Best Airline Fares??

Honestly, I find the least amount of hassle at the airport and best prices if you book direct through the airline. Sounds obvious, but I've booked through Yahoo and other "discount" retailers and have nothing but agony at the check in desk for only saving maybe $20. From New York to Paris you should have plenty of options through Kayak. Still, get the fare options through Kayak and BOOK DIRECT through the airline. Also, consider flying in somewhere else and taking the train to Pairs, good option for where I am, but since you're in New york, maybe not so good. Bon Voyage! Also, kayak gives you a rundown of the best fares over the month you want to travel in - great option!

Hi Lynn. I'm almost in the same position as you - I'm looking for tickets to Paris in September and they're shockingly high. I use Kayak as my primary search vehicle but I've also gone to the websites of airlines such as Aer Lingus, Contintental, and Iceland Air, and put in my dates of travel. Iceland Air has a pretty good deal ($900 to fly from Boston to Paris with a stop in Reykjavik) but we first have to get to Boston. For September at least, it looks like around $1,100 is the new normal for a "deal."

Icelandair.

IcelandAir is one choice for a carrier that is usually cheaper than average. Aer Lingus is another. Both have search engines that allow you to easily adjust dates and/or see a range of dates at once. Both also price their flights in two parts - over & back - so you can more easily determine the best date combination for the lowest price. "I am planning to rent a flat, so will not be flexible with dates" I always arrange the rental AFTER the flight, so I'm not sure why you say you cannot be flexible. If it's a Saturday-Saturday issue, I think you will find that there is some flexibility with start/end dates with a rental as long as you stay the required minimum number of days (usually 7).

Step one... be realistic. There seems to be a trend to think "well a few years ago I got the airfare for $500 so that's what I want to pay now" Those days are gone and depending on when you go it's can be over $1,000 (Spring covers a lot of time. March is generally cheaper then late May for example :) ) Step two... be flexible. Cheap and "non stop leaving late at night and arriving Paris early in the day" are not always compatible statements. You need to be prepared to change planes etc. That said I understand via a semi reliable source (Semi is the key term here!) that British Air may announce a spring sale this week. So pay attention! (If you give us exact dates or a range of dates people can probably make better guesses. )

The "Tuesday myth" Well, it's PARTIALLY true. Airlines do often release sales on Tuesdays, but.... The myth comes because back before computers (or sophisticated computers) loading fares was a very manual labor intesnive process that was done weekly. In this day of computerized revenue management airlines can and do change fares daily (or hourly) in response to sales, other airline pricing etc.... So while checking Tuesday MAY get you a deal.. you might miss a deal that occurs on Wed or Thur.... |
Check daily :)

Realize the fuel surcharges/fees are what is really causing alot of the high airfares and Paris has been an expensive airport to fly into for along time. As I look at my current plans Calif to east europe in spring over $440 is in fuel surcharges alone and I bought the tix in Nov. So follow what others have said re Kayak to guide you, do not wait too long as it will only get higher. Poss look into flying in to Geneva and train it or bus it to Paris a poss alternate. Leaving mid wk can sometimes be cheaper and stay in a hostelfor xtra days beyond your rental. No magic, it is costly to fly these days outside USA. But the enjoyment espec in Paris is HUGE.
Picnic alot and save many euros Gd luck the work is worth it.

Aerlingus has a special promotion expiring on 2/22/12 for JFK-Dublin flights - $50.00 off the regular round trip fare. From Dublin, you could book a separate flight to Paris or use Ryanair.

I'm going into London and out of Rome 3/27, and got a $705 fare. If you begin your trip in March, you might get much better fares. JFK to Paris is running the mid $800's. See Expedia and/or Kayak.com with your specific dates. Things go up quickly after that.

to add onto bobs post about aerlingus to dublin - i was pricing a flight from nyc - belgium. aer lingus was the cheapest, with a layover in dublin. i also tried pricing just to dublin and it was the same price as to brussels. brussels is closer to paris than dublin airfare to/from brussels may be cheaper than from dublin. also, its close enough you could price a train. there was also a flight that was holding steady at $551 for my round trip from nyc to brussles. i didnt like this flight because it had layovers in philadelphia and i think georgia. id much prefer layovers in europe, preferably longer ones so i get to see an extra country for the same price!