The airlines figure if you have to buy a ticket now for travel so far in the future, the dates are pretty much set in stone so they can get away with charging whatever they want. This sort of revenue management has been established by computer models that have functioned pretty well, as the New York Times reported recently, until consumers, both private citizens and businesses, gained through the Internet a much greater ability to comparison shop, and thus to evade the expensive fares that subsidized the cheap ones.

As for winter travel to Europe, there are some bargains available...just search around. Continental and USAirways both currently have winter fare sales to Europe, though fares are expected to go lower.

Happy trails.