Europe Just Got More Expensive

Ron Miller wanted to take his wife and two kids to Barcelona in August. But after four months of searching the Web, talking to travel agents and calling airlines, the best deal he could find was $3,400 for a round-trip flight for the whole family.

"I had it all set up. I knew where we were going. And I know if I'm persistent I usually find a good fare," says Miller, a self-employed technical writer from Amherst, Mass., and frequent European traveler. "It's a lot more challenging to find a decent fare this year."

Miller's persistence paid off -- he found a $2,000 round-trip fare for the whole family. But it came with a catch. The Millers are flying on VG Airlines, a relatively unknown Belgian carrier, which began flying out of Boston's Logan Airport on May 30. ...