Determine when you will be traveling. Western Europe remains one of the world's most popular tourist destinations, so summertime airfares often prove higher than those available during the rest of the year. Typically, flights between late June and the end of August are most in demand, while December and early January flights also prove expensive thanks to the holiday season. In contrast, flights between late January and April as well as between October and November are usually available for the lowest prices.
Be willing to use economy class, fly during the business week and accept layovers. The easiest way to find cheap airfare is to purchase economy class tickets. In addition, peak times for flying during the week are Mondays, Fridays and Sunday evenings, so a middle-of-the-week flight may reduce ticket prices. Finally, while more convenient, direct flights may be more expensive compared to trips that involve one or more layovers.
Compare prices. There are many popular websites where anyone can submit basic travel information and find out prices for a given travel plan: Orbitz.com, Travelocity.com, Priceline.com and Kayak.com. In addition, FareCompare.com actually compares prices among airlines and the sites just listed as well as providing average prices over the previous year. Finally, individuals can compare prices at and purchase tickets directly from the airlines.
Purchase your tickets between four and five months before your trip. A common myth holds that deeply discounted last-minute purchases are available because airlines would rather sell a cheap ticket than have an empty seat; however, airlines like to have advanced information about ticket sales and favor early purchases with low fares. Purchasing tickets online instead of through a travel agent can save money because commissions for online transactions tend to be lower. To do this, you will probably have to follow the website's directions to open a new account and then submit your credit card information.
