Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [691]
Cathay Pacific (CX; 01805-288 285; www.cathaypacific.com)
Continental Airlines (CO; 0180-321 2610; www.continental.com)
Delta (DL; 01803-337 880; www.delta.com)
Iberia (IB; 01805-442 900; www.iberia.com)
KLM (KL; 01805-254 750; www.klm.com)
LOT (LO; 01803-000 346; www.lot.com)
Malev Hungarian Airlines (MA; 01805-363 586; www.malev.hu)
Olympic Airlines (OA; 069-970 670; www.olympicairlines.com)
Qantas (QF; 01805-250 620; www.qantas.com.au)
Scandinavian Airlines/SAS (SK; 01805-117 002; www.scandinavian.net)
Singapore Airlines (SQ; 069-719 5200; www.singaporeair.com)
South African Airways (SA; 069-2998 0320; www.flysaa.com)
Swiss (LX; 01803-000 337; www.swiss.com)
Turkish Airlines (TK; 01805-849 266; www.turkishairlines.com)
United Airlines (UA; 069-5007 0387; www.united.com)
US Airways (US; 01803-000 609; www.usairways.com)
DISCOUNT CARRIERS
Air Berlin (AB; 01805-737 800; www.air-berlin.com)
Cirrus (C9; 0180-444 4888; www.cirrusairlines.de)
Condor (DE; 01805-767 757; www.condor.com)
easyJet (EZY; 0900-1100 161; www.easyjet.com)
Flybe (BE; in the UK 004413-9226 8513; www.flybe.com)
Germanwings (4U; 0900-19 19 100; www.germanwings.com) Calls cost €0.99 per minute.
Norwegian Air Shuttle (DY; in Norway 0047-2149 0015; www.norwegian.no)
Ryanair (FR; 0900-116 0500; www.ryanair.com) Calls cost €0.62 per minute.
TUIfly (X3; 01805-787 510; www.tuifly.com)
Wizz Air (W6; 0900-120 4021; www.wizzair.com) Calls cost €1.03 per minute.
Tickets
Everybody loves a bargain and timing is key when it comes to snapping up cheap airfares. You can generally save a bundle by booking early, travelling midweek (Tuesday to Thursday) or in low season (October to March/April in the case of Germany), or flying in the late evening or early morning.
Your best friend in ferreting out deals is the internet. Start by checking fares at www.expedia.com, www.travelocity.com, www.orbitz.com or www.zuji.com, then run the same flight request through meta-search engines such as www.sidestep.com, www.kayak.com or www.openjet.com. If you’re not tied to particular travel dates, use the flexible-date search tool to find the lowest fares or consult www.itasoftware.com.
Many airlines now guarantee the lowest fares on their own websites, so check these out as well. A good way to learn about late-breaking bargain fares is by signing up to airlines’ free weekly email newsletters. To get the skinny on which low-cost airlines fly where, go to www.whichbudget.com and then book tickets on the airline website.
If you’re based in North America and flexible with regard to the airline and departure times or dates, you might be able to save a bundle through www.priceline.com and its ‘Name Your Own Price’ scheme. Enter the fare you’re willing to pay, then wait and see if any airline bites.
And don’t forget about travel agents, who can be especially helpful when planning complex itineraries since they know the system, the options, the special deals and so on.
INTERCONTINENTAL (RTW) TICKETS
Coming from Australia or New Zealand, round-the-world (RTW) tickets may work out cheaper than regular return fares, especially if you’re planning on visiting other countries besides Germany. They’re of most value for trips that combine Germany with Asia or North America.
Official airline RTW tickets are usually put together by a combination of airlines or an entire alliance and permit you to fly to a specified number of stops and/or a maximum mileage, so long as you don’t backtrack. Tickets are usually valid for one year. Some airlines ‘black out’ a few heavily travelled routes. Online agencies to consult include www.airbrokers.com, www.airtreks.com and www.circletheplanet.com.
Australia & New Zealand
The dominant carriers to central Europe are Qantas, British Airways and Singapore Airlines. Flights go either via Asia or the Middle East (with possible stopovers in such cities as Singapore or Dubai), or across Canada or the US (with possible stopovers in Honolulu, Los Angeles or San Francisco). Fares in high/low season