I am watching fares to Europe for Spring, 09. I find the EXACT flights on various websites (Travelocity, Orbitz as well as the airline websites)and while the ticket price is the same, the taxes & fees vary as much as $25 depending on the website. Why is this? Anyone know? Thanks in advance.

Many websites charge their own fees for purchasing a ticket through them. You usually avoid those by booking through the airlines directly.

I agree that's usually the case but Travelocity = $351.69
United Airlines = $340.58
Orbitz = $329.58

Base ticket price $784 for all of them.

Anyone think the prices might go down soon?

Exact dates and flights?

yes...

I mean, if you give me some exact dates and flights as examples... so that I can look up what the fees and taxes are.

Don't need to be YOUR flights, but some examples will be great.

sfo to fco then return via
muc to sfo

leave on a tues; return on a thurs

United/Lufthansa are the flts I'm looking at. Leave SFO approx 2pm arr FRA approx 10am, then about 2 hr layover and arrive FCO about 2:30pm

Return: leave MUC about 4pm nonstop to SFO

this is May/June, 09
leave May 12
return June 4

Here is the breakdown of the taxes, fees:

US International Departure Tax $16.10
US September 11th Security Fee $2.50
US Passenger Facility Charge $4.50
USDA APHIS Fee $5.00
US Immigration Fee $7.00
US Customs Fee $5.50
German Airport Security Tax €11.19
German Passenger Service Charge €31.68
US International Arrival Tax $16.10

Excluding the $209 Fuel Surcharge, the rest should be fixed on this itinerary, which is $56.7 + €42.87. At today's exchange rate, $56.7 + $58 = $114.7.

If you buy a Lufthansa ticket, which I believe is the price you get with Orbitz, LH charges a <b>fuel surcharge of $209</b>.

If you buy a United ticket, which may be the same flights, but may not - as there's a 1:44p UA departure SFO-FRA - and a LH departure at 2:15p, the UA's fuel surcharge is higher. I see one fare that's $244, but what united.com quoting may be a little lower.

The fuel surcharge should be considered part of the fare. It's not a fee or tax charged by any government authorities.

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The answer is that while the base fare and the real taxes/fees are the same, United and Lufthansa add slightly different <b>fuel surcharge</b>. Depending on whether you're ticketed as UA/UA/UA, UA/UA/LH, LH/LH/LH, LH/LH/UA, etc etc, the fuel surcharges will be different.

And then Orbitz and Travelocity usually adds another $5 or more as their fees.

Sorry that the post may be seem confusing, as I had edited a couple of times before posting.

But short answer... Real taxes and fees are constant for SFO-FRA-FCO/MUC-SFO, it's $56.7 + &euro;42.87. The rest is fuel surcharges and fees charged by the booking agencies.

Because all of those flights you're considering can be marketed by LH and UA, depending which you end up booking with (i.e. which airline's flight number on your ticket), the fuel surcharge can be different. From what I am seeing, UA may be charging slightly higher fuel surcharge than LH on the same flights if you're booked with UA numbers.

having done this flight route numerous time go with all LH flights,
even it it cost slightly more you can book them through united or LH. Better food, more seat room, overall better service. Allow at least 2 hour layover FRA is a nightmare to get up\down\around and through security checks for ongoing flights.

Thanks for the info! I am leaning towards Lufthansa flts simply because they fit our schedules better. Planning on carry on only so that might help navigating thru FRA???
Will ticket prices ever go down???

I think $1,100 is a bit high. I'll wait a little before booking.