Regular plus student flights combined?

April 1, 2013 2:59 PM

My husband and I and my college-age son are contemplating a trip to Europe this summer. If we want to fly together, is there no possibility that my son can get a student fare, or do student fares only apply to special flights? I'm thinking of NYC to Paris, Paris to Barcelona, and then Barcelona back to New York, for a total vacation time of around 2 weeks. Any help in getting cheap(er) flights appreciated. I generally find flights through kayak. com.
posted by DMelanogaster to Travel & Transportation (11 answers total)

There's nothing to stop you from purchasing student fares for your son and then regular fares for you and your husband on the same flights.
posted by grouse at 3:01 PM on April 1, 2013

Can you provide the details about these student fares? I thought that was a scam.
posted by Lyn Never at 3:07 PM on April 1, 2013

Student discount website.

You may be able to find tickets for his on the same flight, may not. I would just try to find flights on the same day and not worry about flying together.
posted by DoubleLune at 3:13 PM on April 1, 2013 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Try STA travel. You can book for a combination of students, under 26, and adults, all at the same time. I've bought good Europe deals from them.
posted by acidic at 3:22 PM on April 1, 2013 [2 favorites]

You can get cheap flights in Europe (so the Paris-Barcelona trip) with Ryan Air or Easy Jet. These are absolute budget, no-frills airlines (especially Ryan Air), but they're cheap and just as safe as any other airline. I've also found Sky Scanner to be helpful.
posted by toerinishuman at 3:31 PM on April 1, 2013

A word of warning on the European budget airlines: check their baggage fees and other policies very carefully before booking your ticket. I'm not sure if it's still true, but they used to sell tickets for very low prices, then charge exorbitant fees for baggage (even carry-on baggage) in excess of an unusually low weight limit.
posted by Orinda at 4:04 PM on April 1, 2013 [2 favorites]

Besides Kayak, I would look at whoever uses your local airport(s) as a hub and search direct on their web site as well. This has helped me before with flights from east coast US > UK.
posted by carter at 4:15 PM on April 1, 2013

I never actually found a student fare that was remotely comparable to the cheapest fares that Kayak, et al would turn up.

The other thing to watch for with the budget airlines is the location of the airport. For instance, "Paris Beuvais" is more than a 90-minute bus ride from the city of Paris.

I'm a non-fussy no-frills flier, so I often found RyanAir to be a great deal for me when their timetables/routes matched my travel needs. As long as you understand and jump through their hoops, it can be a phenomenal deal. If you've ever had status on any airline (and liked the perks that it gave you), you should never set foot on a RyanAir jet.

Train fares in Europe, on the other hand, often do offer discounts to students and under-25s. Just make sure to buy through the train company directly, rather than an agency.
posted by schmod at 7:18 PM on April 1, 2013 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I never actually found a student fare that was remotely comparable to the cheapest fares that Kayak, et al would turn up.

I just saved $600 with a student fare.

I've just done a lot of searching since I'm going to Europe this summer. What I've found to be cheapest (and what I'm doing) is to get the to/from Europe flight through the student site (seriously! same flight number, $600 difference!) and the in-and-around-Europe flights on kayak/something similar. Also if you don't mind traveling to a more distant airpot, you may be able to save. My mom's flying out of an airport a couple hours away to save around $500 on her flight (she'll probably take the bus to the airport, can get tickets for $30 round-trip max).

Also I don't know what you're looking at for lodging, but I am traveling with my mom and we are planning on using Airbnb rather than hotels -- there are some nice places very cheap.
posted by DoubleLune at 7:30 PM on April 1, 2013

I've gotten ABSURDLY cheap RyanAir tickets between Barcelona and Paris - the hitch is that you have to fly into Beauvais (which is really a bit of a hike from Paris) and then take a bus. It's a good deal though.
posted by naoko at 7:48 PM on April 1, 2013 [1 favorite]

Another word on European budget airports: Not only are they far away, but you are often limited in transport choices to your destination city. Paris-Beauvais shuttle is €15 one-way to Porte Maillot, which is 30+ Metro-minutes to anywhere in Paris you actually want to be. "Barcelona" lands you in Girona, which is a couple train-hours from Barcelona (but a beautiful city in its own right, and a great gateway to the real Catalunya). In other cities you have only one airport so you land close to the city no matter what, like Lisbon and Porto.

Taking budget airlines, 'tis a matter of your priorities...
posted by whatzit at 3:40 AM on April 3, 2013