April's a great time to be in Europe--the weather isn't as miserable as it is in January, but the fares aren't as miserable as they are in July. To promote a spring fling across the pond, several airlines have recently announced seasonal deals.
Northwest/KLM offers flights to Amsterdam from Boston or New York for $234; Detroit for $276; and Chicago and the West Coast for $316, all plus the usual taxes. For a New York-Amsterdam flight, that means $278 inclusive of taxes. The sale is a perfect '10': Tickets must be purchased by March 10, you've got to leave the U.S. by April 10 and return by May 10. A Saturday night stay is required, as is a two-week advance purchase. Prices for flights on Fri-Sun are somewhat higher, and the maximum stay is 30 days. It's still a good deal, as after the sale period fares seem to jump to $350-400 for flights to Amsterdam from the East Coast. Book at www.nwa.com.
If you fear war, book a trip to London. Not only is Britain America's #1 ally, Virgin Atlantic and Orbitz are running an unusual sale where you can get fully changeable, fully refundable tickets at discount prices for spring travel. Tickets from Boston or New York to London are $395; Washington, D.C. is $430, and LA and San Francisco are both $550. Orbitz even sweetens the pot by offering a free copy of Frommer's Portable Guide to London, a fine, fine guidebook, if we do say so ourselves.
The prices aren't quite mind-boggling, but refundable tickets at these fares are as rare as Bush voters in Baghdad. Buy your tickets by March 17 for the refundable deal; travel between April 1 and June 15. As usual, Fri-Sun flights cost more: $20 each way. A Saturday night stay is required, and the maximum stay is a whopping 90 days. Purchase at www.orbitz.com.
Both London and Amsterdam are great jumping-off points for various other European destinations. European discount airline Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) is currently offering more than 40 destinations from London for absurd fares of about $3-35 each way; pair those with a refundable Virgin fare, and you've got a European tour that you can throw away if necessary. (Don't try to connect directly between a Virgin flight and a Ryanair flight, though, as they're at different airports and Ryanair has a bit of a reputation for delays.)
No cheap-Europe article could be complete without a mention of Icelandair. Their regular fares often compare to other airlines' sale fares; we found New York-Amsterdam in May, flying on Saturdays, for $304. Stopovers of up to three days in Iceland are free, unique, and highly recommended. Icelandair is one of the few airlines where you can sometimes get better deals over the phone than online, so try both calling them at 800/225-5511 and going to www.icelandair.com.