How you can save $500 or more on a flight to Europe this year
Airfare to Europe hit an all-time high this summer. But those dissuaded by the sticker shock can still travel overseas in coming months and cut costs by perhaps hundreds of dollars a ticket.
Flying to Europe from the U.S. during the fall «shoulder season» — in September and October — instead of in the summer will save the average traveler $500 per round-trip ticket, according to data from Hopper, a travel app.
Europe is the most popular overseas destination for U.S. tourists this summer. But travelers to top European cities would save 34%, on average, by going in the fall instead of June, July or August, Hopper found.
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Consider these examples: Airfare to Rome is $1,284, on average, this summer. It's $736 this fall, a 43% reduction, or $548 of savings per ticket.
Likewise, those venturing to London would pay $693 in the fall, 32% less than summer's $1,025. In Barcelona, visitors would fly for $757 in the fall versus $1,193 in summer, a 37% savings.
«There is some good news in sight,» Hayley Berg, Hopper's lead economist, said of prices.
Shoulder season is generally a less expensive time to travel. But the savings may be especially noteworthy to prospective buyers due to recent nosebleed costs, experts said.
The price dynamic is guided by supply and demand: Fewer people typically travel in the fall, as kids return to school, for example.
That also means not everyone — like families with kids, or workers like teachers whose vacations revolve around summer months — may be able to take advantage of a bargain.
But those who can travel
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