Summer airfare to Europe quickly dropping
Did you put off booking a trip to Europe this summer after plane ticket prices skyrocketed?
Here’s your chance to be a little impulsive. A quick scan of Bing Travel this afternoon indicated that ticket prices to Europe this summer are dropping quickly. (I used July 14-July 21 as travel dates.)
A one-stop flight (with less than an hour-and-a-half layover) from Atlanta to London from US Airways is priced at $1087, one of the lowest prices since the beginning of this year (the highest was $1493). Fights to Paris on multiple airlines were priced at $1223 (they peaked at $1775 in March), with prices expected to drop as well. Amsterdam is down to $1312, Frankfurt at $1297 and Prague at $1237.
Also, if you already purchased tickets at sky-high prices and used Orbitz or another company with price matching, you might be able to get a refund of a few hundred dollars.
Tuesdays and Wednesdays tend to be the cheapest days to buy plane tickets, so consider this your heads-up.
Do you tend to be spontaneous about traveling? Has anyone pushed back a summer trip to the fall to save money?
– By Lauren Davidson, Atlanta Bargain Hunter
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7 comments Add your comment
amanda
June 21st, 2011
4:17 pm
Enter your comments here
wanderlust
June 21st, 2011
4:38 pm
Man, I got excited about rates coming in here. I haven’t even bothered *thinking* about overseas travel in at least 6 years because of prices. This doesn’t give me much hope. 10 years ago, I could get a transatlantic flight to Gatwick with little planning for ~$800 or so. I booked Central America for in 2004 or 2005 for $450. Is it the relative strength of the dollar that makes it such a pocket punch? Fuel costs? Summer? I may have to wait for that six-figure salary (nowhere on the horizon) to get here before my passport gets stamped again!
I sure am glad I traveled abroad when I did.
Avery
June 21st, 2011
4:47 pm
I am going Atlanta to Amsterdam to Paris to Rome back to Atlanta next month for a total of $800. I had to piece the flights together through various airlines, though.
If you put 30 minutes into piecing your trip together through multiple carriers you can still get a deal.
EU Later
June 21st, 2011
6:00 pm
Due to the weak $, you’re in for shock once you arrive if you plan to ‘travel around’ in the EU.
Everything from car rental, gas, food lodging is significantly up. If you have friends, plan to stay with them. But if not, book as much in advance to get and idea.
Wonderful places … Just pricey.
Now is a time to consider China … or India.
European
June 21st, 2011
6:19 pm
You are calling this cheap? Went to London last autumn for $750 non-stop flight.
Lauren Davidson
June 21st, 2011
6:21 pm
@Euopean: It’s all relative. I went to London last spring and paid $800 (grumbling the whole time that it was too expensive). But anyone who’s tried to book a trip for this summer knows prices haven’t dropped too much since January.
wanderlust
June 22nd, 2011
1:52 pm
@Avery: Now, *THAT* is a deal!
Would love to know your process. I can barely book one flight for a good deal in 30 minutes, much less match up multiple legs with various airlines. Do you ever worry about a delay or cancellation causing a cascade effect of trouble on the other parts of your journey? I wouldn’t think a 2nd or 3rd airline would have much sympathy for you if you missed a flight due to a 1st’s issue with timeliness.