Help with air ticket- PDX to CDG return Venice to PDX

Adding to my previous post. I was going to suggest checking SeaTac, but Jarrod beat me to it. Also, while you can use a search engine like expedia.com to find out what airline choices you have, it's usually cheaper to book directly with the airline itself. Airlines have to pay a fee for using sites like Expedia and they may have special offers that are only listed on their sites.

Have any of you ever used a consolidator? If so, would you recommend it? I did look at a SEA departure, at your suggestion, but the tickets are still way over $1000. I'm hoping that at the end of December they may drop a little, but seeing the price of fuel going up, up, up, I presume that is a wishful assumption.
PS: It seems RS should have some connections in Seattle, doesn't it?

PDX to FRA is expensive most of the time (but worth the time savings in my opinion). Starting March 30, there will be a PDX to Amsterdam flight through Northwest/KLM. You might be able to find a cheaper rate if they're trying to fill the new flights, although I'm looking at that flight for a mid-May trip and it's at least $900-$1000 depending on departure day. Part of the issue is Memorial Day weekend departure. Try setting up a fare watch on Kayak, Expedia, Orbitz, etc. Also re: Seattle - it might be cheaper fare wise, but once you factor in 3.5 hour drive through both Olympia and Seattle traffic, and pay for a week of parking at SEA, it's not always the best deal unless the fare is extremely cheap.

I will look into the KLM flight to Amsterdam. I agree on the Seattle connection. Plus who wants to drive 3.5 hours after a long flight from Europe. I didn't even think about the Memorial Day holiday when we secured our other 3 FF tickets. I usually don't travel at this time, and really didn't think it through to well, obviously.

Susan, we usually find our own flights, but we also check with a travel agent. They only add tiny % to your ticket prices. Do like we do; find the best price and ask them if they think that they can find anything cheaper. Then wait and see if the prices drop.

We love the direct PDX to FRA run on Luft. Last June (Memorial weekend)our R/T tickets cost us $480, w/ all taxes. This Christmas we found $650 for the same flight, but opted for an open-jaw PDX to FRA, and Lisbon to FRA ticket for $700.

To find these prices I set up a fare watch on farecompare.com, and Orbitz, and waited. I had to sit on pins and needles until two months before our summer trip ( to get $480), and then I got a notice when just a few seats opened up.( I'm kissing $480 goodbye: price of fuel, and drop of the dollar!)

We have done the SEA to Europe thing, and it was no fun, but there are some DIRECT flights from SEA to Paris that you really should set up on fare watch.

NOW is the time to watch; not buy.

An open jaw ticket allows a person to fly into one city and home from another. The fare usually is half of the total of the roundtrip fares if booked separately. Go to a search engine like expedia.com and click on "multiple destinations."

I did a dummy booking for your niece's dates and found very high prices. Perhaps they will go down a bit in the next few months. I suggest that you check fares once a week to see if they begin dropping. Warning: While they may drop a bit, they will certainly rise again after the first of the new year.

We would suggest trying a travel agent. They have connections w all sorts of money-savers. We have found ours (tho we oftwen find things ourselves)to be very helpful. Saves lotsa time and effort.

I think that Tim, and Paul and Sara, have given you some good advice.

We just got our best price this Christmass by flying open jaw: into FRA and out of Lisbon, and then using the cheap Euro airlines for our other flights.

Using whichbudget.com and orbitz.com I don't see any direct flights between Venice and FRA. ( You can fly between Treviso [30 min. from Venice on the train] and FRA Hahn) But FRA Hahn is a long! ways from FRA main.....the airport you want. )And there are indirect flights for around $200, but that defeats your purpose.(lo cost!)

Whichbudget is a great search engine for the cheap Euro airlines. Use one of the search engines (Orbitz, Expedia, Kayak, etc.) to find the best flight over the pond, sign up for auto notice and have them send you an Email when they find your flight at the price YOU want. Then use whichbudget to find the Euro flights.

There are no good prices for this trip now, but keep watching.

And... enlist the help of a good travel agent!

Thanks to all for the help. I wasn't aware of whichbudget.com for euro airlines, so I will be sure to list that in my favorites. I have never used a travel agent. Is there a cost for there services? It is getting so hard to get frequent flyer tickets, especially on Delta, although American is much better. I'm just not use to actually having to pay for a ticket, so its a little bit of sticker shock.

Susan, also see if you can compare the cost against leaving from SEA/TAC. I know it's a drive to get to SEA/TAC from Portland, but if you figure out the total cost difference it could be less. This is just a thought, and not based on any experience.