usAir

I am helping organize my son's Spanish teacher's AP Spanish trip, and I'm trying to find flights. We're flying from the US (PIT to be exact, however, we can easily take WN/B6/some other airline to BOS/JFK/most other places), to Spain, however, we are also considering taking side trips to Portugal and Morocco, so we can just as easily fly in there as well.

Does anyone know of any airlines that have particularly cheap group fares? We don't mind flying through any unorthodox airports, nor do we have a maximum number of connections, though we would rather not spend a lot of time flying/waiting for flights. Also, we would like to fly *A if the cost is comparable to other options.

clacko

use travelocity or other to see which carriers operate on the routes you want [try all possible cities]....then you call the carrier[s] for their group rates [i assume 10 or more are going]....then post your results here for additional comments....good luck....

there must be a sponsor or contact in spain who could provide info on previous groups...

usAir

We're going to have 20-30 people, and we're trying not to go through some sort of group travel agency.

chandi

I have just come back from Morocco. Do you have a preference on where you want to go? It is a big country. I would recommend looking at getting at taking one of the many bus/train services to Portugal and think about taking the fast ferry from Tarifa/Algeciras Spain to Tangier Morocco (about 45 minutes).

We flew in to Marrakech but came back overland (train/bus/ferry). You will find lots of budget carriers fly to Morocco (Ryan Air, esay Jet etc) but very few full service carriers and they tend to be expensive.

clacko

you could get more/better advice if you post the cities you want to visit...

again, once you decide on the locations, you can call the possible airlines for group rates....

good luck...

tentseller

Why? I find they are better at getting a good rate for larger group. Having a real person issues are easier to deal with.
I have been using group travel agency over 25+ yrs for group travels.

Look for travel agencies that specialize in groups and your destination.

usAir

I'd rather call the airlines myself; I usually hate having to go through a travel agent for flights.

As far as destination airports, we can reasonably start our trip from anywhere in Spain, Portugal, or Morocco, so we can fly into whichever airport is the cheapest.

I know that the biggest carriers in the region are Iberia, TAP portugal, and Royal Air Maroc, however, does anyone know if any other airlines would have cheaper group flights? (eg. LH, TK, LOT, Air Berlin, Icelandexpress, etc...)

clacko

i would look on travelocity at various cities that you might fly into to see what carriers fly there & perhaps get a feel for the fares....only you know the dates & cities...also, you have to come back, so check that also....

good luck...

ps...sounds like an interesting trip...

clacko

you could take a ferry between spain & morocco....good luck...

chgoeditor

If you want to get to Morocco, I'd recommend doing it from Spain in the middle of your trip. A few reasons why you wouldn't want to fly from the US to Morocco or fly from Morocco back home:

1. I flew from Chicago to Morocco (Casablanca) via JFK and CDG about a month ago. One thing I discovered: The only way I could get home in a single day was flying Air France and Delta. Many of the flights from Casablanca to gateway cities in Europe arrive too late to connect to a US-bound flight.
2. As far as I know, only Royal Air Maroc flies non-stop from the US to Morocco. They fly into and out of JFK. From Chicago, the majority of flights to NY go into LGA. I suspect the same is true of flights from PIT. Because of the limited number of flights between CHI and JFK, it result in long layovers.
3. Most major European carriers fly into Casablanca. But I wouldn't recommend Casablanca as a destination for a Spanish class (or anyone). There's about a day of sightseeing--if that. And Spanish is spoken in much greater concentration on the northern coast, which means you'd probably want to fly into Tangier.
4. Most of the airlines that fly into Tangier are low-cost carriers. If you're flying into Europe on a major carrier, you may have to change airlines & airports to connect to a flight to Tangier, which is a pain if you're doing it at the very beginning or end of your trip. Also, they may not fly every day, so it can further restrict your itinerary.

So, I'd suggest you fly into Spain and at some point in your trip, either take the ferry to Tangier or fly one of the low-cost carriers into Tangier.

Make sure you get your class to the Tangier American Legation for Moroccan Studies. That's a mouthful of a name, but it's a museum set in the former American Legation in Tangier. Most Americans don't realize that there's a very rich, and long-standing history between the US and Morocco. (For example, Morocco was the first country to officially recognize the US after we declared our independence.)

The Legation building is the only building on the (US) National Register of Historic Places located outside the US. They have a treasure trove of history at the museum, including a copy of the letter sent on behalf of the US representatives in Morocco to the US after Lincoln was assassinated. There's also a letter from George Washington to a Moroccan sultan (I think). Plus a very fun letter written from a US diplomat in Morocco to his bosses in the US about the lions he was given as a gift by a sultan that's he's trying to get rid of without causing a diplomatic meltdown.

milepig

I understand the sentiment (I never use a travel agent for my own travel) but what you're talking about here far transcends just booking some flights. You've got a group of 20-30 students, with a vague idea of where you want to go, and I'm guessing not a great deal of experience in these matters.

There are very reputable firms that deal with precisely this kind of situation, they'll give you great advice, put together some customized options, answer all sorts of questions about visas, letters of permission and authorization for medical treatment in case something happens, etc. And, in the end it probably won't cost you anything more and you won't have had to make a million phone calls.

clacko

call an airlines group department & run your plan by them to test the water....perhaps usair?

good luck...

clacko

i think i would talk to a group agency....historically, it seems like you can get 5% from the airlines for a small group ....it would be interesting to hear what might be available from an agency....good luck...

does anyone have any info re %'s for the op's guidence?

LizzyDragon84

Another advantage with an agency is that they can do things like change names on tickets for little or no fee, handle interline issues so you don't have to recheck bags with every change of airline, collect money, etc. Some may also be able to schedule tours, book hotels, etc.

If you've never done this sort of large group booking before, I highly recommend at least asking some agencies what they can do for you. It could save your sanity in the long run.