Fall Airfare Deals: Flights to London Sometimes Cheaper than to LA

Hemera/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Could flying across the pond be cheaper than taking a flight to Los Angeles?

Sometimes, according to FareCompare CEO Rick Seaney. He says, “A look at round-trip fall fares for Nov. 26 to Dec. 1 from New York finds a flight to London costing only $299.15 compared to the price of a flight to Los Angeles at $445.00.”

“Both deals were found on FareCompare on Sept. 22, but can be seen elsewhere, too,” Seaney notes.

The reasons behind the deals are partially due to oil prices and demand.

“Oil prices remain low, and so is demand now that the big summer season is over,” Seaney says.

“Plus, there are more discount carriers serving trans-Atlantic routes, including Portugal’s Tap, Iceland’s Wow Air and Norwegian Shuttle,” he adds. “In order to compete, many big U.S. carriers are also serving up dazzling deals this fall.”

If you’re planning to take to the skies this fall, here’s what Seaney says you should know about finding deals to Europe:

1. Act fast

As always, airlines are constantly tinkering with fares based on what the competition is doing and on the ebb and flow of demand, and there’s no guarantee any one fare will stay at that level for long. If you see a fare you love, do not delay: buy it. It probably won’t last long.

2. Don’t fly too late

The fall season itself won’t last forever. The date to keep in mind is Dec. 19. That’s the last day to depart on a flight to Europe because beginning Dec. 20, we will see an average price increase of about 20 percent, and fares will stay there through the holidays and beyond. Wait too long and you will miss out.

3. Always compare fares

This is true for any and every flight you book. If you don’t compare fares, you could end up paying too much. Any airline would be thrilled if you had the kind of blind loyalty that sent you to their site and theirs alone because then you’d pay whatever they asked. Be smart. See what everyone else is charging before you ding your credit card.

4. Look for cheap cities

Despite the great New York to London fare quoted earlier, the U.K. isn’t usually the cheapest place in Europe. Here are some recent round-trip fares to cheaper destinations with most good for travel in October and November.

– Boston to Stockholm, $375
– Chicago to Rome, $567
– Los Angeles to Oslo, $473
– New York to Dublin, $490
– New York to Paris, $499

5. Holiday travels, holiday gifts

Consider making a gift of travel as a holiday present, but talk to the recipient in advance so there aren’t any surprises like, “I can’t fly that day,” as the best deals are usually nonrefundable. Or consider traveling to Europe to celebrate a holiday. Check out this comparison for recently-found Thanksgiving fares.

– Boston to Shannon, Ireland: $432
– Boston to Portland, Maine: $603

The fun part about this of course is that you pay more for a New England flight of about 100 miles than for a 2,800-mile trip to Europe.

Copyright © 2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.

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