Flights to Europe are cheap again

Flying to Europe in 2024 without spending a fortune is possible after a long series of exorbitant prices.

Airlines have added new routes between the United States and Europe and announced plans to increase flights on some routes next spring and summer. The extra capacity means travelers can take a break from the wave of high airfares in recent years. Some prices remain high: The average cost of a round-trip plane ticket to Barcelona is more than $1,000, according to travel search site Kayak. But there are deals now that didn’t exist before, and industry observers say they expect more deals.

“Everyone wanted to go to Europe last summer and most did,” said Kyle Potter, editor of the travel blog Thrifty Traveler. “And they paid a lot to do it.”

Some airfares are at or below pre-pandemic levels, according to a recent analysis of flight prices by Thrifty Traveler. A nonstop basic economy flight in early March from Boston to Dublin can cost as little as $433. You can find basic economy prices for flights from the United States to major cities like Paris, Rome, and Amsterdam for around $500 during the same period.

Booking premium seats with miles for next spring and summer flights also appears to be getting easier, Potter says, another sign of falling demand.

And the cheapest seats aren’t just in economy class. Thrifty Traveler found instances where transatlantic business class seats could be booked for less than $2,000, including on JetBlue flights from Boston and New York’s Kennedy Airport to Dublin. That’s about half of what they cost last summer.

John Grant, chief analyst at travel data firm OAG, notes that fewer travelers are seeking premium cabins to Europe, a change from the usual revenge spending in 2022. Grant attributes this to the fact that ‘more travelers are feeling economic turmoil.

Prices aren’t universally low, but shopping around for the best deal now and in the coming months may pay off for a transatlantic trip next year.

A price review last week by Thrifty Traveler found that round-trip flights to Barcelona from several U.S. cities can be booked for less than $500 for flights on select dates between now and May. Prices to Barcelona are not always this low. On average, the cost of flights to Barcelona next spring and summer will currently increase 21% year-over-year to $1,043, according to Kayak data. Kayak’s analysis was based on prices announced last month.

The current average cost of a round-trip plane ticket to Europe is about $655, according to data from travel booking company Hopper. Prices remain particularly high for destinations in southern Europe.

Airfares to Athens increased 22% year over year for travel between mid-March and the end of May, according to Kayak. Prices are also increasing by 20% or more on flights to Lisbon, Madrid and Milan.

Airlines are increasing the number of flights they operate across the Atlantic, which could reduce prices, says Hayley Berg, chief economist at Hopper. Several low-cost airlines, including PLAY and Norse Atlantic, have begun operating flights between the United States and Europe in recent years.

Flying with a low-cost airline often requires a stopover in places like Reykjavik in Iceland. These deals might be worth the added value. “I can imagine much worse airports,” says Kerry Tan, an associate professor of economics at Loyola University Maryland who studies airline fares.

Many new non-stop routes launching in the coming months could lead to lower prices. United Airlines has increased its transatlantic capacity by 30% since 2019, Chief Commercial Officer Andrew Nocella said on a call with analysts in October.

United will add a second daily flight between Newark, New Jersey and Brussels in March and a second daily trip between Washington, DC and Rome in May, among other route expansions. The airline is also starting its seasonal service to southern European destinations earlier than in previous years.

German airline Lufthansa is adding flights to Frankfurt from Minneapolis and Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, starting in early June. JetBlue recently began selling tickets for flights next spring and summer from Boston to Dublin and from New York to Dublin and Edinburgh.

Knowing when to book your ticket is essential to scoring a good deal. Booking summer trips now may not be ideal.

“Airlines know that travelers who book this far in advance are anxious or inflexible,” says Berg. She expects spring and summer prices for international flights to drop in the coming months.

He suggests booking in January for spring trips and March for summer trips. But don’t wait too long: People who buy summer flights to Europe in May will likely have to pay more, Berg says.

If travelers don’t care where they’re traveling, open searches for flights on sites like Kayak or Google could turn up some good deals. Otherwise, travelers should set up price alerts to know where prices are going.

Knowing when to travel and which places to avoid is also helpful.

The Paris Olympic Games at the end of July and beginning of August could have considerable repercussions. Travelers can choose to visit France at the start of the year or head to other destinations to save money. To complicate matters, Paris is a major hub for connecting flights to destinations across the continent.

The influx of travelers to France for the Olympics could limit options for people traveling to more distant European destinations, says Kevin R. Williams, an associate professor of economics at the Yale School of Management. Nonstop flights to Paris from the United States in late July currently cost between $600 and $1,000.

“It will be a more expensive ticket,” Williams says.