Airfare to Zurich

Careful of Steve's convention wisdom advice. While I have hear, read, and been told that 90 days out is a break point, I have never seen it in amy of the tickets I have purchased. There is a web site that will show historical range of ticket prices for flights. I think it is farecompare.com but I could be wrong. A number of recent articles have suggested that air fares might not come down this summer. The weak dollar is making travel this way very attractive, air line capacity has been reduced, and there may not be a last minute wave of fare discounts. And with six it may not be easy to grab six discount fare at once. And, finally, most people do not recognize a good bargain until it has passed. Decide what you can afford and if it is close -- BUY IT,

I already booked my airfare for June 2010 back in August of this year. There is no right or wrong time...you have to be able to spot the deal immediately when you see it. It might be 11 months before your travel date or it might be 2 weeks before. There's no definitive answer, and you have to be ready to jump on it when you DO see it.

I see you are on the west coast, like us. The fares depend in part on how many stops you are willing to make on the way, and where.

We insist on a direct flight to Europe, with a hop to Zürich. I won't book flights that stop first in the US, so discount fares on US Air, for example, are not attractive to us. I've heard way too many stories of people who faced delays on the east coast and arrived a day late, forfeiting a day of prepaid Europe reservations.

With that restriction, we fly British or SAS, and I've never been able to find summer flights for less than $1200. Last time (2007), we booked early (11 months ahead) on SAS for around that price. The price crept steadily up, and close to flight time the tickets that were left cost $2300 (in economy). I never did see an interim reduction.

Last year I bought my ticket to Zurich in April for travel at the end of August and I paid $640.00. A week after that the fare went even lower but who knows what next year will bring. I think waiting until the early spring might be good, but if you see a fare you are comfortable with between now and then take it. The airlines are no longer giving back credit vouchers if the fare decreases after you buy your ticket unless it over $150.00 so there is no harm in waiting a bit. I usually fly Delta via JFK or Atlanta but AA had reduced their fares to match Delta's last year. You should check fares as often as possible on your preferred airline and keep an eye out for sales.

Thanks to all who replied about airfare to ZRH next June. I'm looking at Air Canada but have not flown it. Any comments? I too like that first leg to be out of the US. This one goes to Toronto with a comfortable layover...in case. I see Air Canada has Premium Economy class on some flights but can't seem to pull up if the long haul segment has it. As the oldsters of the family, extra comfort becomes important. The best info always comes from other travelers.
Theo