PetHead36

I am planning on spending a week in Rome and an overnight in Torino next Feburary during the Olympics. I wanted to know if prices would increase dramaticly from East Coast cities(New York, Boston, Philidelphia, Toronto) duing the olympics. Is it even possible to find tickets from under $450. What is everyone's experience on booking tickets a half year or earlier in advance. Can you get good deals? I am not the spur of the moment type guy who can buy plane tickets a week or even 2 months in advance, and would feel more secure buying tickets early. Any information would be a great help.

Thanks
-Matt

rex

Everything about this answer is pure guesswork and speculation. But I do have two decades of Europe travel experience.

I predict that ticket prices to Italy will increase modestly for February 2006, compared to February 2005 and February 2004. Supply will surely be increased, and thus, there may be spot surpluses - - but overall, I predict that demand will increase more, and it will be far too price-inelastic to support more than rare bargain pricing. And it is likely to affect all of Italy. Train transportation within Italy is so good and so cheap - - and so many people from around the world have an insatiable demand to see Italy, that I predict that fares to all cities will rise.

350 million Europeans are going to be competing with you for affordable transportation withIN Europe to Italy too.

I think your best chances for lower cost fares will come in September, October or November. You will have to watch diligently to find fares under $600, and I predict that on certain dates and routes from East Coast USA to main airports in Italy, there will be NO seats sold as cheaply as $450.

Flexibility in your travel plans will determine whether you can reach your target air fares or not - - but it won't take much in excess lodging, meals and other cost to eat up a few hundred dollars of saving in air fare.

Best wishes,

Rex

ira

I think Rex has it right.

111op

I think that $450 is a bit of a stretch, but I looked for a couple of days this year as I was thinking of going for mid February. Prices were a little under $600 (for MXP, FCO). But when I was on Alitalia one day, there was a fare for NYC/MXP, VCE/NYC for $470. I blinked and missed it.

$450 will be very difficult, as Italy is always a little more expensive than the UK.

metellus

The discount airlines that fly in Europe are so cheap these days that a good straegy is simply to get the cheapest possible fare to Ireland or the UK and then to switch to Ryan Air, Easyjet, etc.

Budman

Last year around this time Delta had a one-day sale on tickets. We got Newark to Rome for $437 for September. Someone posted the sale on Fodors so I jumped on it. Sometimes you just got to get lucky.

111op

That's a great fare, Budman!