It’s that time of year again! The 2020 Europe early bird sales have landed, and airlines have already started offering discounted early-bird airfares for travel to Europe next year. Economy class flights from Australia to Europe on full-service airlines are currently available from just $1,027 return, and there are also some Premium Economy and Business Class deals to Europe available.
Each year in September and October, airlines run terrific early-bird sales on airfares to Europe, for travel during the following year. Interestingly, this year’s European early bird sales have come slightly earlier than last year.
Qantas, Emirates, Etihad, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, and many other airlines are now offering early-bird sale prices on flights to Europe for travel in 2020. However, the early-bird sale season is only just beginning! The best prices are not always offered right at the start, and it is likely that new sale fares will continue to be launched across the next month. The Europe early bird sales typically run until early-to-mid October, so there are still a few weeks for you to get a great deal on flights to Europe for travel up until next year’s European summer season.
By the way, if you wish to redeem frequent flyer points to Europe during the European summer (June-August 2020), now is the best time to do this! It’s best to book as early as possible as award availability is limited and the best seats usually sell out quickly.
Current Europe early bird sale fares
Many airlines are currently running sales, so there are too many to list in this article. Keep in mind that the travel periods and expiry dates of each airlines’ offers will vary.
Here are some of the current airline Europe early bird sale dates for travel in 2020:
- Qatar Airways – current sale ends 15 September 2019, travel until 31 August 2020
- Etihad Airways – current sale ends 20 September 2019, travel until 20 June 2020
- British Airways – current sale ends on 23 September 2019, travel until 27 May 2020
- Singapore Airlines – current sale ends 26 September 2019, travel until 26 August 2020
- Garuda Indonesia – current sale ends 30 September 2019, travel until 31 July 2020
- Korean Air – current sale ends 30 September 2019, travel until 31 July 2020
- Emirates – current sale ends 1 October 2019, travel until 3 September 2020
- Qantas – current sale ends 1 October 2019, travel by 31 May 2020
Emirates is also currently offering regular seat selection to Australian customers on Emirates Saver fares for a special price of $1 per flight (normally $15-30 per flight) until 1 October 2019. And Etihad Airways is giving away free two-night stopovers in Abu Dhabi.
Meanwhile, Qatar Airways also currently has special companion fare offers for bookings of 2 or more people on sale until 15 September 2019. You can also save up to an additional 5% on Qatar Airways tickets by booking on a mobile device and entering the promo code UPTO5OFF.
If you’re thinking about booking a Business Class ticket to London, also don’t forget about the current Enrich Gold status fast-track offer from Malaysia Airlines.
Most airlines will allow you to book an open-jaw ticket, i.e. flying into one European city and departing from somewhere else. In many cases, the cheapest option is to fly into the UK and depart from Dublin, Ireland. Remember that it’s cheaper to depart Europe from outside of the UK due to Britain’s Air Passenger Duty.
All sale fares below are with full-service airlines, however note that Etihad Airways now charges extra for snacks and drinks between meals in Economy class.
Here is a selection of the best Europe 2020 early bird deals currently available from major Australian cities…
Departing from Perth:
- Rome, Frankfurt or Copenhagen from $1,027 return in Economy with Thai Airways
- Dublin from $1,053 return in Economy with Qatar Airways
- Skopje from $1,119 return in Economy with Qatar Airways
- London from $1,229 return in Economy with Singapore Airlines
- Copenhagen from $1,254 return in Economy with Emirates
- Amsterdam from $1,283 return in Economy with Garuda Indonesia
- Copenhagen from $2,907 return in Premium Economy with SAS
- Amsterdam from $4,845 return in Business with Garuda Indonesia
Departing from Adelaide:
- Dublin from $1,072 return in Economy with Qatar Airways
- Barcelona from $1,190 return in Economy with Qatar Airways
- Amsterdam from $1,434 return in Economy with Cathay Pacific
- Barcelona from $3,199 return in Premium Economy with Cathay Pacific
- Dublin from $5,738 return in Business with Qatar Airways
Departing from Melbourne:
- Manchester from $1,159 return in Economy with Etihad Airways
- London from $1,199 return in Economy with Emirates
- London from $1,237 return in Economy with Qantas
- Frankfurt from $1,268 return in Economy with Thai Airways
- Manchester or Porto for $1,299 return in Economy with Emirates
- Amsterdam from $1,423 return in Economy with Garuda Indonesia
- Frankfurt from $2,444 return in Premium Economy with China Airlines
- Frankfurt from $5,948 return in Business with Thai Airways
- Zurich from $6,340 in Business with Etihad Airways
Departing from Canberra:
- London from $1,250 return in Economy with Singapore Airlines
- Zurich from $1,289 return in Economy with Qatar Airways
- London from $3,393 return in Premium Economy with Singapore Airlines
Departing from Sydney:
- Dublin from $1,065 return in Economy with Etihad Airways
- Istanbul from $1,099 return in Economy with Qatar Airways
- Amsterdam from $1,204 return in Economy with Korean Air
- Athens from $1,220 return in Economy with Etihad Airways
- London from $1,245 return in Economy with Qantas
- London from $1,261 return in Economy with Singapore Airlines
- Malta from $1,299 return in Economy with Qatar Airways
- London from $1,342 return in Economy with British Airways
- Barcelona from $5,951 return in Business with Air France
Departing from Brisbane:
- Copenhagen from $1,207 return in Economy with Singapore Airlines
- London from $1,241 return in Economy with Qantas
- London from $1,284 return in Economy with Etihad Airways
- Milan from $6,340 in Business with Etihad Airways
Join the discussion on the Australian Frequent Flyer forum: Europe early bird deals 2020
