How to Get a Deal on a 1-Way Flight To or From Europe

by Janis on April 2, 2015

We decided to take a transatlantic cruise this November from Barcelona to Ft. Lauderdale.

Mr. Jones was able to get us 1-way business-class frequent flier tickets through the Star Alliance.

We convinced some friends who live in Florida to consider joining us for the cruise. Purchasing 1-way airline tickets from the U.S. to Europe is generally expensive.

A 1-way non-stop fare in coach from Miami to Barcelona is $3,094 per person on American Airlines.

What? That should be a first-class or business-class fare.

You could try buying a round-trip ticket to Barcelona, and throwing away the return flight, but that could cause you problems with the airline since it is technically not allowed.

Note, the round-trip ticket is $1,162, less than half of the cost of the 1-way ticket.

But wait; there is another option on Kayak.com:

This option is called the “Major Airline” fare. It shows up under the 1-way flight tab.

Under the “Major Airline” fare, you do not know what airline you are booking. But you do know the approximate time of departure and arrival, and how many connections there are for the flight. In this case, it is a non-stop flight exactly during the time window that our friends need a flight to catch the cruise.

So they booked this “Major Airline” flight. As soon as the transaction was complete and charged to their credit card, the airline and flight # were confirmed.

It was the same American Airlines flight — for $602 per person rather than $3,094. Now, the site warns that the tickets are non-refundable. And while it does not warn you, it may be a challenge to get good seats, and/or frequent flier miles for the flight.

But if you want to take a transatlantic cruise back to the U.S. from Europe, you must get to Europe. And being able to do so for a $602 per person airfare makes this a reasonable travel option.

Have you had a reason to book a 1-way flight to Europe? How did you get a reasonably-priced fare? Please share in comments below.

Check out these other travel tips:

Follow us on Twitter or interact with us on Facebook

Or, check out our boards on Pinterest and/or our photos on Instagram.