Your questions

I am looking to travel to Germany in December-January. I would like to fly in and out of Hamburg and am wondering when the best time to purchase tickets will be. Ideally I'd like to depart on December 18 but I'm interested to find out what would be the best time for prices when flying during the Christmas period.

Answer

I would book as soon as possible, as Christmas is a high-demand period for travel to Europe. Many Australians go to Europe to visit friends and relatives at Christmas and flights can get full.

There is no crystal ball to tell us what will happen with prices but there are plenty of sales at the moment and the prices are good.

I used Webjet (webjet.com.au) and found a return fare to Hamburg with Thai Airways for $2287, for a December 18 departure. You could get a slightly cheaper fare with Virgin Atlantic two days later, for $2241.

I looked at the possibility of flying to London and picking up a cheap easyJet fare to Hamburg but you are actually better off going direct to Hamburg.

Flights to Hamburg make two stops: Bangkok or Hong Kong and then Zurich; this is cheaper and less hassle than transferring from Heathrow to Luton Airport to pick up an easyJet flight. I would be happy with a $2241 return fare on a top-tier carrier such as Thai or Virgin Atlantic at Christmas time.

You certainly risk paying a higher price if you wait until later in the year.

- Jane E. Fraser

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