The European Commission‘s representative, Ursula von der Leyen, declared on April 25 that fully vaccinated Americans would be able to travel.
As a result, the travel app Hopper saw a 47 percent increase in airfare requests for summer travel from the United States to Europe.
Following von der Leyen’s announcement, Hopper’s analysis team looked at search demand for European travel and evaluated what the news could mean for airfare rates this summer, focusing on the cheapest European destinations.
According to Hopper, a decent offer for roundtrip airfare to Europe for summer 2021 would be around $760, down 11% from the beginning of April.
It’s now a lot less expensive than it was a year ago: The same travel would have cost $852 if taken in March 2020. Typically, as summer approaches, the cost of trans-Atlantic flights rises.
However, according to Hopper, airfare to Europe will continue to fall in price, peaking around May 25 at $700 for a roundtrip flight before rising to $775 in mid-June.
“Lisbon has appeared on our list as having the absolute cheapest flights,” Damodaran says.
Hopper’s best guess for a cheap flight to Lisbon is $482.
One reason for the low price, according to Damodaran, is that “it is physically closer to the United States, so the jet fuel costs less.”
Portugal saw a 77 percent increase in demand from Hopper users after an announcement in the first week of March that it hoped to welcome back visitors from the United Kingdom beginning in mid-May.
Iceland is the next stop, and there are some interesting offers to be had there as well.
Since Iceland’s reopening plans were revealed on March 17, roundtrip airfare from the United States has fallen by 21%, from $697 to $550.
Similarly, after declaring on March 17 that it would completely reopen to all vaccinated passengers, Iceland saw a 93 percent increase in searches (including U.S. travelers).
According to Hopper, the most significant increase in quest traffic for reopening globally was observed in 2021.
Ireland: Irish eyes will be gleaming at the $623 expense of a good-deal flight to Dublin.
In addition, the nation has a lot going for it. Ireland was recently named in the top ten bucket-list destinations, thanks to its hot food scene, castles, and historic sites.
Madrid, Spain: The Spanish capital ranked last on Hopper’s list, with a roundtrip good-deal flight costing $623.
In a bid to draw tourists, Spain is also attempting to make travel safer this summer by aiming to be one of the first countries to introduce vaccination passports.
Aside from airfare, Hopper’s study looked at the top destinations that Americans choose to visit this year.
Barcelona was the list’s second most popular destination, and its airfare, at $636, was among the cheapest.
