Flight prices to the USA have dropped to lowest since pre-pandemic – and could get even cheaper

By HAYLEY MINN

Published: 12:17 BST, 19 June 2025 | Updated: 12:17 BST, 19 June 2025

Flight prices from Europe to the USA have dropped to their lowest since before the pandemic, as more and more holidaymakers are shunning the States in favour of alternative destinations.

The US National Travel and Tourism Office has revealed a 2.8 per cent drop in overseas arrivals to the US in May compared to the previous year.

And, in March, travel from Western Europe fell 17% year-on-year, according to the NTTO.

This decline in transatlantic flights has been happening since earlier this year, when US President Donald Trump announced a strict tariff policy.

And now, thanks to this drop in tourism, the price of return flights from the U.S. to Europe is down 10 per cent compared with a year ago.

In fact, the average fares of $817/£609 per ticket are in line with prices from the summer of 2019 before the pandemic, according to travel booking app Hopper.

This downward trend is expected to continue, as analytics firm OAG Aviation has said forward bookings for July show a 13 per cent year-on-year reduction in inbound travel to the States.

Major carriers, including Air France KLM and Germany-based Lufthansa, have also confirmed they expect slowing activity.

Flight prices from Europe to the USA have dropped to their lowest since before the pandemic, as more and more holidaymakers are shunning the States in favour of alternative destinations

This decline in transatlantic flights has been happening since earlier this year, when US President Donald Trump announced a strict tariff policy

It comes after Sir Richard Branson exclusively told MailOnline Travel how Brits could benefit from going to the States now if they want a cheap holiday – due to the dollar having sunk to its lowest level in three years 

Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr said the company expects weaker demand, while Air France KLM CEO Ben Smith said the company is seeing a ‘slight pullback’ in transatlantic traffic and will slash prices to keep cabins on its flights full.

It comes after Sir Richard Branson exclusively told MailOnline Travel how Brits could benefit from going to the States now if they want a cheap holiday – due to the dollar having sunk to its lowest level in three years.

Speaking at the opening of the new Virgin Hotel in Shoreditch, he told us: ‘It’s now costing people 12 or 15 per cent less than before Trump took over to go to America.

‘A lot of Americans are very frustrated about the dollar collapsing in value, obviously, but that’s been a great benefit to people living in the UK, as it makes it cheaper to go on holiday to the States.

‘It means good hotel prices, and fuel prices are less too, so we can price our flights competitively.’

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Flight prices to the USA have dropped to lowest since pre-pandemic – and could get even cheaper

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