The Best Ways to Fly Nonstop to Europe for Less

There’s nothing wrong with taking a layover to save money on the way to your destination in Europe, but there’s no question that flying straight from home to your final destination is the most convenient way to fly. 

The problem: The airlines know this, and many airlines don’t routinely discount those sought-after nonstop itineraries. In fact, the nonstop flights to Europe from your home airport are probably among the most expensive fares you could see. 

It’s just supply and demand. Everyone wants the cleanest, fastest route to Europe so the airlines can charge you more for those flights. But if there’s kryptonite to those in-demand flights (and their subsequently high fares), it’s competition. 

If there’s more than one airline flying a route you’re interested in, there’s a great chance you’ll be able to snag fares when those airlines start undercutting each other on price. 

You don’t always have to settle for the connecting itinerary. Our team of flight deal analysts has been finding tons of cheap, nonstop flights to Europe lately and sending them right to our Thrifty Traveler Premium members. Here are some of the best ways to fly direct to Europe this year or next for less.  

Cheap Nonstop Flights to Europe

Competition is everything in airfare pricing. When more than one airline operates a particular route, it usually leads to better fares for travelers like me and you. 

And if that competing airline is Irish flag carrier Aer Lingus, you might end up with insanely cheap nonstop fares to Ireland like these…

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We sent this flight deal to our Thrifty Traveler Premium subscribers a few weeks ago, and it was the catalyst for countless Euro trips this summer and fall. 

All of those fares are roundtrip, nonstop flights on Aer Lingus. Getting to Dublin (DUB) is one of the cheapest ways to fly to Europe thanks to Aer Lingus’s bargain fares. 

Read next: Our #1 Trick to Saving on Flights to Europe

The silver medal for cheap fares to Europe goes to Icelandair. The Icelandic carrier offers cheap one-stop flights through its Reykjavik (KEF) hub but is best known for stunningly low fares directly to Iceland. 

As you can see, Icelandair’s competitive pressure even made airlines like Delta and United slash their fares to stay competitive. 

Again…all nonstop fares and all thanks to some good old competition from airlines abroad. 

There are countless examples of similar competition – nowhere more obvious than in New York City. Nearly every international airline flies to New York, creating the most competitive airfare market. 

For example, let’s say you want to fly to Lisbon, Portugal (LIS) this year. Delta faces competition from TAP Air Portugal from New York (JFK) and Newark (EWR) airports and United from Newark, too. The end result?

It’s not just Portugal where you’ll find cheap nonstop fares to Europe. JetBlue recently launched direct flights to Edinburgh (EDI) from JFK, and they have to fight it out for customers against Delta on the same route, not to mention United’s route from Newark (EWR). That leads to fares like this. 

If you still don’t believe me, here’s one last example about how competition kills high prices. New York (JFK, EWR) to Milan (MXP) is operated daily by American, Delta, Emirates, La Compagnie, Neos, and United. 

That’s five different airlines running around 53,000 airplane seats a month between those two cities, according to Cirium data. 

That’s how you end up with fares like this to Italy. 

Sometimes supply and demand bite you – requiring competition to save the day. But supply and demand can work in flyers’ favors, too. Because when demand is low, you can book nonstop flights like this one. 

Delta actually goes it alone on this route between New York (JFK) and Stockholm (ARN). The same goes for United on this route to the Canary Islands (TFS). 

Demand between New York and the Canary Islands (and Stockholm) must be pretty low because we sent these flight deals to our Thrifty Traveler Premium subscribers a few days ago highlighting some sub-$500 roundtrip fares on these standalone nonstop routes to Europe for 2024 and beyond. 

United and Delta are the only airlines flying these routes meaning they can charge whatever they want. If they’re choosing nearly 60% discounts almost any day of the year…demand is poor. 

Nonstop Premium Economy Flights to Europe

If you want a little extra comfort, you can sometimes find cheap nonstop flights in premium economy, too. For that, seek out airlines like SAS and Condor. 

Once every few months, SAS runs a big sale – and that’s your opportunity to score a nonstop flight to Europe in premium economy for less. 

Read our review of SAS Premium Economy!

Condor’s widening network of nonstop flights from the U.S. and Canada to Frankfurt (FRA) makes it a perfect choice for travelers looking for additional comfort and legroom at economy prices. 

I’d bet Alaska-based travelers haven’t ever seen a nonstop deal from Anchorage (ANC) to Europe before, but Condor’s latest unadvertised sale offered exactly that opportunity. Ditto to travelers in Baltimore (BWI), Edmonton (YEG), Minneapolis (MSP), Phoenix (PHX) and more! 

Nonstop Business Class Flights to Europe

Another option for flying nonstop to Europe for cheap: using your points and miles to fly business class across the pond! 

When booking lie-flat seats with points and miles, it’s always easiest to find nonstop flights. Connecting itineraries can get tricky when redeeming points, so a direct route is the easiest way to secure your seat. 

Luckily, some of the finest lie-flat seats in the world fly to and from Europe, including Air France and KLM. 

We recently unearthed wide-open availability to book one of the best deals in the world of points and miles: Air France or KLM business class for just 50,000 Flying Blue miles each way (the airlines’ shared loyalty program). You can transfer points to Flying Blue from American Express, Bilt Rewards, Capital One, Chase, Citi, or Wells Fargo. 

This deal included tons of dates all summer long from all of these cities in the U.S. and Canada nonstop to Paris (CDG) and Amsterdam (AMS). To Amsterdam, you’d be getting KLM’s lie-flat seats and to Paris, you’d get a crack at Air France’s fancy business class suites.

That’s a long list of nonstop flights to Paris (during the 2024 Olympics, mind you!) and Amsterdam.

Nonstop flights could be found all over Europe from the U.S., too, thanks to the likes of ITA Airways. 

With the Italian flag carrier, you can fly nonstop to Rome (FCO) from Boston (BOS), Miami (MIA), Toronto (YYZ), and Washington, D.C. (IAD) in its brand new, luxurious business class. 

You could transfer points from Amex, Bilt, Chase, Capital One, Citi, and more credit card programs to either Virgin Atlantic Flying Club or Air France/KLM Flying Blue to book these ITA flights. 

The cheapest way to fly lie-flat across the Atlantic is thanks to Iberia Business Class. 

You can book these flights through Iberia or British Airways for just 34,000 Avios each way. Avios are easy to get by transferring credit card points from Amex, Bilt, Capital One, Chase, Citi, or Wells Fargo, and you can fly one of these seats from these cities in the U.S. – all nonstop to Spain!

But you don’t have to fly a foreign airline to find good deals flying lie-flat nonstop to Europe. How about United Polaris Business Class? 

By booking through the airline mileage programs listed above, you could fly nonstop to these European cities from the United hubs below using points and miles. 

Plus you get access to United’s unbelievable Polaris lounges before your flight, too! 

Finally, you can also hop aboard some nonstop flights to Europe in business class without big balances of points and miles. Sometimes, airlines like Condor slash their business class fares in half – resulting in roundtrip fares under $2,500. 

We flew these Condor Business class seats recently and think they’re one of the best ways to get to Europe and back. And cities with Condor service flying nonstop to Frankfurt might surprise you! 

Fly business class to Europe nonstop this summer, fall, or winter. The only thing better than nonstop is lie-flat. 

Bottom Line

You can take connections to save money on a flight to Europe, but you might not have to. 

At Thrifty Traveler Premium, we search for – and find – cheap nonstop flights to Europe every day so you can make your next trip with fewer stops and shorter travel times in 2024 or 2025.