Deal alert: Fly to Amsterdam and Brussels from the US from $318 round-trip - The Points Guy (2024)

FAQs

What is the cheapest day to fly from USA to Europe? ›

The late fall and winter months—from mid to late October through mid-to-late March—are generally the cheapest time to fly to Europe, although fares can spike for the year-end holiday season. It's often cheaper to fly to Europe mid-week, particularly on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Members of our Travel Community often ask, “Is it cheaper to buy two one-way tickets instead of a roundtrip?” When it comes to international flights, the answer is often no. It's generally more economical to buy a roundtrip flight rather than booking two separate one-way international flights.

Paris, France

City of love, and one of the cheapest European city to fly into – Paris is at the top of every traveller's bucket list, so you'll be thrilled to know that a flight into Charles de Gaulle airport won't cost you as much as you think!

Specifically, plane tickets usually don't get cheaper closer to the departure date or if you book too early—more than five months in advance. Instead, flights tend to be the least expensive when you book between three weeks and two and a half months (21 and 74 days) in advance of your departure date.

Best Time To Book International Flights

According to Expedia's study, the data shows that you ideally want to book around 60 days out, and no earlier than four months in advance for international travel. The study found you'll save an average of 10% by booking sixty days in advance instead of further out.

A good rule of thumb for planning a trip to Europe is to take at least six months. And if you really want to benefit from early preparation, a year may be even better. That ample time can play a pivotal role in helping you: Create the trip of a lifetime.

You can find cheap flight deals to anywhere in the world on Google Flights. Just enter your departure city, choose Anywhere as the destination, and select Explore. You can pick specific dates or leave departure and return dates blank if your plans are flexible. The cheapest fares to popular destinations will appear.

The prices of international flights don't fluctuate as much as they do for domestic flights. If you're flying abroad, consider jetting off on Wednesday or Thursday. You can save up to 12% on ticket prices. If possible, avoid flying on Sunday, which is typically the most expensive day of the week.

The average airfare for a roundtrip flight within the U.S. is $367.79. But the airport you choose can have a major impact on how much you'll spend on a flight. The table below shows the average cost of airfare at the 100 busiest airports in the U.S.

But, for most international flights, buying a single round-trip ticket (even with multi-city departures) is around 20 percent cheaper than two one-ways. Start a clean search.

Is it cheaper to buy a flight ticket closer to the departure? ›

There's a long-standing travel myth that flights get cheaper as the departure date nears because airlines desperately lower the price to fill more seats. But airlines tend to save their highest fares for last-minute purchasers, especially on popular routes.

Generally speaking, flying from the USA to the Caribbean or Central America is the cheapest because those areas are close by. Europe is cheap to fly to from the east coast USA, and Asia is cheap to fly to from the west coast USA.

International Flights

If you're flying abroad, consider jetting off on Wednesday or Thursday. You can save up to 12% on ticket prices. If possible, avoid flying on Sunday, which is typically the most expensive day of the week.

Google's flight price study analyzed two types of international flights. For flights to Europe, Google found that the best deals were found 129 days out—but could be anywhere between 50 and 179 days before departure.

A morning departure is easily the better option to battle jet lag. Most eastbound transatlantic flights from the US are overnight, landing in the morning Europe time.

As previously mentioned, booking airfare on Sunday is cheaper than other days of the week, especially Fridays. Be willing to fly mid-week. Since Thursdays tend to be the cheapest day to fly, see if you can tweak your travel plans so you depart and fly home during the week instead of on weekend days. Set price alerts.