Why flights to Europe are the cheapest in years

Flights between the US and Europe have not been this cheap in three years, when many countries were just lifting Covid-19-era rules.

Rates are low even for the traditionally slow late fall and winter months outside of major holidays.

“It's brutal to fill seats during these times of year,” said Brett Snyder, who writes the travel industry site Cranky Flier.

According to flight tracking company Hopper, “good” fares across the Atlantic to Europe average $578 in November, up from $619 a year earlier.

It's the lowest deal fare for this month since 2021, when they were $479 and much international travel was down due to the pandemic, Hopper data shows.

In January, after the year-end holidays, 2025 rates are even lower: $558 compared to $578 for the same month in 2024, although higher than $488 in January 2022, according to Hopper.

Domestic airline tickets in the United States, on the other hand, are more expensive compared to last year in all months from November to March.

Many airlines from countries with financial problems Spiritual airlines to profitable Southwest Airlines They have cut flights or scaled back growth plans for next year, which has helped keep U.S. fares firm. The aircraft shortage is also limiting airlines from adding many flights.

There are also some periods of weaker demand overall, executives at major U.S. airlines said. Delta Airlines, united airlines and american airlines they have said, decrying the week before and after the US presidential election on Tuesday.

Airlines rushed to add seats between the U.S. and Europe to meet post-pandemic travel demand.

That buildup didn't just happen during peak months. Executives noted they are seeing increased demand in Europe during the shoulder season as travelers seek to escape scorching summer temperatures and crowds. As a result, they have also added off-peak flights.

Airline capacity between the US and Europe in the fourth quarter is marginally lower than last year, but is higher than in 2019 and almost double the same period in 2021, according to Cirium.

“I expect airfare [to Europe] will remain low next year,” said Hayley Berg, chief economist at Hopper.

Now, after two big years for European travel, many customers have just taken their big trips to popular destinations like Spain and Italy, which means fewer people to fill seats in the off-season.

“It's not like there are as many things at our fingertips and airlines can print money at full speed like they did last year,” said Scott Keyes, founder of the travel app Going, which was previously known as Scott's Cheap Flights.

Airlines traditionally offer discounts on off-season flights, but this year they're even cheaper.

“That's the thing,” Keyes said. “When they have to go out and make discounts, they have to increase demand.”

So travelers don't get bored of European vacation mainstays when next year's peak warm-weather travel season hits, airlines are trying new things. united airlines has noted that many customers have already made trips to major European cities and the airline plans to expand its schedule next year to more off-the-beaten-path destinations, such as Greenland and Mongolia.

“We can also achieve equally good financial results outside of our partner centers,” United Chief Commercial Officer Andrew Nocella said on an earnings conference call last month. “So we look around the world, we look for new destinations, we look for popular destinations and destinations, and the most important thing is that we can make money.”