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Flights to Europe this summer are brutally expensive, so go before or after if possible

LondonThere’s been a lot of talk about how this summer was going to see much higher airfares to Europe than last year, and unfortunately it’s coming true. In most years passed it was always possible to find a roundtrip ticket to London for under $1,000, regardless of which American city you started in. This summer the only sub-thousand dollar flights are for selected Tuesdays from New York City.

Advice: Go before early June or after mid August

Surveying the best available prices for flights from New York City to London, which is the most popular trans-Atlantic route, and a good barometer for the whole market, it seems that there are still good deals available in the shoulder season. You can still find fares for under $750 roundtrip most of the way through May, and even on a few Tuesdays in June, but during July and through late August you’ll be paying at least $1,000 for the 5-hour flight.

It’s true that those in school have less flexibility with their schedules, so it forces them into the most popular months. But if you can go in May or September you’ll not only save money on the flights, but also on hotels. London can feel like Disneyland during July and most of August, with sidewalks lined with tour groups of all kinds to the point that it’s hard to enjoy a trip. The crafty travelers take advantage of the lower prices and smaller crowds and still get great weather in May or September.

From Los Angeles it’s even worse

Again, surveying flights from Los Angeles to London it seems that it’s still possible to find fares around $900 through the end of April, but during May you’ll be paying at least $930 for the roundtrip through the 22nd, and then over $1,000 after that.

From June through late August the best fares are around $1,200 and up for the 9-hour journey, but interestingly if you wait until August 29 you can find flights starting at $979, which means that you can actually take advantage of Labor Day weekend in London if you time it right, and you’ll get a relatively cheap flight in the process.

You don’t need to buy far in advance

Another interesting trend that is fairly new is that you can still get the lowest fares in the days leading up to departure. In the not too distant past you’d have to buy a minimum of two weeks head of time in order to get anything even approaching a decent deal, but now you can literally buy a long distance flight the day before it leaves and still get a great airfare as long as there are enough seats available.

For example, it’s now April 18, and a flight leaving April 25 and returning on May 4 is only a bit over $900 right now with a stopover in Amsterdam on KLM airlines. Flexibility is the key, and often last-minute fares are lower than those for two months out.

Comments

One thought on “Flights to Europe this summer are brutally expensive, so go before or after if possible

  1. I need a cheap flight out of paris Or London By july26,2011. If you find any please in heaven name let me know ASAP. I am stuck and I am praying for a miracle right now ok?

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