Airfare Sticker Shock

yes, prices are high, but I also think your 2022 prices were artificially low coming out of the pandemic. Prices really jumped this year. We paid $2200 for PE to Brussels this July and I just purchased at $2000 to Athens next April. I had hoped not being prime summer would have helped, but not much. In the old pre pandemic days I would not have even considered purchasing this far ahead- prices would usually drop closer to time, but I monitored all this year in the run up to our trip and that no longer held true. PE seats are especially hard since there are so few on each plane, but eco seats are still $1500/1600.

Agree we had very good prices last year!

Interesting question!

Here's an analysis of the last few years: https://www.ing.com/Newsroom/News/Global-aviation-outlook-Air-fares-climb-higher-amid-the-unprecedented-recovery-of-travel.htm Scroll 2/3's way to the bottom for a graph of ticket prices to date of the article, May 2023.

I had a flight fall of 2022 on a route I frequently fly - ORD to LHR. There was no bargain on that. I remember thinking prices had gone up since pre-pandemic. I'm editing based on above comments - my London flight was after the restrictions on Covid testing before returning on a US bound flight were lifted. I suspect flights while all the restrictions were still in place were better.

My airfares to Copenhagen this summer were higher than in the pre-pandemic past, but after several years, I wasn't surprised.

I have never been good at the price guessing game. When I flew regularly, 4 -5 time a year, to Hong Kong, I knew what the fares would be, but the pricing model of the carrier was probably not typical dynamic pricing. My strategy with routes that are "one off" trips is just to find a fare acceptable to me. Some people book refundable fares hoping that prices will drop and they can cancel the higher price, but this isn't something I've done.

What city are you connecting through? (I am assuming Indy doesn't have direct non-stops.) Could you play around with different departure/arrival cities to see if there is something not being picked up on the search sites? Drive to Chicago/ORD and check nonstop fares? Of course, you've probably explored that already. Best of luck!!

Thanks for the advice. I have been looking at all options/cities. We will see how things go.

In 2022 there was not as much demand coming out of the pandemic. June in general is just going to see increased travel demand as summer travel season starts, and now demand in general has increased beyond 2019 levels plus the traveling public has shown itself more than willing to spend the money not spent and that was left on the table from 2020-2022. To top it off, there is a significant reduced capacity with about 2000 fewer aircraft in service. Prices are just going to be higher that the last several years.

Last, its early August and prices for June 2024 would have just recently been published and are traditionally put out at a higher fare than a couple months from now.

I was curious so I just checked what my Dulles-Athens trip would price in June. Cheapest was $2600 and a match of our exact flights was $3900!

You may have checked these, but I tried Kayak, Skyscanner and Google flights. They all pick up different routings and some the oddball JetBlue/Icelandair flights (I can't remember which picked these best)

You might check CVG. I remember people from Cincy driving to Indy for flights many many years ago when Delta had a lockhold on CVG's flights and we had inflated flight prices. Maybe it will work in reserve now. 😊 A 90 minute drive isn't bad.

To save money the answer might be where you can pick your economy seat if you book soon enough. Maybe the exit row. Spending $1000 more for a premium economy seat probably isn't worth it for most people.

We got two premium tickets for $2800 to Edinburgh in July, which I thought was pretty good, but I won't spend much more that that if at all. The wider seats and legroom do make a difference in feeling better upon arrival.

Based on Syds response I may just bite the bullet and buy our airfare for trip next May, but I was really hoping prices would come down. My flights are still in my budget, but after flying to Europe a few times for under $800 to see an almost 56% increase in airfare was a bummer. It won't stop us from going but with that I am sure we will also see an increase in lodging, food and entry fees. May turn our 21 day trip into a 15 day now.

Airfares are high because everyone is traveling now. All the people I knew who stayed home for years are now traveling in 2023 and 2024. Airlines know this and know that people will still pay top dollar for flights. I thought my flight to Europe was high this year but am taking Mom to Mexico next year and am paying as much as I used to for European flights 5 years ago.

Will prices go down? bar a global recession, with fewer pilots and planes, I'm afraid this is the new normal.

Set up fare alerts in Google Flights for the route you are interested in. It will email you when prices change, and you will get a sense of the going rate. No one can say today how airfares might change over the next 11 months as there are too many variables (oil prices, traveler demand, to be determined world events, etc.). When you see a price that suits you, buy it immediately - prices can change back on the same day (I speak from experience). Also you might consider flying to Munich instead of Salzburg and take the train between, that might some airfare costs. Some airlines (like Icelandair) might not yet have routes set for next summer so you may need to wait a bit anyway. Good luck!

Hi there, yes prices are up a LOT. In addition to all the excellent advice above, last autumn I saw some good prices for springtime travel on TAP airlines with a free stopover in Lisbon & also on BA. A few weeks ago someone landed BA via LHR for I seem to recall $2200 business class to maybe Amsterdam or Paris (?) With a significant discount, maybe consider spending a night & day close to destination & pay for a cheaper flight for second leg? Just an idea... as long as you have LOTS of time between flights. Personally, I would wait & see what autumn pricing brings. In addition to Google Flights, sign up for weekly specials on Travel Zoo, that's where I saw the TAP special. I suppose it's not worth asking if you could go earlier in the season?

Seems to be in line with what I have seen on the news ( and experience in my in box)
International fares remain high due to demand , while domestic demand is softening and am seeing more emails offering "Fall deals"

I am glad I bought months ago for our trip next month, but I DID think they would be cheaper by now! Turns out I did get somewhat of a deal even though it was more expensive than past trips. $1200 each for main cabin, Seattle into AMS and out of CDG. Definitely spoiled when we went spring 2022 and got Delta One for just under $3k each. Ah, the good old days.

Are you on the RS My Way Alpine tour? I’m going on it this September.

With my flights I decided to fly main cabin coming home. I chose Delta Comfort Plus going to Europe so I would have more room for better sleep. Flying home, I will be awake and i can endure less room more easily because I know I’m coming home. Maybe that will help bring down the price for you.
Enjoy!

After tracking flights costs to Europe for early June 2024, I notice they are way up. $1400 - 1$900 for main cabin from the midwest. (St. Louis). Sometimes I drive to Chicago to take the direct flight - especially when buying 4 tickets, but even without the connecting flight it is no cheaper!

I have decided that airline points are the way to go. I was a little short on points but a family transfer plus a couple of thousand I needed to purchase, I still got a bargain. I pulled up the calendar and played with my dates leaving late May returning June 16. I was able to go through Dallas on AA return for 42,000 points each + $200 tax and fees. All other decent itineraries were 70,000 +. The good news is when using points, you can get the points back within a matter of minutes plus a refund on the fees. I know not everyone collects points, but I usually can get one international flight a year by using my Citi AA or Delta Amex card.

Interesting inputs. Sounds like we just lucked out last year with a really good price. Will continue to monitor and see where prices go from here.

Am I reading current airline sites that explain the baggage fees from US departures to Europe? United, Delta, and their code share airlines (such as Air Canada and Air France etc) appear to not charge economy-ticketed customers a fee for the 1st checked bag if within the size/weight limits.
BUT - As of June 7th American charges $75 each way? I am booked on American from ORD to CDG in September. My Economy (N) ticket shows "economy" not "basic economy". My tickets are "changeable" & "refundable" depending on the number of days prior to departure. And my seats are assigned.
What is the difference between Basic Economy and Economy (N) regarding baggage fees? It apprears that even AAdvantage members who do not have the American credit card will be charged international baggage fees.
This may only add $150 ($75 each way) for each of us but it does come into play when comparing/searching airfare US to Europe. I've been flying Air France and Iberia in 2021 and 2022. I've never paid a baggage fee... ever. Welcome to 2023.

Here's a chart of AA's fare classes -- https://cwsi.net/aa.htm

As far as whether AA charges Economy passengers... I merely read the June 7, 2023 date as the most recent update to fees and allowances especially in regard to Basic Economy, and that there is no fee for "Main Cabin" -- https://www.aa.com/i18n/customer-service/support/optional-service-fees.jsp