We’ve taken our Airport Affordability Index international! It’s great to know how U.S. airports stack up, but 2015 is the year of the strong dollar and great overseas buying power. So we have done another data deep dive and compared the average airfares (round trip and including taxes) to the 25 European airports our users search the most in the first three months of the year. We calculated the average airfare based on flight prices from almost two dozen airports in cities across the U.S.
First off, the average were all below $1000. So this may be the summer of the European vacation. And, if Ireland, Italy or Spain are on your bucket list, we have even better news. Six of the eight most affordable airports where in those three countries. In addition, showing that alternative airports can be, well, a good alternative in Europe too, Paris’ Orly Airport is number two on the list, besting the bigger and busier Charles De Gualle. And London’s Gatwick certainly has the potential to deliver better deals than Heathrow. These airports may require a stop over, but imagine a day in Lisbon or Madrid thrown in as part of the deal.
As is always the case, these airfares are snapshot, and prices will vary with exact dates and departure points. However, we are here to show you that travel comparison matters and that, with a little homework and flexibility, you may be able to go farther than you ever thought.
Take a peak and see what we mean:
1 | Dublin, Ireland (DUB) | $620 |
2 | Orly, (Paris) France (ORY) | $694 |
3 | Capodichino, (Naples) Italy (NAP) | $694 |
4 | Malpensa, (Milan) Italy (MXP) | $694 |
5 | Warsaw Chopin, Poland (WAW) | $706 |
6 | Madrid-Barajas, Spain (MAD) | $710 |
7 | Barcelona International, Spain (BCN) | $717 |
8 | Shannon, Ireland (SNN) | $722 |
9 | Schiphol, (Amsterdam) Netherlands (AMS) | $729 |
10 | Lisbon Portela, Portugal (LIS) | $737 |
11 | Charles de Gaulle, (Paris) France (CDG) | $738 |
12 | Leonardo da Vinci/Fiumicino, (Rome) Italy (FCO) | $739 |
13 | Eleftherios Venizelos, (Athens) Greece (ATH) | $742 |
14 | Gatwick, (London) UK (LGW) | $750 |
15 | Brussels Airport, Belgium (BRU) | $763 |
16 | Berlin Schoenefeld, Germany (SXF) | $770 |
17 | Venice Marco Polo (Tessera), Italy (VCE) | $784 |
18 | Zurich-Kloten, Switzerland (ZRH) | $785 |
19 | Franz Josef Strauß, (Munich) Germany (MUC) | $821 |
20 | Manchester International, UK (MAN) | $870 |
21 | Frankfurt International, Germany (FRA) | $886 |
22 | Edinburgh, Scotland (EDI) | $887 |
23 | Keflavik, (Reykjavik) Iceland (KEF) | $922 |
24 | Glasgow International, Scotland (GLA) | $936 |
25 | Heathrow, (London) UK (LHR) | $941 |
Featured image: xlibber