Budget Travel - The least expensive path to Europe?

I used to be able to hop from LAX to BRU for under $US 500.00. Now, years later, I am looking at the same route foran average of above $1,000. Granted fuel cost has been a factor, I wonder if there is any thing out there that would cost less $1,000 RT LAX to any where in Europe? In other words, which airport in Europe would cost the least to fly to from LAX or SFO?

Thanks!

Use this tool to look for the cheapest "anywhere in Europe" flights.

http://www.kayak.com/explore/

$1000 is not bad, especially in summer.

I am looking for pretty much the same thing although I will be flying to Europe from Bangkok, Thailand. I'm looking to take my wife to Europe in September for less than $1,000 USD each but would like to fly into Prague or somewhere nearby and fly out of Amsterdam or somewhere nearby. We plan to take a two week vacation and use the trains in Europe to get from destination to destination and stay in approximately 5-6 destinations for 2 days each.
This will be our honeymoon, but we have to do it on a budget as best we can as working in Thailand isn't making us much to live on to begin with. Probably try to stay at guesthouses, hostels, and the occasional inexpensive hotel.
Any ideas?

Look at flying into FRA or CDG instead of Prague. Once you are in Germany, Deutsche Bahn runs an inexpensive express bus from Nürnberg to Prague that runs 6-8 times daily.

Finnair has a $950-ish ticket for Wed-Wed travel in Sept for BKK-HEL-MUC and AMS-HEL-BKK.

Edit: Finnair (and Czech airlines) also has a similarly priced ticket for BKK-HEL-PRG and AMS-HEL-BKK. So I would go for that.

Thanks very much. I'll start scanning flights to France and CDG as well as look into the bus from Germany. I'd prefer train travel but the occasional bus would be ok too.

I edited my post so you might want to take a look. ;)

The Nürnberg-Prague bus is very, very nice and the offer a drink service. But it looks like you will not have to utilize that option, except maybe to get from Prague to Germany. :)

You can often get cheap train tickets if you purchase well in advance, at www.bahn.de and www.thalys.com .

If the LAX-IST fare is still available, that may be the cheapest way in. Then take a budget flight.