High Fall Fares to Europe

Q. Why are European fares SO high? Even for this fall?

A. Well, several reasons. More demand; less capacity (fewer seats); higher taxes (some imposed by European govts/airports); airline consolidation (Northwest and Delta aren't trying to one-up each other because they're married now)... all adds up to higher fares. Plus, we think, the airlines simply aren't cutting their own throats with irrational/unprofitable fare wars. However, it's entirely possible that once autumn comes, the airlines will relent, especially if the world economy loses steam. So if airfares are so high that you're not biting now, you have nothing to lose by waiting and signing up for airfare alerts.