Best time to buy airfare????
 

My family of three would like to travel to Paris late June/early July but all of the fares are over $1200. Is this as good as it gets for summer travel or should I wait? Also, which Paris district should we stay in? Want a comfortable triple room but not two pricey - maybe three star hotel. Need safe area to allow 12 year-old some freedom.<BR>thanks

You may want to wait but in June, that's high season for Europe. Do a websearch for &quot;airfare consolidators&quot; or &quot;ticket consolidators&quot; and you'll get a cheaper fare, albeit with some restrictions. All of central Paris is quite safe. You don't have to worry about that at all. Try www.airfrance.com/us to get an idea. Shop around for airfares.

It depends where you are traveling from. That is a high summer fare for US east coast to Paris, but could be reasonable for some place else.<BR><BR>There are many Paris' districts that could be suitable. Most first-timers find one of the central ones most convenient and user-friendly (ie, 1,4-8, but 8 is expensive). On average, 7 has somewhat lower hotel rates than other areas and would be safe and good for a family, I'd say.

I booked a few days ago through travelhub for England next June. The fare was really good so I decided not to wait. The site is travelhub.com

Fishing around for flights from Tampa to Paris in late June/July. Fares are at about $800-900 right now. I am going to give it a few more weeks and take the plunge.

We are looking for a good fare San Diego-London at the end of July. Please keep posting any advice and good websites to check! Thanks.

We are looking to take a family of 5 to Italy during that same time frame. Does anyone have any suggestions regarding lower fares leaving from Toronto Canada?

topping

We generally make a Fall trip to Europe. I start checking fares in November, get a base line, and by February I usually have a good idea. After that when fares reach what I'm willing to pay I buy. I consider what I paid the previous year and if fare is close to that I'm satisfied. I check the usual travel sites along with airline sites. The first research is sticker shock ! I have been pleased with the way it works for me-one thing, you have to be flexible on the day, time, airline. I have preferred airlines but will fly with the one thaat best suits the current plan. Last year my first check NYC to Frankfurt on Lufthanns was $1200 per; I got tickets on Singapore Air for $545 per. We flew from JFK instead of Newark<BR>(preference)and on Thursday rather than Friday. Be patient !

We generally make a Fall trip to Europe. I start checking fares in November, get a base line, and by February I usually have a good idea. After that when fares reach what I'm willing to pay I buy. I consider what I paid the previous year and if fare is close to that I'm satisfied. I check the usual travel sites along with airline sites. The first research is sticker shock ! I have been pleased with the way it works for me-one thing, you have to be flexible on the day, time, airline. I have preferred airlines but will fly with the one that best suits the current plan. Last year my first check NYC to Frankfurt on Lufthanns was $1200 per; I got tickets on Singapore Air for $545 per. We flew from JFK instead of Newark<BR>(preference)and on Thursday rather than Friday. Be patient !

Hi Thomas<BR> Try www.tiss.com. Thay had flights from Atlanta to Paris for $740 on Virgin air.

45 days from your departure date, but keep an eye out for sales in the meantime.<BR><BR>I buy tickets to London 4-5 times a year, and have done so since 1990, so I know of what I speak.

Thanks, Ann. I'm not sure I can make myself wait until 45 days prior to departure to buy tickets but you sound like you know what you are doing! I'll try...

I usually buy my summer travel tickets January-March. I am always persistent and check many websites several times per week, usually Flights.com, qixo.com and expedia.com's &quot;bargain fares&quot;. Last New Year’s I was able to procure tickets for 3 July London-Detroit tickets for $320 and $450 tax inclusive. The price NEVER got better than that. There are a few web programs out there you can download that search several websites at one time, boardingpass through travelogia.com and sidestep.com for example. <BR><BR>

I went to Paris last December after Christmas. I got a good fare of 349 before taxes. This year we will be going in February. I found that the fares of last year are not this year's fares. I couldn't find anything on the days that I needed to fly (saturday to saturday). I checked consolidators, expedia, yahoo, airlines, and orbitz. I finally came up with a fare of $416 (in October) inclusive, from BOS to CDG on orbitz. It is VA to London,connecting to Paris on AF. So far it is the lowest I have seen on the dates that I need. I did book it and now my family of five will be heading to Paris. It did require checking everyday, sometimes a few times. Keep in mind that orbitz can change by the moment.