U.K. and Ireland - Flying from the U.S to U.K next summer..help

OK guys, I'm a super newbie ha. I'm contemplating traveling to the U.K next summer and eventually hopping to Turkey and Kazahkstan with a few friends.

I plan on making the trip during May-June of 2013. I would just like to know, what would be the best options for booking, when would be the best time to book for those dates, how to get the lowest fare possible (I would have just graduated) and anything else that would be of help to me.
Thanks all!:D

OK guys, I'm a super newbie ha. I'm contemplating traveling to the U.K next summer and eventually hopping to Turkey and Kazahkstan with a few friends.

I plan on making the trip during May-June of 2013. I would just like to know, what would be the best options for booking, when would be the best time to book for those dates, how to get the lowest fare possible (I would have just graduated) and anything else that would be of help to me.
Thanks all!:D
Welcome to FT!

skyscanner.com and kayak.com are useful tools for comparing fares; keep in mind summer is high season and tickets from the US to the UK ususally cost $1100 or more.

That said, where in the UK to do you plan to land? Do you plan to arrive and depart from the UK or elsewhere?

I hope to land anywhere in the London area but I was eyeing LHR although I know there are other airports like Gatwick.

I'm hoping to depart from Turkey so I think that would be a bit cheaper on the return.

Does it make any difference that I would be buying my ticket months in advance? or would it still be expensive because of the time of travel?
Thanks

Welcome to FT!

skyscanner.com and kayak.com are useful tools for comparing fares; keep in mind summer is high season and tickets from the US to the UK ususally cost $1100 or more.

That said, where in the UK to do you plan to land? Do you plan to arrive and depart from the UK or elsewhere?

I hope to land anywhere in the London area but I was eyeing LHR although I know there are other airports like Gatwick.

I'm hoping to depart from Turkey so I think that would be a bit cheaper on the return.

Does it make any difference that I would be buying my ticket months in advance? or would it still be expensive because of the time of travel?
Thanks

This is an eternal dilemma.

A very general pattern seems to be that booking 11 months out is expensive, then some cheaper fares get loaded about 8 or 9 months out. You then have the problem that the cheap seats might sell out, or demand might not be good enough so someone runs a flash sale (and all the other airlines will follow).

Oh, and if you fly over in May you can probably miss the worst of the peak season fares.

If it's just you, and you can be a bit flexible with dates/routes then I would hold off until much later. Sign up for various marketing e-mails from the likely airlines you'll use to watch out for sales (probably won't see those covering May before Christmas) and keep a weather eye on regular fares as well.

Oh, and once you book it, if you can't get a credit should the fare fall, don't torture yourself by checking the fares again - it'll only result in disappointment!

If you're under 26 you could look for a website that does cheap tickets for young people, I got a return on BA from Heathrow to the East Coast for under $900 last year. I got that from STA travel, not sure if they do international sales/are an international company.

Does your uni have an on campus travel agent?

STA Travel operate in several countries around the world, including the US - see here (http://www.statravel.com/worldwide.htm).

If you're under 26 you could look for a website that does cheap tickets for young people, I got a return on BA from Heathrow to the East Coast for under $900 last year. I got that from STA travel, not sure if they do international sales/are an international company.

Does your uni have an on campus travel agent?


I think my school might have a travel agent but that I'm not sure about. I have heard of STA but I don't know how they work

This is an eternal dilemma.

A very general pattern seems to be that booking 11 months out is expensive, then some cheaper fares get loaded about 8 or 9 months out. You then have the problem that the cheap seats might sell out, or demand might not be good enough so someone runs a flash sale (and all the other airlines will follow).

Oh, and if you fly over in May you can probably miss the worst of the peak season fares.

If it's just you, and you can be a bit flexible with dates/routes then I would hold off until much later. Sign up for various marketing e-mails from the likely airlines you'll use to watch out for sales (probably won't see those covering May before Christmas) and keep a weather eye on regular fares as well.

Oh, and once you book it, if you can't get a credit should the fare fall, don't torture yourself by checking the fares again - it'll only result in disappointment!

Thanks...! Someone told me to wait about 5 months in advance as well. I have just signed up for promotional emails from various airlines but I'm not sure whether it'd be wise buying directly from airlines or sites like Travelocity or kayak when the time comes.

Thanks...! Someone told me to wait about 5 months in advance as well. I have just signed up for promotional emails from various airlines but I'm not sure whether it'd be wise buying directly from airlines or sites like Travelocity or kayak when the time comes.

I think you can set up alerts on airfarewatchdog as well. :)

our daughter has been at Oxford the past four years, so we've paid for a lot of IAD to LHR flights the past four years, for her and us.

We've consistently found the best fares come up about 6-8 weeks before departure. One way you can protect yourself is by watching the load. Take a look at the seat map and see how full the flights are. If you see coach filling up, probably time to book.

You will also find big differences among carriers at various times. The fares don't seem to track all that well. For example, from here, United, BA and Virgin are the principle non-stops. Often BA s the most expensive, but once in a while their fares really drop for a short time. For example, last fall, we scored a ticket for less than $700 for daughter to visit us.

Finally, we find Kayak and Orbitz great for getting an idea of who is flying where but the best deals seem to be on the carrier's websites themselves. For example, I've seen many a great fare on Orbitz only to find I can't buy it because their info is outdated. But Orbitz is great for seeing seat charts (and therefore bookings) for US carriers. Euro carriers not so much.

Oh, and once you book it, if you can't get a credit should the fare fall, don't torture yourself by checking the fares again - it'll only result in disappointment!Several US airlines do allow you to get a refund if the price drops enough. (You basically just pay the change fee)

http://www.yapta.com/faq/content/9/28/en/airline-re_booking-fees.html

Often BA s the most expensive, but once in a while their fares really drop for a short time. Emphasis on the "short time" part of that. You really have to make sure you're checking your mail (and the associated airline forum here) daily. There will surely be active discussion happening about any really fantastic sale.