Making plans for a Transatlantic flight isn`t the most pleasant job to do. There`s always some sort of uncertainty about ticket prices. Are the offers seen today the best ones? Will companies lower their prices, and is it necessary to book a flight months before my trip? All this questions accompany a planed trip to Europe. The downturn is that no one actually knows the answers. So what`s the best way to plan your trip and when is the right time to buy tickets?

One thing is for sure – airfares are going up. It is not the result of an increase in number of passengers , or a booming tourist destinations. Actually, to survive the economic crisis, many companies decided to merge with each other. This process paved the way for giant air carriers to emerge, and made life for smaller companies as hard as it gets. That is the reason for ever increasing prices. Put in other words – airlines are monopolizing the market. Therefore to the question how much will it cost to travel to Europe in the near future, there is one answer– not less. The best scenario for the upcoming months is that prices will stay stable.

So if you are planning a trip to Europe in the next few months, you just might get lucky as large carriers are offering some good prices. If you are intending to travel in time for spring break, there are some nice sales from a lot of companies going on. Sale windows open and close all the time, so you must hurry up. For example Air France is giving away tickets for departures after 31 March at a price of $581, but the window closes on November 16. It`s the same with American Airways and British Airlines, although prices vary a little bit.

If your trip to Europe happens to be in the summer of 2011, then you are lucky. It seems that airlines aren`t interested in increasing prices for summer fares just yet. For now, bookings for travel in July 2011 are the same as last summer prices. What is uncertain here is that companies may start a sale on tickets at some point in the near future. What statistic show is that in past years the peak of promotion tickets is between January and May, so we can expect some movement in a few months.

But the future beyond 2011 doesn`t seem so bright. Prices in 2012 are expected to rise and they will increase big time. The reason is the 2012 Olympic Games that will be held in London. That`s why it is not recommended to travel to England if you don`t want to attend the events that are planned for this year. There is an alternative though. In past events similar to these, prices might collapse in the last moment due to small interest from visitors from abroad. The strategy here is to wait and see.

So when is the best time to buy tickets to Europe? There isn`t such precise stretch of time. Indeed experts may talk as much as they like, but their predictions aren`t 100% proved. So the only alternative is to keep up with what`s going on with the airlines and watch for the best offer on daily, because you might just miss a great opportunity.