How you can score a $1300 return, last minute flight for a European cruise this year

• Flight prices to Europe appear to be decreasing, even for a last-minute Europe trip this year.
• Airlines are operating below capacity, especially for return flights back into Australia.
• Here’s who you should fly with, for wherever you plan on cruising in Europe.

Return flights to Europe are looking better than they have for years for Aussies, and there’s a surprising reason why. 

Even flights over the coming months for a last minute European summer or shoulder season cruise are looking extremely reasonable.

It appears that this isn’t because less Aussies are travelling and demand has gone down, but rather that less people are travelling to Aussie, meaning the return leg of the flight has come down significantly. 

Australian Tourism Export Council managing director Peter Shelley told The Australian: “At a time when Australians are travelling overseas in record numbers, we’re not seeing the same pace of recovery in inbound holiday visitation, meaning more tourism dollars are flowing out than coming in, and that’s a missed economic opportunity.”

The result of this is that airlines are struggling to fill seats on flights coming back to Australia. 

For example, Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics data shows that Qantas flights from Perth to Paris were on average 65.5 per cent full in March, but flights from Paris to Perth were just 39.4 per cent full.

Airlines employ dynamic pricing, becoming more expensive the more seats that are booked, so empty planes generally means cheaper flights.

Similarly, Emirates and Turkish airlines were seeing an average of 49 per cent and 30 per cent of seats filled on flights into Australia from Europe.

While this situation may not be ideal for Australia’s tourism economy, it does represent a chance for Aussie consumers to get better flight prices, after years of inflated post-Covid prices.

Flight Centre CEO James Kavanagh told Escape that flight prices have dropped an average of 6.5 per cent from last year, and in some particular routes, such as Australia to Spain, France or Italy, this number is closer to 10 per cent.

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The best airline for wherever you’re cruising to – and what you’ll pay 

If you want to get on a last-minute cruise in Europe, whether on a classic Mediterranean itinerary, or something a bit further north, here’s the airlines you want to be checking, and an estimate of how much you might have to fork out.

Mediterranean cruises often leave from Barcelona, Rome or Athens, and Northern Europe cruises generally leave from Amsterdam or Southampton, which is a short train ride from London.

If you want to get on a last-minute cruise this August, here’s where you should be looking for flights.

The below prices refer to the cheapest or best value round-trip economy flights out of Sydney for that particular city this August. Check on the airlines website or Skyscanner to confirm prices for your particular desired travel dates. All prices are in Australian dollars. 

Cruising out of Barcelona? 

• For flights from Sydney to Barcelona, your best bet would be Etihad, with base fares in the range of $1600-$1800 return, for a cheaper option you can look at Air China in the range of $1300-$1500, but expect longer layovers.

Cruising out of Rome? 

• For a flight to Rome, Etihad or Qantas would be the go-to move. Etihad return will be in the range of $1650-$1850 base fare, and Qantas about $2000 – $2200. Similarly, China Eastern can get you a better deal in the range of $1450-$1600, but expect about 40 hours of travel time from Sydney to Rome.

Cruising out of Athens?

• Depending on how much travel time you can put up with, Air China can get an extremely cheap Sydney to Athens return, as low as $1100-$1300, but with 40 hours of travel either way. A better option could be Turkish Airlines in the range of $1800-$2000 return, or Etihad priced just above, about $2000-2200.

Cruising out of Amsterdam?

• Once again, it will be a matter of the travel hours you can put up with. China Southern can take you return from Sydney for as cheap as $1350-$1600, but Qantas also offers a strong option at about $2100-$2300 or Qatar Airways has flights in the same range.

Cruising out of Southampton/London?

• If you’re looking to fly into London and cruise out of Southampton, once again, China Southern can fly you return in the range of $1300-$1500, and Air India also offers a good option in the range of $1800-$1900. Etihad can also take you return for about $2100-$2300. 

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Quick tips for flights 

• It’s also worth reaching out to a travel agent and seeing if they have better prices than what’s online.
• Cruise lines also generally have their own flight programs, which are worth enquiring about.
• Flights are generally cheapest on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday. The more flexibility you can have, the better. Sometimes flying in a few days or even a week before your cruise could score you a much better flight deal. 
• Aggregate comparison sites such as Skyscanner or Google Flights are great for finding the best prices, but it’s generally best to book directly through your airline, cruise line or agent.
• If you’re unfamiliar with an airline, check out AirLine Ratings to read some passenger reviews on safety and customer experience.