Ticket prices to Italy

I’ve also been watching airfares for weeks to Italy from W. Canada for this Fall.
The prices are indeed very high this year, but I noticed that even before all the upheaval in Iran.
I may just pay up and go anyway.
What did I work so hard for , for all those years?! 😉
I do notice that accommodation prices are slightly lower in Italy this year….maybe less people are booking?
I don’t know.

I see lots of reasonable flights available.

Yikes- that must be first class?

Set a price alert on Google Flights and watch for a bit.
I am watching prices on various flights- some went up slightly yesterday, some went down today.
Book when you see a price you can live with.

@Christine- yes this was for Business/First Class. I think I’m going to keep watching for a couple more days and then make a decision and lock it in. I do have points/miles to use which helps!
@SJ- I also feel that same way!

That's more or less the price I paid a few weeks ago, on ITA from NYC, for a trip in May.
You m ight check that airline, although their business class is not the best...

my premium economy on American was $3200 on a Sunday in late March (for mid-June flight). Glad I bought it because by Tuesday it was $3900. Hmm, last year it was only $2100. But hey! 5 weeks in Italy sure beats paying bills. hahahaha

We were in a similar situation. We were initially (due to air fare costs) planning to go to Italy a little later (mid October to mid November) but my husband channeled a previous poster and said we had worked hard and he would prefer to go when it is warmer. Last year in October, we were in the little Italian town his grandmother is from, and it was freezing.

This year, our (planned) trip begins in mid September in Italy (including grandmother’s home town), and ends in mid October in Paris. Several weeks ago, like you, I booked all the hotels (cancellable). At the same time, I set a few price alerts for various days on Delta, in Premium Select seats. We had a “Goldilocks flight” that I paid special attention to and I can tell you that in three days the increased by $5,000 for two tickets. For several weeks the prices were consistently VERY high, but on Wednesday this week, I received an alert and the price was the lowest I had seen. Goldilocks airline tickets are now purchased.

If you have not been tracking fights or are willing to try other airlines, I would set up several flight alerts for flights you are willing to purchase. Then if you can wait it out, see what prices do for a couple of weeks and be ready to jump on one that works for you. It would also be advisable to purchase tickets that are at least changeable allowing you to rebook at a lower rate and receive a credit for future use.

*edited to add. Although it is not an equal comparison just so you have some numbers - the two refundable tickets we purchased from the gulf coast to Rome with one connection via Atlanta, and then Paris back to the gulf coast, again one connection via Atlanta, were a few thousand dollars less than the price you are seeing for one ticket. I just looked, our same flights today are 3K more than what I paid Wednesday.

@Salbeachbum - Thank you! Your reply is extremely helpful. It’s good to hear what others are paying right now as well…we’re all in the same nail-biting situation. I have now set a few alerts for flights and will wait just a bit longer to see what happens and see if I can get those “Goldilocks” tickets too! I would’ve loved to go a little earlier (end of September to early Oct) but we have two family weddings to attend during that time period so we’re locked into mid to late October. Hopefully we will luck out and still get a little warmth! 🤞🏻

Obviously we budget every year for vacations but this fuel/flight price issue has us shaking our heads! I might cave this weekend and go ahead and hit “purchase” 😁 It’s just money right?!

There’s hope, but don’t hold your breath. I just looked at my Delta refundable Comfort ticket PHX/VCE RT Sept 1-23. I bought mine soon after the dates open (11/15) for just shy of $1700. Before he-who-will-not-be-named’s war the ticket price rose to $2400. Then it jumped to $3400. Today same flights are $2800.
If I would have had to book flights at the high price I would have had to cancel my trip this year. As a budget traveler that is just too much.

ekscrunchy…why do you say ITA business class is not that good?

We just flew ITA Business Class from IAD to FCO on April 7/8 and thought it was definitely comparable to other airlines (usually either United or Delta) we have flown. We had never flown ITA before, but we were able to purchase the 2 R/T nonstop business class tickets in January for $7400 for both! It was a newer plane and the “pods” were spacious and comfortable.
The only 3 negatives we had were…
1. The flight crew showed up en masse 90 minutes late with no explanation or apology
2. The lay flat beds were a bit hard
3. strict weight requirement for your carryon bag…8kg…and they do weigh them!

Unfortunately, ITA canceled our return flight on April 19 with only 18 hours notice. It rebooked us on a flight through Munich the next day with a 6 hour layover. That was not acceptable to us, so we rejected their rebooking and bought one-way nonstop tickets for the next day on United in order to get home earlier in the day.

I would be cautious with ITA as they are canceling flights fairly frequently now…they are now part owned by Lufthansa who is leading the European airlines in cancelations due to an ongoing pilot and cabin crew strike and the growing fuel shortage.

We flew ITA first class from Athens to FCO last year- obviously not long haul. The crew was nice and professional but the flight was an hour and half late and while i am not a sommelier the wine was so bad I did not drink it. Not sure they would be my first, second or third choice…but that’s just me.