Make It Simpler To Find

Your Best Flights to Europe

How do you find the best prices for international airline flights to Europe?

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That’s a good question…there are now so many different booking systems that it should be easy…but it can be confusing. Each system has its own benefits and drawbacks.

To see what’s best for you, your first question should be…

How much time do I have available and how much time do I want to spend searching all the web sites…

Before I give you information for booking flights to Europe, let me give you some tips and warnings about making your reservation online. This applies to hotels as well.

• Always read the small print very carefully.Watch out for terms like “starting at” or “as low as.” Taxes and other fees are often not included and add a lot to your cost. One-way prices are listed but…on a round-trip basis; which means that if you only want one-way and not round-trip, it will be higher than half of a roundtrip.
• Don’t count on a definite price until you have a confirmation. Prices quoted by these systems don’t mean anything with an airline unless you have their confirmation in your hand or on your computer.
• If it looks too good to be true, it probably is. Never be pressured to make an immediate purchase with a credit card. Be especially careful with ads for “cheap flights” in daily newspapers.
• I suggest reading the information on “cancellations” and “making changes” very carefully. Airlines are not very accommodating when you make an error in the date or flight number. Cancellation fees are very high and many tickets are not refundable at all.
• “Cheap air” often means you’re on your own with any problem. Many who were in Cancun during the recent hurricane had a hard time because the toll free assistance offices were abroad…making it even worse.

• Meta search sites

  Kayak, Mobissimo, Farechase, Sidestep are “travel aggregators.” They save you time by searching through a multitude of sites to find the best price and most convenient itineraries for your flight to Europe.

  When you select a flight – or hotel, or car – you’re automatically redirected to the supplier’s booking site. You book directly with them, not with the aggregator…they get a booking fee.

  New for 2010: Kayak teams up with Yapta to let you track fare changes.

• Online agencies

  Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz – are the three major online booking sites for airline tickets, hotels and cars. Some of their special benefits for you are:

  Expedia’s Fare Alert tool downloaded to your desktop, tracks flights and price ranges for your desired destination.

  Orbitz’ new Price Assurance now covers any flight you have booked. If another traveler books the same trip as you at a lower price you receive a cash refund for the difference.

  Travelocity’s Insider’s Guide shows you how to find the best prices for air, hotel and car.

• Auction sites

  Priceline and Hotwire are two major sites that can help you obtain discounts for airline tickets and hotel stays.

  Priceline started the “Name your own Price” system…you name your own price for the services without knowing the name of the airline or hotel. After your price is accepted you receive the name of the hotel or airline…with a no-cancellation and no-refund policy.

  Recently, Priceline has offered a more traditional model. Travelers are given the prices and names of hotels or airlines in advance for their flights to Europe and hotels in Europe.You can still choose the above “Name your own price” version.

  Hotwire now offers fixed discounted rates... you choose a “zone” in a city without knowing the exact name. Another option is Sky Auction.

  Be careful…travelers have had problems with these companies.

  Five Tips for using Auction Sites:

  1. The auction site's listed retail prices may be the regular rack rates. First check directly with the airline or hotel.
  2. List your top bit and don't go higher. Suggest half of the regular rack rate for hotels.
  3. Read the fine print very carefully, especially on blackout dates and booking charges.
  4. Don't us the "buy now" price. Use the auction site.
  5. Check with the airline or hotel to make sure that space is available.

• Consolidators

  These are independent entrepreneurs that buy seats in advance at a good price and then sell them to you at a profit. They offer tickets on regularly scheduled airlines at rates well below the posted tariff prices.

  When I was a travel consultant I used them a lot for flights to Europe. You’ve probably seen the small ads in daily newspapers.

  If you plan to use a consolidator, I would strongly recommend booking your flights via a travel professional. Not all consolidators are reputable. Travel consultants deal a lot with them and know which companies can be trusted.

  Consolidators go by the rules of each different airline and those can often change. Be sure that you know all stipulations…penalties for flight changes, cancellations and refunds before you give your credit card number.

  Savings with consolidators can be great, but you should not trust the newspaper ads.

• Discount airlines

  Airlines such as Air One to Italy and Spanair and Air Europa to Spain, to name three only fly a few routes from selected cities. They are less expensive than the regular airlines.

  Because they only have a few planes, companies can often terminate their services on very short notice, I would recommend using a good travel agency instead of booking directly.

  New for 2010: Air Berlin, Iceland Express, Meridiana for Italy.

• E-mail marketers

  A new type of Internet entrepreneur. They offer selected “travel deals”, but you have to register for them. They will then e-mail their best offers to you on a weekly basis.

  Major marketers are Travelzoo with its Top 20 best bargains, Farecast owned by Microsoft, Sherman’s Travel Top 25, and Smarter Travel’s Booking Buddy.

• “Cheap air” booking sites

  The Internet offers you thousands of choices…but remember when you reserve your flights to Europe on these sites, you’re on your own - no matter what happens with the airline, weather, delays or cancellations.

Their fares are now very competitive with the above booking sites, especially for Internet bookings.

If you’re planning to go to Scandinavia from North America you should check with Icelandair. It is often less expensive for flights to Europe, plus the airline offers you a free stopover in Iceland…however you’ll have to pay for your hotel as well as other services.

Iceland is a fascinating country and you can stop off going to or coming from Europe. I recommend the westbound stopover. (Flights from North America arrive very early in the morning, those from Europe in the afternoon)

More tips for booking your flights to Europe

• You can now receive e-mail newsletters (E-savers) from most airlines and online booking offices. They keep you on top of the many bargains, special sales and travel deals.
• Do you want to travel business class on a flight to Europe but don’t want to pay the high prices? Who doesn’t!

  If you go to or connect through London you can book “premium economy” on British Airways and Virgin Atlantic.

  Many travelers say that it’s “every bit as good as business class on Delta and Continental.” It’s the best value in the sky right now…but for how long…your guess is as good as mine.
  

  So…how do you simplify booking your cheap flights to Europe?

  1. If you have the time... and like to look up all the flights and fares yourself, you may find some bargains. But check and re-check the small print before you give your credit card number. A good web site to in addition to Kayak is FareCompare with direct links to Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz, FlyCom and Priceline.
  2. If you don’t have the time... or don’t like looking at all the web sites (most travelers check at least four or five for booking a flight to Europe)…and you want to be sure that you have the correct information at a good price, visit a GOOD travel consultant.

     The small booking fee that they charge for a flight to Europe can save you a lot of problems and remember…it’s only a very small part of your total European vacation cost. I often go from Boston to Amsterdam and I do it myself, because I've done it so often. But for many other trips I visit my travel consultant, too.

  
  
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