I'm not entirely sure if this thread fits in this forum, as it deals with airline pricing and how to understand it.

I'm looking at prices for economy seats to any European destination in summer 2010 and am seeing relatively high fares. $1200 - $1500 seems to be the new norm for summer TATL flights from major U.S. gateways like ATL, JFK, LAX. Hardly a budget fare.

Meanwhile, simply reverse the routings and leave dates, class of service, and flights the same, and the roundtrip fares are roughly cut in HALF. $600-800 to get over the pond from Europe is a comparative steal.

So, why this big difference in pricing? Taxes & fees? Surely the demand for TATL seats ex-US has not recovered with the U.S. economy lagging...