Airfares to Europe starting to come down

Old Town Hall in Market Square, Tallinn
Airfares to Europe for our late June to mid July window are starting to come down.  Here is what I am finding using Kayak.com and checking different gateway cities: 

Roundtrip from Birmingham to London June 29 or 30 returning July 10   $989.    Round trip to Tallinn from London around $235 for the same dates.  Total:  $1224 and you get to visit in London if you like or fly straight through.

Or:  Roundtrip Birmingham to Helsinki on June 30 returning on July 9 is $1173.  Then a $40 dollar ferry ride each way.   Best yet, mix and match by doing Birmingham to London and home from Helsinki for $1177 using the June 30 and return July 9 dates.  The one way ferry from Helsinki to Tallinn is $40 and  the only additional air fare you need is a one way from London to Tallinn $180.   

Note:  To get the best fares on Kayak for a straight roundtrip and no side trips, pick your gateway European city and using your preferred travel dates for the convention click the “my dates are flexible” link which gives you fares for up to 3 days on either side of your selected dates.  It’s worth considering because fares for your specific date may be over $100 more than the same flight a day or two earlier or later.  You might find you can stay a few days longer and still save a few hundred $$ and do some side travel before you come home.  I do not recommend using Tallinn as a final destination on Kayak because it is a second tier city and for a transatlantic flight you will find you are better off picking one of the larger cities (London, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Copenhagen etc) and then using any number of inter-European commuter airlines like Air Baltic, Estonian Air, SAS or Ryan Air (all searchable on Kayak) to get to Tallinn.

For those who plan a stopover on your way to Europe and a different  stopover somewhere on your way home, here is a tip on how to get the best fares: 1) search for the cheapest roundtrip fare (+/- 3 days) on Kayak to EACH of these cities you want to visit from your home airport.  2) Compare the two “grids” of fare choices for the two cities to determine the best fare and date to your city of arrival.  3)  Then see what city gives you the best fare coming home.  4) Now you can make your plans based on best fare and best date options for the target cities.  That way you can pick the cheapest fare flying into Europe and the cheapest city and fare to fly home from based on the parameters of our convention dates.  The internal flights in Europe don’t vary much in price; it’s mainly the transatlantic portion that is in play here.

I think the fares will keep coming down a bit over the next month.  Why? Because the US dollar is strengthening of late which makes the hotels, meals and even airfare cheaper.  Also, there is no incentive to discount fares three months out.  For example, a fare yesterday to Frankfurt from Birmingham in late May is about $870.  Fares for late June travel should also start to come down by late April.  However you need to begin watching the fares and “playing” with the options like roundtrip to Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Copenhagen, Barcelona or Rome….all of which have air service direct to Tallinn on any number of carriers you can monitor on Kayak.  Then pick the cheapest gateway in and the cheapest way home and voila… you’ll have made some life long memories.