Hey, all. Is is cheaper to fly into/out of Schiphol or Brussels (or other)? A couple of years ago we flew into Dublin and out of Heathrow: big mistake, since the UK has the most crazy exit fees on the continent, which we didn't know at the time. Lesson learned! We're planning around 10-12 days in BeNeLux with total flexibility for date and entry/exit points. Thanks!
Posted by
Alpharetta, Ga, USA
375 posts
From where? And when? Not that that really matters. Airfares change frequently, most will advise choose for convenience and then monitor fares until you find a comfortable (hah!) price point. Many of our trips have ultimately been determined by a "cheap" fare, then figure out what we want to do when we get there! Perhaps set a google watch on both and watch for a bit depending upon your travel plans.
Posted by
OP
7 posts
John, thanks: going to be either Logan Boston or Kennedy NY. Mid October '26.
Posted by
Alpharetta, Ga, USA
375 posts
Yes I would set Google Flight watches and monitor for a while. Also occurs to me that CDG (no one's favorite airport) is a pretty short train ride - maybe worth consideration. From JFK (also no one's favorite airport!) you should have many choices.
Posted by
OP
7 posts
Never even thought of Charles De Gaulle, but couldn't be worse than Dallas/Fort Worth or Clevelend! Awesome tip!
Posted by
Salem, Oregon, USA
3626 posts
Never even thought of Charles De Gaulle, but couldn't be worse than
Dallas/Fort Worth or Clevelend!
You might be surprised how not great CDG is, IMHO.
As noted, set up a couple of fare alerts for various options for each airport and city pair in Google Flights and track for awhile to get a feel for prices. Round trip isn't necessarily cheaper option especially if it saves you travel time or backtracking. If you see a price that suits you and your plans, buy it asap and don't wait a day or two, prices can and do go right back up in less than a day.
Posted by
1619 posts
We fly in from the west coast. So entirely different than your situation, and I get very jealous of east coast folks who can fly to Europe so easily, but I digress! Fees at Heathrow are insane, but never noticed such extremes elsewhere. Last spring with our itinerary we flew in to CDG and flew out of AMS. I would never fly out of CDG if I didn't have to, but arriving was fine. AMS is a fantastic modern airport. But since you aren't exploring France, I'd consider multi city Brussels and Amsterdam. Arrive in one, and depart the other.
Posted by
Eastern Iowa, USA
9055 posts
Heathrow has some of the largest fees anywhere, by a magnitude, so it really does not relate to other airports. Both those airports are comparable, but it depends on what airline you are looking at. Schiphol is heavily Delta. but Brussels will handle Delta as well as United easily. However, it is all dependent on you conditions, day of week, time of year, etc.
Also, keep in mind, the train time between the two is short, I have stayed in Antwerp the night before, and made my Amsterdam flight with hours to spare.
Posted by
Chicago
1172 posts
The (exorbitant) fees set by the UK Airport Authority, as well as any other country's air
travel govt agency, are baked into the cash fares you pay (obviously), so you don't need
to account for them as a separate line item cost.
Now, if you are booking using miles, those fees/taxes are added onto the amount of
miles you are using, so it does matter then (BA also adds in a fuel surcharge, which
makes using miles on BA almost useless).
But, asking if one airport is cheaper than another airport, this far out in advance, is
just asking for a circular discussion - there is no way to answer the question confidently.