Hi all,

The age-old question I know… but boy prices seem high for Rome next year. When to book?

Typically we book next fall’s trip this week if the year, but fares are as high as I’ve seen them into Rome.

Has anyone heard if American (or other airlines) will be adding flights to Rome given the Jubilee?

And, maybe eight months out is too early, and I should wait a couple of months?

Any thoughts?

Thank you in advance, and happy holidays!

Your guess is as good as anyone's when it comes to predicting if or when airfares will change 9up or down). All airlines use extremely complex algorithms to determine airfares and no one, repeat, no one can tell you when or if airfares for a certain time frame will change.

The best advice anyone can give you is to sign up for airfare alerts for your particular time frame and destination with the airline(s) of your choice. Monitor fares between now and your intended date of departure and when you see a fare you can live with book it.

Most airlines publish their schedules approximately 330 days in advance so you should start checking around that time to see if your airline of choice will be scheduling extra flights . Like with airfares, it's anyone's guess if a specific airline will add extra flights at any given time. Probably best to ask the airline(s) directly instead of relying on predictions made by fellow flyers on a travel website.

Same advice on the other thread about airfare. It is a guessing game and only by monitoring the prices can you determine what price you are willing to pay. Looking out now is a bit too far as when the price is first published, they are extremely high however I wait until about 4-6 months out and jump at the price I can live with.

Even the airlines don't know what the fares will be closer to the date. Agree -- set fare alerts and when you see something you can live with pull the trigger.

If the airline algorithms see Rome as a "hot" destination, it might be prudent to also set fare alerts for other cities from which you could easily reach Rome by train. Naples and Milan come to mind.

^^^ excellent idea. Florence, Naples, Milan - even Venice may all be less expensive than Rome

Thanks all! Yes, Milan seems to have better airfare at this point.

If you can fly non-stop to somewhere like Milan, then that's a good option.

If you need to connect somewhere in Europe regardless of where you are going in Italy, then that opens up a whole host of airports such as Florence, Bologna, Pisa, and many others. For example, Lufthansa and their subsidiaries (Swiss, Air Dolomiti, and now also ITA Airways) serve many airports in the US as well as Italy, with connections in Munich, Frankfurt, or Zurich.

Back in the day, Milan had the cheapest airport tax in Italy so I'm guessing that is still true today. However, before the pandemic I found cheaper air elsewhere in Italy which was nonstop from my home airport so other than setting on a price you can live with keep checking other places in Italy with the understanding, you'd still have to budget getting from there to Rome. That cost might eat up a good portion of what you think you are saving.

Predicting airfares is quite difficult as prices go up and down daily but what is sure that price trends are always up and specially in the last days before departure (lastminute flights are not real).

L, the PM function seems to be n/a when I use our new tablet, hence this communication.
*was that you and 'S' with daughter @ Andersens on State today?
I am done. The end

Hi! I just sent you a PM. Let me know if you get it.

Generally between 5 and 6 month before de departure should be best.