Help! Guide to book NYC return flight?

[spiderAl]

Hi, am new here and first time booking my own flight..any kind soul can help me out by giving a succinct step-by-step guide pls? Thanks.

I intend to travel from 17May2017 - 17June2017 (1 month) to NYC.
Going to stay in NYC for a week before travelling domestically in the US.

For cheapest flights:
Is the best time to book flight tickets now? 5 months in advance?
Will there be travel fairs with better deals?
Is it true i should book on a Tuesday?
How do you guys usually book your tickets to nyc? which website do you book, what airline? I don't know what to look out for to compare nett prices..i have a vague idea that the prices shown online dont reflect random costs like baggage, tax,...booking fees?

My priority is value (cheap but if can save an extra hour of flight for <$50, i will pay <$50 more)

I am a Singapore PR holding Malaysian passport, though ive lived here my whole life.. guess I will need VISA.
Is the step to first book ticket, then do VISA, and that's it? No idea what I-20 is or those code-like things..?

Thank you for your help. I'm just really confused, I've never done something like this before.

 

[dilphinus]

Hi, am new here and first time booking my own flight..any kind soul can help me out by giving a succinct step-by-step guide pls? Thanks.

I intend to travel from 17May2017 - 17June2017 (1 month) to NYC.
Going to stay in NYC for a week before travelling domestically in the US.

For cheapest flights:
Is the best time to book flight tickets now? 5 months in advance?
Will there be travel fairs with better deals?
Is it true i should book on a Tuesday?
How do you guys usually book your tickets to nyc? which website do you book, what airline? I don't know what to look out for to compare nett prices..i have a vague idea that the prices shown online dont reflect random costs like baggage, tax,...booking fees?

My priority is value (cheap but if can save an extra hour of flight for <$50, i will pay <$50 more)

I am a Singapore PR holding Malaysian passport, though ive lived here my whole life.. guess I will need VISA.
Is the step to first book ticket, then do VISA, and that's it? No idea what I-20 is or those code-like things..?

Thank you for your help. I'm just really confused, I've never done something like this before.

How step by step you need? Like go to xxx airline website, key in origin, key in destination, select the dates, etc?

For a start, check the number of airports in NY. Which is the most accessible for you. Also, do you need to arrive and depart from NY? You can arrive in NY and depart from another city/airport. Then, check the various airlines website, key in your dates and check the fares. You can use Skyscanner to see what's the prices like and which airlines fly the route. Also, note the time difference. It will + 2 days from departure in the US, to arrive into Singapore. Also don't forget travel insurance. There are no budget airlines from SG to the US. Only full-fledged airlines and most/all full-fledged (+ long haul) flights/airlines includes the full services like food and baggage. Also note visa requirements for transit.

 

[Shiny Things]

Hi, am new here and first time booking my own flight..any kind soul can help me out by giving a succinct step-by-step guide pls? Thanks.

I intend to travel from 17May2017 - 17June2017 (1 month) to NYC.
Going to stay in NYC for a week before travelling domestically in the US.

For cheapest flights:
Is the best time to book flight tickets now? 5 months in advance?

Yeah. Prices for international flights tend to bottom out about now; for domestic flights they bottom out about ninety days in advance.

Will there be travel fairs with better deals?

Probably not. Booking straight through the airline is almost always the best way.

Is it true i should book on a Tuesday?

I'm not sure about booking on a Tuesday, but flying on a Tuesday is definitely a good idea. Midweek flights are almost always the cheapest.

How do you guys usually book your tickets to nyc? which website do you book, what airline? I don't know what to look out for to compare nett prices..i have a vague idea that the prices shown online dont reflect random costs like baggage, tax,...booking fees?

I use Hipmunk.com. Different people have different preferences, but Hipmunk's pretty good, and the interface is a really nice way to see the tradeoff between price and time.

For your dates, I'm seeing $810 USD on China Eastern - Singapore to JFK, 24 hours total travel time, with a 3-hour stopover in Shanghai. If you want something a bit nicer, you can get Emirates through Dubai for less than $1100 USD, though it's about the same travel time.

I am a Singapore PR holding Malaysian passport, though ive lived here my whole life.. guess I will need VISA.

Yep, you'll need a visitors visa.

 

[invisible999]

In terms of visa - better get it first and then go and book the flight. Because unless you book refundable flight, you won't get anything back if you don't get visa.

Another option is to get travel insurance which covers cases like this.

 

[spiderAl]

wow thanks everyone, your replies have really helped a lot! thanks so much!!

 

[spiderAl]

In terms of visa - better get it first and then go and book the flight. Because unless you book refundable flight, you won't get anything back if you don't get visa.

Another option is to get travel insurance which covers cases like this.

will they give me a visa if i have no flight tickets?

 

[g_t2006]

will they give me a visa if i have no flight tickets?

The US Embassy gives very detailed information on how and what documents you need to apply for a visa. Google.