Now that we are in mid-April 2016, summer fares under $1,000 per ticket for travel to Europe have dried up from western USA airports. Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal and some other Canadian airports offer travelers wanting low fares for summer 2016 travel another chance to get tickets under $700 USD round trip.
Of course you have to get to Canada to start, but the price of a flight from your home to Canada, combined with a Canada origination of a ticket to Dublin, London and Paris can still be a big discount for many itineraries compared to high $1,000 to $1,500 round trip ticket prices from USA airports for travel in July.
This article focuses on American Airlines ticketing. Similar low fares to Paris in July are found with Air Canada for Star Alliance flyers.
British Airways has better flight schedules, American Airlines better miles earning tickets
British Airways and American Airlines both offer fares under $700 round trip for Vancouver YVR to Paris CDG or Paris Orly ORY. Either airport in Paris is fine and I think Paris Orly is in some ways an easier airport for city transportation to and from city center. British Airways has the better flight schedules with one stop itineraries via London.
Google Flights directs users primarily to British Airways flights and does not show many of the low cost American Airlines flight options available. Many of the fares I found on Google Flights show BA price at $700 and AA price at $1,400. I actually found it easier to find low cost flights on aa.com using American Airlines operated aircraft. If you want AAdvantage miles, then you are better off searching aa.com to locate low fares flying AA metal.
AA itineraries tend to be two-stops for either outbound or return, but that means more flight miles with 100% earning compared to only 25% or 50% flight miles for BA coded flights and 50% EQM.
American Airlines
Vancouver YVR – Dallas DFW – Paris CDG – New York JFK – Phoenix PHX – Vancouver YVR
$685.62 round trip Wed July 13 – Tue July 26
YVR-DFW-CDG-JFK-PHX-YVR = 13,719 flight miles.
British Airways
Vancouver YVR – London LHR – Paris CDG – Dallas DFW – Vancouver YVR
$927.72 CAD = $725.60 USD Tuesday July 5 – Tuesday July 19
Note this image ticket price is Canadian Dollars.
YVR-LHR-CDG British Airways Economy O = 4,940 flight miles and earns 25% redeemable miles in AAdvantage and 50% EQM for 1,235 RDM and 2,470 EQM
CDG-DFW-YVR American Airlines operated in BA Economy N = 6,701 flight miles and earns 50% redeemable miles in AAdvantage and 50% EQM for 3,350 RDM and EQM.
AAdvantage member earns 4,585 redeemable miles and 5,820 EQM. AAdvantage elite members get 500 miles minimum for 216 miles LHR-CDG segment for about 70 EQM extra. The lower priced American Airlines tickets earns 3x redeemable miles and more than double the EQM for Paris flights.
$700 USD Round Trip Vancouver to Paris is 50% of San Francisco to Paris ticket price for July
Round trip flights from San Francisco Bay Area airports are under $300 to Vancouver or a far easier frequent flyer award to book compared to using miles to fly to Europe in July.
Loyalty Traveler curated Airfare Deals and Google Flights and Kayak Explore tutorials.
