Is it just me or are you finding this to be true also? Last summer we paid more than we have ever paid, and this was for a beginning of June trip before peak season. Now I'm looking for good prices for mid-May to early June and there seem to be none even though this is prior to peak season. This is not just for one certain location in Europe, but across the board for all locations. Since we have some flexibility I have always been successful in the past finding really good fares 4 to 6 weeks out or so. My experience is that fares are at least $100 more than last summer and those were at least $100 more than the previous summer. What have you found? This is especially discouraging when I factor in the abysmal state of the dollar vs. the euro. By the way, I think I know every tip & site in the world to find cheap fares but am still coming up short.

Hi julies,

This year the price of petroleum is very high. This is going to keep airfares up.

What's your itinerary and what dates?

I couldn't agree with you more. I think that I am the queen of finding good fares from SF to Europe, especially 6-8 months in advance when someone usually has a big promo sale during the winter. I have been looking for a good flight to Zurich for September and I check everyday on multiple sites and have yet to hit the jackpot...best fare is about $850, which isn't horrible, but I would think that I could get $700, not sure how much longer I can wait it out. Also trying to go to DC in May and am finding those fares to be high unless I want to take the red eye, which I don't. What's up?

<b>susanna</b>,

<i>what's up???</i>

Do you read the papers?

Here is a good start....

<b>Crude futures pass $57 on supply fears</b>

http://www.usatoday.com/money/indust...l-prices_x.htm

I've checked the price for my Fall trip to France.

Last Oct it was $655 for midMay. Today it is $775 at the same discounter.

I feel like airfares have not increased much in 30 years, domestic or international. My first plane ticket (Louisville-San Francisco), in 1970, cost me about 100 times my hourly wage at that time. Now, it's only a tiny fraction of that number.

Best wishes,

Rex

The &quot;off season&quot; is getting shorter and shorter. The end of May and beginning of June are starting to be high season. It used to be that September and October were off season. Not as much anymore. The good fares start in November. We usually travel in April but this year we have to go in June. I'm paying double in June for the same flight in April.

rex, that's an unfair comparison.

Let's say you were just starting out 30 years ago (say).

Then the proper comparison is to compare today's airfare with the wage of someone just starting out today.

(I mean, your wage has gone up because your experience has increased, and there's no reason why airfare would have increased at the same rate.)

Julies where are you flying from?

Okay, a starting wage has gone up 300-400% since 1970 (I don't think I was at minimum wage at $2.00/hour back then). You can still, on sale, buy a ticket from the midwest to California for about $200.

I wasn't suggesting that you were making minimum wage, rex.

But well, if you make the base comparisions more comparable, then notice that your numbers look less spectacular.

Perhaps you've a point that airfares haven't gone up as much by comparison -- a point which is well-taken.

But obviously air travel has become much more of a commodity these days. After all, we can make a similar argument regarding prices of technology, no? I mean, try making the same sorts of arguments with prices of computers.

All I'm trying to say is that, yes, you've a point, but no one is going to be comforted by thinking, &quot;Oh, golly, air travel today is much cheaper than air travel 30 years ago.&quot;

Are you really comforted by such thoughts?

We are in MSP which tends to have higher fares because it is a Northwest hub, but things are still higher than previously. We have a number of possible destinations we are looking at because with a long list of places we want to visit we frequently find a good airfare and then take advantage of that to make a decision. This year we are thinking about Istanbul, a return visit to Romania via a flight to Budapest, and northern Spain or rural France which are more affordable western European destinations. So, I have been looking at fares to Istanbul, Budapest, Madrid, Paris, Lyon and also Amsterdam, London &amp; Frankfurt because I could use those for a connection for a cheap flight to istanbul. Prices across the board are high. Last June we paid almost $700 to Paris. That was the highest we have ever paid by a long shot. Many times we have found rather last minute (3-4 weeks prior to departure) peak season flights for between $400 and $500.

I just got a newsletter from Smarter Living and it highighted sale fares on a number of airlines for travel between now and the 1st of May. I think I will just sit tight and and wait it out for the next round of fare cuts as the time we want to depart gets closer. Then, if nothing good shows up it will be a US vacation for us this year. While we could do it, I don't want to take a beating on both airfare and the bad exchange rate.

Transatlantic tariffs have increased astronomically since my first trip in 1963.

Fortunately, my ability to pay them has managed to more than keep up.

Hi J,

If it will make you feel better, you can fly MSP/CDG for less than ATL/CDG.

Airfares are driven by the competition within a market among other reasons such as fuel prices, the price the market will bear, etc. Any time you are in a hub city or anywhere else for that matter where there is little competition on a route the fare is going to be as high as the dominant airline thinks they can charge.

Are there many other prices that have NOT risen over the past 13 years? If so, what are they? I remember when we thought it was outrageous to pay $800 per person to fly to Europe in high season; we don't think that way anymore.

At least part of the reason is taxes, security and landing fees. They shot through the roof in the last 2 years.

In 2002, we traveled on AA from IAH - FRA then LGW back to IAH for $636. I bought the tickets in Feb. for a May departure.

About a month ago, I paid $612 for a roundtrip ticket IAH - FRA also for travel in May. Hardly any difference.

I'd been checking prices for several months and they varied from $585 to over $800. I bought when I didn't think they were going any lower.

I had hoped for a sale like November 2003 when we paid $463 for round trip tickets to London for a May departure. No such luck. But those kind of deals aren't likely with oil prices this high.

All I know is that in the 70's when we took our first trip to Italy the tickets were $960.00 each.

With inflation and the high cost of fuel I sometimes wonder how airlines stay in business at all.

To me it is not so much the cost of an airline ticket but the value of the dollar versus the Euro plus inflation in Italy that is the budget problem.