There are some great prices between the US and Europe available for flights from this fall through peak summer travel dates in June, July, and August 2018 on alliance carriers (unlike low-cost carriers, these flights should include checked baggage – check with each carrier for details. Flights are available from both coasts from the $300’s and $400’s round trip. The cheapest flights often involve a long (overnight) layover, through shorter connections are available for a bit more on many routes. Read on for some examples. See our guide to How to find great business class fares with Google Flights for more information on finding great deals with Google Flights – the tips in that post apply equally to economy class fares like these.
Click the images or city pairs to go to Google Flights.
Update: The Flight Deal tweeted us (thanks!) and brought to my attention that the cheapest fares on TAP Air Portugal below are similar to basic economy. Fares that include 1 checked bag (but no seat selection) in each direction are about $25 more each way. See this breakdown of one-way fares between New York and Madrid as an example.
Factor that in to the TAP Portugal deals below.
Boston to Madrid, July 2018
If you’re willing to travel in March, prices from Boston to Barcelona start at $292. Average March temperatures in Barcelona around 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
Boston to Barcelona, March 2018
And flights are also available from New York. Here is an example where the cheapest flight ($384 round trip) involves a 12-hour daytime stopover in Porto, the home of Port wine. We went there a few years back and toured Sandeman and had a great time in the city — it was a pleasant surprise that we found due to a cheap Ryanair flight.
If you stop in Porto, do yourself a favor and get a Francesinha.
Loyalty Traveler has the scoop on flight deals from a number of cities to Amsterdam from the $400’s. For example, here is Los Angeles to Amsterdam next April from $450.
Los Angeles to Amsterdam from $450
Those fares are available from several cities (see the Loyalty Traveler post for more city pairs) and both coasts. While I had trouble finding the right dates for Atlanta to Amsterdam, I was able to find prices from around $440 if you’ve got three weeks to spend in Europe.
Atlanta to Amsterdam, April 2018
Bottom line
These are excellent prices for late spring and peak summer travel. While the cheapest flights often have less desirable connections, some of them may give you a chance to see another city en route to your destination. Alternatively, other options are available for a bit more. While we often see pricing like this from the low-cost carriers, these flights may carry the advantages of seat selection and checked baggage, though check the terms carefully while booking. Remember that you should have 24 hours from booking to cancel if you book through most online travel agencies.
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no free bags on TAP after sept 1 once you add one bag and a seat, no bargain
In my opinion with TAP, the ‘basic fares’ are exactly the same as last year’s cheapest fare, but now with a bag fee included. I paid $222 from AGP-EWR via LIS one-way with a free bag. I think this time around (I do this about once a year), I’ll only see ‘basic economy’ fares in that range.
It’s just a hidden bag fee and probably a hidden fare hike too.
Anyone out there still think British Air’s fuel surcharge is still for the fuel?