Washington DC Round Trip to Edinburgh in June
 

I was told to look at Icelandair, but apparently they only fly to Glasgow. Most flights I see stop at Heathrow, and I'm seeing fares around $13-1400. Will that get better? Does anyone know which airlines I should keep an eye on?

I tend to use Kayak and Vayama, would welcome other search engines. I also look at specific airline sites. Seems like British Air and Virgin Atlantic are top contenders for this flight.

Any help much appreciated!

Alice

Nothing wrong w/ flying into GLA. The two cities are less than 45 miles apart and there is a quick train from central Glasgow to central Edinburgh.

No matter who you fly you'll have to connect somewhere either London, or Amsterdam or Paris or other places by air - or from Glasgow by train. So just get the best fare/best schedule.

Oh - and also look at flying into Manchester - You can catch a train from MAN to Edinburgh.

Or fly UAL from Newark..if they still serve that route.

Yes - United flies that route . . in that case your 'transfer' would be at the front end from DC to EWR

So - you have to transfer <i>somewhere</i> - at the beginning, at some European airport, or Glasgow to Edinburgh. In the long run most options require about the same time in transit and 'schlepp factor'. All have pros and cons but even out in the end. Just go for fare and/or schedule.

Okay, thanks everyone. We don't like the transfer to be on this end, because if you miss it, it's much harder to get another international flight. (We were once bused from Baltimore to Philadelphia because Delta canceled a flight - and we had a connection to Madrid we did NOT want to miss).

And I like leaving in the evening and having time to sleep so London or Glasgow is probably better. Not sure the difference in price to Glasgow is worth having to deal with the train...

I AM better about sweating over the airfare prices - when I think about the total I pay for the trip, getting heartburn over a few hundred dollars seems silly.

So I'll look for a decent price at convenient times, books (and not look back!).

Thanks so much,
Alice

Caveat - people are different. (I know, duh.)

I travel to EDI fairly often and my views are that I don't think a nighttime crossing from the east coast gives anywhere near adequate time to "sleep." Because of tailwinds, the scheduled block times (around 7 hours typically) are routinely overestimated; I've made the trip (from JFK or EWR) in less than 6 1/2 hours on numerous occasions.

The result is that after takeoff and all the announcements and sales (duty free, credit card pitches etc.) then the drinks and "meal" service, the lights go off around 1 1/2 to 2 hours post-departure. Then they come back on 90 min. before landing to allow "breakfast" and more announcements (immigration and customs forms, etc.) with the net result that you have around 2-3 hours of darkness. Then it's trekking through the airport, immigration, bag claim, customs, exit to the world, blah blah. And if you're then connecting to another flight, all that rigamarole in reverse. With a 7 AM arrival and all that, you turn up at your hotel at 1 PM or so, ready to drop, but guess what? Your room isn't ready yet. Sucks.

My solution <i>if you can make it work</i> is to take morning flight (UA) from Dulles to Heathrow. It arrives at 9:30 PM (4:30 for you). By the time you've finished at the airport and have taken a bus to a Heathrow hotel (we use Priceline and have never paid more than $100 for a 4-star hotel near the airport) It's 11:30 or so local time. Have a nightcap in the bar and sleep in a real bed instead of a 17" x 31" airplane seat. The next morning go back to the airport and take a short hop up to Scotland, where you drop your bags at the hotel and start your trip. With us, the daytime flight plus LHR hotel virtually eliminates jetlag, so the day is far, far more productive than it is when you're part of the walking dead.

The one-way fares from LHR to EDI are typically around $100, cheaper than the train (with whom they're competing) and flights on BA or Virgin leave every hour or so, so you can travel north when you feel like it.

Coming back, I'd look at the transatlantic nonstops from EDI to Newark (United) or Philly (US Airways/AA.) It's much easier than the scrum at Heathrow IMO.

This might seem a little more expensive and time-consuming than the straightforward overnight flight plus morning connection (air or train) but - for us at least - it makes for a much more productive and comfortable time right from the get-go.

Lord - living on the west coast I soooooo envy the few east coast cities that have a daytime flight to the UK! If it was possible from out here, that would be the ONLY way I'd fly to London.

(I could by spending the first day/night in New York, DC, etc. but so far I haven't sprung for that. But it gets more and more appealing)

Gardyloo - interesting approach, that I will remember. I will consider that.

But until we retire, time is a critical factor, so I'm not sure I'd want to add extra travel time, even if I can get more sleep. Usually on those flights I can get close to 4 hours sleep (I earplug, eyeshade disconnect from the surrounding world as soon as I finish eating). I admit the first day there is long, but the daylight helps my brain re-orient, and I can stay awake because I'm excited to be there.

And yes, I may try going to Newark or Philly on the way back, not so hard to get home if we miss our connection. Good idea.

janisj, let me know when you decide to do a layover in DC!

Alice

There has been a bus from the terminal at GLA to the bus terminal in the center of Edinburgh. It made one stop at the bus terminal in central Glasgow. Get on, keep, awaken in Edinburgh.

I write "has been" because I haven't taken it in several years.

Should have been "sleep" not "keep."

One other question - how long should I plan for a layover at LHR? I see flights with a pretty short layover (just over an hour) - is that cutting it too close?

Thanks again,
Alice

<i>I see flights with a pretty short layover (just over an hour) - is that cutting it too close?</i>

You mean connecting at Heathrow off the transatlantic flight? It would make me very uncomfortable; I'd shoot for 2 hours if it's all in Terminal 5, longer if you need to change terminals. Sometimes the queues for passport control can be very long.

If all BA (in T5) 2 or 2.5 hours would be good to allow for immigration queues and if you are lucky w/ no delays, T5 is a major shopping mall - even has a Gordon Ramsey restaurant - to fill the time.

If a terminal change I'd want 3+ hours

(I'll be sure to be in touch if I'm traveling to/through DC)