Hello! My partner and I are planning a fifteen day trip to Europe in mid-June, and we are hoping to fly from the Baltimore area to London (stay seven days), take the Eurostar to Paris (stay four days), take the Thalys to Amsterdam (stay four days), and fly back to Baltimore out of Amsterdam. Since we want to be in Paris during the 21st (for the Fete de la Musique), our possible dates are 12-28 June, 11-27 June, or 10-26 June. So far, flights are about $1300 per person round-trip, and I'm surprised at the cost (I flew BWI to London, London to BWI for $900 last May). I've checked Orbitz, Expedia, Travelocity, and Kayak; I've also checked several carriers directly (Continental, British Airways, American). I've also checked prices from Dulles, Reagan, and Harrisburg. We are both students, and he is a AAA member. Does anyone have any advice on if this is the best price/flight plan?
Posted by
Seattle, WA
689 posts
Flights are high this summer. That's been a frequent subject of discussion here and in newspapers/magazines; base fares are higher and there are fuel surcharges. I just saw that Air France announced a summer "sale" of "only" $1374 from NYC to Paris. Ugh. Since your flight is only 6 weeks away, buy now! You may have found a better fare sooner (you definitely would have avoided the fuel surcharges, which were tacked on about a month ago) but I doubt you will now. When I've paid more than I wanted for flights I never end up regretting it. In future years you'll look back on the trip but you will never regret paying an extra few hundred bucks for airfare.
Posted by
California USA
3966 posts
Since you are both students, you can sometimes get a better price on STATravel. You will need to buy an International Student Card from them for $22 though. Good luck and have a great time.
Posted by
Phoenix, AZ, USA
1035 posts
Might be time to check with a few legit consolidators.
Posted by
Atlanta, GA, USA
2749 posts
I hate to say this, but under an $1,000 probably isn't happening in June. That said last year everyone got good rates on Iceland Air so maybe give them a try? AAA won't help much, ISTA might, but it's late in the game for that too...