Eva

I'm planning a trip in FEB 03 from SEATTLE and need to visit the following cities: MANCHESTER (MAN U game), EDINBURGH (get married), &amp; LONDON (visit family). Dates are firm so I don't have much flexibility with them. Should I buy roundtrip tickets to get me to LONDON and wait until I arrive to purchase one way tickets to MAN, EDI, and back to LONDON or should I buy the entire package before I get there? Domestic flights are dead cheap but I've never bought them so close to a departure date. Are budget airlines more expensive purchasing on the day of travel, and do flights leave pretty regularly regardless of selling most of their seats? Do they favor web purchases? I'd really like to avoid the train so don't suggest. <BR>Thanks in advance.

AA

Eva,<BR>First, from one ManU fan to another, CONGRATULATIONS!!!! I visit the Old Trafford at least 3-4 times a year. The Red Devils are not doing so well right now in the league games, but are right at the top in the Champions League. In February there is always a possibility some games will be moved around, just because of Champions League, so make sure you keep on checking their website. Now, as far as the budget airlines, yes, the earlier yo buy the cheaper the seats are. They work on the principle of selling certain quantity of seats at certain price, and once they are gone, the price goes up, and the cycle is repeated. Occasionally, I have flown on EasyJet and they were sold out. My suggestion would be to purchase UK domestic tickets as soon as you can. I found a great site to compare prices for ALL the European budget airlines - applefares.com.<BR>Again CONGRATULATIONS, and GO RED DEVILS!!!<BR>Good Luck!<BR>

amiko

We used EasyJet for several domestic flights. Cheap, reliable, simple.<BR><BR>BUT: They leave London from Luton, not Heathrow,<BR><BR>And ones you buy a ticket -- that's it. You want to change dates -- pay dearly.

Alec

Though I'm not a ManU fan, on my flight back from Heathrow on British Midland last Saturday, I shared the plane with most of ManU's first team plus Fergy returning from their Fulham match. I commiserated Fergy on the draw, and he gave me a rye smile.... that penalty!<BR>About your flight plans, investigate BA and BM as well, as they have both recently lowered fares on many routes and removed restrictions like Saturday-night stay. Usually the earlier you book, the more likely you get a cheap seat. Go to their websites ba.com and flybmi.co.uk and put in your dates. Currently you can fly Heathrow - Manchester one way from around &pound;27 one way (tax &amp; charges incl), and similar for Edinburgh. aerfares.net/index.php will give you range of fares on budget airlines.

Nigel Doran

Go to www.ba.com and book ahead. British Airways are now a lot cheaper than they used to be, more in fact like the low cost airlines. British Midland is good to. <BR><BR>How about trains? www.thetrainline.com will give you ideas about tickets and journey times, but if you are Ok with flying and get decent prices, then go for it. <BR><BR>NB Return (round trip) fares are nearly always cheaper over here than single (one way) fares. That goes for trains and planes. <BR><BR>If you went to www.virgin.com and clicked on trains and then went to Virgin Value fares, you will get some v cheap one way tickets. Eg. London to Manchester for &pound;10 single (and you can then upgrade when you buy online to first for an extra &pound;15.) That is a very good deal as it is city centre to city centre. Likewise, Manchester to Edinburgh is very do-able on Virgin, and E'burgh to London is easy on GNER trains (the company that runs that line)or on British Airways or easyJet. One way train tickets on GNER are not all that cheap, tho, so you might have to pull a fast one and get a cheap return and not use the going back portion. <BR>I think you can book train tickets 3 months ahead. If in doubt, ring the number given on the trainline site and chat with an operator. (NB the super cheap Virgin Value fares are only available on the web.)