open jaw to london and back from paris from the midwest

Unfortunately, airfares to Europe have increased significantly, compared to 4 years ago. Airfares are affected by oil and gas prices and this has contributed to the increased airfares compared to 4 years ago.

Thanks for the reply, but doubling seemed a bit much. I would expect a few hundred dollars. I was hoping that someone would say that if we check airfares a little closer to May that we should expect a smaller amount. What I am asking is what is an approximate going rate for economy class to Europe in May from the midwest (ohio)? thanks!

Hi Brian. $1300-$1400 is a lot of money, but by no means outrageous. Peak summer fares this year were in the $1300 - $1600 range. Late May is not quite peak, but if it were me I would plan on spending $1100. I picked random dates of May 16-30 and I see a current fare of $1235. No need to rush, just check fares once in awhile and get a feel. Of course the more flexible you can be on dates, times, connections, the better fare you will find. Enjoy your trip!

Thanks Bob!

1300 -1400 is not outrageous. A little high but reasonable. A lot has happened in the past four years. The total capacity is down - maybe as much as 25 to 30%. Some has occurred through mergers. The value of the dollar is down substantially. For that time of year I would grab anything under 1200. Have you looked at farecompare.com?

Brian, sign up with Kayak and start watching fares for the routes you want. Then if a deal comes along, you will recognize it and can grab it.

I watched flights from CVG to CDG for several months for an October trip and they stayed pretty consistent-just over $1000. That's for Delta. Air France code shares that flight, and sometimes AF would be slightly lower. I could get cheaper flights out of Fort Wayne, but they had connections and I prefer a direct flight. I also had looked at Chicago and direct flights out of ORD were priced similar to CVG. I see that my flights have come down a little since I booked, but not a lot. Incidentally, I found the Air France site easier-it would show multiple days at the same time so you could pick the cheaper days to travel. But I ended up booking through Delta.

I have never found flying open jaw to be significantly more expensive. Especially if you add in having to travel back to.the UK for your flight. Look at departing from Brussels.maybe. I found flights and taxes out if there to be cheaper. Other than that just check prices everyday. Check doing the itinerary backwards too.

thanks everyone! we really appreciate the info!

Hi Brian, have you tried a smaller regional airport? You might get a cheaper fare if you start your flight at a smaller airport and transfer at the larger airport near you. Here's a link explaining it here in Detroit. The difference in some cases was almost $300. http://www.freep.com/article/20110925/NEWS05/109250467

Brian: Mike is right. You like Mike and I pay premium from flying out of Detroit, Cincinnati or just about anywhere served by Delta. My wife and I are flying open jaw to Europe in about 4 weeks. We are flying into Berlin and out of Copenhagen. Our problem is that we needed to get to New York to find an inexpensive flight. There is more competition out of New York as you get the advantage of dealing with foreign airlines. So, we will use our Delta frequent flyer miles to get to JFK and then will fly to Europe and back on Finnair. I think our Finnair tickets were about $665 from JFK and I think they have come down a bit since we bought the tickets last May. There is some danger with baggage and connections here as we need to change airlines at JFK and we cannot be booked out of Detroit to Berlin on the same ticket. You do need to be somewhat creative in finding your way from a Midwest hub city to Europe. I have also found that www.fly.com and www.hipmonk.com to be the most helpful search engines for finding flights. You can easily search for multi-city and open jaw flights. Once I find the flight I buy the ticket directly from the airline. While there may be a couple of dollars premium paid, it is easier to deal with the airline rather than a third party if there is a problem. There are less expensive flights out there, but you need to be persistent and flexible. Stick with it and your patience will be rewarded. However, if you find the right flight, strike fast as it may disappear quickly. Good hunting.

Brian - Checking US Airways, they have a fare of $1101 for an open jaw cvg-lgw-cdg-cvg departing May 15, returning May 30.

thanks again everyone. i really appreciate all the advice.

Also be prepared to "flip" your open-jaw: in London & out Paris has its own price, as does in Paris & out London. Check both.