What is the best way to search bargain airfares to Europe? We are looking to travel in Dec. (either the week before or week after Christmas) . Travelocity has a flexible date search but is frustrating because first it lists available dates, then you find out they're not actually available - seems like a waste of time. We've never traveled to Europe and so we are open as to destination. The best deal on airfare will drive our decision. We would prefer to depart from Charlotte or Raleigh NC but could depart from Atlanta if the savings were enough for a family of four. Any suggestions?

Check the airline deals directly. I recall seeing recent offers for that time of year from Alitalia, Air France, and Austrian Air. I would bet that from Charlotte, you could also find a US Airways flight package that would be a good deal.

There's usually a best deal to be had by buying a combination flight/hotel package, even adding a rental car if you wish. Those deals are usually as good a bargain directly from the airlines as from any discount broker like Travelocity. Plus, if you haven't been to Europe before, a package deal relieves you of some of the complexities of travel planning for a first-time traveler. Good luck.

beta.itasoftware.com is a very powerful, though not the most user-friendly, tool to search for airfares. [You cannot book from them - use the airline's own website or Orbitz.]

One can search for all airports inside a 300-mile radius for origin/destination and you can search for fares for a whole month (but only single origin/destination).

I did a quick search, and it seems Frankfurt is pretty cheap. <$700 for many dates, <$600 for some, in Dec. USAirways fly non-stop CLT-FRA.

But FRA is cheap for a reason. It's mostly a business destination, so less going on around Christmas, and it'll be kind of cold.

BTW, I'm not saying FRA must be the cheapest. Airfare to London is never too expensive, as there is more competiton and a lot more flights. If you've never been to Europe, maybe you can start with London. I see plenty of dates for around $700 in Dec CLT-LHR/LGW.

Hi sm,

It's a little late for the best deals in Dec.

Have you tried www.mobissimo.com?

The best way to find cheap airfare is to keep checking the airline web sites. We ended up getting 404 r/t to Paris from Sea. But you have to keep checking.

If you are flexible enough to travel two weeks before Christmas you are much more likely to get some decent fares to London, Frankfurt, or Paris.