Least Expensive Airfare to Four Continents

Least expensive air travel from Omaha to four continents - Europe, Asia, South America and Africa.

Outline

Ground rules
Method
Influence of travel dates
Least expensive round-trip to Europe
Least expensive round-trip to Asia
Least expensive round-trip to South America
Least expensive round-trip to Africa
Sum total of all three airfares

Ground rules

This is somewhat of a competition. I give extra points for the person with the least total airfare to all of these continents. All airfares must be roundtrip from Omaha, and must for be a three-week period from now until Sept. 1. It can be two different airlines, in which case you would present two different graphic files. The timing must be such that you can make the connection. Provide at least 3 hours. If the connection has you spending the night at the airport, you must include the cost of a hotel.

Generally, the least expensive fares to these destinations are from coastal cities in the US, like LA and New York. In order to get the lowest fare, you need to find the least expensive coastal city and the least expensive flight from Omaha to that city. Sites like Kayak and Expedia won't do this automatically. There may be some ground transportation involved in transferring to a nearby airport. Include the ground transportation cost and associated graphics. Bigger cities have multiple airports so don't get confused. New York, for example, has five airports: JFK, LaGuardia, Newark, White Plains, and Newburgh. Only three offer international flights. The cheapest flights are often from the smaller airports that charge a lesser fee for landing.

You don't need to check luggage but you do need to include a carry-on bag.

Prices vary widely during this period. They also vary by day of the week. You must present screenshots of the airfare with sufficient detail to verify the dates, connections, and price - including taxes. Use only commercial airlines - you can't use military aircraft or family connections with commercial companies. The flight leaves from Omaha â€“ you can't drive to another city.

Method

Europe- For flights in between Omaha to Europe I used Expedia to look at options for Omaha to LaGuardia and LaGuardia to Omaha. The airline it brought me to for both flights is through United Airlines. I used hotwire to find my New York (LaGuardia) and England (Heathrow) flights. I booked the flight from LaGuardia to Heathrow through United Airlines and then Heathrow to LaGuardia through Lufthansa. Both flights in between New York and England came with a carry-on with no fee added, the Omaha to New York I had to pay for a carry-on for $30 each flight.

Asia- To find the flights for Omaha and Los Angeles (LAX) I used Expedia. Omaha to LAX I booked that flight through American Airlines, LAX to Omaha was through American Airlines. I used hotwire to look at options for the flights in between LAX and Shangai. Both of the flights in between LAX and Shangai I booked through Air China. All flights included a carry on in the total price, not extra charges.

South America- I used hotwire to find the flights in between Los Angeles and Quito, Ecuador. Both flights to and from Ecuador are through Aeromexico. To get to LAX from Omaha the flight is through American Airlines. LAX to Omaha is through Delta. To find the LAX and Omaha flights I used Expedia to look at my options. All of the flights include a carry-on bag in the total price.

Africa- In order to find the flights for Omaha in between LAX I used Expedia. The Omaha to LAX flight is through American Airlines and from LAX to Omaha it is through Delta. I used hotwire to find the flight options for LAX and Kenya. The flight from LAX to Kenya is through Qatar Airways. All flights have carry-on bags included in the final total price.

Influence of travel dates and cities

I tried the March 3^rd – March 23^rd for my three week period before September 1^st. Those dates didn’t work out for me so I chose April 30^th – May 21^st. I chose those dates because busy seasons are usually during the summer and winter breaks. I didn’t want to interfere with those breaks because that is when most people travel. I tried multiple countries including Scotland, Ireland, Thailand, Japan, Singapore, Peru, Brazil, Morocco, Nigeria, and Liberia. The countries I ended up with was England, China, Ecuador, and Kenya.