Flight ticket question (Brazil, November 2024)

[skyscraper101]

Right so, here's the situ. The OH and I need to travel from London to Florianopolis, Brazil on 5th Nov 2024. We then will go to Belo Horizonte on 11th Nov. After that, I'll return to London myself around Nov 15th, and she'll stay on for a few weeks but hasn't decided for how long yet, before returning to London on her own.

Usually I just book a return flight somewhere with fixed dates, but as this is two separate people, travelling initially together, but returning from a different city at different times it seems the only sensible way to do this, is just booking single one way tickets for each person to/from each destination. But single one-way tickets always seem to work out more expensive than a fixed-return. So I have questions. Can you do long haul fixed, and open-ended return tickets - returning from a different city to which you entered the country? Is it worth it? Is this travel agency territory?

Usually I just book everything direct but this seems complex (to me!)

Paging Bahnhof Strasse in advance

 

[Elpenor]

Sounds like you need two separate open jaw bookings, as you want to arrive into Florianopolis and depart from Belo Horizonte, your OH needs to have her return flight to London booked into a flexible bucket (but not the other flights)

Feels like a travel agent job, perhaps they can also link the bookings to enable sitting together when on the same flights?

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

The most direct would be to book London-Flori one way, £737.59 with a checked bag:





Then Belo-London with Latam as a one way for £526.20 with a checked bag:




That is slightly cheaper than a round trip for these same flights, with a bag that would be £1319.79 and would allow her to book the return once she firm up her dates.


Cheaper to go with three flights each way:

£876.58






But that would be a round trip fare, so she would need to decide when she wanted the return to be.

That cheaper one also gets you on a 747 from Frankfurt, possibly your last chance to go on one, if that kind of thing appeals to you.


Don't get seduced by any TAP fares, they may be cheap but if the flights don't get cancelled they'll be late and you'll miss the connections and be stranded in Lisbon.

 

[skyscraper101]

But that would be a round trip fare, so she would need to decide when she wanted the return to be.

That cheaper one also gets you on a 747 from Frankfurt, possibly your last chance to go on one, if that kind of thing appeals to you.


Don't get seduced by any TAP fares, they may be cheap but if the flights don't get cancelled they'll be late and you'll miss the connections and be stranded in Lisbon.

Thanks Bahnhof Strasse this is great tips.

So on Option 1. I note that the return from Belo Horizonte to London involves transferring between the different Sao Paolo airports which will surely be a headache. Even with the 5 hours transfer time, I can see a delayed flight, retrieving bags, taxi fare, 1-2 hour journey (traffic depending) and going through the whole checking in thing going awry. But good to get a price here. Thanks.

On Option 2. I think this looks more attractive. Usually I'm loathe to take three flights when two will do, but the lower cost, the no travelling between 2 airports in Sao Paolo, and the 747(!) all intrigue me. Plus I think I'd prefer Lufthansa/Swiss over Latam. And tbf the transfer times between each flight aren't all that bad. Actually it's a very tight connection in Zurich but that's probably the best point to be delayed if so.

Question - Presumably these are all ticketed directly through Lufthansa/Swiss respectively so if any one connection is delayed then it's on each airline to make good? Second, is this something you'd recommend only a proper travel agent can sort? If I did this myself I'd presumably just go through Lufthansa/Swiss separately but maybe that's not advisable?

Also it's not impossible I could get the OH to commit to a return date to bring costs down. If the price point makes it significantly better this way then perhaps that's the best plan.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

I think I'd be inclined to go Lufthansa/Swiss for this one.

Question - Presumably these are all ticketed directly through Lufthansa/Swiss respectively so if any one connection is delayed then it's on each airline to make good? Second, is this something you'd recommend only a proper travel agent can sort? If I did this myself I'd presumably just go through Lufthansa/Swiss separately but maybe that's not advisable?

It's one ticket all the way, so they will get you on the next flight, put you up in a hotel if you need it and so on.

I would imagine you could book it all on Lufthansa's website, as these two airlines are both owned by Lufthansa, dunno though, I don't book on websites.

 

[skyscraper101]

I think I'd be inclined to go Lufthansa/Swiss for this one.





It's one ticket all the way, so they will get you on the next flight, put you up in a hotel if you need it and so on.

I would imagine you could book it all on Lufthansa's website, as these two airlines are both owned by Lufthansa, dunno though, I don't book on websites.

Thanks man. Good to know. I agree, the Lufthansa option seems better and I generally prefer them anyway over LATAM or Tap.

Will speak with herself this evening about it. Nice one.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

IF it can’t be booked online I am happy to do it for you, I don’t normally like booking flights for people on the boards as they’re often a pain in the arse, but you’re seasoned enough not to fall in to that category, I reckon.

 

[skyscraper101]

IF it can’t be booked online I am happy to do it for you, I don’t normally like booking flights for people on the boards as they’re often a pain in the arse, but you’re seasoned enough not to fall in to that category, I reckon.

Status at last! Thanks, genuinely. I'll certainly keep it in mind.

 

[skyscraper101]

I went with the more direct LATAM option outbound in the end. Much as I really fancied flying the 747 with Lufthansa, the connection just seemed too tight that even a marginal delay from LHR-FRA could scupper things. Plus the added Brexit hassles of entering Schengen now on a UK passport.

I'm still deciding on the return option. TAP from Belo Horizonte seems cheapest and I'm not as bothered about a missed connection on the return so I might go this route.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

fwiw you wouldn't enter the Schengen zone, you'd stay in the non-Schengen part of the airport all the way.

 

[skyscraper101]

fwiw you wouldn't enter the Schengen zone, you'd stay in the non-Schengen part of the airport all the way.

OK fair enough. It's more the potential for a delayed first flight than anything, but good to know.

 

[skyscraper101]

What I want to know is... why are all flights to and from South America overnight flights, while all the flights to North America are daytime flights? I'm sure there is some perfectly sensible reason but I'd much much prefer to fly during the day like when I go to North America.

 

[planetgeli]

What I want to know is... why are all flights to and from South America overnight flights, while all the flights to North America are daytime flights? I'm sure there is some perfectly sensible reason but I'd much much prefer to fly during the day like when I go to North America.

I flew to Ecuador via Madrid during the day.

 

[skyscraper101]

I flew to Ecuador via Madrid during the day.

Actually you’re right, you can fly some routes during the day. I just never seem find a direct flight to Brazil this way though.