I’ve looked through old entries but not found relevant information – my apologies if I’ve missed something and this has been asked a million times!
1. I’m going to buy a return ticket for a US friend to come and visit me in Ireland. She’ll be travelling from Washington (though I assume nearby airports are fine if they are cheaper) and can land anywhere in Ireland – Dublin is good, but so is Cork or Shannon. Her dates are semi-flexible, she’ll be arriving in late December and leaving in mid-January. My question is: how do I find the cheapest flights? Are there any good, reliable comparison sites? Also, would it be significantly cheaper to buy the tickets now, instead of in, say, two months’ time?
2. For practical reasons, I’m going to be buying + paying for the ticket, rather than sending her the money so she can buy it herself. Are there any practical considerations I should be aware of involved in having one person pay for another person’s ticket when they’re not travelling together? And do you still need physical tickets in the US, or will she be able to check in electronically if I send her whatever emails/codes/etc. I get from the airline?
Very many thanks in advance for any advice!