Why flights to Europe are the cheapest they’ve been in years

Flights between the US and Europe haven’t been cheap in three years, when many countries just lifted Covid-19-era rules.

Prices are low even in late fall and winter which is usually slow outside of major holidays.

“It really fills up the seats this time of year,” said Brett Snyder, who writes the travel industry site Cranky Flier.

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

That’s the lowest deal rate for this month since 2021, when it was $479 and many international trips were down due to the pandemic, Hopper data shows.

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

The cost of US domestic flights, on the other hand, is more expensive compared to last year every month from November to March.

Many airlines from financial problems Spirit Airlines to be profitable Southwest Airlines has cut flights or cut growth plans next year, which helps keep U.S. rates down. The scarcity of aircraft also limits airlines to increase the number of flights.

There were also some periods of weaker demand, executives at the largest US carriers, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and American Airlines have said, calling out the week before and after the US presidential election.

Carriers are ramping up seats between the US and Europe to meet post-pandemic travel demand.

The action is not limited to peak months. Executives noted that they are seeing more shoulder season demand to Europe as travelers look to escape summer temperatures and crowds. As a result, they also increased their flights outside of peak times.

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

“I expect airfare (to Europe) to be cheap until next year,” said Hayley Berg, Hopper’s chief economist.

Now, on the heels of two big years for European travel, many new customers from big trips to popular destinations such as Spain and Italy, which means fewer people to fill seats in the offseason.

“It’s not like there’s very low-hanging fruit and where airlines can hand-print money like they did last year,” said Scott Keyes, founder of the travel app Going, formerly known as Scott’s Cheap Flights.

Airlines traditionally discount flights in the offseason, but they’re even cheaper this year.

“That’s the story,” Keyes said. “When they have to go out and discount, they have to meet that demand.”

To keep travelers from getting bored with European holiday mainstays during the peak hot weather travel season next year, airlines are trying something new. United Airlines has recorded many customers already traveling to major European cities and the airline plans to expand its schedule next year to other off-the-beaten-track destinations such as Greenland and Mongolia.

“We can also do financials outside of our partner hubs,” United Chief Commercial Officer Andrew Nocella said on an earnings call last month. “So we look around the world, find new destinations, find hot destinations and destinations, most importantly, we can make money.”