Getting airline tickets to pickup your woman

[Zadan]

When the time comes, I'd like to arrange it so I can arrive in Kiev and leave shortly afterwards with her on a one-way ticket back to the U.S. with me--so I can be with her every step of the way.  Has anyone successfully done this, or have any ideas as to how it can be done most effectively? 

Websites online don't appear to let you do this.  I suppose you could manually book each one at a time and try to get the same return flight--which would risk not being able to get the second ticket on the same flight.  Also to complicate things, some of the sites (e.g. Orbitz) don't let you book a ticket that originates from a place like Kiev.  Any advice appreciated.

[William3rd]

Uhhhhh- how about waiting a few months until she is set for interview before worrying about it? You can then book yours and then give her the money to book hers over there. Keep in mind that the visa window may change so you do not want to be departing too close to the interview date. You will have a better handle on your dates when you know what the realities are. . . . .

[Zadan]

It's just nice to know as much as you can as soon as possible.  Of course, I plan on waiting until she has the Visa in hand before doing such a thing, and it'll be awhile--in the mean time it's not a question I've seen an answer here or online anywhere yet.

[Mir]

Zadan

Maybe I am missing something but I don't see any problem here.
You can book all your flights online.
For example you can go to Aerosvit site at

http://www.eb2-quicktrip.com/VV/Start.do;jsessionid=F1529540A7ADEC15C1E70D46D5243EB7

Supposing you are going to Kiev from New York(I don't know where your live) on the 4th of March and returning on the 11th.You can book your flights online for $592 inclusive of taxes (really amazing how fares have dropped).
For your lady you book a return one-way ticket for the 11th of March on the same flight, it Will cost $553.
And away you go.....

[Shadow]

Zadan,

With the little price difference between one-way and return tickets, why not buy her a return ticket and not use the flight ? First of all you give her a safety-net (if she should need one), second it might be even cheaper than booking a one-way ticket.
Airlines overbook flights all the time, they do not give penalties for cancelling the flight.

[wiz]

Zadan,

With the little price difference between one-way and return tickets, why not buy her a return ticket and not use the flight ? First of all you give her a safety-net (if she should need one), second it might be even cheaper than booking a one-way ticket.
Airlines overbook flights all the time, they do not give penalties for cancelling the flight.

Shadow is correct buy the return ticket and she will feel much better for it.

According to the Warsaw and IATA regulations if you offloaded from a flight due to overbooking you can claim min 200 dollars per day you are delayed and the ailrines have the habbit to overbook and then you may find one of their staff going around the checking desk trying to find somebody to accept to be offloaded and you can bargain the compensation.

[Darth Vader]

When the time comes, I'd like to arrange it so I can arrive in Kiev and leave shortly afterwards with her on a one-way ticket back to the U.S. with me--so I can be with her every step of the way.  Has anyone successfully done this, or have any ideas as to how it can be done most effectively? 

Websites online don't appear to let you do this.  I suppose you could manually book each one at a time and try to get the same return flight--which would risk not being able to get the second ticket on the same flight.  Also to complicate things, some of the sites (e.g. Orbitz) don't let you book a ticket that originates from a place like Kiev.  Any advice appreciated.

Yes, I flew from NY to Kiev to spend a few days with her and then bring her home with me.  I booked my ticket on Delta, and looked at seating to know there were plenty of seats.  I chose my seat beside a vacant seat, and called my fiancee and gave her my seat number.  She went to a local travel agency in kiev and had them book a round trip ticket for her (it was cheaper than one way), and they placed her in the seat beside me. She got her ticket for about the same price as mine.  That was two years ago--man have the prices dropped!

[Mir]

Yes I am astonished at the drop in prices on the US to Ukraine route and withing Ukraine.
In 2005 I went from Kiev to Simferopol rtn for $170 per ticket.
Last year they were asking $330 for this trip and now you can get one for $42!!

[groovlstk]

FWIW, I gambled in November and bought a one-way ticket to Moscow to meet my fiancee just after her visa interview on Dec. 12, then purchased two one-way tickets from Moscow to NYC for Dec. 20. It was a bit cheaper to fly JFK-SVO one way on Delta ($321) and return with my fiancee via Czech Airlines (one way SVO-JFK) at $385 per person. I was hoping she would be able to book our tix from SVO-JFK through a Moscow travel agency but all the agencies/airlines she contacted refused to issue tickets until she had her visa in hand, so I made arrangements stateside through mobissimo.com.

Admittedly, we gambled because if her visa was not issued within 7 days of her interview (when we were booked to leave Moscow) I'd have had to eat the price of the tix. Also, at no point did we feel round-trip tix were necessary (not because we were so arrogant to believe our relationship was disaster-proof, but because she knew me well enough to understand I'd never trap her or stand in her way if, God forbid, things didn't work out.

[aikorob]

Zadan--I am glad you started this; I was about to open a similar thread.

N. has sent her interview request to the embassy in Kiev, so now we are waiting for it to be scheduled. What would you fellows recommend---her booking the Kiev-JFK flight from there, or me doing it here from here and letting her pick up the ticket over there. I am planning to go to NYC and meet her, so the ATL-JFK leg is no problem ( I have a companion certificate for a domestic Delta flight- I was going to use that for her to get down to ATL)

[Mir]

I think booking online from here will work out cheaper (if it can be done) and is safer since you use credit card and don't have to send cash via Western Union etc.

[Zadan]

OK, very interesting that the round-trip ticket can actually be cheaper.  May as well go with that then..  I bet it would at least give her parents some peace of mind.

One nice thing about my last trip was that Orbitz issued me all paper tickets and sent them to me via mail.  At the end of my stay, we were stuck together like glue and she really, really didn't want me to leave.  So, I was able to call Orbitz and United via phone and cancel my return flight and still get back quite a bit of residual value from my left over paper tickets (less fixed airline fees).  I was also easily able to change the times for my Aerosvit tickets at the local office for a small fee (52 grievnas I believe).

That makes me wonder--if perhaps if it is not too risky to book the tickets to depart some X days after her interview, and if she doesn't get the Visa in time, just go get the time changed as necessary.  Anyone ever tried to do it that way?

[Turboguy]

There are online sites that will let you book flights originating in Kiev or other FSU places. Kayak is one. Check out the travel page here.
It can be a gamble. I did that ith my former fiancee and ended up throwing away a ticket.

[Ohotnik]

I just bought my fiancee tickets from Samara Russia to New York using Expedia. I tried Russian sites and Kayak also and Expedia was the cheapest. I saved a couple of hundred dollars going with Czech airlines over Aeroflot. You have to sometimes check several dates to find the best prices.

[Turboguy]

I think that is a good point to check lots of sites.  One site will be high a few times in a row and the cheapest the next and vice versa.   Comparing fares is worth the small amount of time you invest but look at the schedule too.   Saving $ 50.00 and finding you fly an extra 10 hours is no bargain.

[Photo Guy]

I booked a flight online, with Aerosvit. It was fairly easy but involved faxing
a credit card image to them. Not as easy as booking online with Southwest
Airlines, but still fairly easy.  I had her pickup her ticket at Borispol
airport a few hours before her flight departure. non-stop to JFK.
Their ticket prices are low and the taxes are high- definitely
a great overall price for a non-stop.

[aikorob]

http://www.aerosvit.ua/eng/actions.html
RT Odessa->NY  from $380
RT Kiev ->Atlanta from $500
              Boston
              Tampa
               Others
Looks like I'll just put the money in her account and let her book from there.

[Mir]

Just one thing
The online fares are often not the same as the fare she will have to pay if she goes to the office to buy the ticket. Usually the online fare is about 5-10% lower.So ask her to inquire before sending money.
Also add in the charges of sending money and the fact it will need to be converted to local currency.
IMO better booking yourself online with credit card and she picks up the tickets, infact I am not sure but it might be e-ticket now and she will need to do nothing.

[aikorob]

This may be a dumb question; but will she have any problems with an E-ticket at Boryspil?
All of the times I have gone over there, I have had paper tickets; but I have enough miles to book her a business class seat. I would like to do that, but the Delta rep told me no paper tickets would be issued.

[Mir]

e-ticket would be fine but just to be on the safe side send her a copy of your passport and a copy of the credit card you will use for booking or the info from airline that you used your airmiles. She can keep these with her when she presents her e-ticket confirmation at the counter in Kiev.

[Turboguy]

No, I have flown e-ticket out of there several times.   No problem at all.   Just have her show them her passport and if possible her itinerary and it will all go smooth as can be.    E-tickets are actually a better way to go becuase you don't have to worry about getting the tickets to her.