Linda

I am planning a trip to Paris in April/May 2003. Iam finding airfares from $541 (Expedia.com-&quot;Bargain Fares&quot;, Hotwire) to nearly $1000 directly from the airlines as well as Expedia, Orbitz, etc.<BR><BR>Is it still too early to buy tickets for May? Will the prices come down? Or do you think these prices are standard?<BR><BR>THANKS!!

Jean Valjean

Where are you leaving from? $541 may be cheap for the west coast but expensive for the north east...

SiD

I bought my tickets (EWR-CDG) traveling in Late oct for $322 using priceline. The SAME flight was $535 on travelocity &amp; orbitz

xxx

Sid, just curious as I'm always afraid to use Priceline. <BR><BR>Did you get a nonstop flight both ways?<BR>What airline was it with?<BR>Did you get your first choice of time both ways?<BR>How far ahead did you book with Priceline?

Ira

Hi Sid,<BR><BR> I am still leery about Priceline, but am willing to learn more.<BR><BR> What kind of flight(s) did you get? multi-stops or direct, name brand or obscure.<BR><BR> Would appreciate any feedback. Thanks.

kayd

There's no such thing as a standard price for air travel, but I think $541 is not bad for Paris in May if that price includes taxes (figure an additional $80 or more if it doesn't) and if you are leaving from somewhere other than the big east coast gateways. But if you are in NYC, you can almost surely do better. <BR><BR>Another factor is your schedule. If you must travel on specific dates, you may decide that it is worth paying more for the peace of mind to have the ticket in hand. If you have plenty of schedule flexibility (and more time than money), then Priceline might work -- but do read the advice of seasoned Priceline users on biddingfortravel.com. There are some pitfalls with Priceline, but if you are fully informed you can make an intelligent decision about the level of risk you'll take. If that's too chancy for you, pay a few hundred dollars more. <BR>As for the time of the flight you might get from Priceline, you can expect an overnight flight from the US and a mid-day flight on the return because that is the way all the airlines schedule transatlantic flights (except for a few morning flights from the east coast to London, which you would not get if you need to make a connection from another city).

quinty

Check travelocity and leave your dates open. It will then look for the best fares out of your (and surrounding) airports. Then from there you can work backwards to pick your dates. I have found that this almost always comes up with a cheaper fare that what you will find posted if you do a date specific search.<BR>Good luck!

xxx

It depends on where you're leaving from. I checked Expedia for April from San Francisco to Paris and found a Lufthansa fare for around $500+ or so but that was a few days ago. For me that's pretty good for now.<BR><BR>I don't think it's too early to buy tickets for April and May. Did you check Air France? They have web fare specials-from San Francisco for example, it's around $540 I believe so that's still good. <BR><BR>I also checked dates for August. Last Monday it was $610 on United. By Thursday there were only fares in the high $900's to $1,000. <BR><BR>I think Expedia is one of the best.

dejahma

$20 about 2 hours ago on BA from all US markets.

Chapps

If I were you, I'd head on over to American Airlines' website and go to their fare sales. From Los Angeles, a flight to Paris will cost $440/rt. The restrictions aren't bad at all - you have to leave on a Mon., Tues. or Wed., must complete travel by the end of April, and then some standard restrictions. For these prices, why *wouldn't* you go?<BR><BR>Wow .. London for $325/rt from Orange County, California. Cheaper from the east coast. I'm goin' to Europe!

Linda

Oops! Sorry, meant to add that I am flying from Detroit or Chicago!!

xxx

Chaps, maybe you didn't read Linda's original post. She said she wants to go in April/May. That is a lot different from American's sale where you have to leave in March!!!!

reader

Linda- Some suggestions:<BR>1.try breaking up the trip (ie Chicago to Ny to Paris OR Chicago to London to Paris)<BR>2. since you have some time, create a &quot;fare watcher&quot; on Travelocity. It will automatically tell you if fares go down.<BR>3. look into air/land packages

drwatson

Linda;<BR><BR>Don't know where you're leaving from, but check out the latest US Airways<BR>e savers for LATE SPRING 03'travel.<BR><BR>You need to depart on Mondays to Thursdays, between May 5 and May 29, 2003, and return travel is Tuesdays to Fridays, between May 13 and June 6, 2003.Tickets must be purchased by December 11, 2002.<BR><BR>Check out these roundtrip fares; <BR> From <BR> Baltimore, MD - $419 <BR> Boston, MA - $419 <BR> Charlotte, NC - $419 <BR> Cleveland, OH - $439 <BR> Los Angeles, CA - $469 <BR> NewYork, NY - $419 <BR> Philadelphia, PA - $399 <BR> Pittsburgh, PA - $399 <BR> San Francisco, CA - $469 <BR> Washington, DC - $419 <BR><BR> Hope this helps you out.<BR><BR> Have a great trip.<BR><BR><BR>

LBF

thanks dr,<BR>I just got a $467.60 airfare <BR>$399+tax for USAIR<BR>for May 21 / June 5<BR>Philly / CDG

mpprh

Hi<BR><BR>well, it all depends !<BR><BR>Expensive if you're flying from Belgium ?<BR><BR>Peter<BR>