It's been 8 years since I've been to Europe. I'm not sure when to book my airfare. I know things have changed over the past few years, and need some advice from those of you who have recent experience. We are traveling to Scandinavia on June 12 for two weeks. Thank you so much!
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23626 posts
Do a search on this site. This item is discussed endlessly with no conclusion. Buy it when you are comfortable with the price.
Posted by
Ottawa, Canada
4555 posts
Another good site to use to check airfares is kayak.com. Also, check out airports that may be within commuting distance (say, Orlando) because you may find a better price from there.
Once you uncover the airlines flying your route, sign up for their e-mail airfare alerts.While "in the past airlines have lowered fares to Europe about 90-120 days before travel, and have seldom varied from that schedule in good times and bad," that is not necessarily true today. Air fares change on a daily basis, and what you saw on yapta.com today may be different from what you saw on other websites yesterday or the day before because the prices have changed. With sophisticated seat management software, airlines will put seats on sale anytime they're "behind the curve"....if they get ahead of the curve (and stay there), seat sales won't be as good, or they won't happen at all. Anecdotally, the best airfares I got for my four last trips to Europe over the past two years were purchased 9, 8, 8, and 6 months beforehand.
So use the sites you're checking now, plus additional ones suggested. Do it rigorously....daily, in fact. Sign up for the alerts. Get a history of prices over the next week or two. Then when you see a good drop, and you're confortable with it, buy it....and ignore the issue from then on out.
Posted by
OP
Weeki Wachee, FL, USA
75 posts
Steve, I tried Yapta, which came up with 50 flights for my intended itinerary. All with American Airlines. I had found the same routes on my own for less money, on a dozen or so other carriers, so I honestly wasn't impressed. I'll keep trying them, and try some others as well. Thanks!
Posted by
Sherman Oaks, CA, USA
262 posts
No actually the site address is: yapta.com not yapata.com
Posted by
Virginia, USA
5850 posts
Anne, Any flexibility with your dates? The reason that I am asking is that SAS has some specials to Stockholm that end in May (haven't checked other cities). I'm seeing prices around $750 which is a very good fare for Scandinavia in May.
I also typically check for flights on sidestep.com or kayak.com. Set up alerts to send you a daily message with prices. You also might check icelandair if you live near one of the cities that they fly out of.
Unfortunately, Scandinavia flights can be expensive in the summertime. It is not unusual to pay $1000 for a flight from the east coast in summer.