Leslie

I'm researching the best/least costly flight options for my good friend who is going on an Earthwatch expedition in Kenya, in July. She needs to get to Nairobi from Los Angeles and would like a few days in any European city on her way home. I know nothing about which are the favored carriers and routes or travel agencies/consolidators. Can anybody with knowledge make suggestions?<BR><BR>So far, it looks like the best bet might be a round trip flight LAX to London and then a rountrip ticket London to Nairobi. Opinions?

me

What you've mentioned already - i.e., coming to London and getting the Nairobi ticket from here - is exactly what I would recommend, and have recommended in the past. London's one of the cheapest hubs for flights throughout Europe and many destinations in Africa. The only other thing I would suggest would be to research the cost of flights to Nairobi from Frankfurt. That's another big European gateway to Africa and you may find something cheaper there.

Gina

Try KLM via Amsterdam. This is what we did. We bought inexpensive two RT tickets, one Newark-Amsterdam on Continental and the other on KLM Amsterdam-Nairobi. We stayed in Amsterdam before and after our trip. KLM flies two Nairobi twice a day. One flight is KLM but operated by Air Kenya.

Leslie

Thank you both so much!!

Hans

Something else you could try which worked for us is that we flew from San Francisco to Paris on United and then bought a second ticket on British Airways from London to Nairobi with a stop over in London. It sounds silly but it saved us over $700 per person as there is virtually no compeition on the London-Nairobi route but Kenyan Airways flights from Paris to Nairobi so British Airways lowered their rates if you would fly to London first. We ended up spending a few days in Paris on the way there and it was great!