If you've been thinking about taking a trip to Europe, timing can be everything because the dates you fly can make a big difference in the price you pay.
Summer fares can be very high due to demand, so if you can travel in the fall, you can save.
Fares for travel to Europe in September and October can be at least $700 cheaper than the average peak summer fares. Travel from November through March 18 is about $100 cheaper than September prices, but the weather isn't as nice, so it may be worth paying a little more for earlier fall travel.
While Thanksgiving is a very busy time for travel in the United States and to the Caribbean, it is not a heavy travel time for Europeans. Our Thanksgiving Day is just a normal Thursday elsewhere, so you can find good prices on fares to Europe.
Many schools in the Northeast don't start until after Labor Day, but more and more schools in other parts of the country do start before Labor Day. The airlines may have to offer a fire sale when schools begin because the demand for trips to Europe drops, and these fares could be cheaper than September prices if the airlines have a lot of empty seats to sell.
September is a great time to be in Europe because you'll avoid the summer crowds, the weather is nice and there are lots of festivals. November can be even cheaper, but you will need sweaters and heavier jackets, which could force you to take another suitcase. That additional luggage can cost an extra $100 each way.
We've already seen Delta cut fares this summer, so we could see it again. While nonstop flights out of Atlanta will probably not be lowered, we could see reduced fares from cities that connect through Atlanta.
In early July we saw a short-lived sale from Delta with $725-$825 round-trip fares from Dallas to London, Barcelona and Madrid for peak July and August travel. Those fares were more than $1,000 cheaper than regular prices, since average summer airfares are in the $1,900-$2,000 range from Dallas to many European cities.
If you want to travel in mid- to late August, keep an eye on fares from Dallas to Madrid and Barcelona. Another city to watch is Istanbul. You should definitely see good fares to these cities for travel September through March that fall below $1,000 for a round trip, and they could even go below $900. The cheapest destinations from Dallas to Europe come November will likely be Dublin and Shannon, Ireland, where we could see fares under $800 for fall and winter dates and spring break.
Houston will have dozens of European destinations on sale for under $1,000 in the fall and winter. Houston also offers some great deals on Turkish Air, a highly rated international airline that is helping bring down fares.
Other hubs that often have cheap European fares include Chicago, Washington, New York and Boston. You could buy a round trip to one of these cities and fly to Europe from there and save money. We have seen New York to Milan for as low as $649, and sale fares from Dallas to New York JFK for $250, so you could fly to Europe for $900 and stop in New York for a day or two. This gives you a vacation in two cities for less than the price of one.
Even though spring seems far away, you should start looking at fares now. Many areas in the United States take their spring breaks around Easter, and next year Easter is on April 5. We could see lower airfares than normal for the rest of April and through May 15.
Use a flexible travel option when looking at fares to find the cheapest dates, and check back daily. You could end up paying hundreds less.
Travel on 08/10/2014