While Europe is still closed to most travelers, there is hope on the horizon for a trip this summer or fall. And let’s just say the flight deals are encouraging, too.
Cheap flights to Europe have returned in anticipation of a return to travel, regularly below $500 and even under $350. From the big airports like New York City (JFK) to tiny ones like Fargo, North Dakota (FAR), we’ve noticed a trend of cheaper fares to Europe from all across the U.S. You don’t have to live in a major U.S. city to score a great deal!
Many of these deals discussed below are no longer live … but there will be plenty more! Want in on the action? We find flight deals from 175 U.S. and Canadian airports! Check out Thrifty Traveler Premium, our cheap flight alert service.
Here’s a small taste of the crazy cheap Europe deals we’ve found through 2022! Don’t miss out on the next one!
Iceland is Open, and Flights are Cheap
It’s official: Iceland is now open to vaccinated travelers! It’s made the already-popular destination skyrocket with interest for upcoming travel.
And if you don’t want to pay peak summer prices, you’ll need a cheap flight. How about hundreds off regular airfare to this epic destination?
This deal is already gone, but the next cheap flight to Europe is just around the corner. Get Thrifty Traveler Premium for just $5.99 a month and get deals sent straight to your inbox.
While this deal wasn’t widespread, we saw rock-bottom prices for peak summer all the way into February 2022! You could fly nonstop to Iceland and back – at more than $400 off normal prices! And that’s a big change: For most of the last year, cheap flights to almost anywhere in Europe have been hard to come by.
We love Iceland! Read our money-saving tips for this expensive country and explore the famous Ring Road.
2-for-1 Flights to Europe
Yep, you read that right. Icelandair, the European airline you can fly to Iceland, has a stopover program – and it can save you hundreds.
Here’s how it works: you can fly to most European destinations, and instead of having a short layover in Iceland, you can book a stopover of up to seven days on the way to or from Europe.
Why see just one country when you can see two for the price of one cheap flight?
Two separate roundtrip flights to Europe, and then to Iceland, could easily cost you well over $1,400. Instead, book a stopover and do both! Here’s a recent deal we found that included an Iceland stopover for just a few dollars more:
Peak summer in Iceland, and then on to Europe? Yes, please! Oh, and these cheap fares could get you nearly anywhere in Europe: from Ireland to France, Scandinavia to Switzerland:
Cheapest Gateway: Portugal for $300 RT
If you haven’t been to Portugal yet, it’s time to put it on your list. We love Lisbon and Porto! And lately, it’s been the cheapest way to get to Europe from the U.S. Want to explore beyond Portugal once you’re there? Take a cheap train ride or inter-Europe flight to other cities!
Thrifty Traveler Premium members from many U.S. cities were blessed with several cheap flight deal alerts to Portugal for under $350 roundtrip! At the time we found these deals, the fares were available during both summer, Christmas, and New Year’s:
Thrifty Tip: Use credit card points from cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred and book fares like these for as little as 25,000 Chase points!
Half-Off Fares to Paris, Amsterdam, Barcelona & More
Peak summer or holiday season prices to major European hubs can often run you $1,000 – or more. With the flight deals that have cropped up this past month, you could fly to Paris, Amsterdam, Barcelona, and other European hot-spots starting at under $500 roundtrip. Those aren’t the cheapest flights we’ve ever found to Europe, but it’s still half-off normal prices!
If you think we only find flight deals for the major cities and hub airports, we have good news. We find flight deals from over 160+ U.S. and Canadian airports, including yours! It’s not just the big cities that benefit from flight deals – whether you’re in a small town, a huge city, or just prefer to beat the traffic and fly out of a regional airport, we find flight deals from them all.
Here’s a look at a few of the 100+ cities we found half-off fares to Barcelona for in peak summer:
Want flight deals like these from your airport? Join Thrifty Traveler Premium so you don’t miss the next one!
Summer Sun or Christmas Markets? Both are Cheap!
The savings don’t stop there.
Whether you’re itching to see Europe during peak summer, explore during fall, or looking ahead to Christmas markets for this winter, we’re already finding flight deals for you! Take this recent deal to Zürich, for example: you could go during summer, Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year’s!
And yes, this deal was live from your home airport:
Bottom Line
It’s time to stop paying too much for airfare – to Europe, or anywhere. It’s time to get back out into the world – this summer, fall, or even winter 2022!
Cheap flights to Europe all but disappeared over the last year as the continent closed its borders. But with travel looking up for late 2021 and Europe aiming to resume travel as soon as this summer, flight deals are back on the menu.
All of these deals were discovered by our team and sent out to Premium subscribers in the past month. Most of these deals are no longer live: the hotter the deal, the shorter they last! If you’re looking for a cheap flight to Europe (and beyond), join Thrifty Traveler Premium and get instant notification of the next flight deals we find from your home airport.
Lincoln?!! Where can I head off to on the cheap from Lincoln? I’m in!!
Hi Lynne, yes! In the past month alone, we’ve found cheap international flights from Lincoln to Hawaii, Japan, Brazil, Australia, Chile, and Toronto. There’s more to come in the coming months: we’d love to have you join us for more cheap flights! More info on our Premium service here: https://thriftytraveler.com/premium/