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How to get Cheap Flights to Europe: A Guide [2024]

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Ever wonder how to get airplane tickets to Europe for less than $1000? Check out my tips!

When you tell someone you’re about to travel, people think, “Oh, you must have a lot of money to do that.” In reality, on many occasions, your budget is pretty tight. The difference between travelers and these people is the priority. Money that others saved to buy a new car, the traveler saved to visit India finally. Have you ever wondered how someone gets cheap flights to Europe?

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I clarified that misconception, explaining how everything starts would be good. When I think about a certain destination, I check different blogs with travelers’ advice. I like to read about some travelers’ experiences and what the locals can say about their city. Doing that, you can also double-check if the place you’re planning to go to requires a tourist visa to get there.

After doing that, we should start searching for everything that will squeeze our budgets. I always start looking for cheap flights to Europe (when I’m flying there) because it is the biggest expense you will have (if you don’t have miles or points).

Dispelling Myths about Cheap Flights to Europe

Despite common misconceptions, scoring cheap flights to Europe is not reserved for those who book months in advance or limit themselves to off-peak travel seasons. Many of these beliefs are simply myths perpetuated by outdated advice.

Contrary to popular belief, the notion that booking flights far in advance guarantees the lowest prices is not always accurate. While early booking can sometimes result in savings, last-minute deals, and flexible travel dates can be equally advantageous.

Similarly, the idea that flying exclusively during off-peak seasons ensures cheap fares is not entirely accurate. Travelers can find affordable flights year-round by employing savvy strategies and leveraging the right tools.

Strategies for Finding Cheap Flights to Europe

Flight Search Tools

Flight aggregators and comparison websites are indispensable for finding cheap flights to Europe. These platforms allow travelers to compare prices across multiple airlines and booking sites, ensuring they get the best deal possible.

Kayak, Google Flights, and Skyscanner are among the most popular flight search engines, offering features such as price alerts and flexible date options. Additionally, utilizing private or incognito browsing mode can prevent airlines from tracking your searches and potentially raising prices.

Alternative Airlines and Airports

In addition to traditional carriers, budget airlines offer cost-effective alternatives for travelers seeking cheap flights to Europe. While these airlines may operate from secondary airports, the savings can be significant.

When considering alternative airports, it’s essential to factor in transportation costs to the final destination. The savings achieved by flying into a secondary airport often outweigh the additional travel expenses.

Flexibility and Timing

Flexibility is key when searching for cheap flights to Europe. Travelers can capitalize on fluctuating prices and special promotions by being open to different travel dates and destinations.

Regarding timing, midweek flights are often cheaper than those on weekends. Flying during off-peak hours, such as early or late evenings, can also yield lower fares.

Additional Resources

In addition to flight search engines and budget airlines, travelers can explore additional resources to maximize savings. Cashback websites, such as Rakuten or TopCashback, offer rebates on flight bookings, while travel rewards programs provide opportunities to earn points and miles for future travel.

For the truly adventurous, error fare websites showcase mistaken airline prices that can result in significant savings. However, it’s essential to exercise caution and read the fine print when booking through these platforms.

Cheap flights to Europe: My Case Study

If someone once told you that finding cheap flights to Europe is easy (unless it was me because I have a few strategies), they were probably lying. Some myths say the best days to get cheap flights to Europe are Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Also, they say it is even better if you do it at midnight. Trust me, and this is only a myth. I have bought cheap flights to Europe, even on Fridays. I have searched them again at any time and never found such a good deal as the one I paid for. This is something I  would say that is more of a lottery.

Some time ago, a study by CheapAir.com said that the best day to buy cheap flights is 54 days before your flight. According to the article, this number is not arbitrary and may vary according to the destination. Some other sites establish a chart according to which region of the world you are traveling. For example, if you fly to Europe or Asia, you must book your flights 4 to 6 months in advance.

Once again, all that I have said until now consists of numbers, percentages, and probability. Now, I will talk about real experiences. When I look for a cheap flight to Europe, I enter different travel search engines and write down my destination. I decided to add some silly screenshots to illustrate this better.

* These tricks start with San Juan Airport (SJU) as a local airport since it is the closest to me. You can try them using your local airport. This was done on Kayak but can be replicated with any travel search engine.

Getting Into Kayak to Check Cheap Flights to Europe

Here, we can see the main page of Kayak. You can start searching for cheap flights to Europe. As you can see, I chose the Roundtrip option. I am looking for an *imaginary ticket* to Baku, Azerbaijan, for December. Another thing that I made sure of was to make my dates flexible. That way, I could compare how the prices go up and down each day. I also compared Kayak prices with other search engines to make the comparison even bigger. Once you have clicked the search button, the other search engines will appear in different windows, and your Kayak window will look like this:

Screenshot 2014-04-12 23.17.53 Screenshot 2014-04-12 23.18.21

You can see a window that first appears that gives you the fares for all the requested days. It shows the cheapest option in green. In the second image, I opened the details of one of the flights to compare with the rest of the search engines.

Comparing Fares to Europe

Screenshot 2014-04-12 23.22.03

Here, I opened another search engine, which is Cheapoair.com. As you may appreciate, I found that the option Turkish Airlines gave is cheaper than the one Kayak gave. I repeat the same process with the other search engines to check the options they are giving me. The next step is checking the price I can buy directly from the airline.

In the case of this flight, Turkish Airlines on their website doesn’t allow me to start the search from San Juan, and Jet Blue does not allow me to search going to Baku. In this case, I would have to stay with the fare option of $979 to get to Baku (by the way, it is pretty good!) or do another trick that I have learned with time and that I will illustrate flying *on my imagination” somewhere else.

Looking for something else…

Screenshot 2014-04-12 23.35.05

Now, *in my imagination* on those same dates, I am going to Norway to explore all the things to do in Oslo and repeat the same process I did before.

Screenshot 2014-04-12 23.39.18

I found this in Kayak, and that fare doesn’t make me happy, considering the number of stops it has. Neither the rest of the search engines offer something that makes me happy. I have developed a little technique to avoid this: create my stops. Now I will explain this in detail (Once again, remember that this is traveling from San Juan, but it may work for other places)

Screenshot 2014-04-12 23.42.52

I repeat the search on Kayak.com with a little difference. Instead of looking for a flight from San Juan, I decided to look for one from JFK.

Screenshot 2014-04-12 23.48.10

Searching for Cheap Flights to Europe from JFK

In this case, I eliminated the flights with stops on purpose. I focus on the non-stop flights from JFK to Oslo to compare this price. Roundtrip. I guess you guys already understand that I used to love Norwegian Airways back in the day. Nowadays, most of these prices can be found in Norse.

You must be wondering how I get from San Juan to JFK. Two airlines fly San Juan-JFK more than 3 times daily: Delta and JetBlue. You only need to choose your favorite (or the cheapest). I won’t illustrate this part of the search, but I will give you the prices for each offer. On JetBlue, you can fly from about $300 to $350. When it comes to Delta, it should be something around $380-$435. Let’s imagine you choose JetBlue. The total for flying to Oslo would be $891. Notice you have to make your stops with at least a 2 hours difference to be careful.

Creating My Layovers to Get Cheap Flights to Europe

You may say, “In your search from San Juan to Oslo, there were flights from $831”. That’s true; it is a $60 difference. But when you think about it, stops may be much more expensive than $60. Everything is more expensive in an airport. Naturally, you can feel hungry and anxious while on a layover. You can find something you like in one of the airport stores. If you consider it, those expenses can fluctuate between $100 and $1000. Minimizing your stops ensures you will get one or two meals included in the price when planning your international flights; you must consider these details to save a little more.

After reading this, NO ONE can tell me that flying to Scandinavia is too expensive. I am sure it won’t be that hard to book one of the best hostels in Copenhagen if you do that! This is something I had already mastered and understood. Those have equivalences in other destinations that I will be showing you later.

Cheap Flights to Europe

Here, you can find some flights from Kiwi that you might like to check out when planning your trip to Europe.

FAQ about How to Get Cheap Flights to Europe

The cheapest month to fly to Europe can vary depending on various factors such as destination, demand, and seasonality. Generally, shoulder seasons like late winter (February and March) and late fall (October and November) offer lower prices than peak summer months. However, flexibility with travel dates and destinations is key to finding the best deals.

The cheapest European city to fly into can vary depending on your departure location and the time of year. Some popular entry points to Europe that often offer competitive fares include cities like London, Paris, Dublin, and Barcelona. Additionally, secondary airports in smaller cities may offer lower fares, especially when served by budget airlines such as Norse.

While it’s possible to find last-minute deals on flights to Europe, especially during off-peak seasons or due to airlines trying to fill empty seats, it’s generally not advisable to rely on this strategy. Booking flights well in advance is often the best way to secure lower prices, as prices tend to rise closer to the travel date, particularly during peak seasons and holidays.

Several budget airlines operate in Europe, offering competitive fares for domestic and international flights. Well-known budget carriers include Ryanair, easyJet, Wizz Air, and Norwegian Air Shuttle. However, the cheapest airline can vary depending on the route, time of booking, and current promotions, so it’s essential to compare prices across different carriers when searching for cheap flights to Europe.

Pin these tips to get cheap flights to Europe

Ever wonder how to get cheap flights to Europe? Check out my tips and start saving!

 

Brenda: + 34 years old + Puerto Rican + Viajera Boricua + Master in Cultural Tourism + Foreign Language Major + Hispanic Studies Minor + Portuguese + Italian + Russian + Literature Freak + ♥’s Indie Music + Volleyball Enthusiast + Tricolor do Morumbi(SPFC) + San Antonio Spurs +

Comments:

  • March 28, 2016

    I do believe all of the concepts you’ve offered for your post. They are really convincing and will definitely work. Nonetheless, the posts are very quick for novices. May just you please prolong them a bit from next time? Thanks for the post.

    reply...

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