Best Time To Purchase Air Fare

Thank you, we are going to be flying open jaw we land in Munich for a couple of days then to Salzburg for couple of days then take train to Venice for a cruise and we will fly out of Rome at the end of cruise. Thanks for the info I will check every day to see if prices go down right now prices are around 1275.00

And when I say go down, it may not be a lot. I was watching a particular multi-city (open jaw) fare that dropped for the first time last week...$50. Not a lot but I'll take it. This fare has been consistently trending a couple hundred less than others, so $50 more is just icing on the cake. Happy travels.

I'm certainly no expert, and everyone has their own strategy, but all of the monitoring I've done over the years suggests to me that anytime between now and the end of March is as good a time as any for fall travel. Most years, fares decline slightly right about now and start rising again after Spring Break. The higher summer fares seem to influence fall fares at that point, and they don't usually decline again. This is what I've seen...others may have different experiences. The best answer to your question is that the best time is when you are comfortable with the fare you're seeing and can buy it for a price that's good for you. Start monitoring fares now using several sites – kayak, airline websites, skyscanner, vayama, whatever. Get a good feel for a baseline fare. In your mind, set an amount that is good and that you're willing pay. Make sure your travel partner is good with the amount. Then monitor these sites every day for several weeks. As soon as you find a fare that meets all of your criteria for cost, connections, airline, type of plane, service, whatever it is, buy it instantly. Do not call your partner for approval...the great fare literally can be gone by the time you get back online. Watch out for fares that look good until you click through to buy it...often times it's suddenly unavailable but can be purchased at a higher fare (you'll see this on kayak and others occasionally). Click all the way through if needed just to make sure you can actually get that fare. If you're flexible with dates, airfields, and airlines, you can get a better deal. Good luck!

Terry: What does Clark Howard say? I think he'd tell you to hold off until August for an October departure; 60 days ahead. I would be hesitant to pay $1,275 right now. We're going next month for just $705, flying into London and out of Rome. Flights are going up in April, May and then the Summer months. It's all supply and demand. I've seen $1,100 flights for May and $1,500 to $1,700 for July and August. Don't forget that you also have some consolidators in Atlanta that sometimes have some "fair prices." Clark's website has links to them. October's a great time to go to Europe.

Thank you, and I do listen to Clark and I'll keep watching for sales. Just want to get best price where I can enjoy our first trip to Europe. And thank you for the advice.