When it comes to airfare, a little effort can save you a bundle. Courier fares are the cheapest for those whose plans are flexible enough to deal with the restrictions. Tickets sold by consolidators and standby seating are also good deals, but last-minute specials, airfare wars, and charter flights often beat these fares. The key is to hunt around, be flexible, and ask about discounts. Students, seniors, and those under 26 should never pay full price for a ticket.
Airfares to France peak between June and September; holidays are also expensive. The cheapest times to travel are between November and April. Midweek (M-Th morning) round-trip flights run US$40-50 cheaper than weekend flights, but they are generally more crowded and less likely to permit frequent-flier upgrades. Not fixing a return date (“open return”) or arriving in and departing from different cities (“open-jaw”) can be pricier than round-trip flights. Patching one-way flights together is the most expensive way to travel. Flights between France’s capitals or regional hubs—Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille, Nice, Paris, Strasbourg, and Toulouse—will tend to be cheaper.
If France is only one stop on a more extensive globe-hop, consider a round-the-world (RTW) ticket. Tickets usually include at least five stops and are valid for about a year; prices range US$1200-5000. Try Northwest Airlines/KLM (☎+1-800-225-2525; www.nwa.com) or Star Alliance, a consortium of 16 airlines including United Airlines (www.staralliance.com).
Fares for round-trip flights to Paris from the US or Canadian east coast cost US$600-2000, US$400-1000 in low season (Nov.-Mar.); from the US or Canadian west coast US$1100-2400/900-2200; from the UK, UK£100-200/50-150; from Australia AUS$2500-5000/1900-2500; from New Zealand NZ$3000-6000/2500-3500.
While knowledgeable agents specializing in flights to France can make your life easy, they may not spend the time to find you the lowest possible fare—they get paid on commission. Travelers holding ISICs and IYTCs qualify for big discounts from student travel agencies. Most flights from budget agencies are on major airlines, but in peak season some may sell seats on less reliable chartered aircraft.
The commercial airlines’ lowest regular offer is the APEX (Advance Purchase Excursion) fare, which provides confirmed reservations and allows “open-jaw” tickets. Generally, reservations must be made seven to 21 days ahead of departure, with seven- to 14-day minimum-stay and up to 90-day maximum-stay restrictions. These fares carry hefty cancellation and change penalties (fees rise in summer). Book peak-season APEX fares early. Use Expedia (www.expedia.com) or Travelocity (www.travelocity.com) to get an idea of the lowest published fares, then use the resources outlined here to try to beat those fares. Low-season fares should be appreciably cheaper than the high-season (mid-June to Aug.) ones listed here. Let’s Go treats budget airlines separately from commercial airlines. For travelers who don’t place a premium on convenience, we recommend these no-frills airlines as the best way to jet around Europe. Even if you live outside the continent, you can save a lot of money by hopping the absolute cheapest flight to Europe you can find and then using budget airlines to reach your final destination.
The most common ways to cross the pond are those you’ve probably heard of. Standard commercial carriers like American (☎+1-800-433-7300; www.aa.com), United (☎+1-800-538-2929; www.ual.com), and Northwest (☎+1-800-447-4747; www.nwa.com) will probably offer the most convenient flights, but they may not be the cheapest. Check Lufthansa (☎+1-800-399-5838; www.lufthansa.com), British Airways (☎+1-800-247-9297; www.britishairways.com), Air France (☎+1-800-237-2747; www.airfrance.us), and Alitalia (☎+1-800-223-5730; www.alitaliausa.com) for cheap tickets from destinations throughout the US to all over Europe. You might find an even better deal on one of the following airlines, if any of their limited departure points is convenient for you.
Cheapflights (www.cheapflights.co.uk) publishes bargains on airfare from the British Isles. Below is a list of carriers with special deals, but there really is no reason for British and Irish globetrotters not to fly on budget airlines .
Low-cost carriers are the latest big thing in Europe. With their help, travelers can often snag tickets for illogically low prices (i.e., less than the price of a meal in the airport food court), but you get what you pay for: namely, minimalist service and no frills. In addition, many budget airlines fly out of smaller regional airports several kilometers out of town. You’ll have to buy shuttle tickets to reach the airports of many of these airlines, so plan on adding an hour or so to your travel time. After round-trip shuttle tickets and fees for services that might come standard on other airlines, that €1 sale fare can suddenly jump to €20-100. Prices vary dramatically; shop around, book months ahead, pack light, and stay flexible to nab the best fares. For a more detailed list of these airlines by country, check out www.whichbudget.com.
Those who travel light should consider courier flights. Couriers help transport cargo on international flights by using their checked luggage space for freight. Generally, couriers are limited to carry-ons and must deal with complex flight restrictions. Most flights are round-trip only, with short fixed-length stays (usually 1 week) and a limit of one ticket per issue. Most of these flights also operate only out of major gateway cities, mostly in North America. Generally, you must be over 18 (in some cases 21). In summer, the most popular destinations usually require an advance reservation of about two weeks (you can usually book up to two months ahead). Super-discounted fares are common for “last-minute” flights (three to 14 days ahead).
Round-trip courier fares from the US to France run about US$350. Most flights leave from Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, or San Francisco in the US; and from Montréal, Toronto, or Vancouver in Canada. The organizations below provide members with lists of opportunities and courier brokers for an annual fee. Prices quoted below are round-trip.
The minimum age for couriers from the UK is usually 18. The International Association of Air Travel Couriers (www.courier.org; above) often offers courier flights from London to Tokyo, Sydney, and Bangkok and from Auckland to Frankfurt and London. Courier Travel (above) also offers flights from London and Sydney.
Traveling standby requires considerable flexibility in arrival and departure dates. Companies dealing in standby flights sell vouchers rather than tickets, along with the promise to get you to your destination (or near your destination) within a certain window of time (typically 1-5 days). You call in before your specific window of time to hear your flight options and the probability that you will be able to board each flight. You can then decide which flights you want to try to catch, show up at the appropriate airport at the appropriate time, present your voucher, and board if space is available. Vouchers can usually be bought for both one-way and round-trip travel. You may receive a monetary refund only if every available flight within your date range is full; if you opt not to take an available (but perhaps less convenient) flight, you can only get credit toward future travel. To check on a company’s service record in the US, contact the Better Business Bureau (☎+1-703-276-0100; www.bbb.org). It is difficult to receive refunds, and clients’ vouchers will not be honored when an airline fails to receive payment in time.
Ticket consolidators, or “bucket shops,” buy unsold tickets in bulk from commercial airlines and sell them at discounted rates. The best place to look is in the Sunday travel section of any major newspaper (such as The New York Times ), where many bucket shops place tiny ads. Call quickly, as availability is extremely limited. Not all bucket shops are reliable, so insist on a receipt that gives full details of restrictions, refunds, and tickets and pay by credit card (in spite of the 2-5% fee) so you can stop payment if you never receive your tickets. For more info, see www.travel-library.com/air-travel/consolidators.html.
Some consolidators worth trying are Rebel (☎+1-800-732-3588; www.rebeltours.com), Cheap Tickets (www.cheaptickets.com), Flights.com (www.flights.com), and TravelHUB (www.travelhub.com). Let’s Go does not endorse any of these agencies. As always, be cautious and research companies before you hand over your credit-card number.
Tour operators contract charter flights with airlines in order to fly extra loads of passengers during peak season. These flights are far from hassle-free. They occur less frequently than major airlines, make refunds particularly difficult, and are almost always fully booked. Their scheduled times may change, and they may be canceled at the last moment (as late as 48hr. before the trip, and without a full refund). In addition, check-in, boarding, and baggage claim for them are often much slower. They can, however, be much cheaper.
Discount clubs and fare brokers offer members savings on last-minute charter and tour deals. Study contracts closely; you don’t want to end up with an unwanted overnight layover. Travelers Advantage (☎+1-800-835-8747; www.travelersadvantage.com; US$90 annual fee includes discounts and cheap flight directories) specializes in European travel and tour packages.
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For 52 years, we have published the world’s favorite budget travel guides, written entirely by students and updated every year. With pen and notebook in hand and a few changes of underwear stuffed in our backpacks, we spend months roaming the globe in search of travel bargains.
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