Booking flights to Europe

How to book a cheap flight to Europe

Searching for the best flight deals to Europe has never been easier. Airinme helps you to compare cheap flights to Europe in a single search. Book with confidence as our service is completely free to all customers. Airinme simply finds the best airfare on the web and gets you the link to it. Just click on it and complete your booking directly on the seller’s web site. We are transparent, impartial and totally free!

All flights to Europe are sold with no added fees by us, we simply compare what’s available from the airlines and travel agents. It is really important to look at both, as sometimes travel agents can be cheaper than the airlines, in addition they can combine non partner carriers when making itineraries. That helps when you want to save money or time. So, why wait? Just enter your departure airport, your destination city in Europe and we will find the cheapest flights from multiple sellers. Leave the flights search and comparison to us and get packing - Europe is an exciting place with many countries, cultures and tastes.

Airline ticket prices to Europe

European flights and travel market generally is one of the most complex if not the most complex one. This is due to close proximity of European countries - only in Europe you can cross a few countries in a couple of hours by plane, train or car. That’s why rail and bus companies also come at play when travelling within Europe. So, how does that affect your trip planning to Europe or within the continent?

Traditionally getting to Europe from the Americas, Asia Pacific or Australia and Oceania is possible via direct flights offered by American Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, Lufthansa, KLM, Air France or connections in the Middle East when you fly Emirates, Qatar or Etihad airways, or Istanbul should you choose Turkish Airlines. Use our free and unbiased search to book the cheapest flights directly from providers.

Sometimes connecting flights with a change in one of the European airports also make sense. Say, you fly to London or Paris and then hop on a regional or a short haul flight to your final destination.

When you are travelling within Europe the same set of airlines does not always apply. Your typical flag carriers (national airlines) such as Alitalia, Scandinavian SAS or British airways operate alongside European budget airlines easyJet, Ryanair, Vueling, Volotea or Eurowings - that are a lot cheaper than then scheduled airlines. That said there may be exceptions to the rule. For example, if you are flying from Berlin to London on a last flight on Friday, which is BA2298, you may get a good deal even when you choose a business class cabin. Reason for this is that this particular flight is often not filled as business passengers take earlier flights. Better value deals include meals on board, bigger checked luggage allowance and a good size cabin bag.

How to book cheap flights to Europe - 5 tips to save

Despite all the complexities of air travel in Europe and the nature of different types of airlines you can still find good deals to fly to Europe and book cheap airfares. Check our 5 top tips on how to get the low airfares and book with confidence.

Airport choice vs airfare price

We have covered a few general tips on how to save money when planning a trip. It’s the time to look into this process more deeply. Quite a big part of the air ticket price is made of the airport taxes, hence the bigger and more popular airport, the more expensive fees airlines need to absorb. Tip #1 try to avoid the busiest and most popular airport hubs. Choosing less crowded hubs will get you cheaper flights. For example all flyers travelling to or via London Heathrow airport will pay a lot more than to those on the outskirts such as Luton, Stansted or Southend. London Heathrow is catering for over 80 million passengers every year, understandably that the airlines want to own a bit of that market share and are competing against each other by paying high rates. Those airport taxes are then passed onto passengers and we simply end up paying more. So, if the airport choice does not play a huge part in your travel arrangements, we suggest avoiding the main airports.

Consider connecting flights over directs

To demonstrate how connecting flights could save you money, let's look at some examples. Say, you are flying to Europe from New York. Your most likely options are - flying from EWR or JFK to LHR (London Heathrow) or LGW (London Gatwick Airport) with American Airlines, BA or Virgin Atlantic. Average price for a return flight (travelling for one week on a Tuesday outbound and inbound) is in the region of $470 for a direct flight. With connection in Ottawa with Air Canada and Lufthansa flight on the second leg, however you can save around 20%. Tip #2 consider connections. So, the choice is yours - whether it’s travel time or money, we leave it for you to decide. Our job to compare options is done.

Take off times to Europe and saving money

Similarly to taxation with busy airports, take off times matter when flights prices are made. The bigger the demand to fly in a particular time window, the more competition between the airlines there is and therefore the more money airlines need to pay to secure these time slots. Unfortunately, that pricing battle is passed on to us - flyers, we simply absorb the cost to fly at more convenient time of the day. So, if you are looking to save cash and spend it on something else in Europe rather than on a more expensive seat, then choose less popular departure times, early morning or late at night. That is our Tip #3.

Different airlines on the same Europe itinerary

You have probably noticed that more travel agents take the approach of mixing airlines on the same route. For instance American Airlines on your way out and Norwegian when you fly back - there are many examples when non-partner airlines (that do not have a codeshare agreement between them) are offered on the same route. Such combination logic applies for low cost airlines and scheduled carriers. That’s why it pays off to compare deals that are being offered by the airlines themselves and online travel agents. Tip #4 look at both prices: from airlines and agents. Use Airinme to search all the options just in a few clicks - we do the research, you enjoy savings.

Compare deals to Europe first

As we said earlier - it pays off to compare cheap flights to Europe offered by many providers to get the cheapest option. There is a caveat here though - cheapest does not always mean the best. Competition between travel companies has reached new heights in recent years. More providers choose to decompose (unbundle) their services to offer more competitive prices and to cater to a wider group of customers. Individual approach (called by the industry - personalization) is used to sell products such as meals, entertainment, fast-track check in etc separately to the airplane seats. Which is good news from the first glance. However, getting value here seems more even complex. Tip #5 Compare itineraries first, don’t go just for the lowest number on the price tag. You may end up paying more if your connection airport is different than the one you fly your second leg from. If you need a visa, please make sure it covers your final destination country and the transit country. Not having meals on a mid or long haul flight may result in more money spent on board. Luggage is a big one. Those airlines that sell baggage allowance separately may charge you more at the end of the day. Travel search and comparison websites such as Airinme will help you with trip planning and all these little things to consider.