We’re not going to sugarcoat it—this year’s summer travel scene, complete with lengthy airport lines and ongoing flight disruptions, wasn’t exactly motivating. But as we transition into fall, with its cooler, more comfortable temps and reduced crowds, the international travel some of us may have held off on during a chaotic first half of the year is suddenly feeling a lot more enticing again. Bonus feature—fall is often a great time to score a good flight deal.
In fact, travel booking app Hopper reports that average round-trip international airfares for September and October have dropped to $754, down 19 percent (or $179) from summer prices. Round-trip domestic fares for this fall are down as well, having dipped 37 percent to $238—or $142 below average summer round-trip flights.
Now is also the ideal time to book holiday travel if you haven’t done so already. To get the best price, Hopper recommends booking at least three weeks in advance for domestic travel and at least four weeks in advance for international trips—add a few weeks to both for popular holiday travel dates and periods.
So, where is everyone heading this fall? In a survey of 2,700 international users, travel booking site Tripadvisor found that the top trending destinations for fall travel are:
- Turks and Caicos
- Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
- Singapore
- London
- Bangkok
- Boracay, Philippines
- Munich, Germany
- Como, Italy
- Edinburgh, Scotland
- Moterosso al Mare, Italy
- Amsterdam
- Amalfi, Italy
- Dublin
- Sorrento, Italy
- Vancouver, Canada
But few things are more inspiring when it comes to travel than hard-to-resist airfare deals. So, we scoured our sources, and these are the current international airfare offers we found for autumn and beyond that are having us plotting our own upcoming adventures.
Flights to Iceland from $136 with Play Airlines
The low-cost Icelandic carrier Play Airlines, which launched stateside in December 2021, is running a sale on flights to Iceland from the U.S. for travel between September 2022 and March 2023. We found one-way September and October fares from New York Stewart International Airport (located about 90 minutes north of Manhattan) to Reykjavík–Keflavík Airport in Iceland starting at $136. This is a great opportunity to either explore Iceland or use the discounted transatlantic flight as a jumping-off point for heading to other destinations throughout Europe. Curious what it’s like to fly Play? Our special air correspondent, Barbara Peterson, recently hopped the pond with Play and reviewed it for us.
Round trip to Delhi, India, from $859 on Etihad
United Arab Emirates’ national carrier Etihad Airways has kicked off the fall travel season with a sale that is running now through September 16. Some of the highlights include round-trip economy flights to Abu Dhabi, Dubai, for $859, from Chicago, New York, and Washington, D.C. The deal also includes flights to Delhi, India, from Washington, D.C., starting at $859 (and from $879 out of New York). The carrier recently relaunched its Etihad Stopovers program, which offers discounted and complimentary stays at participating Abu Dhabi hotels before travelers continue on with their journey.
Fly to Canada for less than $100
Air Canada is currently running a sale through September 14 for travel from September 21, 2022, through May 31, 2023, and the deals are plentiful, including one-way flights from Los Angeles to Vancouver starting at $94. One-way flights from New York to Montreal start at $88 (and at $221 for flights from Los Angeles to Montreal). From Montreal, continue on to Paris with round-trip flights as low as $660.
One-way flights to Paris from $281 on French Bee
In addition to offering low-cost direct flights from San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Newark Liberty International Airport to Paris-Orly, French Bee is adding flights from Miami to Paris on December 15, with introductory one-way fares starting at $281. The Miami flights, which are currently available for booking, will operate three times weekly, on Monday, Thursday, and Saturday, and they will increase to four times weekly in April. French Bee has a partnership with Alaska Airlines that allows travelers to connect from destinations throughout the U.S. on a single ticket. French Bee flights take place on newer Airbus A350s.
Round trip to Lisbon from $389
If you’re looking for a great deal for one of our absolute favorite destinations in Europe—Portugal—look no further than TAP Air Portugal, which currently offers round-trip flights to Lisbon from New York as low as $389. But TAP doesn’t just offer great airfares for Portugal; the carrier also features deals to Barcelona, Dublin, Stockholm, and Copenhagen, among other coveted European cities. So before hopping the pond, you may want to check the latest airfare offers from TAP first.
Round-trip San Francisco to London on British Airways from $630
All eyes are on the United Kingdom right now, as the country mourns the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. Those feeling the pull to pay tribute to the late monarch will find enticing fall flight deals on British Airways, including round-trip fares from San Francisco to London from $630 and one-way fares from New York starting at $200.