Best time to book flights from US - Europe for August travel
 

Looking to book flights from US (East Coast) to Greece for August 2023 travel. Cattle class. Scandinavian has good fares; everyone else is high (it seems). Is this the new normal? Or better to wait? Pre pandemic, I booked in December for August travel; last year I booked in March. Was hoping to book Aer Lingus again but they don't even seem to have their flight schedule ready for August.

IMO is is way too early to be booking (unless you are using FF miles/points). Current schedules are really only 'place holders' and there could be multiple changes in fares, flights, equipment, even routes between now and then. I'd personally wait until summer schedules are more firm -- like this coming spring.

On the other hand - some airlines have liberalized their change policies so sometimes if a fare goes down you can cancel and rebook without having to pay change fees. So as long as you read the fine print before pulling the trigger, if you find a fare that looks good to you and is changeable w/ penalty go ahead.

Set an alert on google flights. Then you can see the fares and decide what is a fare you are willing to help.

I would not book a ticket with an airline that is in bankruptcy protection at a point in time when other airlines haven't yet published comparable, competitive, fares.

Airline SAS losses deepen, warns bankruptcy protection to drag out | Reuters

I would wager that the fare you saw allows no refunds and no changes.

You know, when I want to see what fares to Europe are like, I first check Copenhagen and Athens.

At the moment the schedules could not be set yet. To my mind, it is better to wait till end-January, February

Thing is about placeholder schedules is that it gives people a chance to book on something. If nobody books because they think they'll be a sched change, then there definitely will be one if no one is booked on the flight. I tend to book airfares when I see a price I think it good, usually when there are sales or other campaigns, as it is coming up to Christmas and NY, there might be some offers soon. I've never had drastic sched changes (except during COVID), maybe because I don't book US carriers very much, there aren't so many passenger rights in the US vs EU so its possible passengers get messed about a bit more.

Much is made of the financial situation of SAS & its not great, however, bankruptcy protection is not the same as bankruptcy or filing for bankruptcy. Many airlines have gone through this esp during COVID, alot of people have forgotten all about that now. And remember the advice here on travelling on Norwegian, some here saying they'd be out of business in a matter of months and that was a good 18months ago, if not longer. Where are Norwegian now? SAS are introducing new routes from the US to Denmark and Sweden next year from EWR (GOT & AAL), has leased new long range aircraft, hopefully that is a good sign.

Bankrupcy protection means they "filed for bankruptcy", doesn't it?. It is protection from creditors and is not a liquidation bankruptcy where the assets are sold off to pay creditors. During the Norwegian restructuring bankruptcy they cancelled all filghts to the USA and all other long hauls, dropped flights in Europe, reduced its staff and fleet. It emerged from bankruptcy after 6 months. I assume that SAS will survive and the news will be better a year from now. It just sounds like a cash grab now when they are offering bargain fares and other carriers are not. My decision might be different if it was a nonstop to Copenhagen.

I am looking to go PHX-Paris in November and fare is $568. don't know how it could go any lower.

The best time to book flights from the US to Europe for August travel typically depends on several factors such as the departure city, the destination city, and the airline you choose to fly with. However, as a general rule, it's recommended to book your flight at least 2-3 months in advance to get the best deals and avoid price increases that often occur closer to the departure date.

It's also worth noting that August is a popular travel month, especially for Europeans taking their summer vacations, so prices may be higher than other months of the year. To get the best deals, you can try to be flexible with your travel dates and consider flying mid-week instead of on weekends, which can often be more expensive.

Another tip is to set up flight alerts on travel websites and apps to track prices and receive notifications when fares drop. This can help you find a good deal even if you're booking closer to your travel date. Additionally, booking directly with the airline or through a travel agent may sometimes offer better prices and more flexibility with changes and cancellations.