OP,

I think it's way too early to buy your ticket. I started looking at DC - Barcelona fares last September, for Christmas, and didn't buy until early November, six weeks or so before travel. It was the low for the fare, it had been higher before, and went higher after. I got lucky on a hunch, what do I know.

I like https://www.google.com/flights/ If your schedule is flexible, it's great to see the fare fluctuations day to day.

Another vote for Icelandair.

Anonymous wrote:I know airfares have been high for a while but that's ridiculous.

taxes inclusive? Taxes seem like they are nearly 100% of the ticket itself these days.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks! I used Icelandair years ago and it was fine -- may do so again. Savings is close to $1000 for all of us.

We are going in October so we have some time to look around.

8:55 -- where do you normally look for rates? Kayak or similar?

8:55 here - we use Vayama, Kayak and the Icelandair website directly.

It'll be tough finding anything at $800 or less, and at that rate, the bulk of the ticket cost will be taxes and fees. Remember the EU imposes various fees that tend to jack up the ticket prices also.

Another approach would be to check on flights to Amsterdam, Munich, and Brussels... and then take the train to Paris. Adds additional travel time, but might be worth comparing costs and potentially adding an additional city to explore as part of your trip.

Any chance you could go in November? We traveled to Paris in November and got great deals on both tickets and apartment rental because it is the start of the off-season.

Regarding websites: try cheapo air and skyscanner.

Prices have really gone up. I think you should be able to get lower than $1200 to Paris in October - unless you have no flexibility at all on dates, I'd wait. Also remember that mid-week flights are definitely cheapest if you can do at least one leg of the trip mid-week that helps.

I am always annoyed at how high flights have become. I tend to need specific dates (a certain week where both dh and I can get away) so I most often bite the bullet and pay. I haven't flown to Europe for under a grand per person in 3 years. The best way to even out the travel budget for us is to be flexible with hotels. We collect Hilton and Marriott points and 90 percent of the time stay at either of those, choosing a middle grade option. I care more about location than how nice my room is. Also I have had good luck finding rentals through our college alumni news. So there's my tips...expect to pay more flights and cut back elsewhere.

OP here. Thanks! I used Icelandair years ago and it was fine -- may do so again. Savings is close to $1000 for all of us.

We are going in October so we have some time to look around.

8:55 -- where do you normally look for rates? Kayak or similar?

We travel quite often to and from Paris, and have found that fares vary enormously - of course, they are always very expensive during holidays and for important commercial exhibitions.
Your best bet is one stopover of about 2 hours somewhere - Icelandair is good, and the airport is clean and uncrowded.
Don't stop at a US airport, you will get delayed, and Heathrow is difficult because of the (crowded) distance between arrivals and departures.

I don't know what dates you need...but I'm finding rates of $931 through IcelandAir...of course, you would need to stop in Iceland...but total time is still just over 10 hours...not too bad.

There are even cheaper rates through Turkish air, but the stop/transfer in Istanbul puts you at a ridiculous total time of 29 hours...

We flew to Paris for our honeymoon in 0ctober two years ago and paid 650$ per person. The deals are there if you know where to find them. I think we booked in July or August.

This has been the case for years. I am surprised it's still "that cheap".

Exactly what I'm finding.

I know airfares have been high for a while but that's ridiculous.