NORWALK, Conn., May 27, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- A strong dollar
overseas isn't the only reason to travel to Europe this summer. With lower airfares
from the U.S. to various European cities, travel to the continent
is more affordable this summer than last, according to a recent
data analysis from priceline.com, a leader in online and mobile
travel and part of The Priceline Group of (NASDAQ: PCLN).
The brand looked at airfare for recently reserved flights to
European cities for June, July and August and uncovered 10
off-the-beaten-path destinations that have seen significant fare
decreases – some as much as 20 percent or more – year over year
from 2014 to 2015. In particular, priceline.com customers
have seized roundtrip airfares averaging less than $1,200 for destinations, including St. Petersburg, Istanbul, and Thessaloniki. Destinations
that are heating up – where ticket sales have at least doubled this
year over last year – include Malta, Lyon,
Sarajevo and Split.
"Since the start of the year, we've seen a continuing trend in
priceline.com customers scoring travel deals to Europe and our latest data confirms that trend
has continued, even during peak travel season," said Brigit
Zimmerman, Senior Vice President of Air and Vacation Packages at
priceline.com. "To score the best deals and round out the
experience abroad, travel to unexpected cities which can serve as a
gateway to more well-known destinations. No matter the
destination, priceline.com has deals for every budget."
Destination
|
2015 Average
Airfare
|
2014 Average
Airfare
|
Airfares % Change
YOY
|
Ticket Reservations %
Change YOY
|
|
|
|
|
|
Larnaca,
Cyprus
|
$1,346
|
$1,750
|
-23%
|
57%
|
|
|
|
|
|
Malta,
Malta
|
$1,705
|
$2,220
|
-23%
|
550%
|
|
|
|
|
|
St. Petersburg,
Russia
|
$978
|
$1,245
|
-21%
|
69%
|
|
|
|
|
|
Lyon,
France
|
$1,476
|
$1,835
|
-20%
|
200%
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sarajevo,
Bosnia-Herzegovina
|
$1,390
|
$1,721
|
-19%
|
200%
|
|
|
|
|
|
Zagreb,
Croatia
|
$1,344
|
$1,629
|
-17%
|
29%
|
|
|
|
|
|
Istanbul,
Turkey
|
$1,078
|
$1,280
|
-16%
|
28%
|
|
|
|
|
|
Thessaloniki,
Greece
|
$1,141
|
$1,310
|
-13%
|
73%
|
|
|
|
|
|
Vienna,
Austria
|
$1,388
|
$1,602
|
-13%
|
67%
|
|
|
|
|
|
Split,
Croatia
|
$1,647
|
$1,856
|
-11%
|
106%
|
|
|
|
|
|
*Average airfares and percentages were calculated on
May 26, 2015 and are subject to
change at any time.
Priceline.com also offered the following tips to save on travel
to Europe this summer:
- Reserve vacation packages: Consider reserving a package that
includes airfare and hotel. Priceline.com's airline and hotel
partners offer great deals when bundled together, sometimes saving
travelers up to hundreds of dollars over buying separately.
- Look at opaque travel services: Priceline.com offers a variety
of products to ensure travelers find the very best deals for their
European getaways, including the Name Your Own Price bidding tool
where you can negotiate hotel rates up to 60 percent off retail and
airfare up to 40 percent off retail rates. Express Deals
offer hotels up to 60 percent off retail rates and through the iOS
app, airfare up to 20 percent off retail rates without
bidding.
- Have a flexible timeline: Score extra savings by being flexible
on your travel dates. Choose your destination and then price
out the cost of the airfare and hotel for the length of your trip
in June, July, August and September to spot the month with the
lowest fare.
- Be a mobile traveler: Whether you need a flight, hotel or
rental car last-minute, check your mobile devices for last-minute
deals near you. Bargains are often made available exclusively
to customers who have the priceline.com travel app.
For more information, please
visit www.priceline.com/media or connect with
priceline.com on Facebook and Twitter.
About priceline.com
Priceline.com, part of The Priceline Group [NASDAQ: PCLN], gives
leisure travelers multiple ways to save on their airline tickets,
hotel rooms, rental cars, vacation packages and cruises. In
addition to getting compelling published prices, travelers can take
advantage of priceline.com's famous Name Your Own Price® service,
which can deliver the lowest prices available, or the recently
added Express Deals®, where travelers can take advantage of hotel
discounts without bidding.
For press information: Flavie
Lemarchand-Wood at press@priceline.com.
To view the original version on PR Newswire,
visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pricelinecom-reveals-flight-deals-to-unexpected-european-destinations-for-summer-2015-300089382.html
SOURCE priceline.com