How early should we commit to Sept 2020 flight?

Maybe start with checking what kinds of planes airline flights from Seattle to Paris usually use. A-380 vs 747 is a big difference in comfort. Different airlines often use different planes. We try to book about 6 months out, but when you are flying (June vs Sept) can make a big difference in availability/price.

Good luck.

You might also price-check routing from Spokane through Salt Lake City which has non-stops with Delta to Paris, Amsterdam and London. I fly from Lewiston so Delta is the only choice as is SLC, lol.

I’d start looking now to get a handle on prices. Then when you see a price you can live with go for it and don’t look back.

Lower fare buckets can sell out so I’d not wait until the last minute.

Will you be able to go a day or so ahead of the tour start? So much to see in Paris!

No one flies an A380 from Seattle. They are nice, but we also like the 747 just as much.

Pam has a good suggestion to check flying via SLC as well as through Seattle. I believe Delta has a good flight from SLC to Paris. Delta reputedly has a good PE product (not personal experience as we always fly British Airways).

We book almost a year ahead (using miles) and have never experienced the kind of flight changes you mention with BA. I have heard that American Airlines is notorious for this, so I am curious what airline you flew last time that had this problem?

And do not limit yourselves to flying into Paris and out from Rome; at least for the start you could consider other possibilities and take a train to Paris to start. For example, Condor flies direct to Frankfurt from Seattle for what is usually a good price. For the return from Rome, they would likely put you on a connective Lufthansa flight from Rome to Frankfurt. Or perhaps someone has a good price into Zurich, which is an easy train trip to Paris a day later. We like to fly into Zurich when going to Italy, since the flight times work out better for us, and we always enjoy some time in Switzerland.

If you're flying on a low-budget carrier the sooner the better. If not then you can buy as late as three weeks out during the low season. I wouldn't chance it though if you're flying out during the high season. Check www.skyscanner.com.

Thank you so much for the great suggestions!

Our previous experience was with United but this was almost 9 years ago so perhaps they've improved? Plus we flew from our hometown (Spokane) which, I now know limited us.
We still live in Spokane so we'd be taking a flight to seattle (or Portland) & then flying to Europe.
Delta has (I think) a good Comfort Plus flight now on an Airbus A330 for $3200 for 2ppl. However I haven't checked flying into/out of other cities. Trying to keep it fairly simple (for my husband's sake - he's not quite as adventurous as me) :( But, I do love him & we're doing this great tour so :)

Delta and Air France both fly daily from Seattle to Paris. Take a look at both.

Our previous experience was with United but this was almost 9 years ago so perhaps they've improved?

The only thing that has improved in the past 9 years is business class. Otherwise, everything in coach seems to have declined.
(FWIW, both Delta and Air France business class from Seattle to Paris is wonderful, but not cheap.)

We travel overseas about twice a year and I always book early, usually 9-11 months in advance.

I always check fares from Kayak.com as well as matrix air.

We live in Georgia and prefer Delta. For the big three US airlines, I would give the edge to Delta, then United and last American.

Some on this forum like Norwegian Air. They frequently have lower prices, but I know too many people that have had a bad experience with them.

We have booked a Safari in East Africa and used Delta to go to London for a week prior and four days after the safari, then Air France to Africa. After reading about all the strikes in France, I am hoping that the strikes will be over by July. We like Air France and they are in the same flyer miles network as Delta.

Flights from Spokane go to many cities in the US with direct flights to Paris (DFW, LAX, for example). There is no reason to limit yourself to flights out of Seattle or SLC if those routes are expensive or inconvenient. I suggest using a flight aggregator, such as kayak.com, to find the best flights.

Hi Angela, we lived in Seattle for 30 years and just retired to Hayden, so we will be flying out of Spokane.

I always travel with either Delta or Alaska, so Delta/Air France for Europe. I buy early to acquire the bulkhead seats in Economy Plus, so no more seat backs in our face. Usually purchase around December for September flights.

We do usually have the flights change slightly during those months. Only one time was it completely unacceptable, so I called with a couple of acceptable options- not just to complain and leave it to them. Sometimes it was the seats had changed, so I check it about once/month. Their notifications aren’t always timely.

We’ve done Seattle-to-Paris non-stop several times and Rome-to-Amsterdam-to-Seattle to head home. We will probably go the Spokane-to-Minneapolis or Seattle or Salt Lake for our next international route with Delta.

Angela, also I should mention that the SeaTac airport is going through some remodeling and new sections including some changes to the international section, so I would definitely select a layover in Seattle that’s longer than some of the 1-hour options.

We fly from SEA to Europe every year and have flown a variety of airlines. We really liked SAS but they are no more at SEA. We will be flying to Paris the end of next May and will be booking seats on Delta this week so that we also can try to get a bulkhead seat in Econ X-tra. Happy Holidays.

Hmmm, I've checked Kayak.com & it is pretty much the same cost wise as puddle jump from GEG then flying out of Seattle. I guess it depends on outlook: better to fly out if GEG & have layovers/plane switches to stretch our legs (as long as we're not running to next connection - great advice re: SEA airport) or better to fly to SEA but get a nonstop quick 10hr flight out SEA to Paris?
I will think on it & commit quick I think.
Just wanted to make sure we weren't crazy for paying $3200 but, considering Comfort Plus & cost of everything else - in for a penny, in for a pound right?
Thx fellow travelers, I can't promise this is the last you've heard from me! I appreciate your expertise!! Happy Holidays!

I will think on it & commit quick I think

You have a clear advantage of time on your side. Why commit "quick"? My advice is to take your time to track fares over several months before you make a final decision.

When I book a trip I set up an Excel spreadsheet and start tracking airfares. I determine the best flight times and connecting airports so I can do an "apples to apples" analysis. I check a few times a week and note the price fluctuations. After a few months when I can't wait any longer, I book the flights and try not to look back! For September, I'd probably book in February or March.

If the OP is willing to plonk down $3200 per ticket, then I think that I’m outta my league. She should just buy the tickets and be done with it.

I’d follow Agnes' and Donna’s advice and give it a couple of months. Sometimes an odd routing will show up that can be a pain (like a 2 hop via Denver then Dulles) but also save a lot of money.

Note that a lot of the Delta connections are short, I see a 40 min Seattle one, that’s close. Also note that many of the connections via Seattle or Minneapolis are really Air France codeshares.

I find on the Delta 330 in coach the outside pairs of seats in the back third of the plane have at least 32”, more than coach in the middle third. I’m tall and I can make it work. The 31” seats are tough overnight.

Emily, Angela mentioned this upstream in the post - not cost per person:

“Delta has (I think) a good Comfort Plus flight now on an Airbus A330 for $3200 for 2ppl. However I haven't checked flying into/out of other cities”

Yes that was $3200 for both my husband & i.
Sorry I was thinking of the earlier reply where someone stated they purchased in Dec for Sept travel.
I'm probably overly worried about waiting I guess. Pretty ridiculous admittedly, can't imagine all good flights to Europe will book up ("good" in this case being flights that are somewhat comfortable, not $3200ea & not 20hrs 1-way).
I will watch rates as most of you have suggested. :)

We also fly out of Seattle and just booked non-stop, multi-city Seattle-Paris/Amsterdam-Seattle in Comfort Plus on Delta for May 2020 (I think the return is a codeshare with KLM). In the past I was always on the look out to fly as cheaply as possible, most recently getting some good deals on Norwegian and Iceland Air. Those always got us there, but usually sleep deprived and grumpy.

This past spring, on a whim, we upgraded to Delta Comfort Plus to Paris and back from London and we are now devotees. The extra room and small creature comforts made all the difference in arriving in relatively good shape and got our trip off to a great start.

For this upcoming 2020 trip, I followed the prices daily for about two months and I watched the prices slowly edge up. We paid $1875 a piece/$3750 total for our two tickets which I think was about $200 more each than what I had seen when I first started tracking prices. We hemmed and hawed about waiting for the price to (maybe) come back down but decided to buy when we did because we really wanted Comfort Plus and those seats were starting to disappear.

Thank you for sharing your experience JenS! I can totally relate as I'm sure a lot of you can. I think I've reached the point in life where my 6' frame really protests those cramped coach international flights. If only I could sleep thru the flight!
It's encouraging to read that you noticed those perks in an upgrade. I know it will never be spa like but the payoff of the adventure at the end will be well worth it.

If you haven't already check flights from Vancouver YVR - sometimes they are amazingly cheaper!

I booked out of PDX on Delta premium comfort (the step above comfort +) for $1400 per person May 2020 but it's nonstop to LHR.

My normal routine is to search early and often. That gives me an idea of what a good price is. When I see a great price, I'll jump on it. If I never see a great price, I'll buy about 2 months ahead of my trip.

I search various airports, dates, days, times, reversing my route, changing my itinerary slightly to use a different airport, etc.

I don't use Google price alerts. I've noticed they jump up then down, each week, predictably. I think they're using a tactic to get people to jump on the downs, when those really aren't great prices. There are plenty of other price alerts you can use.

Angela, I think it makes a difference if you are flying from an airport that has direct flights as it appears you do. Its more complicated if you have to make connections to a gateway city as many of us do. Yes, the disadvantage for booking early is that flights change.

As soon as we decide we're going, I start looking almost daily at fares on Orbitz, and the airlines I use. After a few weeks, I'll know the general flight itineraries (i.e., airlines, connecting airports) available, and what the "normal" fares are. If there is a sudden drop and a significant sale on any of the airlines I'm watching, then I'll book it then, no matter how far out it is. If it never drops significantly, then I'll book no less than three months out. The chances of multiple changes in flights increases when you have to make connections.

Check out Aer Lingus, I've flown with them a few times on the cheap, quick stops in Dublin on the way. Apart from a free upgrade once, I always fly economy - no discernible difference to me in legroom no matter which airline (I'm just under 6ft).

I do a cost comparison using Google Flights for the city pairs - for both economy & economy plus (for extra leg room). This gives me a ballpark cost to work with.

Next I look for direct flights if possible. If a connection is needed, I prefer to connect in Europe rather than the USA - if there's a connection problem, where would you rather be? I'm not sure what can be done about changing connection times; I struggle with this as well. It's also hard to outguess price changes. I do prefer to book directly with the carrier rather through a travel company.
I've had excellent service with British Air and Virgin Atlantic - and I'll be using them again this year. I've had horrid service from American Airlines and will never use them again.

I hope this helps!

Garrison

Living in Spokane, you could also check flights out of Calgary, which is not far from you.