I've started looking for airfare and of course it is higher. Any recommendations on the best site to watch. So far I've gone to Travelocity and Expedia. Also to direct AA, United, Delta etc..
Yes, I'll pay more this time around. Usually watch the airfare and have been successful to get a great deal in September or October for May travel to Europe for 450.00 to 550.00 out of JFK, TY
Posted by
North Georgia, USA
1155 posts
Personally, I would never, ever book through a third party booking site. My peace of mind is worth more than any savings those sites might offer. I only book direct with the airline. I monitor overall costs using google flights, kayak, etc.
Posted by
California USA
4103 posts
I use matrix.itasoftware.com to check on multiple airports and monthlong dates to see if there are any lower fare possibilities. If you fly from Miami to Madrid in May there are some nonstop fares for about $500 (TBD by searching on the airlines own website). Matrix.itasoftware.com is the precursor of Google flights and I prefer its familiar search format. I’ve been using it for a loooong time with great results.
https://matrix.itasoftware.com/#calendar:research=MIAMAD-MADMIA
Posted by
Denver, CO, USA
1601 posts
Google flights is the way to go. Extremely fast and one can do multiple searches in one go.
You can enter up to 5 originating airports and 5 different destinations. Alternatively, if your plans are flexible, you can just put ‘Europe’ as the destination and see the results. There are lots of great things you can do with google flights - suggest you do a search to find the hacks
Posted by
Los Angeles
4853 posts
You're looking way too far ahead, almost a year! And nowadays, things don't just change every month, they change several times a day!
Even the airlines don't know what they will be able to charge next year, let alone this fall. My advice would be to put fare alerts on Google Flights on several routes that interest you, and watch how crazily they go up and down. After a while you'll see a pattern and know when a fare is a good fare. Frankly if you're flying economy, it's going to settle at a certain level and will be one of the smallest parts of your travel budget.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area
5697 posts
And get a free subscription to Scott's Cheap Flights so you can see when bargains come up.
Posted by
39 posts
I've seen very low fares on TAP to from NYC to cities all over Europe - fares requires a connection in Lisbon, but still....good fares.
Posted by
Seattle
65 posts
Check Google Flights - and turn on the 'fare watcher' -
They have most, but not all, carriers; for example, Southwest and French Bee are not included; their choice. And no, I don't work for google.
But, now for next May is pretty early - good luck.
BTW - expedia owns Travelocity, Hotwire, and most of the other travel websites.
Posted by
16 posts
as @Mona said, ITA is the king of search tools.
You didn't specify duration but I just did an ITA search for MIA-MAD, 7-10 days in May and found TAP for $451 on May 1 or 2, via LIS.
Cheapest non-stops were $626 on AA or Finnair and $640 on Iberia and BA.
I'd avoid AA since their scheduling problems may well continue.
The best TATL fares are usually found 90-105 days out but no one can predict what's going to happen coming out of the TATL EU - US travel freeze. DL just announced that their TATL bookings are up 450% now that Europeans can come to the US.
I just booked JFK-MAD via AMS on KLM for $675 each for Easter week.
Posted by
8248 posts
matrix is good, also look at kayak.com
I never book at those sites, just check with them for the source.
Be careful what airline you go with, they might make you pay extra for luggage or limit your luggage entirely.