Silkroad

I plan to visit family in Ireland sometime in April. Even with current airfare sales, it looks like I'll spend around $850 or so. My question is, do the old rules about buying two weeks out (or a month) still apply, in order to get cheaper fares? Would I be foolish to wait until sometime in March to purchase? Or should I buy now, to lock in the fare?

I also notice consolidator websites simply take you to airline websites, or perhaps to a website like Cheap Tickets, which in turn takes you to airline websites. Are there no longer any actual consolidators?

lavalyn

In a word, yes.

While fare rules have loosened significantly, especially with competitive routes, "leisure" fares still usually have a 7 day advance purchase requirement. And that's if they still have them available too.

For low seasons, purchasing 3 weeks in advance should be enough; for high seasons, I would move closer to two months.

Depending on carrier, you may be able to reticket and obtain a voucher for fare differences if the fares drop (less change fee).

Romelle

I think sometimes there is sort of a "sweet spot" two to three months out, and if you see a sale then, it is a good idea to jump on it. Obviously this varies with all sorts of things...

I checked the month of April on ITA and on the last day there looks maybe to be a new kid in town (see below). I don't know anything about Martinair, but the $619 is attractive, compared to $850. I also don't know where you can actually buy it, and that will take some research. ITA recommended just getting a travel agent to book it.

Romelle

Toronto, Canada to Dublin, Ireland: 4185 miles 11 hrs 25 min
Martinair Holland N.V. Flight MP812 on a Boeing 767 (jet) in coach class
(breakfast, dinner)
Departs Toronto, Canada (YYZ) Wed, Apr 30 5:50p 7 hrs 10 min
Arrives Amsterdam, Netherlands (AMS) Thur, May 1 7:00a
1 adult in booking code T, covered by fare (A1) below
Layover in Amsterdam 2 hrs 40 min
Aer Lingus Flight EI 603 on an Airbus A320 (jet) in coach class
(food for purchase)
Departs Amsterdam, Netherlands (AMS) Thur, May 1 9:40a 1 hr 35 min
Arrives Dublin, Ireland (DUB) 10:15a
1 adult in booking code R, covered by fare (B1) below
Note: The flight from Toronto (YYZ) to Amsterdam (AMS) is overnight.

Dublin, Ireland to Toronto, Canada: 4185 miles 11 hrs 25 min
Aer Lingus Flight EI 604 on an Airbus A320 (jet) in coach class
(food for purchase)
Departs Dublin, Ireland (DUB) Wed, May 7 9:40a 1 hr 35 min
Arrives Amsterdam, Netherlands (AMS) 12:15p
1 adult in booking code W, covered by fare (B2) below
Layover in Amsterdam 1 hr 40 min
Martinair Holland N.V. Flight MP811 on a Boeing 767 (jet) in coach class
(dinner, snack)
Departs Amsterdam, Netherlands (AMS) Wed, May 7 1:55p 8 hrs 10 min
Arrives Toronto, Canada (YYZ) 4:05p
1 adult in booking code T, covered by fare (A2) below


Booking details
If you want to buy this ticket, it's probably best to use a travel agent (this ticket involves multiple airlines, which can get complicated). If you use a travel agent to buy this ticket:
If your travel agent is online and has an e-mail address, e-mail this itinerary to them
If your travel agent is not online, print out this page and fax/give it to them
It is very important to use exactly the same booking codes and fare codes that we've used on this page in order to match the price we've found.

Fare (A1): MP YTOAMS TLXCA fare (rules) , psgr type ADT C$210.00
Fare (B1): EI AMSDUB RLXOWEU6 fare (rules) €45.00
Fare (B2): EI DUBAMS WLXNIRL fare (rules) €29.00
Fare (A2): MP AMSYTO TLXCA fare (rules) , psgr type ADT C$210.00
Tax: Canadian Air Travelers Security Charge C$17.00
Tax: Canadian Goods and Services Tax C$1.00
Tax: Toronto Airport Improvement Fee C$20.00
Tax: EI YQ surcharge €5.54
Tax: Irish Passenger Charge €16.95
Tax: The Netherlands Security Service Charge €12.14
Tax: The Netherlands Noise Isolation Charge €4.00
Tax: The Netherlands Passenger Service Charge €10.40
Total for 1 adult passenger: $619.60
(as of Wednesday, January 23, 2008 1:41pm)
Fare construction (sometimes useful to travel agents):
YTO MP X/AMS Q80.14 127.62TLXCA EI DUB 66.02RLXOWEU6 EI X/AMS 42.55WLXNIRL MP YTO Q80.14 127.62TLXCA NUC 524.09 END ROE 1.01075 FARE CAD 530.00 EQU USD 512.00 XT 16.40CA 19.30SQ 1.00XG 17.60CJ 15.00RN 5.80VV 24.50UP 8.00YQ

YVR Cockroach

Vagaries of the market. I'm leaving today for Europe. The same fare class that I purchased 3 months ago is available on day of departure at the same price. It's low season to Europe though.