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Travel to Europe by Air
Air: [Check Airfare Prices]
[Flying
Within Europe] [Airlines]
[Courier] [Cheap
Seats] [Flyer Miles] [Student Discounts]
[Other Discounts]
Tips for finding cheap fares on-line:
- Check
several of the on-line agencies I list below (or all if you have the
time).
- Try to make your departure and return dates on Tuesdays, Wednesdays,
and/or Thursdays. These days of the week are usually cheaper.
- Test alternate departure and return dates to see if arriving/departing on
one day is cheaper than another.
- If you live near more than one airport, try each airport to see if
departing from one is cheaper than the others. Alternately, if your
destination city has more than one airport, check each of
it's airports for the cheapest price.
- If you have a flexible itinerary, test to see if one destination city is
cheaper to travel to than others (i.e. London vs. Paris).
- Avoid arriving in one city and departing from another (i.e. arriving in
London and departing from Paris). This almost always costs more. If you are
short on time, however, getting a open jaw (multi-city) ticket can save travel
time and aggravation.
- Sign up for the "Fare Watcher" programs that many of the on-line
agencies offer. They will notify you when a price change for a
destination occurs.
- Start looking at air fares as soon as possible. Purchase tickets a minimum
of 21 days before departure to find the best prices. The cheapest available
fares are usually made available by airlines 90-60 days prior to flight
departure.
Check
Airfare Prices
On-line travel agencies allow you to be your own
travel agent. You can arrange your flight itinerary and purchase your tickets
on-line within minutes. If you are wondering about the safety of purchasing on-line, I have bought tickets on-line
many times and experienced no difficulties.
Vayama is focused solely on international travel and brings together
hundreds of private, consolidator and exclusive fares for travel abroad.
Prices available for Canada, Hong
Kong, Thailand, U.K. & U.S.
CheapOair
Offers over 100 million negotiated airfares from 350 global airlines and
85,000 negotiated Hotel Rates. Guarantees the lowest online price for
exclusive and budget airfares and hotel rates, or we will credit the
difference on your next purchase of a round trip ticket or hotel reservation.
CheapOair Canada
STA Travel
 Student
airfares to Europe.
Hotwire
Hot-Fares let you fly for less! Hotwire negotiates special airfare deals with leading airlines. Check a low
Hot-Fare now! You have to register with Hotwire before they'll show you
prices--it's no big deal just your name & e-mail.  (Note:
I've used them several times with excellent results. If your travel plans are
somewhat flexible, make sure you check them out.)
Hotwire UK
Expedia.com is the premier online travel planning and flight-booking site.
Purchase airline tickets online, find vacation packages, and make hotel and car
reservations, find maps, destination information, travel news and more. Try
Expedia.ca,
if you live in Canada,
Expedia UKg(912911)a(1245642)) ,
if you live in the UK, Expedia.com.au,
if you live in Australia .
(Note:
I've used them several times with excellent results.)
Travelocity
Saves you 20% or more on airfares. On-line travel agency--includes "Fare Tracker"
to keep you informed of the current prices to your selected destinations.
 (Note:
I've used them several times with excellent results.)
Also available: Travelocity
Canada
Priceline
shop and compare great deals on flights and more. Name your own price--if you
can be flexible when you travel, they can save you up to 40%. Also check out
their Price Breakers and Last Minute Deals.
Orbitz Search for deals on flights, hotels, car rental and special
package deals.
TravelNow Search for the
best airfares, book hotel reservations, and rent a car all from the convenience
of your computer. The pricing and reservation system is automated so you
can quickly check prices from travel suppliers all over the world. Live travel
agents are available to assist you in any way they can.
BudgetAir.ca
Canadian based on-line travel agency. Search
and compare cheap airline tickets from Canada.
Our prices are always transparent and include all taxes and fees. Our travel
specialists are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to ensure that your
online booking experience always has the human touch.
CheapTickets some of the best discounted travel deals--air, hotels, car rentals and more.
OneTravel Great Travel Deals - airline tickets, discount hotels, cheap
car rentals, vacation packages and more.
Flying
Within Europe
Finding cheap flights within Europe is much easier
than it used to be. If you plan well in advance, you can get flights for
unbelievably cheap prices. Decent prices can also be found if you book 14-30+ days
prior to departure, but the best prices are booked early.
Wegolo
instantly searches 75 budget airlines for over 700 destinations. Fares shown
in search results include the "extra" fees some budget airlines try to hide.
Direct links to some of the regional airlines in
Europe:
Airlines
Aviation Consumer Protection Division baggage tips, airline rankings,
airfare explanations, and more from U.S. Dept. of Transportation. Check
http://www.tsa.gov
for a list of what is permitted and what is prohibited on carry-on luggage.
Be a
Courier
The Air
Courier Association The Air Courier Association is the
association for the international air freight industry. We can help you fly cheap for a
"big name" freight company escorting time sensitive business documents. Air
courier destinations, air courier prices, courier travel restrictions, how to get started.
Cheap Seats
"Bucket shops" sell plane tickets at a severely
reduced price. The prices they advertise are limited to only a few seats. If
you manage to get a ticket from a bucket shop, make sure you read the fine print.
You don't want one of the restrictions they are sure to place on your ticket to come as an
unpleasant surprise. To find a bucket shop, check out the Travel section of a major
newspaper.
Frequent
Flyer Miles
These days practically everything has the potential
of earning you frequent flyer miles. Many credit cards (like American Express, Visa,
and MasterCard) earn reward points that can be converted into frequent flyer miles at
participating airlines. Check with your credit card company to see if they have a
reward program or apply for a credit card that does offer frequent flyer miles.
I
will admit it takes a ton of frequent flyer miles to earn a free trip to Europe (I used
50,000 for a round-trip flight to London), but if you do find yourself in the position to
use them (i.e. your dad has been accumulating them for years and decides to let you use
his reward points for a roundtrip ticket to Europe), they are a great way to save money.
Student
Discounts
If you are a high school or college student you are
entitled to many travel discounts. With these discounts, you can get a roundtrip
ticket to Europe for as low as $350 (depending on the origin of your initial flight--east
coast fares are cheaper than west coast fares). To find out what reductions you are
eligible for try STA Travel , Council Travel, or Travel
Cuts.
ISE
Student, Youth, or Teacher Identity Card Worldwide
network of discounts currently includes Europe, USA, Korea, Singapore, Egypt,
and Australia. This card allows you to obtain discounts ranging from 10% to 50%
on entrance fees to tourist attractions. You'll also qualify for the special student rates and discounts
offered by hostels, hotels, restaurants, shops, language, schools, theaters, concerts,
operas, cinemas, recreational facilities, vehicle rentals, bus routes, boat routes, railroads, and selected European airlines.
ISIC
(International
Student. Youth, or Teacher Identity Card) If you are a full-time student or
teacher, or if you are under 26, there are many discounts and special
arrangements available to you at home and when you travel. Recognized in over
100 countries, an international identity card can prove you belong to one of
these special groups anywhere you go.
Other
Discount Opportunities
None at the moment. I'm looking.
All prices are listed in U.S. Dollars, unless otherwise
noted.
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