PErsonally, I don't find $1300-1400 RT from NY to Greece during peak season shocking at all. I've been paying over $1000 RT in summer just to got from east coast US to major cities like Paris or Munich even before COVID.

Last year was the first time I’ve gone to Europe since 2017. Guess I’m not used to the prices!!

I've seen those Singapore + Scoot fares as well and I had the same reaction as you. Learned my Jetstar lesson on trips to Tassie and Melbourne, so for me it's no thanks, not Scoot for 9 hours to SIN. Congratulations for scoring something to Milan for an OK price, even if over $2000. I think Milan must be the northern Italian hub and that's why it was cheaper for you. I get why flights to Frankfurt are cheaper, it's the logical place for most airlines to fly to, BRU is kind of a spur, with not as many non-Europeans flying there (and hence $$$). It will be a little while before I travel again, even though I am looking at prices now, as I won't have much time off work and will probably have to save some cash, but it doesn't stop me investigating fares and airlines. Enjoy your trip, CounterClifton.

Leely, like you I would take the gamble on Turkish Airlines - I have heard good things about them and you can't lose on trying. They are not a budget carrier so I think you will be OK. Good luck!

Lavandula

We fly to Montreal or Toronto from US and on to Europe. Less expensive, good exchange rate for US citizens.

Where are all these good things being heard about Turkish Airlines? Are there any good reviews out there or is it just me? There is nothing wrong with them, they are fine, but that's about it. . And Istanbul airport, you need to have your skates on to get from one gate to another when transferring. Allow plenty of time for connections.

I think I saw a report by Nonstop Dan on Turkish Airlines, which praised them highly - it was at any rate a vlogger who said some good things about it, but it was the high-end product, which may be different to where I travel (cattle class).

Lavandula

Booked my trip from JFK NY to Thessaloniki, Greece for first week of August. I tried every which way and took a flight stopping in Munich both ways. Settled on tickets for $1372 per person, which includes luggage, seats and free changes. Lufthansa. Everything else was higher and a lot of them didn’t include luggage. Times worked well. The first time I booked, the rate changed from when I agree to book and when I checked my trip afterwards. The price increased by $250 for the both of us. I ended up booking the departure for the next day and the price remained at the original price I had agree to. I cancelled the first booking. Now I feel better and can slowly plan my days on the ground. I guess since I have free changes, if anything cheaper becomes available I can take it. I will take out my own insurance for trip and medical. Thanks for everyone’s help.

Yes maybe that is what it was. I've only been in economy & a few times since Dec, the OH is working in Ankara at the moment necessitating frequent travel to Turkey. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with them, they are fine, the food is a bif iffy sometimes.

A good choice, Munich is much easier to transfer in than Frankfurt.

This is great to know. We're in Seattle and we just get smacked on the coast to coast stuff. My big secret used to be Iceland Air, which gets you SEA to Rekjavik in 7 hours and then 2+ to Europe, but they got wise to the prices too. Especially last summer when everybody and their brother HAD to get on an airplane.

Just do the best research and GO!
You never know when your health will take a terrible dive and then travel is not even an option.
Enjoy every second of the planning and experience!

I find peak season a hassle so I would usually book a flight after the peak holiday season is over. Lesser tourists, lower plane ticket prices and more awesome accommodations are available with the right price which I can choose from.

It would seem that nobody here has flown Turkish. I have several times. Their Business Class is fine. Their domestic flights are OK as well. But . . . we did have an excruciating CPT > JNB > IST flight in cattle class on a reward ticket that was particularly cruel. Very cramped seating with truly surly staff. Everything was late and we spent 2 hours on the tarmac in JNB in a rainstorm. The connection desk at IST was closed when we arrived and somehow we got through immigration without boarding passes and that really upset the TA staff when we checked in for our last flight to YYZ. I added TA cattle class to my no-fly list after that.

You’re so lucky to be able to do that! As a teacher, my opportunities to travel are dictated by the academic calendar, which means if I want to go somewhere, it’s generally during peak vacation seasons. I’ve got two trips to Europe planned for the year (Ireland next month for 8 nights and Italy for 4 weeks in the summer), and bought my plane tickets at what I consider to be fair enough prices - NYC TO Dublin r/t at $665 and NYC to Naples for r/t $825. My best advice to people looking for reasonable flights is to start paying attention to fares to watch for trends and availability. When the price dips, be ready to pounce. For me, it becomes more a “what’s it worth to me?,” rather than “how much does it cost?” Life is short and I’m committed to accumulating experiences and memories while I’m physically capable. Let’s go!

Yes, I agree with all. I am trying to learn to take the opportunities and not worry about the money so much since one never knows what the future brings. We are not getting any younger. My husband turns 77 this year. We can’t take our retirement money with us and don’t plan on leaving it the kids! They can save their own.

For that fare, you could take a transatlantic cruise on QM2 to London and then fly.

We flew Turkish Air a few years before Covid, so do not know how it is now, but it was a direct flight, DC to Istanbul. DH and I both thought it was one of our best flights, would choose them over others. Comfortable, good service, very clean, efficient. However, I also do not know what plane we were on. It was regular class though. Food was better than average at the time.

I certainly would not mind a stay in Istanbul, but just an overnight with no daytime for sightseeing would be disappointing. I would want at least one day and night, plus just getting from the airport and returning eats up so much time.
As people say, getting to connecting flights was a slog.

I think everyone has gotten used to cheap, competitive fares, but there was a time when going to Europe was a once in a life time trip because people saved for years to go. When DH was stationed in Germany in the 70s, our family did not come home to visit the whole three years. There was no space-a for military families back then and we simply could not afford tickets. By time the late 80s, early 90s rolled around, it seemed as if everybody was going to Europe.

Yes, anything that uses fuel is higher.

You might check a different time or airport. Toronto is the most affordable airport I've found in North America; we found tickets, including "extra leg room," for about $1,000 open-jawed (Manchester/Gatwick) for July. That's 3 to 4 times when I usually pay, but I understand why. Even adding in the train ticket to get to Toronto, it's half the cost of a ticket from a US airport.

Yep. Lots of us came to the same conclusion.

Just as an exercise, what if you took some time to put together something of a travel master plan, one for, say, a three-year horizon? I'm not talking about an undated bucket list, but something that transitions from a bucket list to a calendar. Set priorities - places you'd like to visit, feel it's important to visit, or absolutely have to visit. When's the best time of year (if negotiable) to visit those places from your point of view? (Shoulder or off-season? Will there be monsoons, hurricanes...?) And then put together a scratch budget and strategy for paying for it. Maybe as you age the idea of sitting in tiny (and getting tinier) seats in the back of the bus is less appealing.

Or capitalize on cheap one-way repositioning cruises to cross the pond. For example, next month you could cruise from NYC to Barcelona, 15 days with a balcony cabin, for around $800. All inclusive, several interesting port calls... Do you have 15 days available in addition to time in Europe? If you applied for a credit card that gave you a bunch of frequent flyer miles when you sign up, you could reduce (or even eliminate) the cost of flying home after the cruise. Or if you've planned a year's worth of travel, when you get to Europe start a round-the-world trip (half the price compared to starting it in the USA) in which your first flight is back home, with the rest of the flights taking place over the next year. There are many ways to skin this cat, provided you have a plan.

Accommodations in resort/tourist/scenic areas can be a great bargain in the off season. But airfare - not necessarily. The problem is that after the summer holidays which a lot of travelers assume is 'peak season' -- airfares can actually go up because it is then peak season for business oriented travel. In summer sometimes premium economy tickets can cost as much or more than business class due to demand.

Coach/economy tix cost relatively more in 'peak season' and premium classes cost relatively more in the 'off season'. There have been some REAL business class bargains in the last 2 or 3 years because international business travel was so depressed during and just post covid. But by most accounts things are getting back to almost pre-covid patterns/volumes.