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 the 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.

I fly to Europe from Detroit on delta 2-3 x per year. My strategy is to buy premium select then watch for delta one upgrades. Those will often be under 1000$ which is worth it to lie flat overnight. Also found a flight for much less going Detroit to Cincinnati to Paris.

Normally I would say you’ll have a better chance of seeing a price drop since you’re flying in October. If you don’t want to wait, purchase a changeable/refundable fare so you can adjust later. Our tickets to Düsseldorf in August are now $2000 more than what we paid in January. We’re flying Lufthansa to Bologna after our visit there, and of course now I’m reading that they plan to cancel over 20,000 flights through October. So I guess we all make the best choices we can for now, but we surely are living through very uncertain times.

@leylamoossavi. We also purchase Premium Select for our long haul flights and then look for upgrades to Delta One - specifically for the flight over. We are not as motivated to upgrade for the return flight because they are typically during the day and while we may doze, for us the Premium Select seats are comfortable enough for day time flying; this is not too say we wouldn’t hop on a cheap upgrade - its simply not as important to us.

I got an alert this morning about a possible flight option. The overall cost for two tickets was significantly lower but a different airline (British Airways) than I normally fly so I can’t use points. BUT it’s $4,000 less than what I’m still seeing on United.
Anyone flown British Airways? Thoughts?

British Airways??

Nope, never heard of ‘em. Probably a scam.

British Airways is part of One World Alliance, partnered with American among others. Completely legitimate.

Heather. Before booking with British Airways, read Frank II’s thread. I have not flown BA so have no opinion. https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/transportation/british-airways-is-getting-strange

@Chris- Hahahaha
@ horsewoofie - o just read through that post - thanks for sharing the link.

Update: I finally found some “Goldilocks” flights last night on United using some of my miles/points. I booked premium select seats with hopes to upgrade to Polaris later on. Right now they want another $4,800 x2 tickets to upgrade to business….I’ll wait.

Thanks to all who offered words of wisdom and encouragement! I love this travel forum!

Ohh, it is bad. I will be flying to Rome from middle U.S.
It is going to be a 2500 ticket for economy. I am rural, and probably flying thru Chicago and getting an agent to help. I don't have good internet.
I am just going to put this out there. I love our Canada neighbors. Not only do they have a beautiful Country, and I have been there, but their airports are awsome for international travel. I flew back from Rick Steves from Ireland thru Ontario. We loved it.

Thank you, elizabet! 🙂

Heather, You did well watching prices & waiting, then buying before you overthought it! FYI, I use Google Flights, as I so often see UA increase the price when I come back a second time to their site, happens far less often on Google. (Almost) all UA tickets can be changed / cancelled for a credit that's held in your account for a year. I say almost because I'm not sure about 'basic economy'. A few times I've purchased a UA flight, seen price drop a lot, cancelled the ticket & rebooked using the credit! Once I got the agent on the phone to help me do it! PS, I think mid to late October will be much less crowded than earlier, hope you have a wonderful time!

@sandancisco - Thanks for the reply of support. I am just so glad I got airline tickets with decent seats at a manageable cost. Not gonna lie, I love flying business/first class but this time around I just can’t justify the cost. And United has really comfortable premium plus seats. Airfare is skyrocketing right now! Looking forward to spending October in northern Italy!

I'm glad I could be of some help. Yep, take what you can get and enjoy your time in Northern Italy!! The weather could be gorgeous, but I would take a fleece, rain coat, gloves and hat, or in my case a wool headband. Hope you have an amazing trip!