We're trying to book a return flight to Italy and I'm finding airfare has jumped dramatically within the last month or so. I'm searching about 20 websites but finding nothing below $800. We'd prefer an open jaw with flight into Venice and out of Rome. Any ideas where the discounters are? Or is $900 - 1000 reasonable? It's double what we paid in 2005.

Welcome to the new world--all of the rules have changed. Most of my clients are paying $1200 in May or June. Try kayak.com but do not expect miracles.

I've been watching airfares for about 5 months - hoping they'll go down a bit. Bob - is it your recommendation to book now for a trip in the summer, or do you think rates may go down a bit? United just posted sale fares with travel dates by March 31 -

Hi P,

Since the other posters didn't ask you, what month are you talking about?

If you can find a fare to Italy for summer for $800, jump on it. We paid in the upper $700s to upper $800s the past two summers and that was only after checking airfares daily for months.

If it is $800 for the summer months you better take it! For last summer, after months of watching the rates for months, bought tickets R/T Newark to Venice and out of Rome for around $1,100.

I used to be really smart about this stuff and now I am a total idiot. All the old tricks do not work now---I KNOW NOTHING!

I just got my tickets r/t from JFK to Rome for $545 per person total going June 30 to July 18. Flying AlItalia, got tix thru Expedia. (booked around 10pm tonight). Best deal I've seen!

I can't find one for that price... that's the problem. I'm finding around $1,250 which I think is high but I'm afraid might go higher. We need to purchase 7 tickets, and our dates are firm... just wondering when I pull the trigger and buy the tickets! Yikes!

Just paid $1100 for flight into Venice and out of Rome. Seems to be going rate and unlikely that fares will drop to Europe in the summer.

I was watching the fares for awhile (a couple of months) hoping they will go down. They did not. I grabbed tickets out of the West Coast to Rome, out of Paris for $860 per person late April to May. I used www.flycheapabroad.com. Not that I thought $860 was a particularly good deal but it was my own subjective treshold of how much I can pay so even though I may find cheaper fares, I grabbed them.

As for websites, they vary. Not one website seems to contain all the good deals. Right now, I'm looking for fares to either London or Dublin for Thanksgiving, and I'm getting good rates in some websites, and not so good deals in others.

It does not only require patience but A LOT of time. Good luck!

I booked on
http://www.tickets-to-europe.com/

Flying LAX to Florence and then Rome to LAX for $629 on United

btw, my travel dates are March 25 to April 4 so Im sure I am just missing the high season

I guess it's always a bit of a game trying to figure out where airfares will go ... Personally, I'm looking to book tix for shoulder season (late April-early May), so I don't know if most of the posts here re: summer travel would apply. I'm doing a weird open jaw since we'll be flying straight from our out of state wedding and returning directly home-- so far, I've found a fare of $1000 for Richomnd-Milan and Venice-Tampa, both through JFK. Any thoughts as to whether I should take it for this time of year? Thanks, John

Just another fare to compare: Pittsburgh-Rome RT 4/18/07 - 5/03/07 $905 on United. This was the best I'd seen for a while (It's for my husband).

I probably could have gotten it a little cheaper on a discount site, but it would have involved several other airlines, including Alitalia, and I just wanted to stick with either USAirways or United, so I booked directly with United.

Good luck!

Y'all should look at SkyAuction. I know its not Italy, but I have two r/t JFK-LST for $900 biz class in April.

I was just browsing and found shoulder season Boston to Rome on SwissAir for $592RT, for what it's worth.

Have a look at Ryan Air. It may be easier to get a cheap flight to Heathrow, then fly Ryan to Rome and back to UK.

http://www.ryanair.com/site/EN/

The cheap flight to Heathrow is a theory. I have checked this out and found it as expensive and more hassle to fly to London and then on with Ryanair. Maybe it is worth it if you are not flying peak season.

Today Alitalia has fares NYC to Rome 25 April. Returning 8 May with a stop in Venice or Milan for $536.50. More expensive if a non-stop on the return. Couldn't find this fare on Expedia or Orbitz. Use www.kayak.com to find good fares. They direct you to the airline.