So, if you'd prefer to buy now, here are a couple of things to keep in mind:
- Layovers: You might find a great fare on a fight, but you also might have a 50-minute layover in Paris (impossible to make your connecting flight unless you're a demigod) or an 11-hour layover in Paris, which means either sleeping on the floor or an airport hotel. (One will wipe out your back. The other will wipe out any savings you made on the fare.)
- Arrival Times: Typically you'll be arriving into Rome in the morning. If not, look deeper into the itinerary to find out where the hold up might be.
- Miles: You might think money makes the world go round. Not true - it's mileage points. If you have a mileage account with a specific carrier, then it makes sense to book with them so you accrue miles (assuming fare price is the same or within a couple bucks, of course). If the best airfare is with a carrier with which you don't have a mileage account, consider signing up for one so you get paid in miles while crossing the Atlantic. NOTE: You need to have your account "active" prior to flying. Carriers won't add miles to an account after a flight has taken place. I speak from unfortunate experience.
- Carriers: Not all airlines are created equal. If you've found a great fare on an airline you're unfamiliar with, a little research goes a long way. Google the airline company and "Transatlantic flights" just to try and get a feel for any traveler reviews.
