I guess it is too late to tell that if booked by Jan12, AirCanada from YUL to CDG is Canadian$829. AirCanada has a non stop from DCA to YUL.

Mark

Over the years we have found AirCanada flights to be considerably cheaper and have used them to fly from Florida to Europe several times as a result.

joannyc, you asked the cost of fees and taxes with American.

Let me say that we just booked award tickets through American. We're flying Philadelphia to Madrid and continuing to Nice, then returning from Barcelona to Philadelphia. The charge was $195.00 plus change for each of us. But there was also a $35 fee for booking by phone -- which I tried unsuccessfully to protest as it is IMPOSSIBLE to book the flight online since it included an Iberia flight to Nice. The other flights are USAirways. And ironically those flights were NOT available through US Airways (at least in Business Class) but only through American. Go figure.

<<The airlines can now afford to fly with empty seats>> I imagine this is a typo and meant CANNOT. Not a typo!

You're kidding, right? Because an airline doesn't lower prices on the day of the flight at the airport doesn't mean anything. It's not a bus that you can hop on at the last minute, 20 mins before departure. The flight is closed.

<<It was $800, or the seat would fly empty.>> Quite right too.

<i> It was $800, or the seat would fly empty.</i>

It might have been empty, it might not have been empty. It could have been taken by a US Airways staff member traveling on vacation. If it was, I am sure he thanks you.

Even if it wasn´t taken by someone, the taxes airlines pay on business call or J fares vs. taxes on coach fares can be enormous. they were very unlikely to make as much marginal revenue on the upgrade as you might think. There´s also the additional meal/drink expenses they would have incurred.

Airlines can't lower fares at the last minute or closer to the date or they'd be out of business. Then everyone would wait to book later, and airlines can't operate that way.

And my nephew works for United, it is true that one employee benefit it free flights not only for the employee, but their family! So his parents get free flights for life, as well as him, it's incredible. Or at least one per year does, not sure how that works, as they are divorced and one year one gets it and the next year the other one, but maybe their spouses are going with them. So free seats allow airlines to fulfill their employee benefit promises. If there weren't ever any, that benefit would be worth nothing.

Air Canada is always good for flights. My brother lives close to Montreal and they fly from there for Europe. I have seen cheap flights out of Orlando on Air Canada.