Fly off-season and get Premium Economy for the price of coach, cheaper hotels, more interaction with locals, and avoid lines and blistering heat.
The best time of day to apply for a job? Between 6 am and 10 am. The best day to resign from a job? Monday. The best month for new movies? May.
The cheapest time of the year to fly Premium Economy non-stop to Europe? January to March.
It may not be the obvious time to go, but Europe can be amazing in late winter, and the temperatures can be fairly mild (low- to mid-60s) in the southern regions of Italy, France, Portugal, Spain, and Greece. Lines are short at the big attractions and crowds are fewer in the cities.
Sure, if you’re primarily a sunbather this isn’t for you.
That said, remember: Europe is rich in “indoor culture” (museums, art galleries, palaces, cathedrals) so you’ll never run out of attractions to enjoy even when the temps drop.
You’ll find that pretty much everything is much cheaper in the winter, like suites at many hotels and resorts that go for the price of normal rooms in high season.
Into winter sports? Europe is well known for its world-class ski resorts, which also offer some notable spas. What’s better than a spa treatment overlooking the Alps? Ice hotels in northern Scandinavia? The northern lights?
Winter in Europe has so much to offer, and yet this time of the year is often overlooked.
So how good are the fares at this time of year? We recently revealed when Business Class fares are $1,882 to $2,068 to Europe. If that’s a bit more than you want to spend, and you won’t fly at all if it must be coach (you’re not alone, of course), then you want to know when Premium Economy is cheap.
WHEN Upgrades ARE Free or CHEAP from COACH to Premium Economy
Low-cost PE fare times also mean free or low-cost upgrades from high-season economy fares.
Free Upgrade Sample: Fly non-stop in PE from Los Angeles to Paris for just $1,177 round-trip on Air France and Delta in January through March, compared to flying in coach for $1,182 in July.
The moral? Flying in the winter months gives you a free upgrade to PE.
Examples of When PE Costs Less than Coach
[table_opt id="6077" style="black-header" width="default" alignment="thcenter" heading="thcenter" rows="tdcenter" responsive="no" /]
Or, depending on the route, flying in the winter months gives you a low-cost upgrade to PE.
Examples of When Flying PE Costs Little More than Coach
[table_opt id="6078" style="black-header" width="default" alignment="thcenter" heading="thcenter" rows="tdcenter" responsive="no" /]
Delta Premium Economy