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How often have you been planning a vacation, only to be frustrated by byzantine and overly expensive flight combinations, all displayed identically at every single flight booking portal as if they were all operating in unison?
Minivan airport transfers allow you to get to any destination from any airport, no matter how remote or exotic, but finding the right flight can often be a grueling process. That is why we sought out the travel experts at Europefly to help us understand every nuance of finding the perfect flight and what sort of tricks are available in this field, ensuring you don’t have to break the bank to afford your vacation.
Tell us a bit more about Europefly. How did you get started?
Today, Europefly is a flight search engine focused specifically on finding direct (non-stop) flights within Europe and to Europe. However, we started our journey 10 years ago as a straightforward informational website providing schedules and details on direct routes across Europe.
There are many flight booking portals around the world. What makes a specific portal provide value to travelers and stand out?
Our key differentiator is a narrow focus on European non-stop flights. We strive to offer users the most comprehensive coverage of all available direct route options, including charter flights and budget low-cost carriers that are frequently absent from many well-known flight aggregators - precisely because those airlines do not pay commissions to such platforms.
Commissions from airlines are the foundation of any flight aggregator’s business model, and we are no exception. However, we made a deliberate decision to provide the widest possible range of options for our users by displaying search results that include airlines from which we do not earn a single cent.
Considering the current global instability and airspace closures, how do you think global tourism will be affected in 2026?
Since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have observed a steady year-over-year growth in passenger air traffic - both leisure and business travel.
The current geopolitical instability has had a significant impact on passenger aviation logistics. There has been an increase in connecting flights and route changes necessitated by the need to circumvent restricted and high-risk airspace. Combined with the fuel crisis and the tax pressure imposed on airlines by certain European governments, these factors have already materially affected ticket prices and have reshaped the route networks of several major carriers.
However, in terms of overall passenger volume, European air travel continues to exhibit sustained growth.
What method of searching for flights is often overlooked that can be helpful to travelers?
Perhaps the most commonly overlooked strategy is underestimating the potential of tour operators. When assembling package holidays, tour operators book charter flights that are not available through conventional flight search engines. The key nuance is that seats on such flights are rarely sold separately from the package deal.
Even when an operator has a large number of unsold seats, they will almost always attempt to sell them first as part of a discounted last-minute package tour.
Interestingly, the total cost of a package that includes a budget hotel can sometimes be lower than the price of a standalone ticket on a regular scheduled flight - and you get a hotel room as a bonus, even if you choose not to check in.
We actively monitor these types of offers and periodically feature them on our blog.
We’ve heard a lot of hype in recent years about using VPNs to save money on airfares. How true is that in reality?
Yes, these types of “travel hacks” have been popular among a niche group of experienced travelers - not just for flights, but also for hotel bookings and car rentals.
This phenomenon is driven by evolving legislation that requires additional taxes on online sales based on the user’s country of residence, obligating global corporations to pay what is often referred to as a “Google tax.”
Rome Leonardo da Vinci Fiumicino Airport, used under CC 4.0 license
That said, residency verification systems are still far from perfect. At many companies, whatever country you indicate during registration is the one they will treat as your country of residence. In recent years, SMS-based verification has become more common - which, while not a true proof of residency, does add an extra layer of friction for those seeking more favorable pricing.
In any case, both then and now, it is possible to obtain a lower price through a VPN and similar workarounds. However, this does carry a minor risk of complications with your booking. That risk is exceedingly small - companies generally prefer not to scrutinize such cases, as strict compliance with these new and often onerous regulations is an administrative burden for them as well. If you formally pass registration as, say, a U.S. resident and clear all their verification checks, the company has technically fulfilled its regulatory obligations and paid the corresponding taxes under U.S. law.
The percentage of “savvy” buyers exploiting this approach has always been very small, and there is no business incentive for companies to over-police these transactions.
The bottom line: VPN-based travel hacks still work, but using them is becoming increasingly difficult with each passing day.
Where do you see Europefly in 5 years?
Thanks to our narrow specialization in the European market, we hope to gradually expand our market share among flight aggregators - primarily through organic growth driven by loyal, returning users and word-of-mouth recommendations.
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We would like to express our sincere gratitude for sharing these insights with Connecto and its readers, and we hope this interview and Europefly’s tireless work help travelers get the affordable airfares they deserve.
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Cover image credit: raph.ae/ at Flickr
