BTW

We are looking at something for under $1000.  I would book something right now at $800.  Right now the lowest I can find is $1050 out of Vancouver to London.  Also if anyone has any advice about waiting for seat sales.  I know its kind of a risk but will the flight really go up from where it is already?  Thanks.

Martinair,  YVR-AMS nonstop, is about $954 all-in for July 2-Aug. 29. I think this could be worth it, even if you have to get an EasyJet flight to London (or some other airline).

Hard to say about whether fares will go up or down.

Yep, check Martinair as Traveler suggests. Also have a look at www.canadian-affair….

Maybe consider Canadian Affair one-way, and Martinair back—thus creating your own “open-jaw” itinerary (returning from different city).

MartinAir is now the cheapest option.  It does seem like a good deal.  Does anyone know how they are to fly?  Is there weight restrictions like a charter flight?  I tried to find a one way from Amsterdam to Vancouver using martinair but it doesn’t seem to want to let me.  How about flying in and out of Seattle?  Could this be a cheaper option?  The more we save on the flight the more we will have to play with while backpacking!!!  Thanks guys.

I also checked SEA when I researched for you. Right now, looks like Canadian Affair and Martinair are cheapest.

I just remembered that Condor are on YVR/FRA in summer. www.condor.com
Air Transat have Vancouver-Europe routes too. www.airtransat.ca
And have we mentioned Zoom? www.zoom.ca

I think Martinair has some weight restrictions on luggage, but they are perfectly reasonable. I haven’t flown them, but I have read their seats are quite crammed – but Air Transat will be too, if you take them.
 
It is quite possible that something will eventually show up from Seattle – but there is no way to tell in advance. And the fact you want a >30 day stay will work against you, because most bargains are for <30 days.
 
In the meantime, you might lose out on the options from Vancouver, so there’s no way to tell for sure what is best.
 
If you do choose Martinair (or any of the others), I would recommend a night in Amsterdam in both directions, because particularly with small fleets, delays can last quite a while sometimes.

Traveler could you please explain what delays you mean?  Thanks, just want to be sure.

Delays = when you’re ready to leave, but the plane isn’t. Example: every flight that’s ever come and gone through JFK airport.

Exactly.
 
With a small carrier, what sometimes happens, for example, is that a plane has a problem. There aren’t any planes to replace it, a part has to be flown in from another city, and the plane is finally ready to leave 8 hours after your flight was scheduled to depart. This affects the schedule at the other airport, etc. This can happen with a larger carrier too, but they have more ability to move planes around and get a substitute. Still, it’s not that rare to have a 3 or 4 hour delay even with a larger carrier. Of course, there can be weather, crew issues, or any multitude of things happen.
 
So any arrival and departure times should be considered as hopeful possibilities, rather than something you can count on, and it is likely a bad idea to plan something that requires you arrive on time. This is my experience after numerous flights to/from Vancouver.
 
If you have your itinerary all on one ticket, these delays will not matter so much because the airline has to fix things up for you when you miss a connection. But if you have two or more separate tickets, and miss one part, you are in trouble, because you will have to pay a very expensive walkup fare to get a later ticket.

Thanks for the help!!!
 
 
Before I go book this MartinAir flight is there anything else anyone has found?  I don’t want to be looking last minute for a deal unless it is fairly certain.  Peace of mind is worth the few extra dollars for me at this point.  Thanks again!!!

I just checked ITA for you again, from SEA;YVR;Bellingham to places you mentioned plus lots more, and I don’t see anything as cheap as the Martinair offer. I also checked Condor to FRA, LTU to DUS, Farecompare from SEA and YVR June 23-July 6 to all Europe, and Bookingbuddy to LON and AMS. Martinair’s still in the lead.

Have you tried all of the links and tips in our new user thread (top of this forum)?

Just so everyone knows we booked our flight.  Did it with canadian-affair.ca.  It is out of Vancouver to Glasgow with one stop in Calgary I think.  Then leaving from London 2 months later back to Vancouver direct flight.  Cheapest I could find out there.  Total was $950 per flight after reserving seats and taxes and the whole bit.  Couldn’t be happier to be done that part of it.  Thanks again for all the help guys!!!

Thanks for the update. Please let us know how it goes.

We are looking at something for under $1000.  I would book something right now at $800.  Right now the lowest I can find is $1050 out of Vancouver to London.  Also if anyone has any advice about waiting for seat sales.  I know its kind of a risk but will the flight really go up from where it is already?  Thanks.

What are your dates?
 
Certainly, the price can go up.

ok0510, please start a new thread with your question.