Iam going to Paris mid August. I have searched for two days for a reasonable price South Fl area to Paris and nothing is under $1300 with one stop. I have never paid this much for an airline ticket to Europe, and I just got back in May. Am I searching in the wrong places (Kayak, Travelzoo, etc,)or prices have increased that much? Also Would I get a better price if I wait a few weeks? Please enlighten me!!!!
Posted by
South Yorkshire, UK; formerly St. Louis, MO, USA
317 posts
Vivien - its not your imagination, prices really have jumped quite a bit. Given that you are looking to go mid-August, you are still safe to wait for a little while. I would begin looking in earnest once you hit the 30 day window, and have something booked before 21 days of intended departure. One caveat - if you find a fare you can live with, jump on it. As to where you are looking - you might also try airline websites directly.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32353 posts
Vivien, I've also noticed that prices have increased, and I suspect they're not going to decrease anytime soon (if ever!). From what I've been able to determine, there are a number of factors responsible for the current prices: > Fuel costs - although the cost of a barrel of oil is lower at the moment, airlines have seen significant cost increases for jet fuel, and of course those are passed on to passengers. > Demand - more people tend to take holidays in the summer (school holidays, etc.), so there's often more demand at that time of year. Higher demand = higher prices. > Airline changes - some airlines have gone bankrupt, which means there are fewer seats available. In addition, many airlines are "retiring" older, less fuel efficient aircraft and reducing the number of flights they offer. This means that passengers have fewer seats available. Airlines don't like operating flights with too many empty seats, so reducing unprofitable flights is one solution. Of course, "seat sales" are offered from time-to-time, so that's the best bet for getting cheaper prices. Good luck and happy travels!
Posted by
Tempe, AZ, USA
1266 posts
Vivien - This is going to sound strange but, Have you thought about flying to London and catching the Eurostar to Paris. Delta has flights from MIA-LHR for $808, Departing Aug 15 returning Aug 30. Eurostar tickets for the same dates are as low as $168 pp roundtrip. I know this is the long way around, but it gets you there for less than $1000. ** edit ** Vivien - The flights I looked at from Mia - LHR, arrived into LHR at 7:05 am. The Eurostar departure was for 2 pm arriving in Paris at 5:15 pm. I figured 2 hours to get thru immigration/customs and collect you luggage and I figured 1 - 1 1/2 hours to get from Heathrow to St Pancras station. I errored on the time side of things. For your return trip I looked at a Eurostart departure from Paris at 8:43 am arriving at St Pancras station in London at 10 am. The depature I looked at from LHR - MIA was at 2:25 pm. That gives you almost 4 1/2 hours to get to Heathrow from St Pancras station.
Posted by
South Yorkshire, UK; formerly St. Louis, MO, USA
317 posts
Joel has a good point - if you can get a good rate into LHR, Eurostar is certainly an option. You just need to make sure you allow enough time to get between LHR and St. Pancras Int'l.
Posted by
Atlanta, GA, USA
2791 posts
Skip the Eurostar. Check AirFrance. I did this just this May. Round trip on AirFrance was about $200. Didn't have to go to London (and it could have been cheaper) My suggestion, give yourself 4 hours between arriving in LHR and the flight out. Realize that if you really get screwed you MAY be out of luck since it's "not protected" for the flight back consider a hotel near the airport and fly in the night before.