Chicago to Scandinavia $303+ Round Trip Departures Thru Early May 2019

This is cheaper than flying to *Florida* for spring break!

• March/April 2019 flights are wide open from Chicago to Oslo Norway (OSL) and Copenhagen Denmark (CPH).  Other European cities also available for slightly more $
• Prices on Google Flights, with links to book directly with the airlines, are as low as $327.
• Searching on Momondo and booking with smaller online travel agencies, the prices can be as low as $303 to CPH and $310 to OSL.
• Cheapest flights are on Star Alliance carriers - Swiss International Air Lines (Swiss) and Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS).  Some of the fares are even nonstop.
• SkyTeam alliance airlines (e.g. Delta, Air France, KLM) and OneWorld alliance airlines (e.g. American, British Airways) also have fares under $400 as well, with 1 or 2 stops each way.
• At these low prices, many of the flights are basic economy (typically:  checked bags not included, no advance seat assignment, elite status flyers not eligible for complimentary upgrades, etc).
• Regular economy unfortunately costs a LOT more on many of these flights - approx $180 more on SkyTeam.  One of the flights on American Airlines was $260 more in regular economy than basic economy!

How to Get the Deal

Search on Google Flights to find cheap flights based on preferred dates, trip duration, etc.

If you are feeling adventurous, search on Momondo.com and book thru an OTA to save $30-70 vs. booking directly with an airline.

Book now, think later!  You have 24 hours to cancel with no penalty.

Secret Flying reported these deals yesterday, and prices seem to have dropped after they posted, so the cheap seats will be selling out very fast.

Background Information

• Chicago to Oslo Norway from $310 roundtrip
• Chicago to Copenhagen Denmark from $303 roundtrip
• Prices increase to mid $400s after May 8 departures, but the cheap flights are widely available in March and April.  January and February are much more scattered availability at the cheapest prices.

Sample Searches

Google Flights - ORD to OSL/CPH Mon April 1 - Mon April 8

Google Flights - ORD to OSL/CPH Mon Mar 25 - Thurs April 4

Google Flights Price Calendar - 7 day trip

[FARE GONE] Detroit/Chicago to LA $120+ round trip on United/Alaska Sept 2018 - Feb 2019

This deal has expired.

Two separate fare sales posted today:

United Airlines Detroit (DTW) to LA $120 round trip (basic econ) or $170 (reg econ)
Late August to Feb 2019.  Cheap price NOT available around Thanksgiving / Christmas / New Years.  These are 1-stop flights from Detroit to a United hub such as Denver (DEN) Washington Dulles (IAD), Chicago (ORD), Newark (EWR).

Sample Google Flights - Thurs Nov 29 - Mon Dec 3.  LINK

Background article HERE lists fares as $134/184 (basic/regular economy), but these flights are pricing out cheaper than that on Google flights and United.com as of 12:50pm on 6/26/2018.


Alaska Airlines Chicago (ORD) to LAX. Nonstop. $176+ RT. Sept - early Dec 2018
Tues/Weds/Sat flights only.  Nonstop flights available from $217 for travel on other days of the week.  Sale ends today 6/26.  United has matched Alaska's pricing on this as well.  American has prices from $197.

Background article HERE.

Sample Google Flights - Tues Dec 4 - Sat Dec 8.  LINK.
These are good, but not great, flight prices from the Midwest to LA.

[Expired] Widespread Fare Sale US to Europe $450+ Most US Airports to Rome, Milan, Paris, Amsterdam, Munich, Brussels etc.

This fare sale has expired

Big fare sale, apparently started by Delta and matched by United.

Dates:

• Now thru May
• Mid-September thru early December

7-day stay required.  Must book 28 days in advance.

Big airports around the US, including Detroit (DTW) and Chicago O'Hare (ORD) are showing the cheap fares.

So are small airports in Michigan, all showing sub-$500 roundtrips to various European cities.  Includes flights from:

• Grand Rapids (GRR)
• Lansing (LAN)
• Traverse City (TVC)
• Muskegon (MKG)
• Flint (FNT)
• Kalamazoo (AZO)

Destination Cities Available Include:

• Rome (FCO)
• Milan (MXP)
• Paris (CDG)
• Amsterdam (AMS)
• Munich (MUC)
• Brussels (BRU)
• Frankfurt (FRA)
• Dusseldorf (DUS)
• Berlin (TXL)
• Marseille (MRS)
• Zurich (ZRH)
• Geneva (GVA)
• Prague (PRG)
• Krakow (KRK)
• Warsaw (WAW)
• Bucharest (OTP)
• Zagreb (ZAG)
• Barcelona (BCN)
• Madrid (MAD)
• Valencia (VLC)
• Bilbao (BIO)
• Lisbon (LIS)
• Porto (OPO)
• Possibly others

More details here:  https://www.theflightdeal.com/2018/02/05/united-starting-507-united-states-amsterdam-milan-rome-paris-roundtrip-including-all-taxes/

Sample Dates with Cheap Flights:

• Fri Oct 12 - Sat Oct 20.  From GRR/LAN/TVC/FNT/MKG from $453.  Google Flights
• Weds Nov 21 - Sat Dec 1 (Thanksgiving is Nov 22).  From $451.  Google Flights
• Mon Mar 12 - Tues Mar 20.  From $451.  Google Flights
• Fri Mar 30 - Mon Apr 9.  From $503.  (Spring break week).  Google Flights
• Sun Apr 1 - Mon Apr 9.  From $458.  From Detroit.  Google Flights

Google Flights "Explore" View from October showing available prices from GRR

Roundtrip U.S. to Beijing - Delta Premium Economy $600+ RT Feb-Apr 2018 21k MQMs

Great mileage run for elite qualifying miles with Delta.

Earn 21,239 Medallion Qualifying Miles (MQMs) from Chicago.

1-stop and 2-stop flights to Beijing (PEK) via Detroit (DTW).  Other routings also available for more $$, via Seattle (SEA) or other cities.

Best fares available March thru mid-April 2018.  Some February fares slightly more expensive.

• O'Hare (ORD) or Midway (MDW) as low as $653 round trip
• Boston from $615
• Other cities also available for similar pricing - e.g. Rochester NY (ROC) $671+
• Columbus (CMH) and Indianapolis (IND) both < $800
• Cleveland (CLE) $875+

Search on Google Flights.  www.google.com/flights

These flights all route thru Detroit to Beijing (PEK).  Most of them are on Delta's new Airbus A350, so you are getting a seat in Delta's new "Premium Select" cabin which is available so far only on their A350.  This is a better experience and seat than Delta's typical Comfort+ cabin on other long-haul aircraft such as the A330, B767, etc.

The connecting flights within the U.S. will mostly be booked into first class with this deal as well, but keep an eye out to be sure.

Sample Searches
CMH/IND March 8-12 from $758.  LINK
ROC April 5-9 from $671.  LINK
ORD/MDW April 5-9 from $658.  LINK
BOS March 18-26 from $665.  LINK

Great for Earning Toward Delta Elite Status

• This fare earns 20,000+ Delta Medallion Qualifying Miles (MQMs).  From ORD, 21,239 MQMs.  For $650-800 that's a GREAT return, especially considering it's not in the economy cabin.  Note the MQD earnings aren't great because it's 1 MQD per $1 of base fare for Delta flights.  However...
• Anyone can still waive the MQD requirement for 2019 Silver, Gold, or Platinum status with $25k credit card spend during calendar year 2018
• 21k MQMs is most of what you need for Silver (25k).  It also can push someone most of the way from Silver (25k) to Gold (50k), or Gold (50k) to Platinum (75k)
• 21,239 MQM for $653 is 3.1 cents per elite qualifying mile - a GREAT deal especially considering the deal is in premium economy, not regular economy

[DEAL GONE] Elite Status Mileage Run - U.S. to Lima Peru Business Class $513+ RT

{This airfare sale has expired.]

*UPDATE.  Fares as low as $513 round trip.  Original post was for $659 RT from LAX.  Other cities are even cheaper.  Chicago to Lima is under $600 RT.*

Prime example of an airfare that's a great way to earn toward elite status with Delta.

This airfare earns way more elite qualifying miles (MQMs) and elite qulaifying dollars (MQDs) with Delta than people realize is possible for $659

Aeromexico, along with Delta a SkyTeam member, has $659 round trip business class flights in 2018 from LAX to Lima Peru (LIM).

Also available is JFK or Orlando (MCO) to Santiago Chile from $1,012 on Aeromexico (1-stop via MEX) - with a chance to book the 787 with lie-flat business class seats.  12,350 mile roundtrip from JFK = almost 24,700 MQMs and 24,700 Sky Miles, and 4,940 MQDs

Basics

• 8,365 flown miles (Great Circle Mapper DETAILS - LAX-MEX-LIM)
• 16,730 elite qualifying miles (200% MQMs for this business class fare)
• $3,346 elite qualifying dollars (MQDs) - based on this fare class earning MQDs of 40% of the miles flown.  0.4 x 8,365 flight miles = 3,346

How Good is This Deal?

• Very good...
• Earning $3,200 MQDs for a $659 flight is excellent.  Partner flights earn MQDs based on a percentage of miles flown.  Delta's own flights (or Delta-marketed partner flights) earn 1 MQD per mile flown, but only on the main fare - not on the taxes & fees part.  If this was a Delta flight, you'd earn maybe $500-550 MQD.

Background Articles

http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2017/12/15/amazing-fare-business-class-roundtrip-la-lima-peru-just-659/

https://www.theflightdeal.com/2017/12/15/business-class-aeromexico-1012-new-york-santiago-chile-roundtrip-including-all-taxes/

http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2017/12/15/fare-alert-1091-business-class-roundtrip-new-york-santiago-chile/

[MOSTLY GONE] Europe on Sale across the U.S. $400+ Round Trip Jan - March 2018

UPDATE 11/25/2017 most of the cheap fares have disappeared.  However, certain destination cities continus to pop up for early 2018 travel < $500 round trip.  Keep an eye out if you are still looking to book something.  And feel free to ask if you need help!

The past few days is one of these times when domestic airlines started having mini fare wars on Europe flights.  American and Delta in particular are going back and forth, although United also has gotten involved.  The result is lots of cities available for $400-500 round trip Jan/Feb/March 2018 and also some in May if you look.

I leave it to you to do your own flight searches at Google Flights or ITA Matrix (matrix.itasoftware.com) -- beware that no flight search engine or aggregator will show ALL the cheap flights; sometimes you'll see things on Matrix that aren't on Google Flights, or vice versa.

Detroit and Chicago are definitely available for many destination cities.

Grand Rapids is also available to many destination cities, at similar prices.

Background Articles:

http://faredealalert.com/2017/11/20/american-starting-at-401-united-states-europe-roundtrip-including-all-taxes/

https://www.theflightdeal.com/2017/11/20/delta-klm-royal-dutch-401-dallas-chicago-miami-philadelphia-phoenix-charlotte-d…

https://www.theflightdeal.com/2017/11/20/american-starting-430-united-states-milan-rome-venice-italy-roundtrip-including…

If you are more 'adventurous' with booking thru a third party online travel agency (OTA) rather than booking directly with the airline, you can save another $25-50 per person by searching at Momondo and then clicking thru and booking with whichever OTA has the cheapest price on your desired trip.  More info here:  http://www.secretflying.com/posts/sale-usa-europe-434-roundtrip/

Detroit Flights

Grand Rapids Flights

Book flights with confidence | Google Flights

March 3 - 11.  Zurich, Brussels, Munich, Rome, Milan $550 or less RT.  LINK

Jan 13 - 21.  Paris and Amsterdam $405-450 RT.  LINK

Feb 18-25.  Barcelona, Madrid, Frankfurt, Milan $417-510 RT.  LINK

Big Europe Fare Sale Jan-May 2018 - $340+ RT from ORD/DTW, even GRR, LAN, & TVC!

Many U.S. cities are on sale to Europe - including Grand Rapids (GRR), Lansing (LAN), Kalamazoo (AZO), even Traverse City (TVC).

Do some searches for yourself thru approx May 2018.  Use Google Flights or Kayak or your favorite search engine.  Most of the cheapest flights are available thru March, but some are thru May.

Background Articles

• The Flight Deal - $400 and up to many cities Jan-Mar 2018
• Valid for travel from late January 2018 – mid March 2018.  A 7 day minimum stay is required. Availability is limited. Must purchase at least 50 days in advance of departure

• Spain on sale from many U.S. cities from the $400s - Fare Deal Alert

• Helsinki from most of the U.S. from $445 round trip - Fare Deal Alert
• Valid for travel from mid-January 2018 – mid-March 2018 for Thursday through Sunday departures and for Friday through Monday returns. A 7 day minimum stay is required. Must purchase at least 50 days in advance of departure.

Which Cities are On Sale?

• Cities showing flights available < $500 round trip include:
• Barcelona (BCN)
• Madrid (MAD)
• Rome (FCO)
• Milan (MXP)
• Zurich (ZRH)
• Amsterdam (AMS)
• Paris (CDG)
• Helsinki (HEL)
• Munich (MUC)
• Frankfurt (FRA)
• Geneva (GVA)

Deal Breakdown - $340 Round Trip Chicago to Geneva

• Chicago to Geneva (GVA) from $340 round trip

ORD>GVA Friday May 11 - Sunday May 20 - $340 and up RT

ORD>GVA Sun May 20 - Sat May 26 - $354 and up (includes Icelandair flight w/24 hr layover in Reykjavik)

• It is possible to book a routing with a long enough layover in Montreal, Brussels, or other connecting city to get out of the airport and explore the city.
• If you like the sound of a long layover, you'll probably want to use ITA Matrix for your search, and experiment with the connection times as a way to find these longer connections.
• Otherwise, Google Flights should work well enough.
• Once in Geneva, it's easy to get cheap intra-Europe flights if there are other places you'd like to visit.
• Minimum 7-day stay.
• More details at The Flight Deal

Sample Fare Searches on Google Flights

GRR/LAN/AZO/TVC/FNT to FRA, MUC, MXP, FCO, TXL Sat March 17- Sun March 25.  $450-500 round trip to Frankfurt, Munich, and Rome

GRR/LAN/AZO/TVC/FNT to AMS, CDG, BCN, MAD, BRU Sat March 3 - Sun March 11.  AMS from $425, MAD from $434, CDG from $441, BCN from $453

GRR/LAN/AZO/TVC/FNT to BCN, MUC Sun March 4 - Mon March 12.  BCN from $408, MUC from $462

ORD/MDW/DTW to Helsinki (HEL) Fri May 25 - Sun June 3.  $450+ RT

ORD/MDW/DTW to MAD, BCN, AMS, CDG, ZRH Sat Feb 3 - Mon Feb 12.  AMS from $348, CDG from $378, BCN from $404, ZRH from $423

Don't Forget About Toronto!

These aren't necessarily 'sale' prices, although they are very CHEAP prices.  Toronto offers a great alternative to Michigan-based travelers since it's only about 5 hours drive from Grand Rapids.  Lots of inexpensive Europe flights are available from Toronto (YYZ).

YYZ to Copenhagen (CPH), Dublin (DUB), Stockholm (ARN), Berlin (TXL), Paris (CDG) from $346 RT on Wow Air

Chicago to Mumbai from $622 round trip

Chicago (ORD) to Mumbai (BOM) from $622 round trip on Etihad!  May 2017 and other dates

Great price on roundtrip flights from the Midwest to India.

• Good routing - just one stop, in Abu Dhabi (AUH)
• Etihad flies the Boeing 777 ORD>AUH and Airbus A380 AUH>BOM
• Last departure date with $623 round trip pricing is May 11, 2017.
• Can return thru June and into early July at this low pricing.
• Search Google Flights for more information.  www.google.com/flights
• New Delhi (DEL) available from $666 round trip
• Numerous dates are available, but not every day during the date range.

Google Flights Sample Searches (roundtrip pricing)

• March 11 - April 3.  ORD>BOM  $623 per person.  LINK
• May 11 - June 5.  ORD>BOM 6 people for $3,738 total ($623 per person).  LINK
• March 9 - April 3.  ORD>DEL $666 per person LINK

[DEAL GONE] Europe on sale again: Many U.S. Cities from $477 Roundtrip Now thru Early Dec 2017

UPDATE 1/10/2017 330PM.  This fare sale has expired.  Prices outlined in this post are no longer available.

The last widespread US > Europe fare sale lasted about a week.  This one lasted about 24 hours.  The upshot is, you never know how long a sale will last.  Book now and think later!  Make use of the 24-hour cancelation window.  Get ahold of friends and family members, and work on other arrangements (hotels, rental cars, rides to the airport, etc) AFTER you book.  Nothing bugs me more than hearing someone say, 'I didn't book it because I was waiting for so-and-so to get back to me, so I missed the deal' or 'I couldn't get my brother to commit right away and when I tried to book, the deal was over.'  Don't make this mistake!

This fare sale started yesterday.  Last night I booked a flight for a family of six friends from Detroit to London for $596 round trip during August 2017 -- summer travel to Europe for < $600 each roundtrip is very good.  This morning, I checked again and the same prices were available from Grand Rapids!  So I booked new flights from GRR and will cancel the flights from Detroit since there's always 24 hours to cancel flights (as long as the departure date is at least 7 days away).

This is a very widespread fare sale -- the prices look to be the same for most dates thru the end of the current airline schedules in early December 2017.

• Spring break?  Yes
• Summer?  Yes
• Any other time thru early December 2017?  Yes

Google Flights (google.com/flights) is the easiest way to search, then click thru to book directly with the airlines.

If you are somewhat of a risk taker, try searching on www.momondo.com which shows results from many various online travel agencies.  These OTAs often have cheaper airfares than what are offered directly by the airlines.

Amsterdam, Paris, London, Madrid -- all of these cities are showing availability for $477-$550 range roundtrip on MANY dates.

If you can't find what you are looking for from GRR, try Detroit (DTW) or Chicago (ORD or MDW) for more options.

Cheap Flights to Europe? Toronto is a Great Option

Many folks are not aware that Toronto's Pearson International Airport (YYZ) offers lots of cheap flights to Europe.  Folks in the Midwest may consider Toronto a viable option to Chicago or Detroit.  Combine a day in Toronto before or after your flight to get some extra vacation out of your vacation.  Plus, Toronto is several hundred miles east of ORD and DTW, which means shorter flight across the pond - Toronto to Reykjavik is less than 6 hours, Dublin is 6.5 hours, London is < 7 hours.

Numerous airlines, including:

• British Airways, Air Canada, Air France, KLM, Westjet, Aer Lingus, Air Transat, LOT, Alitalia, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, WOW Air, and Icelandair

fly nonstop from Toronto to several European cities including:

• Dublin, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Geneva, London, Munich, Paris, Rome, Milan, Barcelona, Vienna, Brussels, Warsaw, Istanbul, and Reykjavik.
• LINK (Wikipedia) - nonstop flights from Toronto to Europe, listed by airline and city

Here are some sample roundtrip airfares from Toronto for various dates; prices as low as the following:

• Weds Nov 23 - Sun Nov 27 - long weekend over Thanksgiving.  Reykjavik $388, London $420, Paris $438, Copenhagen $441.  LINK
• Sun Nov 27 - Mon Dec 5 - 8 day trip.  Reykjavik $320, Amsterdam $355, Paris $381, Dublin $419, Copenhagen $419, Oslo $426, Bordeaux $435, Rome $446.  LINK
• Thur Feb 23 - Sun Mar 5 - 10-day midwinter break trip.  Reykjavik $267!, London $342, Amsterdam $398, Copenhagen $407, Helsinki $413, Paris $414, Rome $433.  LINK
• Weds Mar 23 - Sun Apr 2 - 10-day Spring break trip.  Reykjavik $282!, Paris $375, Stockholm $381, Amsterdam $419, Madrid $427, Rome $440.  LINK​
• Mon May 1 - Sun May 14 - 14-day late spring trip.  Reykjavik $381, Paris $375, Marseille $447, Rome $453, Barcelona $452.  LINK

Approximate Drive Time to YYZ:

• Rochester NY 2:30
• Detroit 3:30
• Syracuse NY 3:45
• Cleveland 4:30
• Grand Rapids 5:30