Getting cheap flights from Chicago to Europe is not really hard. Aside from the major airlines Southwest, American, and United Airlines, there are 40 other airlines that offer flight deals and cheap tickets from time to time. In this article, you will know about General Guides to Get Cheap Flights From Chicago to Europe.
Here is a Guides to Get Cheap Flights from the “Windy City” to any European city:
1. Decide on which plane to fly.
Each time you plan for your trip, you start deciding on which plane to fly. Is it going to be a low-budget carrier or a legacy carrier?
Legacy carriers include Delta, United, Lufthansa, British Airways among others. Budget airlines include RyanAir, Jet Blue, Virgin Airlines and AirAsia.
| Legacy Carriers | Budget Carriers |
| More services: served meals, more legroom, in-flight entertainment | Less services: served meals and luggage come at a cost, no in-flight entertainment |
| Provides passengers various seating classes (first-class, business class, economy) | There’s only one seating category |
| Extra perks like free use of airport lounges | No extra perks |
| Member of alliance | Not member of alliance |
If you found a ticket of the same price for budget and legacy airlines, opt for the latter. Flying with legacy airlines provides better services than the low-cost carrier.
2. Plan your date and destination as well as when you’re going to buy tickets.
Check out this guide to get a cheap plane ticket:
- Be flexible.
Flexibility is the key to landing low ticket prices. By being flexible, you can go anywhere, anytime, anyhow (nonstop, direct or connecting) and fly in any plane.
If you’re flexible, you can surely find a good deal. It’s one secret to getting affordable tickets.
- Search for discounted air tickets.
It’s tricky to monitor sale plane tickets every now and then. It’s better for you to subscribe to newsletters so that you get updates on promos and last-minute sales. Google Flights can alert you of your searched flights each time there are changes.
- Find the cheapest days to fly.
Usually, the best time to fly is in mid-week including Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and then Saturdays.
Most ticket sales are out by Monday afternoon and closes by Thursdays. You can save as much as 20 to 40 percent when you fly on non-peak days.
- Book early for a certain destination.
If you need to go to a definite place at a certain time, you need to book early. Don’t wait for last-minute deals.
The cost of tickets depends on demand. If there are still plenty of tickets left for your destination, the tickets will surely be lower. But if there are only less than 10 seats available, ticket prices are surely going to be a lot expensive.
- Check the best season to fly from Chicago to Europe:
Winter
If you want to get the cheapest flight to any European cities, the best time to travel there is during winter. It’s because only a few travelers want to visit it during the cold season.
Summer
Summer is the most expensive season to travel as most tourists and vacationers travel during this time. This period covers months from mid-June to late August or September.
Spring
It is the next pricey season to travel. The period covers mid-March to mid-June.
If you want to get a cheaper ticket than in the summer, book your flight in the spring. A lot of travelers love to roam the continent during this season because of the lovely weather and fewer people in popular places.
Fall
Fall is the next cheapest season to travel after winter. The majority of travelers to Europe prefer this season because of cheap airfares and desirable weather. Fall begins from late August or early September to early December.
Important Information When Flying From Chicago:
Connecting time in Chicago
If you’re connecting from O’ Hare International Airport (ORD), you should know that terminals 1, 2, and 3 (all serving domestic flights) are interconnected. Terminal 5 is not connected to any terminal.
The connection from domestic to international terminals takes some hours. Connecting an international flight to a domestic flight takes about two hours. If you are connecting from domestic to domestic flight, 45 minutes is enough time to board.
On the other hand, connecting from Midway Airport (MDW) is easier than ORD. Since all terminals are interconnected and the area is small, it only takes about 45 minutes to have a connecting flight whether it is domestic to domestic or domestic to international.
