So I am hearing from this forum and others that I should by my ticket for the summer now, and also that three months out from my trip is too soon to buy my ticket.

I am slightly freaking out cause I have seen the price go up a bit in the past week and I really want to take this trip.

COuld it be possible to get deals on airfare to LHR two months a month from now? Or should I always purchase early for early summer travel?

The one sure rule is that there are no sure rules. It would help to know what kind of a fare you are seeing. Others with experience purchasing that route might be able to provide some advice.

Sorry, here are the details....I am seeing prices from SFO to LHR for a little under 700 dollars both non and multi-stop for the month of May.

I was hoping to get a fair under 600, closer to 500 if possible.

I'd book it for under 700 - especially for a non-stop. It could jump up to over 1000 in a second.

I never get tickets for SFO to LHR for less than $600 in summer.

CA to Europe is pricey. I don't know if you have any frequent flyer miles, but here's what I did for my upcoming Amsterdam trip:

FFMiles from LA to Newark, NJ
Roundtrip NJ to Amsterdam, total with fees $430

When you posted over on the USA forum I assumed you were talking about <b>high</b> fares. A bit under $700 is definitely not high.

Are you talking about including taxes/fees or not? If you mean $700 inc. fees jump on it like yesterday. I mostly use SFO to Europe (but also SMF, LAS, and LAX). After a lot of searching I have usually been able to get fares for $550 - $630 in May/June. Into July the fares usually go up quite a bit.

BUT - w/ all the fuel surcharges and recovering load factors, $700 seems pretty good.

That's pretty good from the left coast.

But no one can tell you for certain what will happen with airfares 2 or 3 months down the road.

Oh - meant to add - I was talking about $550-$630 inc. taxes.

If your $700 is plus fees/taxes then that is really well over $800.

Give us a bit more info - actual dates of travel and are you talking about all inclusive fares.

And remember - if you are flexible w/ your dates you can sometimes save a LOT. Just moving your flights 1 or 2 days can make $100 or $200 difference.

I do not think you will get a fare SFO to LHR RT for under $600 including taxes in May and I would be happy to get it under $700 if you include taxes.
I fly out of SFO overseas and if you want fares to be less you will need to travel off season.

Depending on the dates you travel British Airways' roundtrip airfare is $667.38 (base fare is $448). I think this is a pretty good fare from SFO nonstop.

Tamara--

Regarding your ploy to use FF miles and they pay from NY, I'm curious how you have planned this logistically. Are you leaving a day of flex time in between in case there is a flight delay or what?

Julies, I have a 4 hour layover between flights. Which means I have plenty of time, even if the flight is running late. If the flight is so late that I miss my connecting (which is unlikely this time of year as far as weather delays go), I purchased the travel insurance for 20 bucks which will cover me). It works! I also double checked with Continental before booking, letting them know my plans, and they said it should be no problem.