Airfare to France

April 1st is the best day to buy the cheapest airfare anywhere for an August 30 departure date.

I think the consensus on this Travel Forum is that airfares are impossible to predict. It's a frequently asked question, so you can see earlier discussions by using the search box above for terms like "airfare" or "buy plane ticket." See Rick's article on the topic at https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/booking-flights.

Good one, Roberto -- April Fools Day it is. ;-)

you can also ask sites like YAPTA and google flights, they will make an educated guess.

Second best day to buy them is February 29th.

I'm in the camp that you can't tell when is best time to buy, it's a gamble. I got my daughter her round trip ticket home last Christmas from Paris to Boston then Boston to Paris for $650. I got the good deal by having her fly out on Christmas Eve. This year purchased around the same time(mid Oct) $1279. I tried all different dates, times......not much difference.
When we went to visit her in Lyon in 2012, I watched the fares for a few months before buying, they were approx the same price from Aug until right before the flight. I bought them less than a month out- just under $1000. I started watching in August, bought them mid Nov for a Dec 4- 12 trip.
The same for this past summer, I bought in mid Aug for an end of Sept trip. Prices were holding fairly steady. R/T Boston- Paris was just under $1200 on Air France, could have gone a little cheaper on AerLingus but the layovers were too long for the price difference.

Vicki,

Since you have some time on your hands you can do some research and see how the price may vary and this is what i did and still do from time to time.

Look at a date 3 weeks from now and look at prices. also, look at the real date you want to go/return and look at the prices.

for the "3 week from now" date, check back every day and see how those prices will vary until the day or 2 before. You can also check Early AM, mid day, and late night to see how the price will vary too.

with some of that info, you may have an idea if you want to wait or not. also, there is no reason you can look at 2,3, or 4 months out and see how the prices vary. Note that WHEN you decide to go can make a difference too. Even though i havent flown overthere in June/July i would bet its more expensive.

one comment. If you're going to make a habit of traveling, this info will be good for the next trip if you plan on going back, at least to France and you will have a "feel" for the price - at least to France.

Just my 0.02. I buy my tickets as soon as i have my itinerary nailed down. That could be approximately 1 year out or as little as 9 months, but i try to do ASAP.

One last comment. Don't try to play their game since they set the rules and can change them at will. Since you dont say where you are from, all i can tell you is that for my last 3 + years of travel from Portland (PDX) to Amsterdam (AMS), my direct flight round trip tickets have been from 1200~1300 and from my experience it has risen approximately 50 USD per year. I also travel in the first part of September and return the later part of September.

then there is the "your mileage may vary" clause too.

happy trails.

No! I did not choose April 1st (April Fools Day) for the reasons you think.

According to a study by "Cheapair.com" and published also in the website below, the best price to Europe is found on average 151 days prior to the day of travel. Therefore August 30 minus 151 days=April 1st.

http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2014/03/03/new-study-finds-absolute-best-time-to-book-cheap-flight/

In addition according to this article in the Wall Street Journal below, the best month to buy a ticket for peak travel season to Europe is in April.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303649504577492544124379250

Therefore April Fools Day is statistically the least foolish day to buy a ticket to Europe for the end of August.

Any way it goes, you have plenty of time to wait. 2015 airfares quoted have been at an all time high. With the recent reduction in the price of oil products, including jet fuel, it's a good chance airfares could drop.

After the first of the year, don't be surprised to see current posted airfares to be adjusted. There again, the financial analysts at the 4 big airline alliances are very good at controlling supply of seats--and thus keeping fares high. Only time will tell.

Vicki, I bought my Oct 2014 Air France tickets 8 months out. I tracked the price throughout the year for the Premium Economy seating I purchased and noticed the price never went down. It either stayed the same or increased by $300. I did notice that the Economy seats tended to go down in price, but the closer it got to October, the majority of seats available were middle seats. I've been doing the same for my Germany trip in May 2015, prices are going up, not decreasing from my purchase price. I go with if I can afford the price and get the seating I want, I buy then and not play the waiting game.

Suggest you check out Turkish Airlines-saw a round trip ORD to CDG for the period you are looking at for $911 to $1011 depending on the day. We are using them to go to Paris in late March, and our tickets were $862 RT from IAD to CDG.
We flew TA in June and were very impressed with the planes, food, and service, and the Istanbul airport was easy to navigate. As an aside, in June I met lots of U.S. students who told me that through IST was the cheapest way they found to the EU.

For a $450 saving per ticket, it works for me!
OOPs! just checked Orbitz and the difference today(12/25) is $600.