[Milton-L] Query re standard summer airfare to London

[Lorayne C. Mundy]

Carol
My grandchildren live in England, and I have travelled there quite often for over 25 years...so this is based on my experience, not scientific studies.  Having said that, there is very little good news about traveling in peak season, and it will run around $1000 RT (and that's not lst class on Virgin!).  However, with some dedication to surfing the net, timing, and flexibility in schedule, I have swung prices between $700-800 during peak time.  Some things that worked for me:
    -Try the European lines first, they seem to offer more sales
    -  If you're doing two legs of a trip originating out of the US, book the 2nd leg (in Europe on a separate RT ticket, and use a European line...it's much cheaper than a straight US ticket.  For example if you want to go to Ireland while in London, book RT US/London whereever you can get it cheapest, but call Aer Lingus for a separate RT from London/Dublin for about $35 or less.
    -  Last minute fairs are always cheapest
    -  There are "cheap days" to travel...different for each airline.  When booking on line you can sometimes save quite a bit by moving either your arr or dep date forward or back a day or two.  usually it's on a mid week basis, and worth checking it out.
    -  And finally, if you have a really good travel agent, and they're really hungry, they can get you some darned good discounts.

Hope this helps.
lorayne mundy
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Carol Barton 
  To: Milton-L 
  Sent: Wednesday, March 12, 2008 8:48 AM
  Subject: [Milton-L] Query re standard summer airfare to London


  Hello, everyone!

  I don't usually fly to London in peak season, and haven't been there in a couple of years (last trip was before the price of oil went into the stratosphere!) so I have nothing to go by, to determine what is and is not a "bargain" fare. (The least expensive I've seen from 'DC to Heathrow is over $1,000.) Could someone more familiar with the vagaries of the airfare market in peak season for trips to Europe from the States give those of us who need to be in London in July an idea of what it should cost, and--perhaps even more importantly--how long we should wait to book tickets? 

  Thanks much for any insight you can offer. I'm sure others are suffering "sticker shock," too, and I haven't been able to get anyone at British Airways/Virgin Atlantic, Orbitz, Expedia, or even the trip advisor sites to give me a straight answer on this.

  Best to all--

  Carol Barton


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