From SFO, is there any cost/schedule benefits between arriving in Geneva or Zurich? Our first destination will be Murren in the Alps by train so either airport is about the same distance. Also, would there be much extra cost if we went open jaw departing from Munich?

You just have to look at schedules and see which works cheapest. I wouldn't rule out Basel either (airport code BSL). Use itasoftware to search and select the multi-city function. You can enter multiple airports to search. You can search departure city by entering SFO and using the nearby feature to select a few more airports to search. If you select too many at once, it seems not to return all results.

http://matrix.itasoftware.com/search.htm

You can't book on this site. Once you find your flight, book on the airline's website.

Thanks! this is very helpful. I can see that multi-city is very feasible. However, I can also see that booking now means a fare of about $1500. Do you have a guess as to when I should seriously book the tickets for departure in late July?

I would watch fares for a while, just to see how they fluctuate. They do change. Some folks think the fares go down during the mid week and go back up over the weekend (when people have more time to surf and look for fares!!). I'm not sure about that, but I am somebody who watches fares. When I see a fare I can live with, I book. Sometimes it goes lower, but mostly it does not. I'm typically booking about 2 months before travelling, but that doesn't mean I recommend anyone else wait that long.

Right now I'm watching fares for ORD-Sydney for July. I'll keep my eyes open for a while. It is still 4 months out.

I've even looked at fares for Bangkok in October. I'll be watching those rates as well.

My husband and I will leave for Zurich in another week, and we paid just over $1000 for upgradeable tickets. Upgrades have not cleared yet, but I'm hopeful.

Fuel prices hence tickets going straight up would book now for July peak season. Farecompare.com great tips. kayak.com/buzz cheapoair.com my cheapest comp sites. Go to both a fair amount on business GVA usually a little cheaper than ZRH for me. RT usually way cheaper than open jaw. aa.com in Chap 11 usually
has best sales currently for me out of DFW.

Happy Hunting!