What are the chances of getting a last-minute fare under $500 JFK - Paris?

You don't say where from. If it's the US, that's probably a pretty big long shot. If they recognize that, there's no harm in looking, even up to the last minute, since they have no further arrangements to make if they find a fare.

It's worth checking for deals listed in the local paper, plus kayak.com, mobissimo.com, and any number of other sites. They should also look at flying into ports like London or Dublin and then catching a RyanAir or similar superbudget flight over to Paris

Impossible.

No.

thanks artsnletters! they would be coming from New York.

They won't get a sub $500 fare to Dublin in the time frame either.

zero

Even if they got a sub-$500 fare to somewhere else, the costs of getting to Paris from wherever that was would put them WELL over that limit.

Can't they find a way to make a couple extra hundred dollars between now and then? My son's selling books on Amazon while waiting for his summer job to begin. My daughter's supplementing her summer job by going to Goodwill, buying hot-label clothes and reselling them to a fancy local consignment shop. Not that these are brilliant job ideas, but for making extra money, anything goes.

That's not even close to a realistic fare.

I would never say never. The possibilities I would expect to be very low in finding an airfare that low. But, I well remember, in December when I was trying to get to Buenos Aires for less than $1,000 from , L.A., and many thought it was impossible.

Well, at 2AM, I went on expedia and an airfare popped up for $559. on American Airlines, from L.A. to BA, via N.Y. I jumped on it and was off to BA around 3 weeks later. I had been on line checking airfares regularly and it was all pricing out in the $1,000-$1,500 range.

Since I'm a night person, I go on line looking for flights well after midnight. Many times deals pop up after midnight and I try to jump on them while most are sleeping. That's definitely what happened with my BA airfare because it was no longer available a few hours after I had booked it. Happy Travels!

After midnight in what time zone?

! StCirq - that's a great idea - take another approach to solving the problem!! thanks ...

There's always a workaround, usafran. That's what you learn running a small business. Always a workaround and some other way to get money. Go for it.

StCirq-I'm in Los Angeles....so Pacific. I kind of figured that the original poster figured that one out as I stated above that I was flying from L.A. to Buenos Aires.

I've been checking airfares, after midnight, long before the computer age or before I owned a computer which was just July 2008. The system has worked out quite well for me checking airfares at those wee hours. Happy Travels!

Actually there are a couple airlines running $408 RT Newark to Paris specials right now - though taxes would put it over $500 most likely. Could they fly out of there. I received an email from (?Travelocity ?Expedia? Travezoo? one of them) this week but already deleted it so can't provide specifics. IIRC, Iberia was one of the airlines.

Seamus-One of my best, male friends has been flying for decades out of Newark to Europe and gets really cheap airfares. He lived in Newark, for a couple of decades, before moving to Jersey City. As he's been married over a decade to a European woman and the two have flown back and forth to each other the whole marriage, he flies 3-4 times a year and a lot of times in high season.

He just moved, a few months ago, permanently to Europe, as he took very early retirement. I remember when he and a friend of ours, from N.Y. City, met me in Paris a few years ago, and they both flew out of Newark for an airfare in the $300 price range, rd.trip. So, I never say never. One just must be persistent and hope that luck comes one's way! Happy Travels!

I wouldn't rule it out. It will be tough, but keep checking. They could always give Priceline a try...

usafran- I just happenend to get an e-mail from my friend who lived in Newark for decades. So, I just mentioned to him of your situation and asked him how he used to get those really cheap airfares to Europe from Newark. So, I'll wait until he replies and if there's anything that I think might benefit your situation, I'll post it. Don't give up. Hopefully he'll reply soon. Remember he just moved permanently to Europe a few months ago, so we're really in different time zones now. Keep trying though. Happy Travels!

Also, it might be helpful to know the departure and return dates as I'm on the computer late a lot. If something pops up, I could post it and hopefully it wouldn't be sold out before you got the message. Happy Travels!

Petert Greenburg was on one of the morning shows today (CBS Early Show I think) talking about bargain airfares. According to him, the best time to get a bargain fare is after midnight on Tuesday. He says flights that people didn't finish processing/buying over the weekend are released then during a two hour or so period. He also said you need to be on the phone with the airline to get these released deals and it needs to be at 12:01 for the time zone where the airline is located.

Kybourbon-I had to laugh when I read the 12:01AM advice. For over a decade, I've picked up the phone and dialed at 12:01AM either in my time zone or the airlines time zone or to an expedia type of place that's open 24/7 as I have had my own computer less than a year. However, between around 1AM-3AM has been my lucky time zone. Go figure. Smiles.

Sometimes, I'd overnight at my parent's house as there's a computer there. Then I could use the computer there. But, since the 80s, I've been on the "phone" getting the cheap airfares. It was the airline agents, on the phone, who told me to try at 12:01AM and on, but not only on Tuesdays.

I do the same for frequent flyer tickets, but in the past few years, the 12:01AM rule, on one of my airlines, changed as I called at 12:01AM, Pacific time, for a ticket to Europe, and was told that now I had to call at 12:01AM in the Hawaiian time zone as they're 3 hours behind us. Then the seats would be up for the grabbing. It was either on United or Delta that I was told this just last year as that's where my frequent flyer miles are. Happy Travels!

Guenmai - thanks! the dates woudl be between July 26 and Aug 8, and they could leave from any New York area airport - Newark, JFK, etc. Thanks!

Putting NYC into most fare search engines will search all New York airports. That being said, flying out of EWR isn't going to make the fares magically drop $200.

Two weeks ago, my son's girlfriend got a last minute modeling offer in Paris. They live in Brooklyn, but they're from Philadelphia, and she got a $500 RT fare, PHL - CDG, one day before departure.

OK...usafran. I'll work on it. Plus, since I'm on the West Coast, it's 3 hours earlier than your time zone, so you'll probably be sound asleep while I'm on the computer. Happy Travels!

Thanks very much! The girls are also going to search at 12:01 am.

Airfare Watchdog sent me an alert that Orbitz has cheap fares to Frankfurt. I checked dates at the end of July/first of August from JFK and found both Delta and Air France had flights for $507.

Perhaps they could take the train or get a cheap flight from Frankfurt to Paris?

That's interesting as I would have assumed if it were that cheap to Frankfurt, it would be as cheap or cheaper to Paris (on Air France) -- but it's not. The cheapest JFK-Paris I found around that time was $759 on Air France. I did find the $508 RT Frankfurt, but it wouldn't pay as not only would they have to get to Paris, they'd have to get back to Frankfurt and that wouldn't be cheap, might as well go to Paris to begin with. There aren't any cheap flights from Frankfurt to Paris on budget airlines.

I did see a $124 RT fare on Expedia but don't know how it would work out for their specific dates. That's still cheaper than $759. I imagine that the cheaper fares just have to do with capacity.

Sorry, the $124 RT fare was for Frankfurt - Paris.

You can get a 39-Euro train fare quite often from Paris to Frankfurt and vice versa, on www.bahn.de . It is a nonrefundable, nonchangeable fare which must be purchased well in advance.

Inquiring minds need to know: are we talking about 1)excluding tax; or 2)including tax. That's a $200+ difference.

When people brag about (stock profits, golf,airfares) ...fill in the blanks...., it's entirely too easy to believe them without checking for facts.

The $507 Orbitz fares are non stop Delta and Air France flights (JFK-FRA) and do include tax. The $124 Expedia RT Air France fare from FRA-CDG also includes tax.

And my friend's round-trip airfare from Newark to Paris a few years ago also include tax and for under $400. total and many said it couldn't be done then either. Happy Travels!

I'm seeing $523 pp JFK-CDG on Finnair for the dates the OP has mentioned but when I try to buy it it says the price has changed (good ol' Expedia).

Still, it's worth it to keep looking if they are willing to shorten the trip and can come up to say $650 or so.

usafran-I'm still checking for you. Another option is to fly from JFK, non-stop into Brussels and take the Thalys (train) into Paris. The Thalys takes right under an hour and a half and is non-stop and ends at Gare du Nord in Paris. I've flown into Brussels a many time, back in the day, when I was on a tight student budget. It was cheaper than flying straight into Paris. So, that's something for you to look into if a REALLY low airfare pops up to Brussels.

Right now, I've found non-stops from Kennedy to Brussels for $562. before the $92.00 tax. This is on Delta/Air France and on Orbitz. Go on igougo.com and type in the dates and then click on all of the dot.coms listed.

So, that along with calling the airlines directly at 12:01 might work. Just remember it's the American airlines that are open 24/7 on the 800 numbers. But, if you call Delta, for example, they're hooked up with Air France and code share.

I'll probably be up for another two hours as I go to bed early on work nights. But, I'll check before I get off of the computer and keep you posted if anything pops up. Happy Travels!

chances are pretty good nowadays! Airlines are struggling to fill seats as as results there are some great deals out there.
A coworker of mine just returned from Paris for a week and had airfare under 500 USD and on a major carrier....so it it very possible...good luck!

usafran-You can also try skyauction.com I've been looking into their fares since the early 90s. My sister used to use them in the 90s. Right now, there's an auction from JFK-Paris, starting at $383. You just have to be a bit flexible and also watch the add-on tax/fee so that you don't go over your budget price. But, it's another possibility. Happy Travels!

orbitz.com
JFK-Paris rd. trip...$248.00 base price...$623.00 total. I just saw it a few seconds ago. It goes through Helsinki. It's only a little over your budget. This is an excellent fare. Happy Travels!

I forgot to type that it was on orbitz.com and was Finnair. Happy Travels!

Guenmai... Thanks so much!! You have truly given us hope! If it all works out I will definitely let you know!

Delta is having a sale tonight. JFK to Paris is $505.43 all in leaving July 30 and returning Aug 6. There are LOTS of other cities in the US and Europe available, many for $300 and under.

You can get more info by looking at flyertalk.com under the milage run section..DL:jfk-mad posting.

I would not wait long to book!

usafran-You're welcome. And absolutely don't give up. Search until the end. Remember that positive energy can bring very positive results.Smiles. Happy Travels!

Look at Delta!
I just now bought tickets LAX to Rome for $435, all inc, for October, but there are some summer dates I've heard.We are flying through JFK.

Guenmai, if you're thinking of going anywhere, you might want to take a look. Good fares from LA right now.

Thanks, Kristina. I already have a ticket. I bought an L.A.-Paris-Copenhagen-Paris-L.A. ticket about a month ago, for late summer. It was $978. before the taxes and $1,136.80 after the taxes/fees. It had started at $1550. It's now back up and over $1200. It's on Air France as I absolutely wanted a non-stop to Paris. I was in Paris/Venice in April and went Air France the whole route, but on a Delta/Air France frequent flyer award.

I bought on Air France, for this summer, since I want to take a week in Paris on the way home. My Parisian friend, who was with me on vacation to Italy, said I can have the apartment, in the 10th, that he owns, so that I won't have to rent one. I was also at his place in April. He had also taken me by it in March 2008 to check out the process of major renovations. It was great staying in it, a year later, almost totally renovated. It's in an old, high-ceiling building, with a lot of character and has been in his family since his great-grandmother. He's had it for about a year and a half now.

However, for spring 2010, I've already put a deposit on an apartment in my neighborhood in the 6th, and already have my frequent flyer award plane ticket.

I will, however, look at the airfares that you've mentioned as my best friend, remember, the one at both my GTG and the recent GTG, wants to zip over to Paris to shop. So, the less on airfare, the more on handbags! Smiles. Happy Travels!

usafran- My friend who used to live in Newark just e-mailed me and said that the years of cheap flights he got, out of Newark, were on the Northwest website and usually on KLM. He said that he also used to check yahoo.com. Happy Travels!

I think it could be possible to get a fare around $600-700 as there are some good sales this year, but I still think it impossible to do what the OP wanted -- a fare under $500. A lot of times people keep upping their ante, though, when they realize what they want won't happen. $623 is more than 20% higher than 500, which is a big increase -- if you really have that limit as written in stone. I think a lot of times people think they have a limit but then keep increasing it because they really start thinking about the trip and hate to miss it.

I got a great AF RT nonstop from Wash DC (which is usually more expensive than JFK, I think) for only $650 RT around Labor Day, which I think was about half price compared to what rates were going for. I don't think those $500 fares on Delta includes taxes, it would be more around $600 with taxes.

The fares on Delta do include taxes. The fare sale was quite unprecedented.

I don't know about availability on Delta for those low fares for July and August, but as of this morning, there were still tickets for mid october.
And yes, my $435 r/t ticket included taxes, LAX-FCO. Crazy low price. Honestly, I don't even know how it's possible but we ansome friends booked and paid for them last night.

Guen, your upcoming trip sounds great.

The Delta fares do include all taxes and etceteras. I do not know if the $505 to Paris I saw last night is still available, or if the OP saw the fare.

Christina nails it. The question from the OP was can they get airfare for under $500. I wouldn't be surprised to see $600-700 dollar fares for the dates in question at some point, but that isn't $450-500.

As for looking to other airports like Brussels... It has already been said, but it needs repeating. You still have to factor in the cost to travel from Brussels or Dublin to Paris. This means under the best of scenarios you would need something like a $440 air fare to Brussels. An equally unlikely scenario.

Christina didn't nail it. If you had been on Flyertalk last night you would have seen all the posts about the Delta fares. People were getting fares as cheap as low $300's ai (all in).

The fare last night with Delta was $505.43, all in.

Right now, it is $594.35 all in. 1 stop each way, JFK to CDG leaving July 26 and returning Aug 9. There are a few other dates available.

No, it is not $505 anymore. You had to buy it last night to get that price. The prices last night to Madrid and several other cities from NYC July/Aug was under $300, all in.

Kybourbon,
Don't assume I wasn't...

I saw it too and it was $505 all in--I do hope the OP's daughter was able to buy tickets.

I looked for myself to Paris or Rome for Thanksgiving from SFO on Delta last night as well: $493, all in, not the best (for me) flight schedule. But I sure had itchy fingers...

Three posters, Leely2, Poutine, and Kybourbon have all reported that they have seen fares for $505-ish or less. So,that says to me that it can be done. It's all about timing, just as it was with my Buenos Aires ticket.

I'm also aware that $623. is higher than the $500. stated. However, I posted it anyhow, in case either the poster decides to go above the $500 in order to go, or there are other folks reading this thread who might be looking for a $623. price range for a ticket. I'm just one not to throw in the towel so easily, but to look to the end and keep a positive outlook. Had I listened to a lot of folks, I would have never made it to Buenos Aires. Happy Travels!

"If you had been on Flyertalk last night you would have seen all the posts about the Delta fares. "

kybourbon: could you please tell me where on flyertalk to look for these posts? i guess i'll be joining another forum!

tks!

Big sales opened last night (Tues 6/9)!

http://intransit.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/10/travel-deals-shockingly-low-fares-to-europe/#more-1523

Great, almost unheard of summer fares to Europe. Article in NY times....I would look at the Delta offer to Paris from NY at $392 all in , taxes included non-stop.

I just saw on travelocity.com....$572.50 total price on Finnair...JFK-Paris...07/26-08/03. I went on fly.com that searched and transferred me to travelocity.com as that was the lowest fare. Who knows, it could drop even further. Happy Travels!

Lilaki- I was just on flyertalk.com and read the thread that Kybourbon was referring to. I just tried to get back to it, but don't have time, right now to figure out how to. I'm very busy. If I have time to figure it out, I'll post it to you. There's a lot of talk over there and folks are jumping on some really low fares. Happy Travels!

Hi again -

I'd say slim to none. I think that you'll find that it's cheaper to fly in to London for a couple of days, take the Eurostar train to Paris, and then fly home from Paris. I would check out Orbitz.com . I got a great deal with American Airlines when I booked my ticket in March.

I found out about last night's sale right here on Fodor's, on a thread which referenced the Flyertalk discussion: http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/329-rt-from-orange-county-ca-to-madrid-188038-2.cfm

There were all kinds of sub $500 fares last night so I don't know why people are saying slim to none when anyone on this thread could have booked one then. One of the best was LAX/MAD $299 ai (all in/all inclusive). These fares never last long and you have to be ready to book when they appear. Ya snooze, ya lose. If you just scroll down this link you will see all the deals people were booking, mostly on Delta
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/mileage-run-deals-372/