I guess you already know that the two things who influence the most the total cost of a travel trip are airplane fares and accommodation. Some cities are known for very high accommodation prices, so there isn’t much you can do about that (except not going there). Now regarding air travel, as a rule, the bigger the distance the higher the price of the tickets, so even if you’ve found a cheap hotel with some meals included, if you come from a long distance you’ll still not save enough money.
I’m not trying in this post to make a list of the cheapest airlines around here, but I’m going to tell you about the one that gets you cheaper over the Atlantic, from Europe to North America, or the other way around. It’s called Condor, and is a company from Germany, a subsidiary of Lufthansa.
Condor official site – book tickets and get flight info
I’ve found Condor when moving from Romania to Canada. I wasn’t aware at that time about low cost flights over the Atlantic, but apparently I was wrong. Because of the distance don’t expect to be a tenth of the cost of a normal airline, as low cost tickets are when you fly between European countries, but you’ll still make a significant savings (at least three to four times a normal fare).
For example I’ve payed 466 EUR (~630 USD) for two one-way tickets from Frankfurt to Halifax, including two additional pieces of luggage. That’s a good deal if you are familiar with prices over this route. And unlike other airlines, because this was a long haul flight you get served food and beverages at no extra cost.
Condor doesn’t fly over the Atlantic all year long, but from May to October. Always check their website for schedules!
What’s weird is the odd ticket that costs less (total) than you’d normally pay just in taxes. Don’t see that often, but when it comes up I always wish I could jump on it!
It was always my dream to take the QE2 across the Atlantic, but that’s not possible now that she’s retired. And apparently the pirate situation in the Atlantic would make it impossible anyway. So airplanes are the only way to go. It never occurred to me that there would be bargains available, though, especially with gas prices being as high as they are.
Carla – I’m with you – my dream has always been to take a cruise across the Atlantic! I’m not a fan of flying, but I love to travel. It’s nice to know when you have to fly there are bargains to be found. Thanks for sharing this John!
I’ve always wanted to cruise the Atlantic too! Though I love to travel I must confess that I am not a huge fan of flying. But, when I have to its nice to know there are good deals. Thanks John!
My wife and I have been thinking of going to Europe within the next year, thanks for the insight. It will come in handy.
I do a lot of research concerning travelling, and Condor has to be the cheapest flights I’ve ever seen!
And they’re actually OK. There’s nothing wrong with their service, if you compare it to what other low cost airlines typically offer.