Best Days/Cities/Airlines?
 

Would like to fly from U.S. to London in Jan, March or April 2000. I live in north Florida, would probably drive to Atlanta, Orlando, Tampa and fly from there through Miami or Newark or Philadelphia. If I have a choice, which is best? What airlines do you like/dislike? What days are least crowded for flying to/from my area of the U.S. to London. All advice appreciated. <BR>

BritAir flies to London from Miami (direct, no stops); I believe there are other direct flights from Orlando and Atlanta; that's my recommendation. Don't change in DC or NYC; get a direct flight. Check www.travelocity.com for available airlines/cities....

Virgin Atlantic fly direct from Orlando to London Gatwick, which is a smaller airport that Heathrow, thus easier to get out of. There is a direct rail link to London's Victoria station or you can hire a car. <BR>You would also have an early immersion in the British experience, as the plane will be full of families returning from Mouseworld (this may or may not be a good thing!)I agree, DON'T transfer at Newark, I have and it's hell on earth!

I live in Orlando and flew direct to London from here on Virgin - it was a fantastic flight - I wouldn't fly anyone else over to London. Even the food was good. I would definitely recommend Virgin - and Gatwick is a much smaller airport and less confusing. The direct link to Victoria Station was a breeze. I believe British Airways also goes direct from Orlando. We went in March, and got a fantastic price on Virgin - March is still considered the off-season for London because it's kind of chilly. We flew on a Friday evening, and arrived in London Saturday a.m. <BR> <BR>Enjoy your trip...

Jean, <BR>British Air, Continental and Virgin all have direct, nonstop flights to London from Orlando. British Air and Delta fly direct from Atlanta. Don't consider any flight where you will change planes! Why? If your connecting flight is delayed you may miss your London flight. Whether you connect or not, your luggage may not! With nonstop options out of Atlanta or Orlando, there's no need to connect via Miami, Newark or Philadelphia.

I would choose British Airways which is by far the best airline on the Orlando-London route. <BR> <BR>Chris

If you fly into Gatwick... <BR> <BR>...this is just one anecdotal experience, but I understand it is NOT a rare event. <BR> <BR>Traveling by car from Gatwick to London (Piccadilly) put me in one of the worst traffic messes I've ever experienced in my life (remember, you inevitably arrive London at morning rush hour). <BR> <BR>Taking the tube MUST be better than using the roads (and I am one of the biggest cheerleaders here for getting a car in Europe). <BR> <BR>This was NOT because I was driving. <BR> <BR>We were being transported by Edward Manning - - [email protected] - - (I trust he's still in business) - - I give Eddie and his crew an unqualified "thumbs up" otherwise - - a very good bargain if you have 4 or more (can fit up to 7 in one of their very comfortable mini-vans). <BR> <BR>And to their credit, they tried everything imaginable to get us to our hotel quickly - - after all, they don't make money sitting in traffic. In heavy rains (hey, guess what - - it rains in London sometimes! wink!) there are various low spots on roads that are prone to spot flooding, and the traffic simply has nowhere to go, at least not very fast! <BR> <BR>That said, I am NOT negative on London otherwise. <BR> <BR>Have a great trip!

Rex: we used chauffeur.co.uk this fall, with the same two thumbs up. According to the website, Eddie doesn't own the company anymore, but they give a link to him. We were six women, and the van from Gatwick to London was a godsend. He also provided great service to two other of our group that had to do the Gatwick&lt;&gt;Heathrow thing, a bit more expensive than the Speedlink, but worth it to know they were in good h

Jean, here's my two cents. In general, you'll get a lower airfare if you fly Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. (Of course the fare will probably require a stay over Saturday night.) The airlines give lower airfares then because business travel is heaviest on Monday and Friday and most recreational travel is done on Friday thru Sunday. <BR> <BR>The post above was right about trying to get a direct flight if at all possible. There are just too many things that can go wrong when you have to change planes, both for you and your luggage. I'm going to Paris in May and the only direct flight from DFW was on American so I'm flying the "friendly skies". Maybe not my first choice for airline, but the direct flight was a must. <BR> <BR>I've never been to Europe and I am very excited about the trip. Fodors has been an invaluable research resource that I highly recommend. You can do a search to help you select which airline to use. But time can catch up with you faster than you would think while you think about which airline and hotel, etc. <BR> <BR>Enjoy your trip!

I have found that in recent years Delta flights have very tight seating. <BR>We flew to Paris from Atlanta on a Delta flight. The aircraft was an MD-11. <BR>It had the tighest seating I have experienced in all the years I have flown. I realize Paris is not London, but my experience with Delta is not encouraging for any of its routes. <BR>The same was true on a Delta flight from Phoenix to Atlanta. Tight, but fortunately the flight was not full so we could sit one seat apart and did not have the seat in front of us driven into our laps.