Our columnist tried three cheap airlines in four days to and from Europe to see if you should, too

"I flew to Paris last week from an out-of-the-way New York airport on an airline you probably haven't heard of with Spirit-like fees, no seatback screens and a predawn connection in Iceland.

And I'd do it again to save money.

Flying to Europe affordably this summer requires more strategy than ever. Prices can easily top $1,000, given pent-up demand for international travel.

Travelers without piles of miles or unlimited funds are searching furiously for a deal to Europe. Often topping those search results: Play, Norse Atlantic Airways and French Bee.

These small, budget carriers have been adding flights between the U.S. and Europe, dangling introductory fares as low as $169 one way from New York to London and about $300 from Los Angeles or Miami to Paris. (Don't expect those prices for summer flights at this late date.)

To size them up, I took three trans-Atlantic flights in four days last week. I flew from London to New York on Norse; New York to Paris on Play; and Paris to Los Angeles on French Bee. The Wall Street Journal paid for the flights and airlines weren't notified of my plans.

The verdict from my small sample: These relative newcomers are worthy contenders at the right price for those of us not spoiled by lie-flat beds and fancy amenity kits.

Unlike these three airlines, major U.S. carriers like Delta, United and American generally offer free meals, drinks and alcoholic beverages on trans-Atlantic flights. All passengers except some basic-economy fliers also get a free carry-on bag and one free checked bag when flying across the pond in economy.

Another factor to consider: the budget airlines' limited schedules. My three flights went off painlessly. But a cancellation by one of these airlines could easily delay a trip by a day or more.

The price is often right

By the right price, I mean a big enough gap between the budget ticket prices and those of the major airlines to cover fees for everything from carry-on bags and seat selection to meals and drinks.

Brittany Brown is a 36-year-old financial controller from Hamburg, N.J. She treated her 10-year-old son to a trip to Iceland after spotting cheap fares on Google Flights. She had never heard of the airline and called the prices -- $1,060 for two tickets -- "nuts"" (in a good way) for a nonstop.

David Parry lives close to Newark Liberty International Airport. For a last-minute trip to London, he schlepped to John F. Kennedy International Airport to fly Norse. The tickets were each about $300 cheaper than those on other airlines, he says.

Mr. Parry, who works in banking technology, liked the modern plane and friendly crew. His only knock was a slow response when he tried to change his ticket.

It depends on when you book for

For the best shot at scoring a deal on these airlines, book early. And don't expect the lowest bargain-bin fares during the height of summer travel season.

I did get a deal when I booked my Norse flight last-minute. JetBlue charged about three times the $493 I paid one way, including fees.

For a mid-July trip from New York JFK to London Gatwick, Norse charges $832 round trip before fees, compared with $954 on JetBlue. I'd probably pick JetBlue then unless I were traveling light and didn't care about food or drinks.

Myths of a budget airline

Norse and French Bee fly nonstop across the Atlantic on wide-body jets. My 11 1/2-hour flight from Paris to Los Angeles on French Bee was on an Airbus A350 with more than 400 seats and seat-back entertainment that included 52 movies and an external camera the retired French engineer next to me couldn't stop watching. Norse uses Boeing 787 Dreamliners complete with mood lighting, seatback entertainment and power ports. Both offer optional meal service.

Play is the outlier. The Icelandic carrier uses smaller Airbus A320s, a domestic flight staple that JetBlue also uses for European flights. Play also requires a change of planes in Iceland. The guy behind me on my first Play flight drove 2 1/2 hours to Newburgh, N.Y., from western Massachusetts to save hundreds on his flight to Dublin. He complained that the seats were uncomfortable.

Don't knock alternative airports

Play's flights between New York and Europe fly out of tiny Stewart International in Newburgh. Getting there was far smoother than I'd imagined. I paid $29 for a nonstop bus ride from the Port Authority bus station in Midtown Manhattan and arrived in the promised 90 minutes.

In Paris, my French Bee flight took off out of Orly, which is closer to the city center than giant Charles de Gaulle and cheaper to reach. In London, my Norse flight took off from Gatwick instead of Heathrow.

No TSA PreCheck

None of the three carriers offers TSA PreCheck, which can lengthen that trip through security in the U.S.

French Bee offers Wi-Fi for a fee. Norse and Play don't offer in-flight internet packages.

Beware of strict carry-on bag policies

On each airline, I was stunned at the rigid carry-on bag policies. The airlines have size and/or weight restrictions -- between 22 and 26 pounds for carry-ons. They hand out tags if the bag made the cut. No tag, and the bag gets checked.

The Norse agent at Gatwick let my slightly overweight Away bag go through, but warned me they might still weigh it at the gate. (No one did.) Norse baggage fees start at $45 for flights booked between the U.S. and Europe after late January, but many tickets include a baggage allowance.

French Bee agents in Paris gave me the toughest time, forcing me to squeeze the hardside bag into its sizer twice. I can see this on a small regional jet, but can't comprehend why it was necessary on a jumbo jet with 100 empty seats. (An airline representative said they limit carry-on sizes to speed check-in and boarding and says the agents must have misjudged the size of my carry-on.)

It was the most unpleasant part of a mostly pleasant trip." [1]

1. Carry On: Budget Flights? That's the Ticket --- Our columnist tried three cheap airlines in four days to and from Europe to see if you should, too
Gilbertson, Dawn.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]. 19 Apr 2023: A.11.