Looking for The One (plane tickets)

Yes, it's already time to be thinking about summer travel. We're planning on visiting the US for several weeks during July and August, so kayak.com is my current best friend. And just because the plane tickets are technically paid for by Jeremy's employer doesn't mean the process isn't still incredibly complicated. We get to keep any excess money left over from the ticket allowance, so it's in our best interests to find a good price. We also have plenty of experience flying overseas with kids and so we know what kind of flight we want.

There's an Emirates Airlines DXB-Seattle flight that we are pining after. It's a scant 14 hours long with a subsequent 45-minute hop down to Portland. Can you imagine?!?!?!? Pure luxury. Unfortunately, the price is currently out of our range (almost $3k per ticket). (And you people who live in foreign countries with a direct flight to wherever you travel for the summer, I hate you. It must feel so great to just get off one plane and be there. Sigh.)



However, we are definitely willing to pay a certain premium for a one-stop flight. You can get 2-stop flights from Dubai to Portland for pocket change - $1500, $1600. However, those 2-stop flights go through a European city and then a US East Coast city (=TRAVEL HELL). We've decided that's a deal breaker, especially when there are 1-stop flights available for just a little more money (usually through DC or Atlanta). Think of it this way: after flying from Dubai to London, and then from London to Atlanta, how much would you pay at that moment to just BE IN PORTLAND ALREADY? Well, that's about what the price difference is between the 2-stops and certain 1-stops.

If I've lost you already, then let's move back into general territory with a few things I do not understand about buying plane tickets, aka, why I hate this process.

1. Why does it have to be such a gamble, buying plane tickets? I get that operating costs fluctuate, but it is so stressful to juggle your schedule with the different fares and the different airlines, all considering that the price could go up, or it could go down, or seats could sell out, at any moment.

2. Why do three-leg flights cost more than two-leg ones? How does more flying cost less than less flying?

3. Why are American-run airlines not as nice as the airlines run by some other countries I could name, like Britain, the UAE, France, Germany, Qatar, the Netherlands, Japan, and Austria? I swear the US-operated international flights hand you a piece of bread and a cheese stick with a "good luck trying to see the tiny communal movie screen five rows up for the next 15 hours!" Other airlines have stuff like heated moist towels before mealtimes consisting of actual food, and personal movie screens.

In conclusion, we'll probably be buying tickets in the next 24 hours, after a final consultation with our families in the US. Wish us luck!