European Railroad Discussion > OT - What are your tips for inexpensive airfares to Ger

Hi TO folks - I'm thinking about taking my family to Germany next year, around the time of our son's spring break in late March / early April 2015. Currently roundtrip airfares Denver-Frankfurt are running $1500-$1600 per person on Lufthansa. Is this about what I should expect to pay or are there other options out there?

Thanks in advance,

Geoff

Use one of the online booking tools like Expedia or Orbitz to find the best fares within a date range and across a range of carriers. If you're willing to make a connection you'll probably find a better fare than what LH is quoting.

Dave

gherrig Wrote:
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> Hi TO folks - I'm thinking about taking my family
> to Germany next year, around the time of our son's
> spring break in late March / early April 2015.
> Currently roundtrip airfares Denver-Frankfurt are
> running $1500-$1600 per person on Lufthansa. Is
> this about what I should expect to pay or are
> there other options out there?
>
> Thanks in advance,
>
> Geoff

Now is also quite a bit early to be booking for that trip. Airfares usually dip down and hit a low approx. 4 months before the date of travel before creeping up again. I usually use Kayak or Skyscanner. The later is quite useful as it will let you enter "Germany" as your destination and search fares to most major airports at once. Bear in mind that there are several airports with train stations and cheap train tickets may be had by booking in advance. Living in Munich I often traveled to Frankfurt to catch a flight if it was much cheaper.

Don't worry about booking until early January, an always-slow period post-holidays when they always have sales on.

I use Google flights and Orbitz to find fares then go to the airline site for the booking. Have heard too many consolidator horror stories about lost bookings, missed flights, and getting the shaft from the airline who takes no responsibility if not booked with them.

Whoever you use, do not fly Condor, the Penn Central of air travel.

Hi Geoff,

In my searches, for that time period, one should be able to find something for much cheaper than that. Out of Newark/JFK, under $1000 is a very good bet, possibly 700-800. I'm not sure what are the prices from Denver. Maybe try Southwest from Denver to NYC, and then transatlantic from there? While Lufthansa frequently has good prices, it can also, at other times, be one of the more expensive ones, so shop around.

I'm also in agreement to go through Kayak, and wait a little bit before your trip.....maybe to December/early January.

March 2015 Denver non-stop flights to Frankfurt are running $1000 for Lufthansa. I recommend watching the Kayak site. They offer a fare calendar showing lowest fares each day. Book flight thru airline to avoid complications rebooking if delayed during travel. Try to avoid connecting flights. Cheaper flights are usually lengthy ones through Istanbul or Moscow, for heavens sakes. The Germans offer free beer and wine. Add insurance if your domestic health insurance is limited to home providers. It also helps if travel plans change or you have a problem in Europe.
.

I travel to Europe 2 to 3 times a year on LH from Atlanta to Frankfort. First, travel insurance is a must not only for the medical insurance, including special flight back to US if you are sick/injured and cannot fly commercial, but also for delays that prevent your from making your flights. Change-of-flight penalties can be high and blocked highways can be trouble (yes, on one trip, I75 was totally blocked preventing access to ATL) and it was only through get diligence of my executive assistant that penalties were covered by the travel insurance (GADOT provided the evidence). However, if you take a limo to the airport, your trip starts when you get in the limo and travel insurance coverage starts then. I have found out through experience that connecting flights out of FRA in the morning often run very late causing you to miss further connections/appointments. Second, I watch the fares on the LH website versus what I can get through a trusted booking agent. Third, when travelling with family members, it may be less stressful to spend a night at one of the FRA hotels and continue the next day by Die Bahn or rent a car. Third, if you want to railfan, it is easier to do with a rental car than riding the train. Fourth, Europe is expensive, and cost of the airfare may not be your largest expense.

John

Thanks for all of your tips, I will definitely be checking Kayak and holding off on ticket purchases until later in the year/early next year, and looking at travel insurance. We are somewhat flexible in origin/destination cities although I much prefer nonstop. I will be visiting family near Bremen however the main point will be to expand the horizons of our ten-year old son, and Berlin and Vienna will also be on the itinerary. Thanks again, GH

United also has a non-stop, Denver to Frankfurt. So check them, too.

symph1 Wrote:
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> United also has a non-stop, Denver to Frankfurt.
> So check them, too.

United and Lufthansa have a broad code share agreement allowing both airlines to sell seats on each others' planes. If you book the ticket through United you still end up on the Lufthansa jet between Denver and Frankfurt. Sometimes it's cheaper to go through the airline's partners but often not.

niagara484