make connections and I think it would be a good time. I would need to fly out of New York or Boston on either the 29th or 30th of May and I would fly back on the 6th of June. Unfortunately all the tickets are over 1000 dollars which I can’t afford. Does anyone have any advice or anything on what I could do to make this trip cheaper?
gargar070402@reddit
JFK to ARN via KEF round trip for $549: https://www.google.com/travel/flights?tfs=CBsQAhopEgoyMDI2LTA1LTI5ag0IAxIJL20vMDJfMjg2cgwIAhIIL20vMDZteHMaKRIKMjAyNi0wNi0wNmoMCAISCC9tLzA2bXhzcg0IAxIJL20vMDJfMjg2QAFIAVIDVVNEcAF6dENqUklTRkJLZEZCeGRYWmhhRkZCUVZWblZFRkNSeTB0TFMwdExTMHRMWEJxY1dneE0wRkJRVUZCUjI1V1pEQmpTM1F5ZEhWQkVndEdTVFl4T0h4R1NUTXdPQm9MQ00rc0F4QUNHZ05WVTBRNEhIRFByQU09mAEBsgEOKgwIAhIIL20vMDZteHM&tfu=GioaKAoSCfHXAbvmZVBAEQMAAADAhEZAEhIJ7DaJ8lbmLEAR_v___x8hUcA&tcfs=UgRgAXgB&sa=X&ved=0CAoQtY0DahgKEwiA7Je019yTAxUAAAAAHQAAAAAQ7As
And then just fly Ryanair to either Sarajevo or Dubrovnik, and then Flixbus to Split. Good luck.
pras_srini@reddit
Just curious to learn, how do you think through which airports to search for? Or do you just have a mental model of which airports tend to be lower fare for different regions, and then work outwards from there?
gargar070402@reddit
Google Flight’s Explore feature is pretty helpful, though it’s still helpful to have a mental map of where some major airports are, especially near where you live.
I entered NYC as the origin, entered OP’s dates, just looked at the map that popped up, and started with the cheapest European cities to fly to. Then for each city you find, start researching how easy it is to get from there to your final destination.
pras_srini@reddit
Brilliant. Thanks!
shaav@reddit
Maybe you can fly to another airport e.g. Zagreb and then take the bus (flixbus or arriva) to Split.
SlinkyAvenger@reddit
Don't buy a ticket directly there. See about larger cities in the region - Zagreb, Dubrovnik, maybe even Budapest - and take a train from there.
123BuleBule@reddit
One more vote for Dubrovnik. A few days ago I booked a one-way ticket from DC for $330 on British Airways for July.
SlinkyAvenger@reddit
Adding on, you can add multiple cities in Google Flight search. So add in NYC, Boston, and DC (there's a quick train from NYC to DC) and add in big cities from the surrounding areas in the destination.
Organic_Armadillo_10@reddit
The UK to a number of cities in the US is often £250-350 return. It's always cheap routing (and new York is one of those cheaper routes). Plus US travel is down a lot so they want those passengers.
Then get easyjet or something to split which is often cheaper too
ChestChance6126@reddit
Flights are rough right now, especially last min, but sometimes you can shave it down a bit by being flexible with weird routes. I’ve had luck flying into a different city nearby and then taking a cheap regional flight or even a bus. Not glamorous, but it got me to a small coastal town once for way less than the direct route.
Also worth checking if flying out of one city and back into another changes the price. It sounds annoying, but sometimes those odd combos drop the cost more than you’d expect. If you do make it, Croatia’s food scene alone makes the hassle worth it.
PeeperPet@reddit
I had to fly to Croatia from West Coast USA last summer and the ticket prices were insane. I ended up booking two round trip tickets. First ticket was Non stop to Dublin on Aer Lingus, and then I flew Croatia air to Split from Dublin on that round trip ticket. Then the reverse coming back. I think the key is just getting to Europe cheap and then finding a budget airline connection to Split. Probably have even better options to get to Europe from the East Coast!
Funkytimes22@reddit
Check Skiplagged for cheaper flights, I saw one with your dates leaving from New York for $872
Maleficent_Oil_5855@reddit (OP)
Thank you! I didn’t even know about this website.
darkmatterhunter@reddit
Be careful though. The airline is obligated to get you to the destination, not any of the connections. So if your original ticket is a-b-c and you plan to get off at b, but you are rebooked for whatever reason to a-d-c, the airline will not accommodate you. Also skiplagging is against the ToS when buying a ticket and you can get banned if the airline detects what you’re doing.
SlinkyAvenger@reddit
And also you can't have any checked baggage because that baggage is going to make its way to the
clocation.Mrs_Nice_Guy@reddit
Do you have cc or airline points? I love to budget travel and you can def get some good deals. Also can look into some of the mistake fare websites. Like thrifty traveler etc
andyone100@reddit
Look at flying NYC to London Gatwick with Norse (should be about $500 return). Then look at a WizzAir or EasyJet out of London Luton to Split, probably about £100 return. Use google flights to book.
MyNameCannotBeSpoken@reddit
French Bee also has cheap flights from NYC.
anothercar@reddit
What is your total travel budget (round-trip)?
Maleficent_Oil_5855@reddit (OP)
I have like 900 max for tickets. I understand with everything going on that they are going to be more but I am just hoping maybe there’s a cheaper way.
anothercar@reddit
450 each way? To cross an ocean?
arcii@reddit
450 each way is definitely doable to Europe. Here's a map of all the places that can be reached from New York in 1-stop or less and most of them are under 450 each way.
Maleficent_Oil_5855@reddit (OP)
Yes. I can fly in and out of the same airports.
Maleficent_Oil_5855@reddit (OP)
I’m getting downvoted even though other people are suggesting me flights for less than 900. I don’t think it is an insane ask, maybe a bit harder to find but not incredibly out there.
badmellow@reddit
https://www.google.com/travel/flights/booking?tfs=CBwQAhp9EgoyMDI2LTA1LTI5Ih8KA0pGSxIKMjAyNi0wNS0yORoDQkVHKgJKVTIDNTAxIh8KA0JFRxIKMjAyNi0wNS0zMBoDWkFEKgJKVTIDNzYwagcIARIDSkZLagcIARIDTEdBagwIAxIIL20vMDFjeF9yDQgCEgkvbS8wMXFxdDgafRIKMjAyNi0wNi0wNiIfCgNaQUQSCjIwMjYtMDYtMDYaA0JFRyoCSlUyAzc2MSIfCgNCRUcSCjIwMjYtMDYtMDcaA0pGSyoCSlUyAzUwMGoNCAISCS9tLzAxcXF0OHIHCAESA0pGS3IHCAESA0xHQXIMCAMSCC9tLzAxY3hfQAFIAXABggELCP_____wGYAQE&tfu=CnRDalJJVG5CbFQyRlVjMEZuYzJ0QlFYRnRaMUZDUnkwdExTMHRMUzB0TFc5NVptUXhOVUZCUVVGQlIyNVdaR1p6UjBaSk9TMUJFZ3RLVlRjMk1YeEtWVFV3TUJvTENKbWFCUkFDR2dOVlUwUTRISENabWdVPRICCAAiAA
Maleficent_Oil_5855@reddit (OP)
This is great, thank you!!
Prinzlerr@reddit
It might not work being such a short timeframe (plus that's closer to peak season versus shoulder season), but you can always check on positioning flights with cheaper airlines out of major European hubs such as Paris, London, Rome etc) since JFK/BOS flights to Europe are pretty competitive.