I don't have enough frequent flier miles this time, so I'm going to have to pay for plane tickets to Italy a fall 2011 trip. It's been a while since I've had to pay for tickets to Europe. Does anyone have have any idea of behavior of fares these days? Should I buy in a month or two, when the tickets first become available? Or is there a time of the year that might result in lower fares? I can't wait until the last minute, since my timing needs to be locked down a few months ahead. Any suggestions? Crystal balls? Thanks!
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23331 posts
The best answer is - Buy when you think the price is right. Most forecast is for ticket prices to be high and stay high.
Posted by
St Petersburg Florida
951 posts
I typically leave for my trips to Europe in November. I have been purchasing my tickets in June for the past 3 years. I usually start paying attention to airfare in January and when it seems that it is a decent fare, I purchase. For the past 3 years, purchasing 6 months in advance, the flight cost has never gone down and infact only has gone up. So kudos for me on going by my intuition. So it takes patience, a little obsession, and a whole bunch of montitoring.
Posted by
Florida, USA
12172 posts
No one can say for sure. I normally watch the price and the seat availability. Vacant seats will go on sale. We went in the summer this year and the price didn't drop - so I ended up buying before the direct flight seats were all sold (literally taking the last two seats together on the plane). After I bought, the price went up. I would have paid more for a flight with connections..............That said, I have flown many times in the fall and a fare sale seems common during the slower parts of the year (late winter/early spring) as airlines try to improve their cash flow........If you haven't found a great deal by the end of April, you should probably go ahead and buy. The other big fare sale time is the end of summer - but I think it's too risky to wait for that.
Posted by
Dallas, TX, USA
1170 posts
You can set up price alerts at TripAdvisor.com or Kayak.com. Generally, I purchase as early as possible before the flight begins to fill up. As seats become more scarce, they are less likely to be discounted.. You will also miss out on seat choice the later you wait. Although right now, I see no rhyme or reason to the fares. At this point, I don't think you can purchase this far out. You might wait until just after Christmas to see if fares go on sale.
Posted by
San Diego, CA, United States
864 posts
The airlines all use a "bucket" system. The airlines computer model will say based on historical trends, have oh, 10 seats at $, 40 seats at $$ and so on Tuesdays in October on flights from A to B. The kicker here for the traveling public is that seat availability and prices change, sometimes minute by minute. I purchased a ticket to Rome Italy for one price through Wells Fargo using miles. Reserved seat etc. Hung up phone. Called airline to buy a ticket for my husband 4 minutes later and his ticket was $120 more. Additionally an airline can legally advertise flights starting at say $50 and have only one seat available or even none on flights leaving at sometime other than 4 a.m. SO, we buy early (usually several months in advance) as soon as we see a decent airfare.