DCA writer

I'm planning on going to Dublin for Web Summit in November, but UA isn't making that too easy. On the logical travel days for a Nov. 3-5 event, the 1st and the 6th, it's only offering a $900-ish U fare each way. That also seems to be the case for departures on the 2nd and the 3rd. But if I depart on Oct. 31st--my Halloween costume will be "loser traveling for work"--and return on Nov. 6, it's a perfectly reasonable, sub-$400 T fare each way.

Meanwhile, EI only wants $800 for its IAD-DUB and DUB-IAD nonstops on the 1st and the 6th. And UA's seat maps look wide open for all of these dates. How long should I wait this out?

(I'm told there's a decent chance that I will be asked to moderate a panel there, in which case the organizers would cover my travel costs. But I don't want to gamble $1,000 on that happening.)

transportprof

What's the downside of booking EI now? No E+ seating? No upgrade potential? You would get mileage credit. Unless E+ is a big plus for you, I'd suggest booking EI.

Bonehead

Looks like EI doesn't have the Saturday-night stay requirement. Not sure UA will back off of that before your trip.

DCA writer

E+ is a good thing on an overnight flight, but PQM and PQD matter a lot more--and I don't see any way to book EI via United or even through the Google Flights workaround. And the 5:20 departure on the EI flight, arriving just after midnight EDT, is about the worst possible timing for jet lag.

Ah, I had kind of forgotten about that. I thought I remembered seeing normal fares for the Sunday departure two months back, but maybe not?

JBord

Or just leave on the 31st and have an extra day in Dublin? There are worse places to be than a Dublin pub with a pint of perfectly poured Guinness.

Bonehead

A total no-brainer @:-)

mahasamatman

Fares change. Unless you have a time machine, what you saw two months back is not really relevant.