martyap

Looking to book mid September to mid October, 2020 so just doing some basic research until they open up. Hope you can help with these questions.
1. Is it usually better/cheaper to book when they open or wait? Looking for non stop and they are very limited on this route.
2. If we go to PRG first there is a n/s. If we head to Vienna first we would have to change planes/passport control in either AMS (50 min) or CDG (60 min)Risky????
3. Is there any downside flying a DL partner......KLM? AF?

Appreciate your help....thank you
Marty

LoganFlyer

Not really, especially if you choose the AMS connection. 50 minutes is enough time to connect there and if you miss the flight you can catch the next AMS-VIE flight. CDG is a little riskier in that you'll have to change terminals and reclear security, and there's a good chance your checked bag (if any) won't make the connection, so I'd definitely take the AMS connection.

Nope--in fact, to fly to or from VIE, you must fly a partner, as DL doesn't serve Vienna (and I certainly wouldn't fly to Prague and take a four hour train ride just to fly DL metal all the way). To be more specific, full MQMs apply to paid KL & AF flights. MQD calculations will depend on whether you buy the ticket through DL or KL/AF.

roberta_h

not to complicate this too much, but if you buy the ticket through AF connecting in CDG to VIE be careful not to select a codeshare Austrian-operated flight as this will not earn anything on DL

MSPeconomist

I think OP is planning to take the train between Prague and Vienna anyway in the middle of the trip (open jaw).

Look at schedules carefully and if you have flexibility, consider whether you want to do PRG first then VIE with the connection on the return or vv.

You should also be able to do an overnight connection in either AMS or CDG, up to 24 hours, without it costing more miles. This gives you the opportunity to briefly visit a third city on your trip.

bennos

There's usually very little upside to booking 11 months out. IME, the best pricing tends to happen about 30-90 out, unless there's some sort of fare sale.

You don't mention what class of service you're flying. There are significant differences across DL, KL, and AF in all cabins and even across airplane types within the same carrier.

martyap

Appreciate all the great advice. We were recently in Paris and Amsterdam so this trip is just Prague/Vienna with day trips from each.....and yes we will take the train from Prague to Vienna.

As for the open jaw it appears it makes sense to take the n/s to Prague from JFK.....better chance of our luggage arriving with us. The JFK>VIE has only a 50 minute window in AMS. I know the flight usually gets in early (our flight a few weeks ago arrived 45+ minutes ahead of schedule) but my better half does not want to take the chance.

Have never booked on anything other than the Delta site/Main cabin. Don't understand the nuances of booking on KLM or AF but I guess I should investigate. As for when to pull the trigger.....there is only one direct Delta non stop to Prague each day so not sure if waiting will have a price impact.

Again......THANKS!!!!

MSPeconomist

Unless there's some special event, September-October should be shoulder season and AFAIK the DL PRG flight is now year round. Especially since you seem to have a lot of date flexibility, I'd probably be inclined to wait (assuming that this will be two tickets paid with money, not award tickets) since DL tends to charge more for tickets purchased too far in advance. Think about trying to fly on cheaper days of the week, although with weekend considerations, this can mean losing a few days of vacation. You should also decide in advance (examine the pros and cons and read the rules very carefully) at what price difference it would make sense to consider a Basic Economy ticket and whether you want to pay to get decent seats together (not possible on basic economy fares), where you probably want two seats together as window and aisle in a 2-3-2 configuration on a 767 (I assume for the PRG nonstop), with a wider variety of aricraft types on the CDG or AMS route and probably just a standard narrow body aircraft on the AF/KLM intraEU connecting flight from VIE.

BTW, the Prague to Vienna train ride has some pretty scenery so be sure to do it in the daytime. I *think* train tickets on most European routes are sold for particular trains and increase in price as the train becomes more full, but you probably should *not* buy from the people who sell Eurail passes to Americans. [I did the Vienna to Prague direction and had my hotel concierge get the ticket for me a couple days in advance, including a reserved window seat.]

martyap

Yes, we do have flexibility with dates so waiting to book air is no problem. Many of the trains in Europe use dynamic pricing so it is best to book as soon as you have your dates. Thayls from Amsterdam Centraal to Gare du Nord was 35e and a pleasant ride although not that scenic. Best to book directly online. Appreciate all your great tips and advice.

LoganFlyer

Nope . It goes May-October.

Two operators run trains from Prague to Vienna, České dráhy and Regiojet. You can buy the ticket directly on their websites. I've now lived in Prague for the last year and personally pefer the privately owned Regiojet over the state-run České dráhy, but either one will get you there without a problem. Tickets are purchased for a particular train.

martyap

Looking for open jaw flights Prague/Vienna next September/October and main cabin prices seem to be in the $1050+ range. Appears to be only one n/s to PRG daily and only connecting in CDG or AMS home from Vienna. I know it is very early and October dates are not even open yet. September r/t prices from JFK to CDG or AMS or BRU are in the $700 range. Is the price I am seeing for the PRG/VIE flights about what I should expect? I backtracked to April, May, June.......and they were still running way over $1000 r/t.

Thank you for any suggestions or advice.

pbiflyer

Trains are an easy way to get between those cities. Perhaps a RT with a RT train connection? Mrs pbiflyer flew in and out of Munich, with a triangle train/bus trip MUC-VIE-PRG-MUC. I think the entire train/bus was $120.

lucycan

Beautiful train ride between Prague and Vienna.

MSPeconomist

Can the OP rearrange the order and go to VIE first, returning to the USA from PRG? I'm asking because IIRC to connect through AMS/CDG and return to the UISA the same day is likely to require a very early morning departure from VIE versus a much more civilized schedule on the nonstop TATL from PRG.

BTW, the train trip between Munich and Vienna is also beautiful, but it's somewhat long.

martyap

Thanks for the suggestions.....not interested in taking the train from Munich. Our plan was to fly to PRG..... train to Salzburg....train to Vienna.....fly home from Vienna. We could fly to VIE first but the connecting in AMS was only 50 minutes......and yes, flying home from Vienna were several 6:55am flights connecting through AMS.....and prices were quite high......appreciate the advice. Lots of flights connect through CDG and we wanted to avoid that.

MSPeconomist

Salzburg is also close to Munich by train, with the cheap regional trains taking what's considered to be the more scenic route.

I don't consider 50 minutes at AMS to be an impossibly short connection, especially if it's not the last flight of the day to your destination.