There is an article in today's (August 6, 2015) Wall Street Journal, about airlines starting flights to Europe from second tier airports in the US at much lower fares. The example they cite is $700 on Condor from Providence, RI, to Frankfurt. Other US airports they mention are Baltimore, Tampa, Portland and Austin. I only have access to the paper copy so can't provide a link.
Posted by
Los Angeles
4853 posts
I was going to post parts of it but I tend to get in trouble when I do. Other things the article mentioned: Lufthansa has 2 flights per day, Condor has 2 per WEEK. So if something happens, you aren't going anywhere.
They also mentioned that while Providence airport is nice and small, it's also nice and small. When an international flight is due, the TSA pulls workers from the port and sets them up in a small building at the airport. 2 hour waits to clear customs are apparently the norm.
Also, Condor is an ex-charter run by Thomas Cook. So if you're trying to do stuff like make a transfer or use miles, it probably won't work.
Posted by
L'Occitanie, France
10623 posts
So Stan and Phred, which company is flying from Baltimore according to the article?
Posted by
OP
The Heartland USA
8968 posts
Bets the article mentions Condor as flying out of Baltimore. I am not going to verify.
phred, yeah, clearly there are downsides to these cheaper flights, and I am not advocating them. But for many people, low price is their main criterion for choosing flights. The hope is that this competition will drive other airlines fares down.
Posted by
York, PA
300 posts
If you quote the article headline it makes it easier for others to locate the article online. You can read WSJ articles for free via Google News.
Ah. The title is, "A New Trick for Cheap Flights to Europe"