Arrrggghhh!!! Fares up AGAIN!!
 

I have been watching flights to Europe since about October and they are up yet AGAIN for Spring, 09! What's going on? If I went between now & March I could get my flights for just under $500 + Taxes & Fees. But for May the base price is now up to $957 + Taxes & Fees = $1281 for ONE RT ticket. This is nuts. One never knows whether to buy or wait. IMO the airlines should/could do a better job of pricing tickets and making them a little more consistent. There, I've vented today.

Why?

In May, a lot more people want to go to Europe than in March.

The airline have fixed costs - they can't just layoff half their people in the winter and park half their planes.

Airfare pricing is always about supply and demand. The airlines have done a great job in cutting supply to keep fares high and to make a profit.

What do you want them to do? Price them the same year round at $800? If that's the case, even fewer people will go now, and they'll lose money; and in high season, they'll be leaving money on the table.

As usual Rkkwan is on the money.
For what it is worth TAW, the airlines aren't operating all of their international flights everyday during the winter which causes them to lay the crews over for extra days overseas(think no extra pay for us but a free hotel room).This is still costing them quite a bit hence the words "operating costs".

Yeah, I understand the economics of it all. However, I am still frustrated thinking "I COULD HAVE purchased the tickets back when they were about $200 less than they are now."
I'm still hoping for a sale for the dates I want to fly but I will be VERY surprised if I see one!

Well, do you want to go to Europe now or do you want to go in May?

If you want to go in May, the airlines may be announcing some "Spring sale" in another month or two.

Hi, TAW!

You did not indicate your point of origin: will you be starting your trip to Europe from New York or from Honolulu?

Also, you have not mentioned your destination: do you wish to go to London or to Istanbul?

$1281 is a great price for a trip from Honolulu to Istanbul and return, if that's what you were planning.

You've run across the age old problem when checking airfares. They change often and there's no way to predict when the will go up or down.

Your best bet is to check fares on a regular basis and when you see a fare to your intended destination that looks good to you go ahead and book it. If you wait it may not be there when you want it.

Try using one of the websites like kyack that track airfares or sends you alerts when there are "fare sales".

RoamsAround,
Yes, that is what I usually do, watch the fares and when I see a price I can live with I buy. I'm signed up on many of those sites that track fares.

Our trip is SFO to FCO, then MUC to SFO. Depart May 12, return June 4.

I think it just depends on where you are flying to/from. I can still get a fare of $830 RT from Houston to Frankfurt for mid May including all taxes and fees on American.

TAW, I plugged your dates into 1800flyeurope.com and came up with a round trip fare of $957 with a connection in Heathrow each way. That's with taxes and fees.

ttt for TAW