Diana: I'm Diana Nyad, and you're listening to the Savvy Traveler. It's time for our Deal of the Week, which means it's time to check in with our Travel Expert in Residence, Rudy Maxa. Hi, Rudy.
Rudy: Hi, Diana.
Diana: What have you got for us this week?
Rudy: Let's talk about getting around Europe cheaply this
summer.
Diana: Always a happy subject.
Rudy: If you plan to fly to a couple different European
destinations this summer -- or any time, for that matter -- you
may want to look into special, largely unadvertised offers from
foreign airlines that you must book before you leave the United
States.
Diana: Give me an example.
Rudy: If you book Air France to Europe, you can fly to a
minimum of three other European destinations the airline serves,
and a maximum of nine for the $120 per flight segment. Air France
calls this its "EuroFlyer deal." By the way, segments are $21 less
during off-peak travel seasons. British Airways has a similar program
called the "Visit Europe Pass." You must buy a minimum of two segments,
and they're priced according to miles for each trip, beginning at
$65.
Diana: Do you have to fly a foreign airline to Europe to
take advantage of these offers?
Rudy: No. For example, Spanair -- Spain's airline that no
longer flies to the U.S. -- has an airpass for $79 per coupon for
flights within Spain and the Canary Islands. The airline also serves
Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Lisbon, Stockholm and Vienna. You'll
pay slightly more, like $109 from Barcelona to Copenhagen, to fly
Spanair outside of Spain.
Diana: But that's cheaper than buying a ticket when you
get to Spain?
Rudy: Absolutely. It's still expensive to fly between European
cities unless there's a low-fare airline on the route, so these
airpasses are a fantastic buy.
Diana: Where can we get the details on these offers?
Rudy: Your best bet is to just call the airline. The airpass
deals tend to be buried on their Web sites, and are nearly impossible
to find.
Diana: Thanks, Rudy.
Rudy: My pleasure, Diana. Talk to you next week.
