Are airfare prices always this bad for one-way to/from Italy?

Save your miles until you can do a RT.

Yes, yes they are. I looked at doing something similar and couldn't make it work. Either wait for prices for a round trip to fall (what I was able to do), or check discount airlines like Norwegian. They're going to start flights out of LA this year and they have reasonably priced one ways. Other discount airlines may do the same, but the large ones really really don't want one-way travelers.

Download the free Turkish Airlines APP at the APP Store. I checked a RT with dates in August and September, and it showed $1100.00 RT. I've seen RT for $800.00 and less on Turkish Airlines. Worth a try.

And the new WOW Airlines has begun operations, very cheap international flights.

Keep looking for sales on RT fare. Sometimes there are really good prices for off-season-Oct, Mar.
Depending on how far north you want to go in Italy, cold months might still be doable.

Sometimes roundtrip tickets are cheaper than one way.

Can you use a live airline agent (vs. doing it on-line) to book with your miles points (yes, it costs a little more to use a live agent)? Then can you book a round trip with the agent, but have them credit the one-way with miles (therefore, giving you your return flight at the round-trip price for that one segment? I hope I worded that in an understandable way.

And, I'm asking a question, because it is truly a question -- I do not know the answer, but worth checking.

The legacy airlines don't do one ways!
They will sell them to you but at a higher costs than a round trip, makes no sense to me but has been true for years.

The new comers and budget airlines will sell one ways though, so really your best option.
So, for LAX to Italy you may want to see (with connections) what airlines like Norwegian, Wow, Icelandair offer. If you can get most anywhere in Europe you can find a cheap inter-Europe one way flight to Italy.

OR: If you are getting 2 tickets, buy 1 R/T with miles and pay out of pocket for the 2nd ticket rather than book 2 one ways with the miles.

Go to kayak.com and check prices.

Also, sometimes it is more expensive to pay for a one way from Europe to the US than the other way around.

I don't know what airlines you're looking at, but KLM will sell you a one-way ticket from Rome (FCO) to LAX for EUR 1420. They'll also sell you a round-trip ticket for as low as EUR 515. I'd be inclined to book the outbound flight with miles and then on a separate ticket book a round-trip starting in Rome on the day you want to get home, then just "miss" the return flight back from LAX.

I suggest looking at Aer Lingus. They sell one way tickets for flights from Rome (FCO) to LAX with a stopover in Dublin. The price might not be all that different from Norwegian once you factor in baggage and meal fees. Another nice thing about Aer Lingus is that you can go through US customs and immigration in Dublin on the way home.

Also, note that it may be risky to use the "throwaway ticket" approach mentioned by one of the posters.

As geovagriffith suggests, check fares on Kayak. They offer some "cheap air" third party fares fonr one-way fares. I was surprised to see that I can fly to Paris one way tomorrow from Portland for $765 one way, on a pretty good flight. Not an amazing price but pretty amazing if I wanted to leave on very short notice!

To expand on my previous post, you should save your miles until you can buy a full round trip ticket. One way tickets are nearly always more expensive than the exactly same flight as part of a round trip. The only way it ever comes in cheaper is if the segment you are using miles for is into a high fee airport (like O'Hare), and the departing is going to a low fee airport. But even then, the one way is greatly than 50% of the RT.

Also, check back tomorrow after 3 PM EST. I'm not sure how good this tip is, but Tuesday 3PM EST has some science to it as a superior time to book.

Last, what days of the week are you looking at. You might flex it out with Kayak to see if there are better days and worse days.

But the TL:DR for this is that you should just book RT until such a time as you can miles your way to a RT.

Did you try using miles for the return trip and buying the outbound leg?

I have had a good experience one way with Aer Lingus, though it was to the east coast. AL seems to be more open to charging one way prices that are about half RT. Like you, I had enough miles for one way - on British Airways. I used my miles and returned home via AL. As I recall, it was one of the most cheerful flights I have taken. Fellow passengers were much more congenial than usual.

I like Aer Lingus a lot, great cabin, good food and service, and always these Captains who keep reporting on sunny Italy and the temperature in the arrival city! Passengers are sun seekers from darker and colder parts of the world. Sweet people who Love the Captain's chatter and get closer to their Honeys as the flight gets closer to landing and the Captain steps up his sun reports. They would hang out the windows if they could!

Only at some point I began Not finding RT on AL. I easily found one way to Italy, but nothing back. So I stopped using AL when I booked a SAS flight back that cost more than I'd ever paid for a flight, and it was the most terrible experience I'd ever had on a flight.

The other thing is that yes you have to go through American Customs at the Dublin Airport. If you're still in the Eurozone and Not ready for American Customs it could be a shock. One time I wasn't ready for this and momentarily forgot that I still had to declare Zero. The young girl began escalating so I filled out the form with my head down and my mouth shut, and gave it to her without a word and continued mute to my seat. It worked.

When I haven't had enough miles/points to book a round trip or open jaw (into one airport, home from another) I've been given the opportunity to apply the miles/points to the cost and pay the difference. That was much cheaper than the scenarios described here. Have you explored that possibility?

THANK YOU EVERYONE!!! Wow, I received some very good tips & advice. My main take-away is to NOT expect American to ever lower their price for a one-way ticket. Since our trip is not until May 2018 I have time to play around with all the different websites to try and find a decent deal for airfare.

Do you know where in Italy you'll be flying back from? Do you mind a one-stop flight or do you absolutely need a non-stop? I looked on Skyscanner website for a dummy date in May 2018 and found a one way from Rome FCO to LAX for $299 on Norwegian, one stop in Copenhagen but not a bad total flight time considering and decent departure and arrival times. This is just an example and I know it will depend on your departure city, how long of a flight you're willing to accept, etc.. But, definitely keep searching before you give up.

I've also seen nonstop flights Rome to Los Angles on Norwegian Air for as low as $400. But they only fly this route a few day a week. Great prices are also on Aeroflot flights, but they all stop in Moscow. They fly Los Angelas to Rome, Venice, Milan and Bologna (all via Moscow). We flew Aeroflot last spring and were pleased with the quality of the plane, staff and service. Of couse, you have to book way ahead t get the cheapest rates.

Economy seats are not the best use of air miles, but if that is what you want then best to book your outbound trip soon as the Saver level seats on AA can disappear ( tho not as fast as the biz class seats). For the return, there are a number of airlines that offer low cost one-way pricing. Norwegian Air has already been mentioned, but also try Icelandair and Condor. I am sure people can name others.

Just used Delta miles for a one way to Norway, and then one way return Icelandair for $375. About half the time I go to Europe I buy 2 one ways rather than a round trip because it's cheaper.

Are you looking at the airlines that offer one way pricing? Norwegian, WOW, Condor, Icelandair, etc.

Economy seats are not the best use of air miles

On Delta, economy to Europe is 30,000 each way and Delta One is 200,000. By my thinking 7 coach one ways > 1 First Class with lay flat seat

Per Nancy, the Skyscanner website is showing one-way fares between $250 and $400 for a variety of dates, although not on legacy carriers. Norwegian fares seem to be the lowest most consistently, although there are a few other airlines represented as well...including an Aeroflot flight via Moscow which must be a real adventure.

Depending upon your timetable, check out this article in the NYT: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/17/travel/long-haul-fares-on-new-low-cost-airlines.html?action=click&contentCollection=travel&region=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=sectionfront

I agree, Tom. I've used miles for coach tickets to Europe the last few years in a row (on Alaska, you can get from the west cost of the US to Europe round trip for as low as 40,000 miles on AA or other partner airlines - off season, at least). I'd probably find first class or business class a waste myself.

I just saw airfares today from San Francisco to Munich on American Airlines for mid May 2018 for $1200 for two round-trip. Hopefully next month I can book a return trip to Italy via Munich for next June for not much more. We'll see

200000 miles for First Class is crazy, and I would never consider that. I was actually referring to Business Class, which is generally 2x the cost of Economy. Or less. For next June, I can get to Switzerland with my Alaska Miles for 32.5 K in Economy or 60K in Business, each way. This is on BA or Icelandair. With BA there is a cash supplement which is the same regardless the class one is flying. So it makes sense to use it for the higher class. We have enough miles to do that so why not? We find that flying Business in a flatbed seat we sleep on the plane, arrive rested and do not lose a day ( or two) to jet lag and fatigue.

I did a trip recently using miles with American one way and miles with Delta for the return trip. That presented its own problems, but hey - way cheaper trip.

AA often will post a sale, but sometimes it's very close to your travel dates. If it were me, I'd look for a deal on a RT ticket and save the miles for next time. And if you can wait until the almost last minute to take your holiday, you may find better airline prices that way.

I don't think that Delta has business class anymore, at least not on the A-330. There is just Delta One then comfort coach then coach.

American seems to have a better miles program but watch out for those BA supplements using AA miles, they can be +$300 each way if the transatlantic flight is BA, nearly the same as the price of a ticket on a discount carrier.

Sasha, I can't sleep on a plane even when I can lay down, so those flat seats would be a waste for me. If I had so many extra miles that I could go to Europe as often as I wished and never run out of miles, of course I'd fly business class every time - but I unfortunately don't have that problem at the moment. I can either go to Europe more often and fly coach or go less often and fly business class.

Personally, I wouldn't buy (money not miles) any plane ticket 11 months out , unless the price was incredibly cheap. Last fall, Delta had a blow-out sale from Portland to Paris for $450 RT with great flights in the spring. I almost booked it - but opted to use miles instead.

The nice thing about using Alaska miles is that you can cancel/change your ticket up to 60 days prior to departure without a big change fee ($25 tops for a partner fee). Given how ridiculously easy it is to get enough Alaska miles for a one-way ticket to Europe, I'm surprised more people don't do it. 30,000 miles bonus after signing up for an Alaska BofA Visa card after you spend $1,000 in three months, and there's a trick to get a $100 credit to offset the $75 annual fee you pay the first year. And BofA doesn't seem to care if you get a new card every year (maybe more than one) and get a new 30,000 miles bonus each time.

Andrew: I know about the $450 Delta fares to France. We made an impromptu visit to Provence for a week with them in April. That's what those blowout fares are best for, a spontaneous trip.

But they were not good June-August. Also when you are committed to a specific location and date range they probably won't work out for you and then you are perhaps stuck with choosing between a $1400 fare since you let lower ones go by or a canceled trip. And budget airlines tend to sell out their low fares early and are not as wildly dynamic as legacy carriers.

Wow, lots of half-truths, over-simplifications, and some flat out wrong info here (all from well-meaning folks, I have no doubt, no offense intended).

I don't have enough miles for a RT to Italy.

Are you sure about that? Frequent Flyer programs are quite complicated and a quick, casual read of how many miles one might need for a particular flight almost always produces the wrong answer. The programs are intentionally complicated - the airlines are working hard (some harder than others) to confuse you, obfuscate your options, and generally stick it to you. If you try booking an award flight naively thinking they are going to help you and make things straightforward, you would be very, very wrong.

How many miles do you have for your trip to Italy and back (from where?)? In what program(s)? It's entirely possible you have enough miles if you know how to use them. Note that the airlines have an incentive to fool you into thinking that you need 2X, 3X or more miles than you really need.

I've been given the opportunity to apply the miles/points to the cost and pay the difference.

Most airlines don't offer this option; a few do. If available, it might be a good option for you.

My main take-away is to NOT expect American to ever lower their price for a one-way ticket.

Hah! American Airlines works harder than any airline in the world (and goes to great lengths) to screw members of their Frequent Flyer program. That said, if you know their tricks you can sometimes make good use of their miles (although it's harder than most airlines).

Economy seats are not the best use of air miles, but if that is what you want then best to book your outbound trip soon as the Saver level seats on AA can disappear

True. The good seats (which are very limited) are usually snapped up as soon as they become bookable - 11 months in advance. If you're hoping for seats in May 2018 (to popular destinations), it's late to be booking - unless you get lucky. Maybe you're lucky.

On Delta, economy to Europe is 30,000 each way and Delta One is 200,000. By my thinking 7 coach one ways > 1 First Class with lay flat seat

No, no, no... Delta has gone to great lengths to stick it to their FF members, so far as to 1) HIDE the award redemption charts (they're no longer posted on their website, which make it easier to trick people), and 2) have gone to "dynamic award pricing" - they now say "the number of miles you will need is whatever we say it is today" (that number varies). But "DeltaOne" (business class) is NOT 200,000 miles each way (unless you're a complete fool). Prices for US to Europe on Delta in business class can be as low as 70,000 miles (I'm flying from Seattle to Amsterdam on Delta in "DeltaOne" in a few weeks for that price). Of course, if you're willing to give Delta 200,000 miles for that flight, they'll gladly take you, um, them.

We find that flying Business in a flatbed seat we sleep on the plane, arrive rested and do not lose a day ( or two) to jet lag and fatigue.

Amen to that! I have come to conclude that flying a good, roomy, comfortable lay-flat business class seat allows me to arrive feeling great, and makes my arrival day usable and enjoyable. OTOH getting crammed into miserable cheap coach seats, with bad connections and a horrible string of flights leaves me a physical wreck on arrival, requiring 2 days to recover from the trauma. Arriving rested, fresh and happy effectively buys me 2 extra days.

I don't think that Delta has business class anymore, at least not on the A-330. There is just Delta One then comfort coach then coach.

"DeltaOne" is their "business class". It's pretty good (certainly far better than coach!) although not exceptional.

Bottom line: as nice and helpful as people are here, if you are doing anything involving FF miles, this is a bad place to seek good info. Get over to Flyertalk.com for accurate info.

Good luck & have a great trip!

David---thanks for validating my comments about business class. I will say in turn I totally agree with you on Flyertalk. I learned to "play the mileage game" by studying the forums there, over the course of several years.

You actually learn all kinds of things there. I did not know until I looked at it today that there was a near-miss at SFO earlier in July--could have been a catastrophe involving four planes. Thank goodness it was averted! And all the stories about bad behavior on planes----makes me grateful for each uneventful flight. But the helpfulmadvice from the experts is the best part!

Interesting comments about American Airlines and their mileage program, David. I have been a member of the AS program for 20+ years and BA for maybe 6, and have done well with those. But for a recent trip to Patagonia I decided the AA flights from the east cost to/from Santiago/Buenos Aires were the best way to go ( LATAM was just too difficult to figure out). So I joined the AA mileage program, got the credit card and 50,000 miles, and then learned that I would be booking flights after the devaluation and things were a bit uncertain. We fly business class on long-haul flights for the reasons you expressed ( arriving rested) plus we are "old" and do not need to have an uncomfortable ordeal on the flight.

There was a lot of confusion, expressed on Flyertalk, about the Saver award seats on AA and when they would be released. For a time people were finding no Saver award seats at all in business class, but it turned out they were released later than the 330-day mark, like a month or two. So I watched carefully and managed to score the two seats we needed in each direction (by this time we had enough miles). I don't know if they are still doing the late release or not.

The Saver awards in Economy were apparently released at the usual 330-day mark. And looking at the AA award seats for next May, it appears the OP may have trouble finding seats from LAX to Italy if they do not have them already. While the month-view calendar shows availability at the Saver level (30K) every day, if you look at them one by one, many of those are on BA, with the cash supplement. If you "uncheck" BA in the search, it will show routes on Iberia some days---so two flights, with a change in Madrid. Not bad. I only saw flights on AA planes on one day, but of course I did not check the whole month. And it was not a direct flight that day.
So 30 K for Economy, or 57.5 for Business Class. But those are only available on 3 days in May, on BA, with the supplement of $485. Like Sasha, I would rather pay that for Business Class than Economy.

Delta has a top class and a "main cabin." Whether one thinks of the top class as first or business is more an opinion.

I do see other dates with lower Delta One points but I only see points as low as 70,000 with hub to hub flights. I don't see anything in coach for less than 30,000, and I am paying for 4 fares so Delta One is out anyway. So I'm happy.

Although I make out well with hotel points, the opaqueness of airline points means I avoid dealing with them as much as possible, whatever comes, comes. I always make a balance of the lowest fare and convenience, no loyalty to any program, other than I avoid United (to keep myself from getting too thin) and Spirit. Southwest has the best points program, but limited use internationally.

have you tried looking at google flights? i put in FCO to LAX one way and skimmed through the calendar and see fares as low as $284 in may.

couple of things - if you're short on AA miles, just get the aadvantage aviator red card from barclaycard right now, you only have to make 1 purchase (any amount) and then pay the annual fee and you get 50k miles, which should get you back on nearly any date - you're effectively buying 50k miles for whatever it is, $90 or something. of course then by the time you pay the taxes on the flight you're hovering around the $200 mark so you might as well just buy the cheapie flight.

if you want that direct alitalia flight, get the delta amex for miles.

oh, and if you are going to book a cash flight, if there are going to be any fare changes (up or down), probably won't see them til november or so (6 mos out).