mbodine13

I will be traveling to Europe in May/June 2014. I do not have an itinerary at this point but have looked at flights to/from London, Madrid, Rome, and Amsterdam. I'm open for flying into anywhere cool in Western Europe, I am just looking for the cheapest flights. I will be traveling from Washington, DC. What cities and airlines do you recommend? I have found Iceland Air to be cheapest but have read bad reviews. Connections do not bother me if they are easy and if they are reasonable time-wise. Also, one way we were thinking about indulging and upgrading, which airline has the best value most affordable Premium class? Thanks!

*Side note, they are not booking that far in advance so I've been looking at prices in April/May 2014 for comparison purposes.

tcreath

I pretty much do what you are doing unless I am dead-set on an itinerary. We used to travel to Europe at least twice a year before becoming parents and the only way we could afford to do so was by waiting until we stumbled across a great fare to X and then jumped on it and built our itinerary around it. You are fortunate to be flying from a major US hub so you'll have a much larger selection of flights at a lower price than I used to find traveling from STL and, later, CLT.

Lately it seems like I've seen the lowest prices to Europe from CLT (I look regularly, just for kicks!) is usually flying into Madrid, London or Dublin but surprisingly the lowest prices by hundreds of dollars were to Istanbul. So it can pay off to just start putting in various airport codes to cities you would be willing to travel to and see what prices come up.

As far as airlines, I typically prefer to use international carriers but I didn't really care how I go there so I can't really comment.

Good luck!

simpsonc510

Of the arrival cities you named, by choice would be Amsterdam. If you are doing a multi-destination tour of some sort, you could fly into Amsterdam, then make your way south visiting various countries (by train maybe?) and end in Rome or Madrid and return to USA from there. Just a suggestion. What cities and/or countries do you plan to visit?

wally34949

If you are flexible with your travel dates, consider getting an airline credit card and charge everything with the card. Make sure you pay off the card each month. I flew to Europe in Business Class with British Airways two times. I found that the cheaper taxes, which you must pay with a BA credit card, were in the German cities.

Southam

Multi-city tickets save time and money in the long run. But pay attention to flights involving plane changes. If you have to wait for many hours, or even change airports (New York) then the savings in money are not worth the expenditures in time and stress.
The suggestion of connecting through Istanbul may produce some savings, at least for now, since Turkish airlines is expanding and its fares are very competitive.

jgwagner4

I actually really like Icelandair. You may have to buy food, but the price of the ticket leaves money in the budget to do that if you wish.

Also, you could do a stay over in Iceland, which is worth a visit itself.

mbodine13

Thanks for the advice. Other cities I was looking to visit are Ibiza, Dublin, Barcelona, and Venice. Based on what i found, those are expensive compared to the rest. No set plans at the moment. The direct flights seemed to be 300 dollars more expensive. But the layovers (all in Europe) are only around two or three hours or so. Also, one more question. Is flying from cities that would require four or more hours in a train the best way to travel instead of train? I am seeing some cheap flights with Ryan Air and Easyjet.

Southam

The actual time in the air is obviously shorter than on a train. But getting to and from the airports, and going through lengthy security and other check-in procedures, must be considered. Trains tend to connect city centres, avoiding both the time and cost of airport commutes. Also be alert to the policy on most no-frills airlines that any connection requires a completely separate ticket, retrieving your luggage and checking in again for the second leg.
I take the train for six hours or less unless the price is ridiculously more expensive. I like trains and think they are more comfortable and certainly more scenic. The source of all train knowledge: www.seat61.com

crckwc1

Ryan Air, Easyjet and similar have strict baggage and carry-on policies, so do check those out.
For your flight to Europe, you might want to check out Vayama, Cheapoair and other discounters/consolidators. We have used both Vayama and Cheapoair with good results and with considerable savings. Start serious looking about 9-10 months out. When you see an itinerary that you like at a price you're willing to pay, grab it.