yikes! i started a search for airfare for my kids visits to italy this May and the LOWEST per ticket $945.US!! and highest was $1200 US!! with the value of dollar dropping, should I buy now???
The question about buying summer airfare to Europe is one of the most popular questions on this travel forum. Believe or not, the answer is quite complex because it involves a cartel known as IATA (International Air Transportation Association). Now, I am no airline insider, so consider that when reading my answers:
1. Unlike the US market that allows airlines to compete in pricing, the transatlantic airfare is regulated by IATA. In other words, the published fares are fixed by a monopoly. The effect of this monpoly becomes magnified during the summer travel months, when the published prices are exorbitant.
2. But, price fixing does not mean you cannot buy the tickets below the published price. It just means you can't get a discounted ticket directly from the airlines themselves. To work around the IATA regulation, the airlines make deals with independent companies (e.g. Bucket Shops). The bucket shops then work with either retail travel agents or directly with consumers to sell the tickets at prices below the published fares.
For a list of Bucket Shops, try googling for "Airfare Bucket Shop" or use the MSNBC list http://www.msnbc.msn.com/Default.aspx?id=3081190&p1=0. Notice that on the list there is a bucket shop that specializes in student fare to Europe, which may be of help to your son.
3. The discounts usually show up between three to four months prior to the travel season. Note that the travel season is different than your departure date. For example, if you are traveling in July, the summer season, the travel season starts on June 15.
So in summary, to get a deal on summer fare to Italy, I recommend working with a travel agent (or bucket shop) who specializes in Italy airfare, and wait until the "discount window" opens in February or March.
Steve, thanx so much for all the useful info!! I'm going to start with the msn site you provided and also check with travel agents... and there's a "discount window" in Feb? wow! more useful info!
hi ling, i've been looking at airfares from l.a. to italy and it's outrageous - around 1200-1400 USD! so i tried another option - booking from l.a. to london, and then finding a flight from london to italy. i was able to find a flight on british airway's website RT to London for about $500! i haven't gotten my London to Pisa ticket yet, but I think tops it'll cost a couple hundred more dollars. Definitely cheaper than flying direct to Italy. just another option you may try...
Posts: 11 | Location: Torrance, CA USA | Registered: 17 November 2003
hiya lym, thanx for your info, too! i was thinking of trying that route as well (fly elsewhere in euro, then to italy), but then when I visited the msn site posted by Steve above, I got a result from economytravel.com for $498.00 (US) rt from chicago to Rome (US airways)!!! this is the lowest so far!
i might just book these tickets tonight! So you're gonna visit Pisa?? how exciting! we were thinking of driving there this past wknd but then hubby had to be in Genoa... have fun!
quote:Originally posted by lym: ... i haven't gotten my London to Pisa ticket yet, but I think tops it'll cost a couple hundred more dollars. Definitely cheaper than flying direct to Italy. just another option you may try...
I am also trying to find an affordable way to get to Pisa from New York. Are you going to the Puccini Festival? I have bought the tickets for some performances and reserved the hotel but I will wait for better prices. I know I will have to make connections, which I hate (not direct flights to Pisa) and I don't want to pay thousands of dollars and be seated on planes for 14 hours or so. No way. If it's cheap, I can make the sacrifice.
"Canto alla vita alla sua bellezza ad ogni sua ferita ogni sua carezza..."
"I sing to life, to its beauty, to each of its wounds and each of its caresses..."
Posts: 1831 | Location: New York, New York | Registered: 21 December 2002
No there isn't The words were in quotes because I made them up to mean a period of time when the majority of the discounts for the upcoming airfare season are negotiated and announced. Sorry if I caused any confusion.
Don't forget about Ryan Air (ryanair.com) from London - they have very very cheap fares to Italy and the rest of Europe. The one problem is, they fly from airports not really in London. If I remember correctly, the Luton airport is about 30 miles from the city itself, but accessible by bus.
Topic Closed
It just means you can't get a discounted ticket directly from the airlines themselves. To work around the IATA regulation, the airlines make deals with independent companies (e.g. Bucket Shops). The bucket shops then work with either retail travel agents or directly with consumers to sell the tickets at prices below the published fares. 
I'm going to start with the msn site you provided and also check with travel agents... and there's a "discount window" in Feb? wow! more useful info!
The words were in quotes because I made them up to mean a period of time when the majority of the discounts for the upcoming airfare season are negotiated and announced. Sorry if I caused any confusion.
