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 Europe Bargains and Features
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When searching for airfare to Europe, most of us don't even consider shelling out for first or business class -- especially since the weak U.S. dollar has made European travel more expensive than ever. But before you book that same old economy-class ticket, have you considered all your options?
 You may not know that many airlines now offer a "premium economy" class, where some of the perks of business class -- such as expedited check-in and extra legroom -- are available at a much more affordable price. For passengers considering making the leap to the real thing, several all-business/premium airlines have emerged to compete price-wise with the luxury cabins on traditional airlines. Of course, if budget is your bottom line, you should be aware of the handful of long-haul discount airlines offering low fares that could save you money on transatlantic flights.
Below, we outline three alternatives to regular economy-class flights to Europe, including the costs, pros and cons of each -- so whether you're looking for cheap fares or an escape from the coach-class cattle car, you can find the right transatlantic option for you.
 All-Business/Premium Airlines
These relatively new airlines offer extra space onboard, highly personalized service and other traditional business-class amenities -- but for less than the business-class service on most major airlines.
Who: L'Avion and the brand-new OpenSkies, which began flying in June 2008
Cities Served: Both airlines fly to Orly Airport in Paris. L'Avion flies out of Newark, while OpenSkies uses JFK Airport as its U.S. base. OpenSkies will begin service to Amsterdam in October 2008 and eventually hopes to add Brussels, Frankfurt and Milan.
Cost: Fares on these airlines can be quite lofty, but in other cases they may not be that much higher than economy prices. For example, we recently found roundtrip prices from Newark to Paris starting at just $1,429 (including taxes and fees) on L'Avion.
When it launched, OpenSkies offered a special intro fare of $750 each way (not including taxes and fees) to fly in its premium class between New York and Paris.
Pros:
Both airlines provide business-class perks such as personalized service, extra space onboard, and multi-course meals accompanied by fine wines.
L'Avion's seats offer a much deeper degree of recline than the standard economy-class seat. OpenSkies' Biz class offers fully lie-flat seats.
These airlines are well worth checking if you're planning to travel over a major holiday, when high demand for leisure travel drives up economy-class prices. Since business travelers are less likely to fly during the holidays, you could find a great deal on a luxurious flight.
Cons:
So far, these airlines serve only one U.S. city (New York) and two European one (Paris and Amsterdam -- the latter beginning in October). If you're traveling to or from somewhere else, you'll have to make your own arrangements to reach these airlines' gateway cities.
Schedules are fairly limited, with each airline offering only one or two departures from each city per day.
Luxury comes at a price. While there are occasionally deals to be found, in most cases fares on the premium airlines are significantly higher than the average economy-class ticket.
There is some concern about the financial health of these airlines. Three business-only airlines -- MAXjet, Eos and Silverjet -- went out of business in 2007 and 2008. However, both OpenSkies and L'Avion are backed by British Airways, which may offer more security than earlier business-only airlines had. If you're feeling unsure, you may wish to purchase travel insurance for your trip.
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