Best airlines to fly to Spain (on a budget)

Flying to Spain is one of the best and cheapest options when flying into Europe. With a variety of airlines that fly into Spain, including US and international carriers, and many points and miles options as well you can fly to Spain on a budget. Here are the best airlines to fly to Spain on a budget:

What airlines fly direct to Spain?

With major US carriers and Spain’s own Iberia Airlines flying direct, you have plenty of options into Spain. And if you don’t mind a quick connection in Europe your options are really endless. Even better, Spain tends to be one of the cheapest countries to fly into from major and mid-size US airports when paying cash for your flight.

Almost all nonstop flights from the US will land in either Madrid or Barcelona. But from there you can easily book cheaper flights on a separate reservation to get anywhere in Europe.

What US cities have direct flights to Spain?

With the recent interest in Spain, pretty much every major US city now operates a direct flight to either Barcelona and/or Madrid. But keep in mind many of these routes are seasonal, running from around May through September or October.

Travel Tip! Use Flight Connections to find flight routes from your home airport and positioning airports into Spain. You can also see when the route operates to help plan your direct flight, which will likely save you money on your ticket.

You’ll find most US carriers offer direct flights into Barcelona while Iberia Airlines has more direct flights into Madrid.

Cheap flights to Spain (tricks from a travel hacker)

Spain is one of the most common destinations for cheap flights to Europe. (I’ve purchased a $400 flight from Kansas City to Barcelona!) One of the best hacks to saving money on a flight to Spain is to use a flight alert service. You’ll commonly receive flight deals around $300-400 to Barcelona and Madrid which more than pays for your membership.

The most important thing to remember when getting a good deal to Spain is to be flexible with your travel dates. Peak season means peak prices but visiting between November and April will give you the best deals.

If these tips still aren’t getting you a cheap flight into Spain, consider flying into a different European country and taking a “reverse positioning” flight to Spain. You can find the cheapest airport options to fly into using Google’s Explore tool. From there, add your additional expense for your connecting flight and see what’s your cheapest travel option.

Best ways to use points and miles to Spain

If you can’t find a cash deal, don’t have flexible travel dates, want to fly business class, or have to travel during the peak season, using points and miles to Spain is a great option. 

The easiest tool to find award availability for flights to Spain is using Point.Me. Point.Me aggregates all your flight options with points and miles, including your bank and airline award programs. You’ll be able to see all your points options and a step-by-step process on how to book them.

If you’re looking to get into utilizing points and miles to travel the world for nearly free be sure to snag my Beginner’s Guide to Budget Travel Hacking.

Some of my favorite points and miles options to Spain include:

• American Airlines from 45,000 miles roundtrip in economy
• Iberia Airlines from 68,000 miles roundtrip in business
• Avianca from 60,000 miles roundtrip in economy
• Flying Blue from 30,000 miles roundtrip in economy

As a reminder, you don’t have to have these programs’ points sitting in your account. Oftentimes you can use transfer partners from cards like the Capital One Venture to book award travel. 

When to book your flight

Though many people claim Tuesday at 3:00 is the right time to book, there isn’t a science to finding and booking the best flight prices. Instead, flexibility gives you the best deal on a flight.

If you’re paying cash one of the best things you can do to get the best deal is to book a non-basic economy ticket. That way if the price goes down you can cancel, rebook, and get the difference back in a flight credit for future travel. 

You can also monitor flight prices using Google Flights, which can also help you track flights for a decent price. Typically for international flights you’ll find a good deal between 5-8 months before your departure.

When paying with points the earlier you book the better your options will be, especially if you travel during peak season.

Tips for flying to Spain

Book your flight directly with the airline and don’t use an ITA. This will save you the headache when something goes wrong, like a flight delay or cancellation, so you can speak directly with the airline instead of calling someone at Expedia or another ITA. 

Use a card with travel insurance. Cards, like the Chase Sapphire, offer great travel insurance that will cover trip delays and sometimes cancellations, too. (It’s also a great way to get around a foreign country without the hassle of transaction fees.)

Consider flying to a different airport. Iberia offers cheap, direct flights to many Spain destinations, like Seville and Valencia. Book a night (on points!) after arriving from your long haul flight and then a separate flight to your final destination.

Register to earn points on your airfare. If you haven’t yet, be sure to sign up for the airline’s awards program and start earning points and miles on your flight. As a reminder, you can credit your miles to a partner airline. So if you fly Iberia, you can add your American Airlines account number instead and earn miles!

If you can… Be flexible. The more flexible you are with your dates, it’s much more likely you’ll find a flight for less than $500. Even better if you can take a cheap positioning flight to a major airport.

Explore on. -K