A tourist takes a photo while the Propylaea of the Acropolis are seen in the background in Athens, Greece, June 28, 2024.
Elias Marcou | Reuters
Flights between the US and Europe haven't been this cheap in three years, just as many countries were lifting Covid-19-era rules.
Even in the traditionally slow late fall and winter months outside of major holidays, fares are low.
“It's brutal to fill seats this time of year,” said Brett Snyder, writer for the travel industry site Cranky Flier.
According to flight tracking firm Hopper, “cheap” fares across the Atlantic to Europe averaged $578 in November, down from $619 last year.
It's the lowest deal fare for this month since 2021, when they were $479 and much international travel was in a lull due to the pandemic, Hopper data shows.
In January, after the year-end holiday, 2025 rates are even lower: $558 compared to $578 the same month in 2024, but higher than $488 in January 2022, according to Hopper.
On the other hand, US domestic flights are more expensive in every month from November to March compared to last year.
Many airlines are running into financial difficulties Spirit Airlines too profitable Southwest Airlines have cut flights or trimmed growth plans for next year, which has helped keep U.S. fares stable. The shortage of aircraft is also preventing airlines from offering many flights.
There are also some periods of overall weaker demand, executives at the largest U.S. airlines said, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines And American Airlines have said and called for in the week before and after the US presidential election on Tuesday.
How airlines got here
Airlines have been scrambling to add seats between the U.S. and Europe to meet post-pandemic travel demand.
This build-up did not just take place in the peak months. Executives noted that they are seeing stronger demand for Europe during shoulder seasons as travelers look to escape the scorching summer temperatures and crowds. Therefore, off-peak flights were also added.
According to Cirium, flight capacity between the US and Europe in the fourth quarter is slightly lower than last year, but higher than in 2019 and almost twice as high as in the same period in 2021.
“I expect airfare [to Europe] “The forecast will be low next year,” said Hayley Berg, chief economist at Hopper.
Now, after two big years of European travel, many customers have freshly returned from their big trips to popular destinations such as Spain and Italy, meaning there are fewer people to fill their seats in the off-season.
“It's not like there's as much low-hanging fruit and that airlines can print money as quickly as they did last year,” said Scott Keyes, founder of travel app Going, formerly known as Scott's Cheap Flights .
Traditionally, airlines discount their flights in the off-season, but this year they are even cheaper.
“That’s the truth,” Keyes said. “If they have to discount, they have to meet demand.”
To ensure travelers don't get bored in Europe's main destinations as peak warm-weather travel approaches next year, airlines are trying new things. United Airlines has noted that many customers have already taken trips to major European cities and the airline plans to expand its schedule to more remote destinations such as Greenland and Mongolia next year.
“We can perform just as well financially outside of our partner hubs,” Andrew Nocella, United’s chief commercial officer, said on an earnings call last month. “So we look around the globe, we look for new destinations, we look for hot destinations and destinations, and most importantly, we can make money there.”
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