Tourist season for Paris is pretty much year-round. Transatlantic airfares are generally highest in summer, cheapest in winter, and in-between in Spring and Fall. Looking at all ATL-PAR/BRU published fares from mid-August on, I already see the seasonal price drop showing; departures Aug. 22 or before are currently $1479, but departures Aug. 26 or later are down to $1166. So that already shows a $300 drop from Summer/Peak season to Fall/Shoulder season. Outbound date determines which seasonal pricing applies.

I would sign up for sale alerts with Airfarewatchdog and Farecompare. I would want to book this one about 5-8 weeks before departure, unless something under $1000 pops up before then.

Be sure to include some consolidators in your search. Kayak will cover some for you.

Thanks Don…I just signed up for airfarewatchdog & farecompare. In the last 2 yrs, we have found flight to Munich and Barcelona for $750ish. I would like to get a flight to Paris in Sept for under $1000. Does that seem reasonable? BTW, I use a great search engine called itasoftware.com and it allows me to see the lowest fares over a 30 day period. Saves ALOT of time vs. using kayak..

$750 transatlantic in low season in previous years?.. yes.
$750 transatlantic nowadays—in the era of high fuel costs and fewer seats flying?.. rare; not impossible, but rare — especially from ATL — and that’s for low season, not peak-season.

I’d cross fingers for sub-$1000 in this case. Consolidators might already have some in that range for September. What did Kayak turn up for you?

Re: ITA… yes, I might have heard of it. I’ve probably used it at least several times a week over the past 10 years or so, or soon after it launched. It’s useful for published fares with some powerful search features — such as stacking cities, and all prices over a 30 day period. But sometimes you can’t find any source willing to sell an itinerary that ITA constructed. It’s all based on data input… but that’s maybe for another thread.

Kayak will also search some unpublished (ie “consolidator”) fares for you that will not turn up on ITA.

Thanks…I checked kayak as well and direct flights from ATL-CDG are $1350ish. Non direct are $1250ish. I am determined to find a flight for less than $1000. We are looking to fly out on a fri and return on the following Sun(9 day trip)

September in Paris is not low season. Paris is actually more expensive as a destination in September than in August — check hotel prices. September is still vacation season for North American retirees, many Europeans (who may get 6 or 7 weeks of vacation) and everyone but school kids. Numerous conferences and conventions usually raise hotel prices in Paris in September. A room at the Ibis hotel near the Eiffel tower is about $95 a night in August, nearly double that in Sept. The $300 or so you save on September airfare may be quickly eaten up by higher hotel prices.