Hi everyone

I'm looking to get to Hawaii with my young family as cheaply and comfortably as possible, next October (2008).

I am in South Cumbria in northwest England (UK), so my nearest major airport is Manchester. Other possibilities are Glasgow, Newcastle, Leeds and even Birmginham. The London airports aren't out of the question for us, but they are a little less convenient.

At the time of travel, our two boys will be 4 and a half and nearly 3. So... we will need 4 seats in total.

I don't mind where we arrive in Hawaii, and I was wondering what my options were. Would I fly trans-Atlantic (or is going the other way round - less jet lag??) an option? If going trans-Atlantic, I wouldn't be averse to a night or two stopover at somewhere like NYC or Seattle, or anywhere else for that matter. Does that make it cheaper or more expensive as far as the flight costs are concerned? (I appreciate that there will be accommodation to pay for if we do that.)

Finally, am I best booking now rather than leaving it until later? Some airlines I searched didn't seem to give availability for next October, so I'm not sure if I should be holding out until their options are made available, or whether it's a case of the earlier you book, the better the deal.

Thanks for any help.

PS - I don't have very much in the way of Air Miles (modest amounts from KLM, bmi, and 'miles and more' but nothing of great significance)