We're flying DFW-AMS.... CDG-DFW Sept 8 - 17 or 18th and the best fare I come up with is. $2,022.00 for two all in. Last Sept we did DFW-CDG... FRA-DFW for $1,569.00 all in. I bought the tickets in may. I was advised to wait until may this time too to buy because the price may go down?

I've learned for cheapest fares to book before the year's end for next summer's travel.

Try "Eurofly" ...uses secondary airports in Italy

Cowboy1968: That is pretty consistent with what I have seen. I subscribe to the Kayak Daily Buzz and follow prices from CPH to the US and from the US to CPH. For some time now, I have been seeing the prices from Europe pricing out lower than prices from the US. Indeed, I have seen prices from CPH to BOS in the $700 range even in July and August.

The differences aren't huge - maybe $100-$200, at most - but they are there. Not sure what this means, but it doesn't seem to support a claim that it is fuel costs driving the pricing, more than supply and demand.

Last summer I paid $1200 from Atlanta to Paris in July....summer rates are outrageous. I tried waiting for a deal, flexible dates, also. You are probably not going to find a good sale for summer. It sometimes helps to go before June 15th.
Part of the reason is that airlines are not running as many European routes as they used to. Still go to all the places, just not as frequently, so they fill up the planes.

travelgourmet..

Quite odd, indeed. The itinerary of pinchme would cost €1080 or $1560 all in for two, if he was flying AMS-DFW and DFW-CDG on those dates - just the opposite legs, respectively. Though, it would require one connection on each leg while his itinerary may be non-stop.
So it could be comparing apples with oranges.

lesm, I rarely go to Europe unless I do FF miles. I kind of like off season, less crowded and WAY cheaper. We are taking our grown children to London and we are going in early March. There are some drawbacks less daylight, early closings, yet I can live with that.

<< So it could be comparing apples with oranges >>

Indeed it is. The reverse direction of any route is often composed of two very different sets of people with different demand-supply elasticity, even on the same day.

Just take a look at routes into a specific city where there is a major event.

It's a bargain to travel OUT of Louisville on Kentucky Derby weekend - - all those planes are going off to other cities empty to bring in more visitors TO the city. Conversely, those flying INTO Louisville... pay a premium for their very different demand elasticity curve.

Simple answer...supply and demand and how much of that market (route) the airline controls...be in because of fuel costs, they KNOW you want to GO to Europe and will PAY, etc., etc.

"travelgourmet.
Quite odd, indeed. The itinerary of pinchme would cost €1080 or $1560 all in for two, if he was flying AMS-DFW and DFW-CDG on those dates - just the opposite legs, respectively. Though, it would require one connection on each leg while his itinerary may be non-stop.
So it could be comparing apples with oranges"

That's not quite the same? It would have to be..AMS-DFW and another city back to AMS like, AMS-DFW..MSY-AMS

My experience has been the same as schuler's the past few years. I shop like the dickens as soon as our dates go on sale. I've always been able to find non-stop flights at convenient times on preferred airlines with a consolidator for less than the alternatives. Not once have better fares been available for our dates later on. I've also had terrific luck with Priceline packages.

And, I shop dates and hotel rates.

But, we never go in "summer", always May, June, September.

Even so, fares have skyrocketed and exchange rates are dreadful and getting worse, so we're not planning on Europe this year.

To my observation, the airlines have eliminated flights from their schedules to maximize fares and minimize cheap seats.

I'm going this summer Seattle to Geneva and yes the prices I'm finding are around $1450 for the decent carriers and routes.

Even the budget websites (like cheapo or something) offering those ridiculous routings (i.e., Heathrow/Gatwick transfer, 5 hour layovers, and 3 flight itineraries) are coming in at $1000.

rex.. no doubt about the fact that special events or differences in travel habits like in your Louisville example play a role.

I was only a bit more surprised that the effect added up to $ 100-200 pP for those major routes across the pond that do not involve feeders to smaller cities for several dates in different weeks, i.e. any NYC AP to AMS or FRA.

> Why is airfare so ridiculous for summer travel to Europe?

Could $90/bbl oil have something to do with it?

((I))

Flew Uk to Vancouver last June and found no problem getting £330 flights.

Tried to get Trans-Atlantic this June - found it impossible for less than £500 - both taxes and fuel have gone up, as has demand.

Rex - bit suspicious about those fares - the taxes shoud come to more than those figures - last I checked they should come to around $300 at least.

There is good reason to think that the Detroit-Rome fare of $273 is "suspicious" - - the understanding that is circulating on flyertalk.com is that these are "mistake" fares in that the Priceline software is omitting the fuel surcharge(s) of about $200 for some reason.

But they really are that low (there ARE published fares in the $400-450 range, all-inclusive for many city pairs in Feb abd March, on a number of airlines); people are booking them and flying, and the fares have existed on Priceline for over a week without having been corrected.

If they work for you, then there is strong certainty that the fare will be honored, and you will NOT be charged extra for the "mistake".

I am salivating at the airfares quoted ! - from Sydney you are looking at $2000 AUD plus :-(

Fares are returning to pre-911. We normally paid $1,200 to $1,600 for tickets from LAX to Italy during the 1990s.

As noted above, it is a supply and demand situation. Go in February if you don't like the July fares.

Rex - this is the stuff of travel legends - I love little stories like this.

Years back Hoover offered a deal in which you received return tickets UK to NYC if you bought a hoover. This was a loss leader to boost their flagging sales. What they missed was the fact that the hoovers were £80 but the flight were worth £250. Half the population of the UK queued up for hoovers and it nearly bankrupted them over here. The marketing dept were all looking for jobs shortly afterwards.

I have come across similar
mistakes on Expedia that do make you wonder - "should I?"

Just read the first few messages and decided to do a search whilst i was reading the rest. The airfares were around £900 ($1,700) to Paris. £460 ($895) to Barcelona. £930 ($1,810) to Rome. £580 ($1,129) to Venice. Half are below the prices you said. Maybe its worth you taking a closer look (www.fly.co.uk), seeing as i just chose a random date (6th of june) and searched all Chicago airports to any aiport in the cities you specified, one way. There were at least 20 results for each, you might want to (if you find a price and aiport location you like) ask on the forums if the actual airline is any good.
As for the rise in prices, i cant really comment as i travel any time of the year. Im not much of a "oh its summer here ill go have summer elsewhere" type of person. If im travelling tyhat time of year though to see family or friends, well you just gotta expect it. Its the way it is, just look for the cheapest you can get and then hope you get good service for your money :)
It is a ripp off though and i was in debt for a while because of a recent air trip to poland.
Hope it helps