Germany to US: Plane ticket prices

[Mr Gravy]

As I've already pointed out in my very first post (I can't even link to other threads inside this forum ) I am going to visit my loved one in Boston, Massachusetts in roughly five months.
I do realize that August probably isn't the best time of the year when looking for cheap flights and I'm prepared to spend quite a bit on those tickets. However, during a previous web search I've found very contradictory information regarding price ranges and when to book. So here I am, asking those of you who have traveled between Germany (or another European country?) and the United States of 'Murrica before.

I've been keeping an eye on air fares for a while now and so far they have been quite stable around 1,200 € for a round-trip ticket. Now I'm wondering...
1) How much cheaper than that can I even hope to get a ticket for?
2) Is there any point in waiting or are prices more likely to go up rather than down?
3) Do I need to worry about flights being completely booked up if I wait too long?

[emsimes]

Hey there!
1200€ sounds quite high IMO, even for a ticket during summertime. My SO and I pay around $1000 (900€) each time we see each other. I live on the West Coast of the US, though, so tickets to Boston might even be cheaper.

I do recommend booking in advance and shopping around some more. Check sites like Vayama and FareCompare. I wouldn't recommend waiting until the last minute, because tickets are usually more expensive by then.

Good luck!

[emsimes]

Oh yeah, you should also check ebookers.de
My SO buys tickets on there almost every time he visits me, and he loves that site. I just quickly searched tickets in August from Berlin-Tegel (though I'm not sure where you live in Germany), to Boston, and I found some tickets for 850 Euros. Hope that helps!

[Mr Gravy]

Thank you for those tips. I did check flights from Berlin and they do appear to be slightly cheaper, even considering the train ticket to get there. I'll check those other sites you mentioned tomorrow and report my findings later that day.

[snow]

I usually payed between 700 and 900€ from Austria over Germany to Hartford and once to Boston!

I checked the prices through momondo.de and then booked it from where they offered the cheapest best option. I could have taken my last trip for 550€, but it would have been a 32 hour trip even though the flights would have only been about 12 and staying overnight at an airport didn't sound nice :P

[conejita_hada]

It also might be good to clear your history when searching. I've my history doesn't much matter on an airline website but does seem to matter on the search websites like Expedia. Hopefully you'll find something cheaper!

[vicks5721]

I highly recommend STA travel they do cheap flights for students, and being under 26, I got my flights to go to America in March for $579 which is about £450, half the price of normal fare.

[Mr Gravy]

After consulting all those sites it seems like I've picked the most expensive time period possible. The cheapest I can find is a 15 hour flight for just under 900 €.

I've checked some travel agencies today and been told that Lufthansa tends to offer special sales around Easter. Now I'm considering to wait for that (while keeping track of the prices though) and book the best flight I can find at that time.

[MissButterfly]

It also might be good to clear your history when searching. I've my history doesn't much matter on an airline website but does seem to matter on the search websites like Expedia. Hopefully you'll find something cheaper!

Not so much your history, but definitely clear your cookies for all the airline websites! Prices sometimes go up when you come back, even though they might not necessarily be higher at all. I always fly with Icelandair, but that's because hardly anything goes to Minnesota for cheap.

[Mr Gravy]

Alright everyone, thanks for all the tips. I'll keep my eyes open and make a decision (read: buy a ticket) by Easter.
First meeting hype!!

[Ella85]

I paid £1040 or 1900 Euros for 2 of us last week that is an adult and a child. I doubt they will get any cheaper than that going into New York at that time of year. Also the flight prices start going up toward the end of April. Are you flying into JFK? I have found by far the cheapest way to get to my boyfriend's state is to fly into new york and then get the greyhound (or better yet megabus as thats even cheaper). It's very time consuming but it means I can afford more trips later down the line.

The best comparison website I found so far is skyscanner. They even email you when the price drops.

[R&R]

I'm wondering if the tickets are so expensive due to pricing on your end. There isn't a lot going on our area (I live about 45 minutes away from Boston) unless you are coming close to the end of August. Labor Day is September 7th, so a lot of people are doing end of summer vacations but they are usually trying to get OUT of Boston and not in to Boston.

[Ella85]

Agree with this completely. Because in England the tickets skyrocket around April going out of the country as thats when everyone is booking their summer holidays. Thats why it's best to book end of march/early april if your doing a long haul trip. My £1040 tickets ($1600 approx) please remember this is for an adult and a child not just myself (so a bit more expensive) could very easily go into $2000+ the closer it gets to the summer. It's good to book in advance!

[Mr Gravy]

Thank you, I just came back from a trip to Berlin and couldn't reply earlier.

I've been keeping an eye on the prices for two entire months now and they haven't really been changing. Instead some flights are starting to become sold-out so I'm most likely going to buy my tickets this upcoming week. I was going to fly directly from Frankfurt to Boston but I'll check out Greyhound and Megabus, too.