Deal Alert: US Cities to Europe Starting at $354 Round-Trip
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
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Airfare deals are typically only available on limited dates. We recommend you use Google Flights to find dates to fly, then book through an online travel agency, such as Orbitz or Expedia, which allows you to cancel flights without penalty by 11pm Eastern Time within one day of booking. However, if you’re using the American Express Platinum Card, you’ll need to book directly with the airline or through Amex Travel portal to get 5x MR points. Remember: Fares may disappear quickly, so book right away and take advantage of Orbitz or Expedia's courtesy cancellation if you’re unable to get the time away from work or family.
It's been nearly a month since we've seen a big fare sale to Europe, but there's one underway right now on several Oneworld partners — including American, British Airways, Iberia and Finnair — and the prices are pretty impressive for full service carriers. You can find flights from multiple US cities such as Miami (MIA), Boston (BOS), New York (EWR), Los Angeles (LAX) and San Francisco (SFO) to a wide variety of European countries starting as low as $354 round-trip.
The majority of these flights are in the fall months of September and October, though you may find a few dates here and there as early as August and as late as December. Airfares vary from the mid-$300's to the mid-$400's depending on the route, but we're seeing itineraries in that price range to Zurich (ZRH), Vienna (VIE), Brussels (BRU), Berlin (TXL) and even Luxembourg (LUX). [Update 5/7/17 10pm: We're also seeing availability to Salzburg, Austria (SZG) in January and February 2018.]
You don't need any tricks to get these prices, so just use Google Flights to find the dates you want and then book on Orbitz, Expedia or directly with the airline itself. Most of these itineraries have one reasonable connection in cities like London (LHR), Madrid (MAD) or Helsinki (HEL), and since these are international trips on full service carriers, you'll get your first checked bag free and even a complimentary meal during the flight.
Airlines: Oneworld partners (American, British Airways, Iberia, Finnair)
Routes: MIA/LAX/BOS/SFO/EWR to ZRH/VIE/BRU/TXL/LUX/SZG
Cost: $354+ round-trip in economy
Dates: September-October 2017 (with a few dates in August and November-December)
Booking Link: Orbitz or Expedia
Pay With: The Platinum Card from American Express (5x on airfare), Chase Sapphire Reserve, Citi Prestige (3x on airfare) or Chase Sapphire Preferred (2x on travel)
Here are a few examples of what you can book:
Miami (MIA) to Zurich, Switzerland (ZRH) on American for $354 round-trip:
Miami (MIA) to Vienna, Austria (VIE) on Finnair for $393 round-trip:
Los Angeles (LAX) to Brussels, Belgium (BRU) on British Airways for $409 round-trip:
Boston (BOS) to Berlin, Germany (TXL) on Iberia for $414 round-trip:
San Francisco (SFO) to Luxembourg (LUX) on British Airways for $415 round-trip:
New York/Newark (EWR) to Vienna, Austria (VIE) on British Airways for $448 round-trip:
Maximize Your Purchase
Don’t forget to use a credit card that earns additional points on airfare purchases, such as the American Express Platinum Card (5x on flights booked directly with airlines or American Express Travel), Chase Sapphire Reserve, or Citi Prestige (3x on airfare) or the Chase Sapphire Preferred (2x on all travel purchases). Check out this post for more on maximizing airfare purchases.
If you’re able to score one of these tickets, please share the good news in the comments below!
H/T: The Flight Deal