We are going to a wedding in Paris in September. We have to be there by the 8th, but our travel dates are flexible. Does anyone know of any cheap specials? We'd be flying out of Chicago or St. Louis.

I live in Denver, and the best prices I've seen per person to Paris and back are around $750-800 -- last time I checked. I'd get on www.orbitz.com and play around with the dates since they're flexible. You can check the other major internet sites like travelocity.com, cheaptickets.com etc. Lately I've found Orbitz to be the least expensive.

After I've checked with Orbitz, I go straight to the airline. We're going to Paris in mid-September and I found buying direct from Continental for my Mom's tickets was cheaper than buying through Orbitz.

I'd get going on those tickets though. They don't generally get cheaper unless someone hits the panic button at the airline and slashes prices. That usually happens in January.

Good luck

Jules

I'm an airfare queen - always looking even though i can't go anywhere. I kind of like to torture myself. If you give me your dates (I know you said you're flexible, but are you staying a weekend? a week? do you want time in advance?) I'd be more than happy to help.

It's hard for me to check this at work, so you could email me at [email protected]

I hope I can help!

try 1 800 fly europe or economy travel.9/6 to 9/14 435 +
good luck sister

kayak.com finds United flights starting at $707, assuming a departure on the 6th and returning mid-week the following week.

If you could swing going out of MSP, Icelandair has some $600 fares (not incl. about $144 taxes/fees) around that time.

I received an email from AirFrance today with some decent fares this fall, but the effective start date is September 11.

United Airlines flies out of Chicago and should have some good deals. Usually at the last minute United can have flights to Paris as low as 450 round trip (and non-stop)

You really, really, have to shop like the dickens with all available resources, so that you recognize a really good fare when you find one, then book it immediately, as it may not be available even an hour later.

HOWEVER, once you find it, you'll definitely want to check with the airline directly first, as usually (but not always) the airline's website will have a similar price and it's always better to book directly, unless you can achieve significant savings elsewhere. If you can't find the same price directly, it's probably that seats have been sold off to a consolidator (such as 1-800-FlyEurope).

September is a busy month for Paris. At this late date, fares are much more likely to go up than down. By now, flexible travel dates are not necessarily to your advantage as many flights are likely totally booked. And, airlines, these days, are more likely to consolidate flight schedules than offer cheap seats.

If you've already shopped, 1-800-FlyEurope is often a great deal (but phone, rather than book online). If you've picked out convenient flights at great prices, 1-800-FlyEurope may have seats for similar prices, and may offer you a 10% same day booking discount. So, you'll want to phone early in the day, so you have the rest of the day to shop all over again. Before calling, you should also shop trip insurance, if you're thinking of purchasing that. They also offer reasonably priced trip insurance (which you must purchase at the same time), but you need to know if the premium/coverage is comparable to that which you could purchase elsewhere for less or for the same price with better benefits.

Last time we booked with 1-800-FlyEurope (2001) for Paris, they matched the best AA fares I found (and best was not through AA) on the flights I wanted and offered the 10% discount.

But, I've learned that each trip is an entirely new endeavor, and you just have to diligently shop like the dickens all over again.

Hi ch,

Try www.mobissimo.com

Ch1399, try www.sidestep.com

Also, if you're flexible, flying Monday thru Thursday are usually cheaper.

Good luck!

Hi ch,

Prices drop considerbly after Labor day.

Go to travelocity.com
Click "Flights"
Click "Dream Maps"

Change the departure city and "Update"
Click "Western Europe"
Click on Paris
Set dates to SEP SEP

Also, don't overlook the possibility of flying in and out of London and taking the Eurostar back and forth to Paris. Depending on the competitive landscape for your travel dates, it might be cheaper (and certainly more fun)!