Finding affordable airfare to UK--help!

[Ursula J]

We're hoping to go to London & Edinburgh next June (me, husband, 18 yo daughter). We can't go in the cheaper seasons because we're teachers, which means we're also on a budget. Any advice on the best ways to shop for international airfare? Special web sites you use? Or maybe travel agents you'd recommend? We're located in Chicago but of course travel agent could be elsewhere. Right now it looks like everything is about 1000/pp rt econ. For years we've been MDW-MCO for most every trip, which is waaaaay cheaper lol

 

[Buzz Rules]

We're hoping to go to London & Edinburgh next June (me, husband, 18 yo daughter). We can't go in the cheaper seasons because we're teachers, which means we're also on a budget. Any advice on the best ways to shop for international airfare? Special web sites you use? Or maybe travel agents you'd recommend? We're located in Chicago but of course travel agent could be elsewhere. Right now it looks like everything is about 1000/pp rt econ. For years we've been MDW-MCO for most every trip, which is waaaaay cheaper lol

Do airlines like British Airways have teacher's discounts? Hotels might have discounts too.

 

[Neapolitan Ice Cream]

The cheapest air fares I've seen are with AA or KLM. Could be defunct now though!

 

[tvguy]

My daughter paid $1,216 ONE WAY. but from California on United. One of the cruise vloggers was juggling flights from the Eastern U.S. to London and the lowest he could find was $4,000 RT on Air Canada.. He pointed out that the air fare was more than he paid for the seven day cruise he flew there for.

 

[Neapolitan Ice Cream]

My daughter paid $1,216 ONE WAY. but from California on United. One of the cruise vloggers was juggling flights from the Eastern U.S. to London and the lowest he could find was $4,000 RT on Air Canada..

I'm returning to Florida next year and my air fares are £560 return with Virgin Atlantic. Pretty much the same as British Airways, only with newer planes.

 

[_19disnA]

You can search various travel websites to easily compare prices/airlines/seat options/departure times/stops/etc. I doubt any travel agent will get you a better price and most likely use the same websites everyone else can access. The few I glanced at for some random dates next June were all about $1,000/person for the base ticket. Luggage/seat assignments will add to those prices.

 

[fla4fun]

Do you have to go in June or are July and August also options? Just a quick Google look showed June priced higher than July and July higher than August, so you might save a little going later in the summer. It also looks like prices are best from O’Hare to Heathrow when it comes to airports. Midway is much higher.

All I can recommend is checking prices daily until you find a price you can live with. You are starting your search early enough that you have a little time to shop around. I hope you find some good prices!

 

[TiggerTrigger]

I've never tried these tricks with UK/European airfare, but it's been effective for US domestic and to some spots in the Caribbean.

• You may have heard the tip that Tuesday is the day to book to get the lowest fares of the week. I have found this to be true. I recently saved about $150 booking air to OH this way and about $250 for air to Tampa. I helped a friend with a trip to Jamaica and booking on a Tuesday saved her something like $620 per person. It was a real shock with that one, but it was a massive price drop.
• Tuesday-Thursday flights tend to be cheaper. Like booking, Tuesday tends to be the cheapest for travel. I've done this with a few of our vacations involving smaller airports with higher costs. It's been a few years, but we flew in and out of Billings, MT on a Tuesday and saved around $200 pp compared to pretty much any other day.
• If you have a little time, make a spreadsheet and establish baseline prices by airlines, websites, flight times, seat classes/extras (and the related upgrade costs), and flight patterns. Then start monitoring so that you have a good idea on what's really a good price.
  1. I've found that it's pretty uncommon for sites like Expedia, Kayak, Travelocity, etc. (all have the same parent company) to be cheaper than the airlines. In fact, they usually charge a convenience fee. However, sometimes there are fares that may only show up on there. So, it's worth tracking them and at least comparing them to the airline.
  2. I've found booking directly through the airlines is usually best process. It's also easier if something goes wrong, since it's hit or miss on getting the Expedia corporation to intervene in a helpful manner.
  3. Look for credit card deals. I know not everyone wants a new card, but sometimes the perks of a new one tied to travel perks can be helpful...especially the airline specific ones.
  4. Don't be afraid to mix and match. If American is cheaper going to the UK but British Airways is cheaper coming back, it's worth switching it up. Same thing for airports. If going to England, maybe Heathrow is cheaper coming and Gatwick is cheaper going.

*This last bullet can feel a bit like gambling or market timing, but it at least helps you know what the averages are to help establish what is and isn't a deal.

 

[Neapolitan Ice Cream]

I've never tried these tricks with UK/European airfare, but it's been effective for US domestic and to some spots in the Caribbean.

• You may have heard the tip that Tuesday is the day to book to get the lowest fares of the week. I have found this to be true. I recently saved about $150 booking air to OH this way and about $250 for air to Tampa. I helped a friend with a trip to Jamaica and booking on a Tuesday saved her something like $620 per person. It was a real shock with that one, but it was a massive price drop.
• Tuesday-Thursday flights tend to be cheaper. Like booking, Tuesday tends to be the cheapest for travel. I've done this with a few of our vacations involving smaller airports with higher costs. It's been a few years, but we flew in and out of Billings, MT on a Tuesday and saved around $200 pp compared to pretty much any other day.
• If you have a little time, make a spreadsheet and establish baseline prices by airlines, websites, flight times, seat classes/extras (and the related upgrade costs), and flight patterns. Then start monitoring so that you have a good idea on what's really a good price.
  1. I've found that it's pretty uncommon for sites like Expedia, Kayak, Travelocity, etc. (all have the same parent company) to be cheaper than the airlines. In fact, they usually charge a convenience fee. However, sometimes there are fares that may only show up on there. So, it's worth tracking them and at least comparing them to the airline.
  2. I've found booking directly through the airlines is usually best process. It's also easier if something goes wrong, since it's hit or miss on getting the Expedia corporation to intervene in a helpful manner.
  3. Look for credit card deals. I know not everyone wants a new card, but sometimes the perks of a new one tied to travel perks can be helpful...especially the airline specific ones.
  4. Don't be afraid to mix and match. If American is cheaper going to the UK but British Airways is cheaper coming back, it's worth switching it up. Same thing for airports. If going to England, maybe Heathrow is cheaper coming and Gatwick is cheaper going.

*This last bullet can feel a bit like gambling or market timing, but it at least helps you know what the averages are to help establish what is and isn't a deal.

This is fascinating. As I'm sure I've said, I'm planning a Disney holiday early next year so I'm very interested in your post!

 

[jalapeno_pretzel]

I'm returning to Florida next year and my air fares are £560 return with Virgin Atlantic. Pretty much the same as British Airways, only with newer planes.

I've always heard it's MUCH cheaper flying round trip to USA originating in Europe, vs. round trip originating in USA to Europe.

We're hoping to go to London & Edinburgh next June (me, husband, 18 yo daughter). We can't go in the cheaper seasons because we're teachers, which means we're also on a budget. Any advice on the best ways to shop for international airfare? Special web sites you use? Or maybe travel agents you'd recommend? We're located in Chicago but of course travel agent could be elsewhere. Right now it looks like everything is about 1000/pp rt econ. For years we've been MDW-MCO for most every trip, which is waaaaay cheaper lol

Personally I think 1000pp sounds like a pretty decent deal. We paid around $800pp for flights from east coast USA to west coast USA this past summer, and about the same 3 summers ago. Our trip to Greece 2 summers ago was closer to $1800pp, but we did get the premium economy for the long flight segment.

My favorite website to find flights is Kayak.com.

 

[SirDuff]

• 1. Don't be afraid to mix and match. If American is cheaper going to the UK but British Airways is cheaper coming back, it's worth switching it up. Same thing for airports. If going to England, maybe Heathrow is cheaper coming and Gatwick is cheaper going.

*This last bullet can feel a bit like gambling or market timing, but it at least helps you know what the averages are to help establish what is and isn't a deal.

That last bullet rarely works for overseas flights because one-way flights are not priced as half of a roundtrip ticket - you basically have to pay full fare economy. In fact, the one-way flight can sometimes be as much or more as the price of a round-trip ticket. Different airports may help if the airline flies into multiple airports in the same city (or codeshares with an airline that does)

I've always heard it's MUCH cheaper flying round trip to USA originating in Europe, vs. round trip originating in USA to Europe.

I have found that. I lived in Switzerland for a number of years and my trips home (to US or Canada) were much cheaper than the costs of people from Canada/US coming to me. Especially in business class.

 

[monsterkitty]

Do not book third party for your flights or your hotels.

If you look at a third-party site for airfare, go to the airline website to book it there. Same with hotels. If the prices do not match, call the airline and hotel to make the reservation.

If you book third party and your flight is cancelled or delayed, the airline and hotel cannot help you out. You have to go through the third-party company for flight changes and hotel changes.

There are websites that "forecast" the airfare for your trip. They'll tell you if the price is high or if you should book now. You are pretty far out still so keep looking at changes. They say the best time to book international travel is 3-6 months out. You can keep tabs on if flights are filling up by looking at the seating selections on flights.

Lastly, think outside the box and look at options. My sister and BIL just flew from DEN to Thailand. It was cheaper to book air from DEN to Singapore including 2 nights at a Marriott in Singapore then Thailand than DEN to Thailand. You may want to look at airfare from Chicago to NY or Boston then London. Look at train options for London to Edinburgh instead of flights. We found that the train from London to Edinburgh was cheaper than airfare and we got to see the countryside.