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I'm finding rates from Orlando, Florida for $800-$1000 per person round trip to Rome or Florence. $1000-$1200 to fly in and out of two different airports. Does this seem reasonable, or do you think I might get a better deal by waiting through July and August? We are going to Italy in October, so we do have some time, if it's worth waiting for. Thanks.

You can probably find a smidge under $800 (but I wouldn't count on hugely less). In fact, if you ever see $799, I would take it. It might be cheaper to find London (say at $600) and purchase London-Italy connectors separately. But since you are limited on time in Italy, this might not suit your purposes. In some cases it can mean spending a day in london (which is often a good thing - - just maybe not in your case). It also matters whether you are Oct 1-15 or Oct 15-31. I have seen up to several hundred dollars cheaper for 15-31. Best wishes, Rex

As a Florida resident, I have sometimes split my trip into two separately ticketed portions: one that gets me from my location in Florida to an international gateway, and the other going on to my destination in Europe. My advantage is that there are many specials offered at various times by various airlines, most of which specify departure from New York (or occasionally D.C.). And I can travel one of the discount airlines from Florida to the gateway. Although Orlando has become a gateway, it is not necessarily the best location for a good fare. You might try checking the two-part ticket idea, looking for the good deals out of New York or Washington. As an example (and I know this isn't relevant to your situation) Austrian Airlines is offering a combination round trip and 3-night 3 star hotel stay in Vienna for $679---a deal I am considering myself, although I just got back from Vienna recently. Since you have some time, you might want to look into these flight and hotel deals, and also into the specials being offered by various airlines.

Such is my life Rex. That is too funny. Our departure date is the 14th. Smack in the middle. Thanks for the info. If it's worth it, maybe I'll juggle a little.

Any more, the price decrease in the autumn is not hard and fast. Don't take my forecast too literally. And it will work to your advantage that your return in in the second half of October. You might have a shot at under $700 (or maybe even under $600) with dates in the second half of October. For London, maybe even under $500. Try calling 1-888-AIR-TIXX. Ask for Gur (yes, that really is her name, spelled correctly - - rhymes with cure).

I agree with Rex's take on airfares and I'm guessing that you will get a shot at a fall fare sale sometime after the Fourth of July -- though there are never any guarantees. Don't expect it to be as compelling as some offers in past years, though. Deals have not been as good and not come up as often as we've seen in past years. Still, there is no reason to get nervous and lock in at $1,000-$1,200 just yet (at least, I certainly wouldn't). Good luck!

Biz, I learned about a number of cheap flights on http://www.eurotrip.com/forum/ -- a travel forum with a section called "Cheap Flights." From this forum, I learned about travelteam.com, who sold me a round-trip open-jaw flight from Seattle to two European cities in October for $510. This was such a considerable savings, that I had to recommend it to you. I was waiting for sales, but with this and other consolidators mentioned on traveltalk, you might not have to. Best of luck.

Last week, i went directly thru the airline and got rt from lax to paris for 655. it was after i had wasted too much time trying to decide between a london arr or a paris arr and let a 574 flight slip away.

Biz: I live in Orlando and will be leaving for Italy on October 9. Just reserved on Delta to fly to Venice and return from Nice (going through Atlanta) for fare of $975 which is the on-line price. Good luck

Just got my tickets for Singapore Air from JFK to Frankfurt. Travelocity.com had the tickets for $559. The next best fare for September was Lufthansa. They wanted $847. Not sure if that is helpful. Not sure if Singapore Air flies from your part of the country.