The falling euro and strength of the US dollar in recent months has been driving more and more Americans to book trans-Atlantic trips to Europe. But a new ranking of the most affordable airports to fly into could help travelers stretch their dollar even further.
After calculating the average airfare from major US departure cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Miami and Seattle during the first three months of 2015, analysts at Cheapflights ranked the 25 most searched-for European airports in order of affordability.
Topping the list is Dublin, Ireland, where the average round-trip flight costs American travelers $620 including taxes.
Analysts also found that visitors to London could save $191 if they fly into Gatwick instead of Heathrow. Similarly, Paris-bound tourists can save about $50 if they fly into Orly airport instead of Charles de Gaulle.
According to the ranking, destinations in Ireland, Italy and Spain are the most wallet-friendly, as they each take up two spots on the top 10 list.
"Recent news reports have been illustrating the buying power of the U.S. dollar in Europe," said Melisse Hinkle, Cheapflights.com editor, in a statement.
"From bar tabs to hotel rates to airfares, prices favor U.S. travelers right now. And, of course, savvy travel planning will still help you go farther, stay longer and do more for less."
Here are the top 10 most affordable airports to fly into within Europe:
1. Dublin, Ireland (DUB) – $620 (£402)
2. Orly, (Paris) France (ORY) – $694 (£450)
3. Capodichino, (Naples) Italy (NAP) – $694 (£450)
4. Malpensa, (Milan) Italy (MXP) – $694 (£450)
5. Warsaw Chopin, Poland (WAW) – $706 (£458)
6. Madrid-Barajas, Spain (MAD) – $710 (£460)
7. Barcelona International, Spain (BCN) – $717 (£465)
8. Shannon, Ireland (SNN) – $722 (£468)
9. Schiphol, (Amsterdam) Netherlands (AMS) – $729 (£473)
10. Lisbon Portela, Portugal (LIS) – $737 (£478)
Prices are subject to change!
