Originally Posted by
tom911
I wouldn't be too worried about a frequent flyer program in the short term and just shop on fare. I primarily use Google flight explorer and I know many also use ITA Matrix. They give you some flexibility in searching multiple airports or airports within a certain distance of your origin/destination.
https://www.google.com/flights/
https://matrix.itasoftware.com/
With UA and DL, an $800 ticket is only going to bring in around 3,500 miles, so not much when a free domestic ticket is 25,000 miles. At AA, you'll do slightly better with around 9,000 miles RT via JFK, but again not too much you can do with 9,000 miles. If you start flying for business these numbers can change significantly with higher priced fares (DL, UA), but I'd wait until that day comes to pick a carrier or alliance.
So it may not even be worth looking into if only for the one trip...I suppose that makes sense given that any discounts on the $1200 AA fare would have to get below the $900 low-cost fare to even be worth the effort. I figured with all the ways to accumulate miles without stepping foot on a plane that it would be possible, but if it requires a massive amount of points then yeah, not worth. Helps me come to a decision faster!
Originally Posted by
tom911
One thing that could hurt you is flying around Christmas. Fares tend to run higher at that time of year versus early December or later in January.
Your bigger expense could be accommodations, particularly if you're planning on hotels in London. Are you going to do hostels or stay with friends? I wouldn't buy an airline ticket until you have a good handle on ground costs which could include not just hotels but rail or flights within Europe.
I'll be staying with friends for the duration, so that's taken care of. I'm mostly there to work on a project with them, so I figure working on that will also help stifle a lot of the expenses that come with staying there.
I'm only traveling around the holidays because that's the only time our schedules allow me to visit for...if I left before the 27th I wouldn't have accommodations! For staying for a couple weeks, I need the RT fare as low as I can. $900 is reasonable for me, and i've heard positive things about Aer Lingus, so if that really is the best I can do, i'll take it!
Thanks a ton for your help!