plafield

We're planning a trip to Italy (Rome, Florence, Sorrento) next May and airfares are just starting to show up now for our dates. American has a non-stop RT flight from JFK to FCO for $750 ($820 with the tax and surcharge)which seems pretty darn good given the price of oil which continues to rise.

I've read on this board that prices are set very high this far out becuase they don't know what costs will actually be so if that's true prices may drop and we have time, but I'm wondering what folks think about the chances that they will really be much lower than $750 per ticket given how oil seems to continue top rise in price and shows no sign of slowing down. Should we just buy now?

madameX

This isn't a bad price since (1) airfares in general have risen, epscially to Europe; (2) according to travel professionals, Italy is especially popular; and (3) there seems to be a lot of people with pent-up demand who have decided to travel to Europe, and euro be damned. That said, much depends on how much you just want to have it settled. You will probably be able to get something for less within 2 weeks of your travel, but do you really wnat to play that game? Some can handle it; others just want the peace of mind and move on. You may want to wait a few weeks, but sinc eMay is a popular time for Europe, I'd TRY decide within a few weeks.

mulifat

Historically for May that is a decent(not great)airfare. I would be surprised if it dropped much below that. However contrary to what seems like common sense, sometimes when oil prices go up and initially airlines raise fares, traffic slacks off and then the airlines run sale fares to build more traffic. Plus, if the dollar remains so weak you can bet that the airlines will keep prices attractive to help offset people staying away due to the exchange rate

LN

You've got a pretty good window there. Try signing onto the web sites of the airlines you'd like to use and see what they offer. Also try "Mobissimo", "Cheap Tickets, "Orbitz" and see what they will bring.

I just got tickets from DC to Frankfurt early September for $606 inclusive. All other tickets were running 750 - 850.

Jean

You don't need to go crazy checking Orbitz, then Expedia, then Travelocity, comparing notes, etc. Go to www.kayak.com and it will search for you. The site does not sell tickets.

If you want to look at historic fare trends, go to www.farecompare.com. This site also does not sell tickets.

Italiasubito

plafield, Run, don't walk, to secure that fare. May is exceedingly popular (with good reason!)

Have a wonderful trip.

djkbooks

I'd recommend booking those flights immediately, if you still can do that.

missypie

I shopped and shopped and had to pay $1075 per ticket (plus tax) to get from DFW to Rome (one stop; there are no non-stops)at the end of this May. Most tickets were in the $1200-$1400 range!

panecott

It's a decent price for May. It's possible that airlines may have a special sale with lower fares - I paid $435 two years ago on Alitalia for travel in June/July on a special weekend sale held the previous February - but there's no guarantee, and you'll have to keep checking on a daily basis.

Absent a special sale like the one I mentioned I don't think you'll do much better than $750. However, it's still early so you might want to consider waiting and doing a lot of checking on various websites as others have advised. Good luck.