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Whether you are thinking of visiting family during the holiday period or plan ahead for a Europe summer in 2025, here’s something to think about that will save you a little money.
A travel expert shared this Londona favorite destination and starting point for many Australian travelers, may not be the best choice for a visit to Europe.
Mark Trim, founder and director of Flat beds shares that travelers can realize big savings by choosing a different point of entry
Airports “can adjust inventory and prices based on the demand trends they see, and London continues to see high demand,” Mark reveals.
Why is London so expensive to fly back and forth?
London is usually chosen as a destination port from Australia as it is seen as cheap and convenient, but the city actually imposes a premium departure tax (of $450, note that this will rise again by $40 from April 1, 2025) that other ports do not pay upon entry. ‘don’t have.
“This premium on London fares is seen by almost all airlines, although it depends on dates, demand and stopover/transit point,” he adds.
The tax in question is the UK Air Passenger Duty and it is important to note that this does not only come from London.
“This is significantly more than in other countries, where it can cost as little as $30 to $100. Premium cabin passengers pay around $450 in departure tax on flights over 5,000 miles outside Britain,” he says.
So the savings, especially if you travel in premium economy, business or first class, can really add up if you choose to land elsewhere.
The cheapest places to fly in Europe
Mark shares major continental hubs such as Frankfurt, Paris, Milan and Munich, which can result in significant savings on premium cabins.
Others like Helsinki, Istanbul and Zurich are also great options.
“Typically, you see significant fare savings and improved availability, which can range from several hundred to sometimes thousands of dollars depending on the airline and the specific scenario,” he notes.
For example, with Finnair, Flat Beds sell business class return fares to Helsinki as cheap as $5,800-6,500, while London cost between $7,500 and 8,800 [considering Qantas is regularly $10k+ on the Kangaroo route].
Smart travelers can stop in Helsinki, add another stop/visit to their trip, take a cheap economy flight or use points to London and still be over $1,000 better off per person.
Similar scenarios could exist to Frankfurt with ANA or JAL, or to Milan, Frankfurt or Paris with Oman Air, where they are all significantly cheaper than their London fare level.
Of course, the price difference may not outweigh the additional travel costs (e.g. by train) required to get where you actually want to go. But it’s worth watching.
When asked if there are certain times of the year, or even days of the week, that can yield greater savings, Mark says not necessarily.
If you can, avoid high season.
“You could say the ‘peaks’ are even higher for Britain, especially at Christmas, due to the number of people wanting to visit family and potentially book and pay with a higher element of emotional attachment,” he adds .
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