how late can I wait to buy airline tickets to europe to get the best deals and still get availability
 

I'm traveling to Rome in the fall(my first trip abroad) and need to know how late I can wait to buy tickets and still get specific dates, one of which is on the weekend.

Honestly, if anyone can answer this question definitively I want them to give me stock market tips as well.
It's always a gamble. If you have strong reasons for needing particular dates, then inquire now generally about availability so that you will have an idea if seats are selling fast. Beyond that, sometimes if you book early you can find more seats at a lower price, and sometimes if you book late there are also discounted seats.

When you see a fair you can live with jump on it--check daily. You never know when a glitch or a sale will open an ubelievable fare. And if it is in September that is still a fairly high fare season. I have found that fares to France are on sale beginning NOV. 1--still high in October so far.

True to all of the above. There is no way to predict when is the best time to buy. By checking fares periodically or changing your dates you may come across great rates. But you have to keep trying. When you do find a fare that you are happy with you would do well to purchase it quickly as it may change.

Wait one second...my crystal ball is around here somewhere..."oh, honey, give me back my hand. That ball isn't crystal. Quick, 70rn is waiting."

Here it is! Just one second more, I need my bifocals. Now, let's see...ah, yes, ...my ball is telling me you can wait a little later but not too late...and the cutoff date for seat assignments was yesterday.

Hope this helps. O-)

..and you should see what happens when NYFS picks a restaurant to eat in..talk about flying into the wild blue yonder...

I notice tht you posted at 3:38 am (USA) EDT. Your first trip abroad from where? the USA? West Coast? Hawaii? or do you live in England? or Australia?

The timing for air fare purchases from England to Italy versus Hawaii to England are two entirely different things. And I know nothing about the timing of air fares of Australia to Italy.

Likewise, "the fall" is way too broad to answer this question. A lot of people refer to the last 20 days of summer (everything after September 1) as "fall". Airfares on September 5, 22, October 5, October 22, November 5, November 22, December 5 and December 22 are all rather extraordinarily different.

What advantage(s) do you hope to realize by waiting as late as you can? - - besides the obvious (but really quite minor) issue of the time value of the money spent on the ticket(s).

There are a number of "us" who can probably give you some fairly concrete advice, provided with detailed answers to these three questions.

Best wishes,

Rex Bickers
Floyds Knobs, Indiana

If I were facing your quandry, I'd list the five or so airlines I'd be considering, and call their international departments today ... and ask. Perhaps you've done this already.

I assume you're trying to get the best price on-line. The dat over the phone will give you a context for assessing on-line prices.

Your term "best deal" really requires some research before you can know what that is in your particular case. Perhaps you can ask here what people paid for the gateway city in the US you're planning to use. look in NY Times ads, call travel agencies that focus on cheap seats.

I wouldn't wait one day longer if I were you. You have some work ahead of you if you're serious about going.

Rex is right--when and from where?

In general, consolidators get their allotments for discount fares about 90 to 120 days out.

Two goofy &quot;mis-types&quot; I made: Hawaii to <i>Italy</i>... and the <i>first</i> 20 days of September...

Bringing your message back up &quot;to the top&quot; since it is your first message here ever...

70m - if you are flying on a weekend, my advice is to book as soon as possible, as that is the most popular - and expensive -- time to fly. I was traveling solo, and first reserved the hotels that I had researched here on Fodors. Once I knew I had a place to stay I pursued airfare in that timespan, and then email the hotel within the first 24 hours to slightly change the dates. That worked well for me, and didn't tie up their reservation system. However, if you are planning around other people's scehdules, whywait to buy the airfare? The last-minute bargain seats can be elusive enough to leave you with nothing. Just a suggestion.

Because I did my trip on impulse, at only 17 days in advance, to get the only airfare I could then manage I had to fly out of a distant airport, instead of the one 15 minutes from home.

Elaine - you would have thought I WAS playing the stock market! I got it in my head that I wanted to book an entire trip to Paris on my own, and it was my first experience trying to buy tickets online, and I was up at all hours trying to lock in a good rate. I had to pay a little more than I originally thought. Of course the main thing is I did it, and I went!