Booking twelve months in advance

[duttonbay]

This is not a FF query, but rather a basic question about booking flights early. I am planning a 2 month trip to the UK next year, most likely travelling with SIA. On their website I cannot book my return tickets until 355 days before the return flight. By this time it is highly likely the premium economy seats on the outward journey may be hard to find.

Is there any clever way to somehow reserve seats on the outbound journey 12 months out, keeping them for a coupe of months before the return journey is able to be booked? Maybe a travel agent? Or am I likely to have to fly economy over, because all the Premium seats have gone?

 

[Forg]

If I’m reading that properly, are you not wanting to book a year ahead because you’re concerned you won’t be able to get the outbound tickets you want at only 10 months before the flight?

Is SIA Singapore Airlines?

I’m not by any means a frequent flyer myself, but I’m of the belief that about 6 months in advance is probably about right time to be booking stuff. And I don’t think SIngapore is going to be any different. I’m going on hols to the UK with my wife for the majority of June, started looking around for tickets last December-ish & then in early January paid less for Business Class on a 2nd-tier airline (Air China - based in Taiwan - but on a fairly newly fitted-out A350) than Premium Economy was with Singapore or Qantas or Cathay. I expect some Premium deals have probably appeared since (and if SIA is Singapore then you may have lounge-access or points related reasons for flying with them), but I’d be very surprised if 10 months ahead isn’t actually too soon.
If I’ve understood it properly, maybe try searching this forum for posts about the best time to book or how far ahead to book or similar?

 

[duttonbay]

Yes, SIA=Singapore Airlines.

Thanks for you suggestion. Looking twelve months out there is limited availability in Premium, but looking just 6 months out there seems to be plenty, at the same fares I am seeing for March 2019.

Thanks

 

[Forg]

Cool, OK then ... I’d check regularly for specials then, between now & about 6 months out.
I’m sure someone else will chip-in with how to get alerts on specials, I’m sure I’ve seen somewhere that can allow that. The same someone might also pipe-up with “SQ never has specials!”, I truly don’t know, if they’re really popular there’s maybe no need for them to offer specials.
Because when the good specials come-up, they do seem to be bought-up pretty quickly; and I reckon you could save yourself up to $1k or so on tickets (more in Business & about the same in Economy; I think Premium must be in decently high demand, I rarely see it discounted as much as other classes as a percentage).

 

[travelislife]

If you are booking with cash their is no way the seats are booked out at 10 months. You could wait till 6 months and definitely have options.

If you are booking using points, just book as 2 one ways.