Rmoore116

My wife and I are in the final stages of planning a trip to Europe from September 1 -September 20 and wanted advice on when to purchase the plane tickets.

We are planning on leaving from St. Louis, MO or possibly Kansas City, MO in the early afternoon on Sept. 1 and arriving the next morning in London. Then returning from Rome on September 20 around noon and arriving in Missouri at about 7pm.

Currently the best rate for the two tickets is from 1800flyeurope on American Airlines for $1924.04

Any advice on when and from where we should book the tickets to get the best rate?

Thanks, Richard

rex

If you watch diligently - - some might even say obsessively, like once or twice every single day... I think you have an "upside" probability of 50% or better, for saving $200-400 (I assume that your price quote id for two tickets) in the next 90 days, versus a "downside" risk (i.e., you'll get stuck paying more) of less than 25%, having to pay an additional $200 by watching and waiting through the same timeframe.

Don't let my _pure_ <i>guessing</i> sound more scientific than it is. It is just that: my guess. But I do follow airfares from the middle of the country to Europe, and I have for quite a few years now. If luck is going to fall your way, it will most likely happen in the next 60-90 days, and I don't think that bad luck will befall you to wait that long.

Best wishes,

Rex Bickers
Floyds Knobs, Indiana

Rmoore116

Thanks Rex

GreenDragon

I think Rex has his estimates about right. But then again, as Mark Twain said: &quot;There are lies, there are damn lies, and then there are statistics&quot;.

Gardyloo

I'm seeing $942 per ticket all in on aa.com for those days out of STL; $929 out of MCI. Sounds cheaper than 1800flyeurope.

We're just now starting to see some summer sales (eg a few business class sales turning up here and there) so you might wait a few days. I doubt that prices are going to fall very much though - you can probably save more money by putting the airfare question to bed and focusing on land arrangements. A couple of hundred dollars in airfare differential can be erased in three or four nights of careful hotel shopping.

Rmoore116

Thanks GreenDragon &amp; Gardyloo

Intrepid1

I would suggest you also input your itinerary at www.onetravel.com and at www.itasoftware.com just for comparison purposes.\

Nobody ever knows for certain when or if, there will be an airfare sale and more importantly, whether or not any sale dates fit in with our own plans.

Rmoore116

Thanks Intrepid1

tcreath

Rmoore116, this may not be a good option for you, as I don't know where you live, but I am in St. Louis and can sometimes save hundreds of dollars by flying from Chicago instead. We are headed to Rome in a few weeks, and we saved $400 by flying from Chicago as opposed to St. Louis. We were planning on flying from St. Louis to Chicago to catch our flights but decided to drive instead.

I fly overseas from St. Louis fairly often and can usually find decent rates but I also fly during off-peak season. If you could postpone your trip by a month or so you would probably save lots of money, but that may not be convenient. I think the best thing to do is decide on how much you are willing to spend. Once you find that price, go for it. Sure, the price could go down, but it could also go up.

Good luck!
Tracy

GregPCM

Richard,

We are traveling about the same time (9/3 to 9/21) but into London and out of Frankfurt. We have already purchased our ticket. $838 pp rt. We have done this every year for the pats 10 years simply because we want to travel on specific dates. If you can be flexible, not only on when you travel but where, Rex is right on. One word of caution, the less expensive flights are usually the less convenience. Therefore, you may be traveling 5 or 6 hours more than you normally would if you pay a little more. I personally find the extra money is well spent. But that's just me. I also don't like driving in Europe. Have a good trip.

Greg

Rmoore116

Thanks Tracy and Greg