Hi,

I'm not sure anybody can help, but I'll try.

I live in Italy, but I'm going to NYC in January, and once again in May or June. I have my ticket to get to NYC in a few weeks. But I need to book a ticket in January to get back to Italy. To save money, it should be a RT ticket that I can use in May/June. The problem is that I won't know until mid-January what date in May or June I will be flying to NYC.

I'd like to wait until I know to book the ticket. But NOT if that means I can't find two seats to London on short notice.

Do you think it is hard to find a flight from NYC to London on a week's notice in the middle of January? Will I pay considerably more than if I book now?

Do any of you have experience with trying to change the date of a booked flight when the timeframe you are talking about is May or June?

Hope I've made my dilemma clear and somebody will chime in.

grazie

I think the type of ticket you want is an open return ticket, or one with a return date changeable for a small fee, such as $100. Check out what the prices are for these types of tickets. This might be one instance where a travel agent, versed in airline rules, can help you find the best deal.

Are you saying you have your ticket to NYC now, and you will want a roundtrip ticket to London in January, and then in May or June you are returning to Italy?

Thanks, Will.

Sorry I wasn't clear about my travel plans. I am going to NYC for two weeks in January. and returning to Italia at the end of those two weeks.

I already have the last half of a ticket that will get me to NYC.

I need a ticket leaving NYC that crosses the Atlantic. Since I will come back to NYC from Italia in May or June, I want to buy a RT ticket.

I am not looking for a non-stop ticket to Italy, however. What I think I should do is fly via London. It is very easy to get a cheap flight from London to near where I live in Italy. So right now, what I am looking to buy is a RT ticket, NYC-London, leaving Jan 20 and returning -- ???

Like I said, I will know shortly before Jan 20 whether I am returning to NYC in May or June. I am tempted to wait until I know the return date to book the ticket.

I figure it's not hard to get a flight from NYC to London in the middle of January. But maybe that is wrong, and maybe I'll end up paying way too much money if there are seats. I've just never tried to book a ticket that late before.

quote:

Like I said, I will know shortly before Jan 20 whether I am returning to NYC in May or June. I am tempted to wait until I know the return date to book the ticket.

If you'll really know the return date soon, I'd advise that you wait until then. RT fares between the US east coast and the UK have been very reasonable lately, and there are many. I don't think you'll have a problem finding seats.

Just for the heck of it, I just tried kayak.com with a mid-May return date, and both a Jan. 3 and a Jan. 8 departure date from NY. For both dates, an Air India flight existed for about $575. RT. For the 8th, several others were about $650 to $675. For the 3rd, the next best fares (Virgin Atlanic) were in the mid-$700s.

So, I'd take a chance and wait.

Ann

If you are somewhat flexible on dates in May or June, two options that may have cheap one-way flights from the UK to NYC at short notice are Zoom and FlyGlobeSpan.

Thanks, Ann. I'm inclined to wait. I really feel like NYC/London in January ought to be a pretty easy ticket to pick up at a fair price.

Will, thanks. I'd really rather buy a return ticket, since I know I am coming back. I just don't know the precise date.

I have plans to make the next transatlantic trip after that (sept 2008) a ship.