June 2024 flights to CDG

[Pearl64]

I am looking at flights to CDG round trip from GSP preferably but could consider Charlotte or Atlanta. We have miles with Delta and United but not nearly enough. We would like Premium Select as we have difficulty dealing with economy seats on overnight flights. We are looking at flights on June 5(could be June 4) with a return on June 25, 2024.  We will be ending a cruise in LeHavre the day before so need to get to Paris. I realize it is the 80th anniversary of DDay so expect rates to be high. I found a Delta flight connecting in ATL on Air France on June 5 for around 3K but when I put in the return flight it jumps to 3450. I need to avoid JFK as the flights to GSP go from LGA. Too complicated that way with luggage. United’s Premium Economy is through ORD. I know to avoid Newark. Price is confusing but around the same as Delta. I did look at ITA Matrix. Delta comes out better. DH thinks we should wait but I am not sure. The prices are down some from last I checked a month ago. I’m afraid they will go back up or we could not get seats together. I am confused about making changes. Would we just have change fees? The price for non refundable jumps up the price quite a bit. The uncertainty is with our Road Scholar trip in Paris before the cruise. RS says not to make air reservations until March of next year. That scares me that we would end up with ridiculous connections. Appreciate any help and hope I have given enough details. Thank you to all.

[Gardyloo]

How flexible are you on time and days?  

 

Reason for asking, is that if you were willing to fly from GSP to Toronto, probably the day before your current plan, in order to be safe for the transatlantic connection, you could fly round trip from Toronto to Paris in business class on Air France for around US$2200 round trip.  The round trip (in coach) from GSP to YYZ is around $570 (Delta via LGA or ATL) so altogether you'd be out $2800 or thereabouts, for a MUCH more pleasant experience.  The downside is the flight time to/from Toronto and possibly a hotel night going and/or coming back.  It might be worth considering.  

 

 

[CruiserBruce]

Did you look at this thread just down the board?

 

Just like that one, there is NO MAGIC time to buy airline tickets, and no one is going to be able to tell you if the fares will go up or down in the foreseeable future. Tickets for your flights have been available for about 2 months...very likely the cheaper fares, including award seats, have been purchased.

 

Yes, its 80th for D Day, but I think you are generally skirting the main D Day areas. The French are also hosting the Olympics in the summer.

 

I know EWR is not always pleasant, but if flights were cheaper through there?

 

United doesn't have change fees anymore.

[Dancer Bob]

The OP's fare is for 2 people? The business class fare quoted seems to be for one?

Waiting until March is definitely risky. Does RS not want you to book because they may cancel the excursion?

Can't remember- does Canada require an eTA for US citizens now? ETIAS has been delayed until 2025. Going through YYZ, you would also have to juggle the return flight.

[CruiserBruce]

1 hour ago, Dancer Bob said:

The OP's fare is for 2 people? The business class fare quoted seems to be for one?

Waiting until March is definitely risky. Does RS not want you to book because they may cancel the excursion?

Can't remember- does Canada require an eTA for US citizens now? ETIAS has been delayed until 2025. Going through YYZ, you would also have to juggle the return flight.

Canada doesn't require anything other than a passport for US citizens.

[Pearl64]

Still looking at options.  My prices were per person! Flying to Toronto from GSP won’t work. We would need to fly from Charlotte. But, I checked AF from JFK. Prices are much better but flying to JFK is difficult from GSP as all Delta flights to NYC go to LGA. Not easy getting over to JFK.  We would need to fly to Atlanta and then JFK. We may just have to bite the bullet on this one. Having two separate tickets worries me that something could get messed up. 
 

i am not sure why RS told us to wait to book air. March is final payment. We would still need to come home from the cruise so would need the return flight from Paris. 

[waterbug123]

21 hours ago, Dancer Bob said:

The OP's fare is for 2 people? The business class fare quoted seems to be for one?

Waiting until March is definitely risky. Does RS not want you to book because they may cancel the excursion?

Can't remember- does Canada require an eTA for US citizens now? ETIAS has been delayed until 2025. Going through YYZ, you would also have to juggle the return flight.

I would be shocked if the Delta price for 2 people round trip transatlantic in Premium Select was only $3-3.5k.  I suspect that is the price for 1 person.

[Gardyloo]

There's an (apparently) widespread belief that cheap seats and award seats on any given flight are made available as soon as a booking window opens, typically 330 to 360 days before the flight.  But that's just not the case.  

 

Put yourself in the airline's shoes (I know, hard.)  What will the price of jet fuel be eleven months from now?  Will the mechanics, or cabin staff, or pilots threaten work stoppages if their contract demands aren't satisfied?  Will some new airline start competing on the same (or similar) routes, perhaps some "discount" carrier?  Or will somebody exit the route?  Will the global economy soften, or a war break out, or...?

 

Uncertainty = risk, and the airlines HATE risk.  So they can - and often do - simply set airfares high enough early in the booking window to hedge against that risk.  Set the price high enough in month 1 to cover costs should the price of fuel go up in month 6.  Not to mention, your money is in THEIR bank earning interest (yeah, not much, but not zero) instead of yours.  

 

Later, once their operating costs are better known, and when the economic or political landscape is more predictable, they can lower prices to stimulate more sales.  They can do that until it gets close enough to the flight date that the only people left willing to pay higher fares are those who don't have any choice - last minute flyers, business travelers, people who need to get to someone's funeral or wedding, things like that. The prices will climb right up to when the door closes and the security video is showing.  

 

For award seats, the same thing applies, with the added dimension that while the airlines aren't getting cash for those seats, they're removing a contingent liability from their financial statements.  The airlines view outstanding mileage balances as liabilities, so allowing mileage redemptions plays big time into their profit and loss statements.  

 

If the same computers that decide when to reduce or raise prices for paid seats determine that releasing one or two into award inventory poses more benefit than risk to the airline's bottom line, they'll release them.  That might happen any day between day 1 and day 330; in fact often more seats are released at the last minute, when the computers have determined it's unlikely the seats will sell for the then-prevailing high prices.  

 

Some other factors also come into play.  First, summer is when peak demand hits for economy seats on international flights.  Makes sense - people going on vacations.  But it's also the season when business travel falls off (business people go on vacations too) so demand for business class seats falls off sharply in turn.  It seems ironic, but business class fares, especially on transatlantic routes, are typically lowest in the summer, the same time when economy fares are at their highest.

 

So all these words mean what to you?  Simple.  Keep track of fares, by all means, and when you see one that works with your budget, go for it.  BUT, remember that fares typically follow a "U" curve over the booking window - high to low then back to high.  Patience can pay off, sometimes big time, and remember that early birds don't always get worms; sometimes they get cats.

[Dancer Bob]

There is no way to predict. My next trip to Dubai in March, I checked as soon as the flights opened, it was the same price as last year, I booked. As of yesterday, which is about when I normally book, it was $75 more expensive.

Personally, I prefer AF to DL, although I travel back in the cheap seats.

[FlyerTalker]

5 hours ago, waterbug123 said:

I would be shocked if the Delta price for 2 people round trip transatlantic in Premium Select was only $3-3.5k.  I suspect that is the price for 1 person.

 

Folks seem to enjoy omitting whether flights are for one or two, or if it's one-way or round-trip.

 

 

[FlyerTalker]

39 minutes ago, Dancer Bob said:

There is no way to predict. My next trip to Dubai in March, I checked as soon as the flights opened, it was the same price as last year, I booked. As of yesterday, which is about when I normally book, it was $75 more expensive.

Personally, I prefer AF to DL, although I travel back in the cheap seats.

 

Hope you also checked pricing into Abu Dhabi.  Often there is a significant price savings flying there rather than DXB.  And the cost (appx $70) for the 1 hour taxi ride is massively offset by the air savings.

 

Sorta like comparing Fort Lauderdale and Miami.

 

 

[Dancer Bob]

Prices for AUH have been comparable to DXB, and the transfer is a lot more complicated than just getting on the RTA Metro for a few stops (and I already have a NOI card).

Although the OP wants premium economy, that might change things.

[FlyerTalker]

43 minutes ago, Dancer Bob said:

the transfer is a lot more complicated than just getting on the RTA Metro for a few stops (and I already have a NOI card).

 

Really?

 

I just walked outside to the taxi area, asked for a Mercedes van (for lots of luggage), and was on my way in under five minutes.

 

Not sure how many cruisers would be taking the metro from DXB.

 

As always, YMMV.

[Dancer Bob]

Researching and planning. Now, I know exactly where I'm going, if AUH were to be cheaper (it isn't) but when I originally checked, I didn't. If the OP already has flights booked and RS cancels, they already have some parameters and known costs taken care of, for a quick decision.

Edited October 6, 2023 by Dancer Bob

[Pearl64]

Finally settled on flights that we can live with. Leaving GSP to Detroit to CDG. Only thing bad is the 8 hours between flights but tighter connections were $1300 more. We will endure it. Coming home is much better CDG to Detroit to GSP. We have 1 hour 40 minutes before our flight to GSP. Hopefully that is enough time to go through immigration and passport control. We have Global Entry but I don’t think Detroit has that. If we miss the flight at least we’re in the US. Thanks for all suggestions. We did get Premium Select. Price for both of us together was around 5K. We are satisfied.

[CruiserBruce]

I would think Detroit has Global Entry if it's an international airport. Immigration and Passport Control are one and the same thing. Immigration and Customs with Global Entry might take as little as 10 or 15 minutes.  You will likely wait longer to claim your bags.

[Zach1213]

11 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

I would think Detroit has Global Entry 

 
It does. My wife, who is a Delta frequent flier (a divided household since I'm AA), just flew back CDG-DTW-MCI yesterday and used Global Entry at DTW. 

[Pearl64]

Good to know. Last time a few years ago they had kiosks that everyone had to use. You are probably right about waiting for luggage! Thanks.

[CruiserBruce]

31 minutes ago, Pearl64 said:

Good to know. Last time a few years ago they had kiosks that everyone had to use. You are probably right about waiting for luggage! Thanks.

The kiosks are the GE system,  but that has now changed. You go to a simpler kiosk that takes your picture,  compares your biometrics and sends you to an agent. That part takes 1 or 2 minutes. Seeing the agent may mean standing in a short line. The agent has your info in front of them, and they may ask a couple of questions. 

 

Been through the process 4 times this year...the longest it has taken is 20 minutes from picture taking to being cleared.

 

And there was the couple who tried to run their teenage sons through GE with the parents. The parents have GE, the kids didn't. The kids were made to go back through the HUGE (hundreds in line) regular line.