Help! My daughter needs a reasonably priced flight from LAX to Florence for study abroad.

There won't be any direct flights from LAX to FLR
Best bet is probably flight to Rome or Milan, then train to Florence.

Use Google Flights to see what's available but ALWAYS book your flight on the actual airline website (not a 3rd party like expedia-what might seem like a deal could end up being a nightmare)

If she knows her return date it is better to book a RT ticket.

Round trip flights from LAX to Rome (FCO) are in the $1200 range. Looks like a one way ticket is about $1000

Try Turkish Air. The flight will connect through Istanbul and then likely terminate in Rome (or Milan). From Rome or Milan, Florence is a train-ride away.

I quickly looked at Florence & Pisa. Those are $1500 flights--quickly going toward $2,000. It may take a change of airlines go get down there. And airfares are jumping substantially with the price of fuel--and increasing demand for trips.

It might take some time to get the flights down--and we'd need to know the exact dates. Are there any other departing airports that would work too?

You can also use www.kayak.com
from LAX
to FLR
or you can also try Rome (FCO) or Milan (MXP), both of which will be at least $200 cheaper than flying to FLR.

From LAX you can also fly non stop to Rome (FCO) with ITA Airways, the new company that replaced Alitalia.

Prices may be over $1,500 at this time so close to the dates of travel (Florence probably around $1,800).

The train Rome-Florence costs about $70 one way.

try 'google flights'. the good thing about it is that it is easy to set parameters, enter dates, etc. it also gives you several sources to buy from. i always choose the actual airline website vs a third-party company like expedia.

Definitely look at RT tickets and flying into Rome or Milan, then train to Florence.

Level is a budget airline to BNC Spain, from there she could take a very cheap flight on Vueling to Italy. Level departs from SFO and I think also LAX. Good Luck, J

With a study-abroad program hanging in the balance, I'd be very cautious about patching together flights on two separate tickets unless your daughter can fly to Europe a day or two early to minimize the risk of a schedule change that changes a reasonable layover into an impossible layover. I'd also be more comfortable with airlines that fly the needed route(s) often enough that a cancellation of her planned flight wouldn't cause her to miss the first day or two of classes.

Waiting so late really escalates the price. Return date may help that, or not.

You don't say when she actually starts the program, but she should arrive and get settled in at least 3 days before the program starts. Putting in her return date will also provide a better picture of costs.

You can try RT to Milan or Rome, or Multi-city into one and home from the other. RT LAX to MXP will likely be cheaper than RT LAX to FCO. Flying midweek will likely be cheaper than on Sunday. And being there for a longer time will also likely lower the flight cost.

As you play around with dates, be sure to click on the calendar to see how flying on different days of the week changes the cost.

I used Google Flights to help me find the best options for my flight this summer from Seattle to Dublin (via London) and back to Seattle from London (a multi-city trip).

You don't have much time to track prices like I did, but Google Flights can definitely help you find the best options by dates and airlines. I agree that it might be cheaper to fly to Rome or Milan and take the fast train from there to Florence.

It also might be cheaper and easier for your daughter to fly RT LAX to FLR changing planes somewhere enroute in her jetlagged state upon arrival.

I saw some RT prices around $1200, including ones to FLR, for a stay in Florence of about 2 months. If her time there is shorter, the RT to MXP, FCO or FLR may be more like $1500.

When you look for RT flights LAX to FLR, be sure to limit the stops to 1 and realize that many of the FLR flights may have her changing planes in countries other than Italy.

Note my frequent use of "might" and "likely"
and "may" above. You won't learn for sure until you do the searching with your specific dates.

Good luck with the searching.

My daughter is also studying in Italy this summer. She is flying in and out via different airports (JFK to Milan and Naples to BOS). We ended up booking 2 one way tickets for her because was cheaper than the multi city “round trip”. That might be an option for your daughter if she is flexible with her arrival and departures. In our case it was the airports and dates that were non negotiable due to program requirements, flying with a friend, and returning home with a family member. Booking 2 one ways reduced the price in half.

Leave a little earlier, like June 22, a Wednesday. American is showing $1037 with a return on Aug 31 to Rome. Arriving a few days early will do her good to get over jetlag, and she'll be in Italy!

PS. used ITA Matrix for the flight search.