# Is $540 R/T Newark \<-\> Paris the best I'm likely to get? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 16, 2007, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-540-r-t-newark-paris-the-best-im-likely-to-get/430260 "2007-12-16T22:57:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![iwakura43](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de0a6/32.png) [@iwakura43](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iwakura43)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2007, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-540-r-t-newark-paris-the-best-im-likely-to-get/430260/1 "2007-12-16T22:57:43Z")
I’m booking a ticket to visit Paris on my spring break in the middle of March, and the best I’ve found so far is $540 with Air India. I’ve heard airfare specials tend not to start until the beginning of the new year (January), but am I likely to be able to get a cheaper ticket than the one I’m looking at? What’s the best price NJ/NY to Paris round trip you’ve seen? ---
**Author:** ![fisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@fisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fisha)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2007, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-540-r-t-newark-paris-the-best-im-likely-to-get/430260/2 "2007-12-16T23:05:26Z")
I love [www.kayak.com](http://www.kayak.com) It was recommended to me here on this board. I just went from Minnesota to Arizona for $119 roundtrip. The way I did it was to sign up for Kayak’s daily fare alert. It offered me about 4-5 different flights for that cost, no layovers, and good times to fly. It was about 2-3 weeks after I had signed up that it came up on a Sunday morning. I hope you get so lucky, it was the only way the 7 of us could have done it. I just had $533 for Air India. Wait a couple of weeks, see what happens. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2007, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-540-r-t-newark-paris-the-best-im-likely-to-get/430260/3 "2007-12-16T23:14:29Z")
Give it a little while, at the very least to hold out for comparable fares from more than one airline. Bear in mind that fuel costs are far higher than a few years ago, including flat-rate fuel surcharges from various airlines, so the lowest end of realistic potential fares might not be quite as low as it has been recently. Also look at flying into London and getting to Paris by train. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2007, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-540-r-t-newark-paris-the-best-im-likely-to-get/430260/4 "2007-12-16T23:24:23Z")
There’s a website called [www.farecast.com](http://www.farecast.com) that’s designed to predict this sort of thing, based on historical data. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2007, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-540-r-t-newark-paris-the-best-im-likely-to-get/430260/5 "2007-12-16T23:28:40Z")
Given the strength of the pound and the outrageous taxes now imposed on travelers going through Heathrow, not to mention the cost of getting to Waterloo, there’s no way taking the train would save money. Personally, I think $540 is in the ballpark of what a springtime fare is going to cost, considering oil prices and rising taxes. I’d give it till the second week of January, and my guess is that you’d probably be able to find a roughly similar price, and there’s a chance that you might find something a little better. I would guess that the best you could possibly do is around $450, so you have to decide whether it’s worth $90 to lock in a respectable fare now, or roll the dice and hope you save $90 in the next month. On preview, I don’t believe Farecast does international flights. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2007, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-540-r-t-newark-paris-the-best-im-likely-to-get/430260/6 "2007-12-16T23:42:52Z")
[QUOTE=Ravenman] Given the strength of the pound and the outrageous taxes now imposed on travelers going through Heathrow, not to mention the cost of getting to Waterloo [/QUOTE] And then a taxi to St Pancras once you realise your mistake 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2007, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-540-r-t-newark-paris-the-best-im-likely-to-get/430260/7 "2007-12-17T00:55:45Z")
[QUOTE=GorillaMan] And then a taxi to St Pancras once you realise your mistake 😉 [/QUOTE] Huh! Had no idea it moved. At least it is somewhat recent news… ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2007, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-540-r-t-newark-paris-the-best-im-likely-to-get/430260/8 "2007-12-17T15:23:10Z")
I’ve been to Paris and I’ve been to Newark. If I were you, I’d get a one-way ticket.