kabobbledog
Jul 17, 12, 10:01 am
What websites do I look to for flight deals to America? It seems like all deals originate in JFK! ;)
U.K. and Ireland - Newbie in UK [where to shop for best airfares]
View Full Version : Newbie in UK [where to shop for best airfares]
Raffles
Jul 17, 12, 10:13 am
Welcome to FT!
Assuming you want economy tickets, we are looking at the usual suspects - Kayak, Expedia, Opodo etc.
However, thinking logically can help. Look at prices from Dublin and Amsterdam, both of which you can easily reach by budget carrier from where you are. These will strip out the Air Passenger Duty which, even with the connection, may lead to a saving. Fuel surcharges are also usually cheaper out of Ireland than the UK.
A multi-city booking option may allow you to book Dublin-US-London for no more money than a Dublin-XX-Dublin which would save you the extra connecting flight.
ba.com also has a tool showing the cheapest price on a route month by month if you are flexible on timing.
Price up a trip adding in a hotel, this can bring the price down. Expedia lets you just book a hotel for 1 night - even if you don't need a hotel, price up the flight plus hotel combo, this can be cheaper than just booking a flight as the airlines offer cheaper prices to agents who bundle in a hotel. Flight and hotel packages on Expedia also qualify for generous cashback at quidco.com.
Assuming you want economy tickets, we are looking at the usual suspects - Kayak, Expedia, Opodo etc.
However, thinking logically can help. Look at prices from Dublin and Amsterdam, both of which you can easily reach by budget carrier from where you are. These will strip out the Air Passenger Duty which, even with the connection, may lead to a saving. Fuel surcharges are also usually cheaper out of Ireland than the UK.
A multi-city booking option may allow you to book Dublin-US-London for no more money than a Dublin-XX-Dublin which would save you the extra connecting flight.
ba.com also has a tool showing the cheapest price on a route month by month if you are flexible on timing.
Price up a trip adding in a hotel, this can bring the price down. Expedia lets you just book a hotel for 1 night - even if you don't need a hotel, price up the flight plus hotel combo, this can be cheaper than just booking a flight as the airlines offer cheaper prices to agents who bundle in a hotel. Flight and hotel packages on Expedia also qualify for generous cashback at quidco.com.
williemaykit
Jul 17, 12, 12:48 pm
Deleted
williemaykit
Jul 17, 12, 12:50 pm
Another couple of comparison sites - Skyscanner.net and travelsupermarket.com. Prefer Skyscanner of the two as their prices tend to be more current and they have an iPhone app.
Thanks Raffles for the ex AMS tip. I would have never thought to do that. I have always done long haul out of London.
Thanks Raffles for the ex AMS tip. I would have never thought to do that. I have always done long haul out of London.
The_Diamond_Z
Jul 17, 12, 3:37 pm
Welcome to FT!
However, thinking logically can help. Look at prices from Dublin and Amsterdam, both of which you can easily reach by budget carrier from where you are.
I'm LHR based, planning a trip to DXB over Christmas and I thought I'd try an AMS routing in PE. Here's a cool routing from Expedia :D
Fri. Dec. 21 (Arriving Dec. 23) Amsterdam, Netherlands to Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Amsterdam (AMS) to Guangzhou (CAN)
China Southern Airlines 308
Stopover: Guangzhou (CAN) 12h 20m
Guangzhou (CAN) to Dubai (Dubai Intl.)
Total trip time: 32h 40m
However, thinking logically can help. Look at prices from Dublin and Amsterdam, both of which you can easily reach by budget carrier from where you are.
I'm LHR based, planning a trip to DXB over Christmas and I thought I'd try an AMS routing in PE. Here's a cool routing from Expedia :D
Fri. Dec. 21 (Arriving Dec. 23) Amsterdam, Netherlands to Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Amsterdam (AMS) to Guangzhou (CAN)
China Southern Airlines 308
Stopover: Guangzhou (CAN) 12h 20m
Guangzhou (CAN) to Dubai (Dubai Intl.)
Total trip time: 32h 40m
Reason077
Jul 18, 12, 7:28 am
www.skyscanner.net (http://www.skyscanner.net)
Vidic15
Jul 18, 12, 8:43 am
Got to be wary of Skyscanner/Travelsupermarket though.
Until you go to the final booking stage of both, or whoever they link too no price is confirmed.
Catches out a lot of people.
Until you go to the final booking stage of both, or whoever they link too no price is confirmed.
Catches out a lot of people.
rwoman
Jul 18, 12, 1:39 pm
What websites do I look to for flight deals to America? It seems like all deals originate in JFK! ;)
Welcome to FT!
On a random note, are you using a US or UK credit card? Using a US card, I typically call if flying DL (the US number charges me in USD = no foreign transaction fee), use aa.com (charges in USD), use Expedia (US version), or, as a last resort, one of the UK sites.
:)
Welcome to FT!
On a random note, are you using a US or UK credit card? Using a US card, I typically call if flying DL (the US number charges me in USD = no foreign transaction fee), use aa.com (charges in USD), use Expedia (US version), or, as a last resort, one of the UK sites.
:)
kabobbledog
Aug 10, 12, 12:32 am
Thank you to all for your helpful replies! I'm just a hop from Amsterdam so that is a great option I never even thought of. And thank you all for your links.
Having scanned the forums for a while I was afraid to post anything for fear I would be burned alive. But you've all been so kind to share your knowledge with me.^
Having scanned the forums for a while I was afraid to post anything for fear I would be burned alive. But you've all been so kind to share your knowledge with me.^
androobe
Aug 11, 12, 5:39 am
Thank you to all for your helpful replies! I'm just a hop from Amsterdam so that is a great option I never even thought of. And thank you all for your links.
Having scanned the forums for a while I was afraid to post anything for fear I would be burned alive. But you've all been so kind to share your knowledge with me.^
If you're going to be flying a lot, think about whether it's worth paying a little bit more for always flying in the same alliance and building up miles and status. Obviously other forums on this site will guide you with that, but even just 3x per year to the US could give you a lot of benefits. I'll pay £100 more to fly with BA/AA now - it's worth it for my 15,000+ miles.
Be careful about flying out of other non-UK airports, the ticket prices may look good on some occasions, but make sure you add on ALL the extras you need to get there. I fell into this trap a few times... buying an extra flight or train ticket, maybe a hotel or a sleepless night at an airport, extra meals you'll be buying because your trip is extended... sometimes it's worth it, other times not... and always allow plenty of connecting time or your ticket could be worthless if you miss the flight. Being in Harrogate with your local airport as LBA, you could fly Jet2 to AMS, but their record for on-time departures and cancellations in my own experience is not great! Check flights from MAN direct or via LHR as well. Sometimes flying from NCL through LHR can be cheaper than a ticket from LHR direct to the US.
Having scanned the forums for a while I was afraid to post anything for fear I would be burned alive. But you've all been so kind to share your knowledge with me.^
If you're going to be flying a lot, think about whether it's worth paying a little bit more for always flying in the same alliance and building up miles and status. Obviously other forums on this site will guide you with that, but even just 3x per year to the US could give you a lot of benefits. I'll pay £100 more to fly with BA/AA now - it's worth it for my 15,000+ miles.
Be careful about flying out of other non-UK airports, the ticket prices may look good on some occasions, but make sure you add on ALL the extras you need to get there. I fell into this trap a few times... buying an extra flight or train ticket, maybe a hotel or a sleepless night at an airport, extra meals you'll be buying because your trip is extended... sometimes it's worth it, other times not... and always allow plenty of connecting time or your ticket could be worthless if you miss the flight. Being in Harrogate with your local airport as LBA, you could fly Jet2 to AMS, but their record for on-time departures and cancellations in my own experience is not great! Check flights from MAN direct or via LHR as well. Sometimes flying from NCL through LHR can be cheaper than a ticket from LHR direct to the US.