Flight from US to London help

[kamik86]

Been looking at united for flights to London. Was thinking about going in September.

However the flight prices were high around $1400 per person.

Then I checked April to see if closer flights are cheaper. They are A LOT only $800 per person. (I'm looking at the by month calendar view so I'm not hitting one particular bad week or anything)

Now does anyone know if there is some reason September costs so much more or is it likely that its just the timing and that in a few months September prices might drop?

 

[NHdisneylover]

We find that the best time to buy a transatlantic flight is about 3-4 months out. Most of the time (I say most, you never know with flights of course) the prices are much higher this far out than they will be if you wait until around June to book.

 

[BadPinkTink]

I use www.skyscanner.com to check flight prices

Prices will be higher if you do direct compared to changing planes

Prices will be higher if you do 2 single flights ie your home city to London , Paris to your home city compared to your home city to London return

 

[kamik86]

We find that the best time to buy a transatlantic flight is about 3-4 months out. Most of the time (I say most, you never know with flights of course) the prices are much higher this far out than they will be if you wait until around June to book.

Great thanks. I was wondering if we had to think about moving the trip up but not sure we could save enough by April. We were originally not going to do this trip until 2017 but work just changed our preferred provider to united so I have gold status for 2016... thought it might be nice to use it.

With the credit card offer I can get one flight on award travel, but unless work travel picks up considerably I won't be able to do both on points.

Currently looking at prices out of Boston. We normally fly out of Albany put for the price difference we are seeing (even though both connect in other cities) the 3 hour drive to Boston will be worth it.

 

[kamik86]

I use www.skyscanner.com to check flight prices

Prices will be higher if you do direct compared to changing planes

Prices will be higher if you do 2 single flights ie your home city to London , Paris to your home city compared to your home city to London return

Ok tried skyscanner. Definitely not going to book for a few more months but... I have another question. This will be either of our first international flights so we only know the US carriers. How is Norweigan? They have really good prices... but they are so good they are making me wonder what the catch is.

 

[NHdisneylover]

I use www.skyscanner.com to check flight prices

Prices will be higher if you do direct compared to changing planes

Prices will be higher if you do 2 single flights ie your home city to London , Paris to your home city compared to your home city to London return

BOth of your "prices will be higher if" scenarios are often not true in our experience.

It is nearly always cheaper to put DD on the direct DEN to FRA flight and back than not (airport fees, etc at places she might change seem to add to the price--I am not really sure what all is at play though). The exception for that seems to be if we put her on Icelandic Air--which had by far the best rates for Christmas this year, but always requires a change in Iceland.

and we have been delightfully surprised to often find the same price, or even lower prices if we fly into one sity but out of another (and fly SW in between in the Us or my in laws take trains in between or ride with us somewhere in Europe) -- we were shocked the first time we found that so long as we had the same origination and final city the in between could be split like that an not cost us more--but it has held true for multiple trips over the past 7 years.

 

[BadPinkTink]

How is Norweigan? They have really good prices... but they are so good they are making me wonder what the catch is.

I have not flown Norwegian but the European carriers are mostly on par with American carriers. There is no real catch with the price. I have not checked the route you are looking at but it may stop first in Norway and then go to London. This would make it cheaper than a direct flight to London

 

[NHdisneylover]

Great thanks. I was wondering if we had to think about moving the trip up but not sure we could save enough by April. We were originally not going to do this trip until 2017 but work just changed our preferred provider to united so I have gold status for 2016... thought it might be nice to use it.

With the credit card offer I can get one flight on award travel, but unless work travel picks up considerably I won't be able to do both on points.

Currently looking at prices out of Boston. We normally fly out of Albany put for the price difference we are seeing (even though both connect in other cities) the 3 hour drive to Boston will be worth it.

Just wait (and keep checking prices). We bought DD's flights home for Christmas in October--that is when things suddenly dropped about $400 per ticket over the prices which had been showing for months before that. Over the past several years, before she went back to the states for college, we usually ended up getting her summer flights in April or May when the prices would drop.

 

[NHdisneylover]

Ok tried skyscanner. Definitely not going to book for a few more months but... I have another question. This will be either of our first international flights so we only know the US carriers. How is Norweigan? They have really good prices... but they are so good they are making me wonder what the catch is.

I am not familiar with sky scanner. We like hipmunk---but really there are a lot of good search engines out there.
Iam not familiar with Norwegian either, but as a PP says most European carriers are pretty good. I would look up some reviews and information though before booking.

As I said previously, DD flew Iceland Air this year---they do not serve meals for their cheapest fair,so she had to pack a lunch for the flight BUT they allow two suitcases and a higher weight allowance--which was GREAT for her as she is still wanting to take back more of her belongings to the US now that she has moved back there.

I heavily favor Lufthansa for my own flights--but they would not have a direct BOS to LON flight I don't think--you'd have to change in FRA or maybe Munich.

 

[sunshinehighway]

I like Aer Lingus out of Boston. There are two overnight flights to Dublin. Its an easy enough airport for transfers and London is a quick flight from there.
They serve a meal and a little breakfast on the overnight flight. The in flight entertainment options are decent.
Baggage allowance is one checked bag your carry on and small personal bag. If you book the connecting flight on the same ticket the baggage allowance should carry over.

 

[RedAngie]

I have not flown Norwegian, but from what I hear they're a super-discount airline where, if you buy the lowest fares, everything costs extra, bags, seat selection, food on board, etc. There is also a charge for connecting flights, fly non-stop if possible. Not all flights involve a stop in Norway. They fly New York to London non-stop. Boston-London non-stop flights start in the spring.

 

[teller80]

How far are you from Toronto? Flights are usually less expensive from there.

 

[firecracker725]

We find that the best time to buy a transatlantic flight is about 3-4 months out. Most of the time (I say most, you never know with flights of course) the prices are much higher this far out than they will be if you wait until around June to book.

Absolutely. And often you can find great fares even at the last minute. When I flew home last month for my mother's funeral, I paid less with less than 24 hours notice than I've ever paid to take that flight. And that was no bereavement fare or discount...just the lowest available fare on Kayak.

 

[kamik86]

Thanks everyone for the help. I was looking at the Aer Lingus flights to Dublin, espeically at first when I was trying to fit in Dublin too but decided against it since the logistics of managing both Dublin and then the other places I wanted to go (current plan is Oxford-with a trip up to Warwick castle and maybe stratford-upon-avon, Cardiff, Bath, and London.

If I do a connection how much time do I need? I saw one with 1.5 hours in Dublin. Now I know domestic that is plenty of time (I manage 50 min in BWI just fine) but given that this would be three different countries I'm guessing that is way to tight?

 

[kamik86]

How far are you from Toronto? Flights are usually less expensive from there.

Too far, some of the connecting options flew through there though.


Since you all have been super helpful on flights... any suggestions on hotels in London? Or even what area of the city to stay in (or even which ones to avoid). I managed to find options in all the other cities pretty well... London has too many choices though.

 

[sunshinehighway]

It's usually not recommended to do less than a 2 hour layover on an international flight. I think for peace of mind I'd go with a longer layover. Dublin airport is fairly easy to navigate though.
Oh, another nice thing is on the way home Aer Lingus does US pre clearance in Dublin. You go through customs and border stuff before you get on the flight so it's treated as a domestic flight once you arrive in Boston. You just get off the plane and grab your luggage.
In London I recently stayed in a serviced apartment. I really liked that. It was a studio with a kitchen ( and a washer/dryer) and little sitting area with a tv. It was so nice to come back at night, have a cup of tea and relax on the couch.
The one I stayed in was a Go Native. They have several properties throughout London.

 

[RedAngie]

How far are you from Toronto? Flights are usually less expensive from there.

That reminds me of something funny I discovered before airlines had to advertise fares with all mandatory fees included. While looking for fares from Philly to London, Air Canada had this outrageously low fare connecting thru Toronto, something like $398 round trip while everybody else was in the $900 range. Sure enough, the "fare" was $398, but there were fuel surcharges almost that high, plus half a dozen other unavoidable fees. The total came to the same $900 range.

I was tempted to take that Air Canada flight just because it was so ridiculous, but other airlines had better schedules.

 

[EMom]

Cheaper season to Europe is typically Oct to April.

 

[lizabu]

It's simply too early to book a flight to London for September. There's an app called hopper I like. It tells you if the price will drop and will send you a notification when it's time to buy. I think you'll probably see the best prices for september in June. When if comes to hotels you have two choices. Cheap but inconvenient location or expensive but convenient location. Public transportation is really good in London so location isn't really the deal breaker it might be in other cities. Rooms can be smaller too so if you have more than 2 people that might eliminate some properties. If you're going to be there for a week or more renting a flat is a good option too.

 

[NHdisneylover]

Absolutely. And often you can find great fares even at the last minute. When I flew home last month for my mother's funeral, I paid less with less than 24 hours notice than I've ever paid to take that flight. And that was no bereavement fare or discount...just the lowest available fare on Kayak.

I am so sorry to hear you lost your mother.