In August we wrote that Business Class fares to Europe were now “dependably low", with gettable prices starting at $1,750 from the East Coast and $2,200 from the West Coast, as long as you had a little flexibility.
We were confident they’d stick around for the time being.
We were half-wrong.
The Air-Stairs Just Moved
A couple of months back, airlines were making sorties into each other’s territories. They were poaching their enemy’s hubs, picking off passengers with nice low-hanging prices. For example, out of Atlanta (a Delta hub), United was undercutting Delta to Europe up to 73%.
But that’s all changed. Prices have risen across the board by between 20% and 30%, and in some cases over 60%. Now, the airlines are holding their fire on each other, and instead, turning their fare weapons onto travelers.
Here at FCF HQ:
We’ve had our binoculars on the battlefield and supplying you with up-to-the-minute dispatches.
Comparing fare changes over the last few months:
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What FCF Got Right and Fares Under $2k
While destinations like London, Paris and Rome have increased in price, others have not, and you can still limbo to Europe under the magic $2,000 Business Class bar.
Remember, everything’s pretty close in Europe, so getting to the destination of your choice isn’t such a big deal.
In the meantime, stay low and be flexible. For more on that see our report On How to be Opportunity Traveler, the best way to get through times like this unscathed.
Also, fares aren’t changing overnight like they did in the recent past. They’re more stable. Will that remain? Nobody knows.
On the bright side at least, while fares have risen lately, they’re still nowhere near the dark times (five+ years ago), when the norm was $4,500+.
[aside headline="The difference between high and low depends on where you start and where you go" alignment="aligncenter" width="big" headline_size="default"]One thing’s for certain, FCF will continue to monitor low-fare routes from U.S. departure cities to Europe, just like we’ve always done. With a global team of upgrade analysts, and doing over 100 person hours a day of research, you’re in the best of hands.[/aside]