The second most costly part of a tour, after lodging, is airfare. Airfares were sky-high a few years ago and it is my opinion the legacy carriers like American, Delta and United were gouging the consumer, despite lower fuel costs, on their fares to Europe. It was my prediction that other "discount" airlines would come along and take advantage of a lucrative market by offering lower-fares to a variety of destinations in Europe. But be aware, not all discount airlines are the same. In this article, The Traveling Professor names his favorite discount airlines to Europe.
I can remember flying on American Airlines to Paris in 2003 for $351 R/T. Those days are gone. Airfares, even in the off-season on legacy carriers like American, Delta, and United are well over $1,000. It is not unusual to see regular coach airfares reach $1,800 in peak season. These high airfares take a big bite out of one's vacation budget. However, there are good alternatives to these legacy carriers. Let me tell you about Norwegian Air in this blog post.
People talk to me about travel and the high cost of airline tickets all the time. Just this week someone complained about the $1,100 ticket from New York to London. Tickets to Italy are in the $1,500 range. With the cost of fuel reaching record lows, you would think airlines would cut their prices. However, supply and demand dictates prices, not fuel costs. However, if you are smart, you can get to Europe on major airlines like American Airlines for $635 round trip. How about a $300 ticket to Oslo? Read my blog post and find out how to save money on your next flight to Europe.