Advice on flight options: Edinburgh to Canada
May 14, 2009, 9:29 am
#1
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Advice on flight options: Edinburgh to Canada
I'm going to visit my mate in Canda and I've 4 options for getting there. Im new to this so any other suggestions or advice would really be appreciated.
Think there's any way of knocking ££ off option 4?
my main concerns with option 2 and 3 are:
*Using non-allience airlines and what happens if flights are late to NY or SEA
*Time going through US customs (and would I have to go through in NY?)
Option 1 - £700 + hotel for a night
Edinburgh - Heathrow (BA)
Heathrow - Vancouver (BA)
7 hour drive - Bus or mate picks me up (means he loses a days hol from work)
Upsides: Way back I get a day to stroll around in vancouver and I wouldnt lose a day of my holiday
Downside: 2nd Most expensive option. Want to avoid having to get my mate to pick me up. Way back is okay for Greyhound times buy my outward journey would most likely need a night in Vancouver, then Greyhound in morning.
Option 2 - £620-£650
Edinburgh - Amsterdam or Paris (KLM)
Amsterdam or Paris - Seattle (KLM)
4.5 hour wait
Seattle - Kelowna (Alaska Airlines)
Upsides: Average cost. Flights to ultimate destination.
Downsides: Have to go through US customs in both directions in Seattle. Seperate airlines with no allience so I imagine if I'm late getting to Seattle either way I'd be screwed. Correct??
Option 3 - £610
Edinburgh - New York (Con)
New York - Seattle (Con)
4 hour wait
Seattle - Kelowna (Alaska Airlines)
Upsides: Cheapest. Flights to ultimate destination.
Downsides: Same as option 2. Plus change in New York. Would I have to go through customs there too? A friend has suggested I would have to!
Option 4 - £800
Edinburgh - Heathrow (BA)
Heathrow - Vancouver (BA)
Vancouver - kelowna (Air Canada)
Upsides: Allience means if flights are late or whatever they will ge me there. No changes in USA. No buses or ay off for mate.
Downsides: £300 more expensive than others! (and I could do with that £300!!!)
For what its worth I have no miles or anything that I can use!
Think there's any way of knocking ££ off option 4?
my main concerns with option 2 and 3 are:
*Using non-allience airlines and what happens if flights are late to NY or SEA
*Time going through US customs (and would I have to go through in NY?)
Option 1 - £700 + hotel for a night
Edinburgh - Heathrow (BA)
Heathrow - Vancouver (BA)
7 hour drive - Bus or mate picks me up (means he loses a days hol from work)
Upsides: Way back I get a day to stroll around in vancouver and I wouldnt lose a day of my holiday
Downside: 2nd Most expensive option. Want to avoid having to get my mate to pick me up. Way back is okay for Greyhound times buy my outward journey would most likely need a night in Vancouver, then Greyhound in morning.
Option 2 - £620-£650
Edinburgh - Amsterdam or Paris (KLM)
Amsterdam or Paris - Seattle (KLM)
4.5 hour wait
Seattle - Kelowna (Alaska Airlines)
Upsides: Average cost. Flights to ultimate destination.
Downsides: Have to go through US customs in both directions in Seattle. Seperate airlines with no allience so I imagine if I'm late getting to Seattle either way I'd be screwed. Correct??
Option 3 - £610
Edinburgh - New York (Con)
New York - Seattle (Con)
4 hour wait
Seattle - Kelowna (Alaska Airlines)
Upsides: Cheapest. Flights to ultimate destination.
Downsides: Same as option 2. Plus change in New York. Would I have to go through customs there too? A friend has suggested I would have to!
Option 4 - £800
Edinburgh - Heathrow (BA)
Heathrow - Vancouver (BA)
Vancouver - kelowna (Air Canada)
Upsides: Allience means if flights are late or whatever they will ge me there. No changes in USA. No buses or ay off for mate.
Downsides: £300 more expensive than others! (and I could do with that £300!!!)
For what its worth I have no miles or anything that I can use!
Last edited by The doomed; May 14, 2009 at 9:45 am
May 14, 2009, 5:38 pm
#3
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Option 4 - £800
Edinburgh - Heathrow (BA)
Heathrow - Vancouver (BA)
Vancouver - kelowna (Air Canada)
Upsides: Allience means if flights are late or whatever they will ge me there. No changes in USA. No buses or ay off for mate.
Downsides: £300 more expensive than others! (and I could do with that £300!!!)
BA is OneWorld AC is *
May 14, 2009, 5:53 pm
#4
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KL and Alaska are mileage partners. As long as you have KL ticket the AS portion for you in one itinerary, you shouldn't have any trouble with option 2.
May 14, 2009, 7:18 pm
#5
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May 14, 2009, 11:55 pm
#6
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 297
option 4 sounds good....another alternative is this...
i looked it up on expedia i dont know why they dont offer this....dates being june 1st to and june 30 return (i dont know your proposed dates so im winging it)
first look up edi to yyz, you will find...
bmi from edi to lhr then aircan to yyz (toronto) 745$canadian
then look up yyz to ylw you will find...
either air can or westjet direct to ylw 600$aircan or 550$wjet
im sure that if you call the right agent you can get all that on one itenary (if its all aircan)... looking up edi to ylw will route you through yvr or some stop in the us for some reason...unlike yvr or seattle, yyz is on the way...
this route, should you not take the cheaper westjet will cost you 765gbp...flying past ylw only to go back to it seems kind of counter intuitive and sitting in another vehicle for hours after all that flying is also kind of lame...
plus this route keeps you with the star alliance the whole way... i say 765gbp is worth it...skyteam does not have airlines native to your origin or destination, which will run the risk of getting bumsexed by the tsa...
i looked it up on expedia i dont know why they dont offer this....dates being june 1st to and june 30 return (i dont know your proposed dates so im winging it)
first look up edi to yyz, you will find...
bmi from edi to lhr then aircan to yyz (toronto) 745$canadian
then look up yyz to ylw you will find...
either air can or westjet direct to ylw 600$aircan or 550$wjet
im sure that if you call the right agent you can get all that on one itenary (if its all aircan)... looking up edi to ylw will route you through yvr or some stop in the us for some reason...unlike yvr or seattle, yyz is on the way...
this route, should you not take the cheaper westjet will cost you 765gbp...flying past ylw only to go back to it seems kind of counter intuitive and sitting in another vehicle for hours after all that flying is also kind of lame...
plus this route keeps you with the star alliance the whole way... i say 765gbp is worth it...skyteam does not have airlines native to your origin or destination, which will run the risk of getting bumsexed by the tsa...
Last edited by shiv666; May 15, 2009 at 12:06 am Reason: forgot about the alliance bit...
May 15, 2009, 1:56 am
#7
Join Date: Jun 2008
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Posts: 7,884
NOOOOOO
The OP would have to pass through Immigration/Customs TWICE,
once in EWR (word 'transit' does not exists in the USA - all passengers would need to clear Immigration/Customs - the only exception, I am aware of, is MIA if you fly on to the Latin American destinations - you still need to clear Immigration/Customs in MIA, but your bagage will be send through - and will sometimes even make it - to the final destination) as well as in Kelowna.
Bear in mind we are talking about the States and Canada and not about the Schengen area within EU
The OP would have to pass through Immigration/Customs TWICE,
once in EWR (word 'transit' does not exists in the USA - all passengers would need to clear Immigration/Customs - the only exception, I am aware of, is MIA if you fly on to the Latin American destinations - you still need to clear Immigration/Customs in MIA, but your bagage will be send through - and will sometimes even make it - to the final destination) as well as in Kelowna.
Bear in mind we are talking about the States and Canada and not about the Schengen area within EU
May 15, 2009, 2:02 am
#8
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Phoenix
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NOOOOOO
The OP would have to pass through Immigration/Customs TWICE,
once in EWR (word 'transit' does not exists in the USA - all passengers would need to clear Immigration/Customs - the only exception, I am aware of, is MIA if you fly on to the Latin American destinations - you still need to clear Immigration/Customs in MIA, but your bagage will be send through - and will sometimes even make it - to the final destination) as well as in Kelowna.
Bear in mind we are talking about the States and Canada and not about the Schengen area within EU
The OP would have to pass through Immigration/Customs TWICE,
once in EWR (word 'transit' does not exists in the USA - all passengers would need to clear Immigration/Customs - the only exception, I am aware of, is MIA if you fly on to the Latin American destinations - you still need to clear Immigration/Customs in MIA, but your bagage will be send through - and will sometimes even make it - to the final destination) as well as in Kelowna.
Bear in mind we are talking about the States and Canada and not about the Schengen area within EU
I said first port of entry meaning to the US. Obviously he will need to clear again in Canada. I dont see what the big deal is if you are a legitimate traveler.
May 15, 2009, 4:34 am
#9
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As missydarlin already mentioned - AS & KL are partners through mileage plan - codeshares do exist... (Not certain for this route...)
Moreover CO & BA are partners with AS too - so if ticketed together- one should have better luck if a connection issue occurs...
As missydarlin already mentioned - AS & KL are partners through mileage plan - codeshares do exist... (Not certain for this route...)
Moreover CO & BA are partners with AS too - so if ticketed together- one should have better luck if a connection issue occurs...
May 15, 2009, 6:08 am
#11
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Posts: 400
Thanks folks.
Would I be best going into a travel agent and asking?
How do I know if its a code share? If i put Edinburgh - Kelwona into Opodo I can book some KLM and Alaska Flights on the same intinary - that what you mean?
I have devised an appealing option 5:
Option 5 - £725 + £22 greyhound
Edinburgh - Heathrow (BA)
Heathrow - Vancouver (BA/AC)
Vancouver - Kelowna (AC)
On way back...
Midnight Greyhound to Vanc (Gives me day in Vanc)
Vancouver - Heathrow
Heathrow - Edinburgh
However if I can book the KLM & Alaska flights on a single ticket I'd go for that. Can anyone confirm thats possible??
And an update on dates:
Holidays booked at work from 22nd Aug - 9th Sept so ideally flying out 22nd Aug and back on 8th Sept.
Would I be best going into a travel agent and asking?
How do I know if its a code share? If i put Edinburgh - Kelwona into Opodo I can book some KLM and Alaska Flights on the same intinary - that what you mean?
I have devised an appealing option 5:
Option 5 - £725 + £22 greyhound
Edinburgh - Heathrow (BA)
Heathrow - Vancouver (BA/AC)
Vancouver - Kelowna (AC)
On way back...
Midnight Greyhound to Vanc (Gives me day in Vanc)
Vancouver - Heathrow
Heathrow - Edinburgh
However if I can book the KLM & Alaska flights on a single ticket I'd go for that. Can anyone confirm thats possible??
And an update on dates:
Holidays booked at work from 22nd Aug - 9th Sept so ideally flying out 22nd Aug and back on 8th Sept.
May 15, 2009, 12:35 pm
#13
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May 15, 2009, 3:12 pm
#14
Join Date: May 2007
Location: ORD, DEL
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Posts: 6,185
This is available for £620 (minor variations may be possible) -
* Continental Flight 37 on a Boeing 757 (jet) in coach class
Departs Edinburgh (EDI) Sun, Aug 23 9:25a 7 hrs 35 min
Arrives Newark, NJ (EWR) noon
* Layover in Newark 2 hrs 20 min
* Continental Flight 1681 on a Boeing 737 (jet) in coach class
Departs Newark, NJ (EWR) Sun, Aug 23 2:20p 5 hrs 55 min
Arrives Seattle, WA (SEA) 5:15p
* Layover in Seattle 4 hrs 25 min
* Alaska Airlines Flight AS2430 on a De Havilland Dash-8 (prop plane) in coach class (operated by Horizon Air)
Departs Seattle, WA (SEA) Sun, Aug 23 9:40p 1 hr 0 min
Arrives Kelowna, Canada (YLW) 10:40p
=====
* Alaska Airlines Flight AS2429 on a De Havilland Dash-8 (prop plane) in coach class (operated by Horizon Air)
Departs Kelowna, Canada (YLW) Mon, Sept 7 6:00a 1 hr 10 min
Arrives Seattle, WA (SEA) 7:10a
* Layover in Seattle 3 hrs 45 min
* Continental Flight 1680 on a Boeing 737 (jet) in coach class
Departs Seattle, WA (SEA) Mon, Sept 7 10:55 5 hrs 14 min
Arrives Newark, NJ (EWR) 7:09p
* Layover in Newark 3 hrs 6 min
* Continental Flight 108 on a Boeing 757 (jet) in coach class
Departs Newark, NJ (EWR) Mon, Sept 7 10:15p 6 hrs 45 min
Arrives Edinburgh (EDI) Tue, Sept 8 10:00a
=====
* Continental Flight 37 on a Boeing 757 (jet) in coach class
Departs Edinburgh (EDI) Sun, Aug 23 9:25a 7 hrs 35 min
Arrives Newark, NJ (EWR) noon
* Layover in Newark 2 hrs 20 min
* Continental Flight 1681 on a Boeing 737 (jet) in coach class
Departs Newark, NJ (EWR) Sun, Aug 23 2:20p 5 hrs 55 min
Arrives Seattle, WA (SEA) 5:15p
* Layover in Seattle 4 hrs 25 min
* Alaska Airlines Flight AS2430 on a De Havilland Dash-8 (prop plane) in coach class (operated by Horizon Air)
Departs Seattle, WA (SEA) Sun, Aug 23 9:40p 1 hr 0 min
Arrives Kelowna, Canada (YLW) 10:40p
=====
* Alaska Airlines Flight AS2429 on a De Havilland Dash-8 (prop plane) in coach class (operated by Horizon Air)
Departs Kelowna, Canada (YLW) Mon, Sept 7 6:00a 1 hr 10 min
Arrives Seattle, WA (SEA) 7:10a
* Layover in Seattle 3 hrs 45 min
* Continental Flight 1680 on a Boeing 737 (jet) in coach class
Departs Seattle, WA (SEA) Mon, Sept 7 10:55 5 hrs 14 min
Arrives Newark, NJ (EWR) 7:09p
* Layover in Newark 3 hrs 6 min
* Continental Flight 108 on a Boeing 757 (jet) in coach class
Departs Newark, NJ (EWR) Mon, Sept 7 10:15p 6 hrs 45 min
Arrives Edinburgh (EDI) Tue, Sept 8 10:00a
=====
May 15, 2009, 4:16 pm
#15
Join Date: Apr 2009
Posts: 219
If you book two separate tickets on the same airline, or within the same alliance, and one of the flights is late, you are entirely at the mercy of the onward carrier as to whether they will reseat you. If there's a lot of spare capacity and the agents are feeling kind, they might - but if bad weather or other systemic delays have affected lots of passengers, you'd be out of luck.
FWIW if you haven't been to Vancouver I'd spend a day there, it's a nice place.