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Looking for cheap summer airfare to London

Looking for cheap summer airfare to London

Old Apr 26th, 2004, 05:58 PM
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One way to check on just how loaded the airlines are for Europe travel in the summer is to check on a representative airline. Go to the AA website, click on schedule, pick your transatlantic flight,then click on the green available checks for each flight. The site will tell you which seats are currently empty on any AA flight. I just tried, the loads from JFK-LHR for the next several months, including Aug. seem VERY low. THis tells me that AA will probably have a seat sale. Now, it could also be that AA's pricing is not competitive at the moment but I doubt this. I would hold on.
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Old Apr 26th, 2004, 06:05 PM
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Oops, meant to say that I'm paying 690.00 (not 790.00) for Dulles-London-Basel-Frankfurt-Dulles (mid June- July 5)
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Old Apr 26th, 2004, 06:23 PM
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I am amazed at somr of the prices listed here. Yes, there are good deals once in a while to anywhere. But I am convonced they are what are called in the retail business as 'loss leaders' In other words if we advertize a restricted firt come first served basis low prices then those that don't actually get that price assume that they just were too late. The price you pay is simple economics and is related to supply and demand. Having traveled to Eourope on many occasions throughout the year it is obvious the airlines price by popular time of year.

So, waiting is a huge risk. On average, you will save money by booking early rather than waiting. The price is doscounted. Look at the cheap European arlines. They tell you that up front. Their prices rise as you get closer to the date of travel. No games, just honesty. That's how they price. So overall, don't wait up to more than 30 days out. That's when fares start to rise. Watch prices and chose your best deal. Having purchased your ticket then continue to watch prices. If your ticket price falls then call your airline and ask for a rfund. They used to provide a full credit. Now they offfer a voucher good to another flight.
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Old Apr 26th, 2004, 06:42 PM
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It's not true that booking early means a cheaper fare on low-cost carriers. It can go either way, although there do tend to be higher fares if you book in the last few days. I would have saved about $150 last year on two sets of two one-way tickets had I booked a month later on Ryanair.

Same way with fares from North American to Europe - for this summer I did buy them early, in February, but I would have paid several hundred more per ticket had I purchased them even one day earlier than what I did.
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Old Apr 26th, 2004, 07:59 PM
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Airlines are no different than retailers-they just sell seats. All airlines run programs that calculate load factors etc. and indicate when to 'dump' the inventory and what the anticipated price sensitivity to a specific reduction in fare will be. This can happen in both peak and non peak timeframes. For transatlantic flights, these discounts can vary greatly by route. You have to keep your eyes open. Sometimes only one or two routes/schedules will be considerably discounted for several days until the revised load factors are deemed acceptable to that particular carrier.
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Old Apr 27th, 2004, 10:15 AM
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Check Bestfares.com. I got an email yesterday saying there was a promotion for trips to London begining Aug 1
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Old May 14th, 2004, 09:47 AM
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I just booked a fare for my daughter from Atlanta to London for $473 plus $118 security fees, etc. Flying out May 25, returning June 15. There were cheaper flights (Virgin Atlantic out of Atlanta - $403, which was actually a delta flight connecting to a JFK VA departure--so might be really cheap if you're in NY)

A suggestion, if you can, on the various travel sites put in "flexible dates" rather than fixed dates. This should give you a listing of lots of different airlines and lots of different flight options, including some seasonal options (note - for some of these, departing in May is still cheap(comparatively speaking, even if you're coming back in high season. Most of the rates I saw were good for a maximum stay of 3-12 months, and the most common restriction was that you had to fly midweek and could not book a return until the 1st Sunday after your arrival--not too cumbersome.
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Old May 14th, 2004, 02:16 PM
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Since summer is peak tourist season, don't expect to find many deals out there. Fares between mid-June thru mid-September are going to be high.

We go to England at the end of June every year, and if we're not flying on a frequent flyer ticket, we consider ourselves lucky to get something under $800 (Detroit to London)
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Old May 16th, 2004, 04:44 AM
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I saw a $188. each way + tax fare NYC - London on BA this AM.
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Old May 18th, 2004, 08:50 AM
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We're off to London ....and then Hamburg for $679.00 with British Air and Lufthansa. We tried different dates and times and airlines for days. We were able to be somewhat flexible. Finally,we got great connections thru Orbitz.com and went with them. We are staying at Holiday Inn Kensington in London. Tripadvisor.com helped us there. This hotel actually has TWO double beds in the room and GREAT reviews!!! We went with the advanced payment rate directly thru Holiday Inn. (1-800-HOLIDAY) and got a great price! Check it out! We are staying with relatives in Germany. I would like to thank everyone for helping us/directing us. We could not have done it without YOU!
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Old May 19th, 2004, 01:16 AM
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Air France is (or maybe now was) having a sale. I saw another poster got a fare of 87 GBP (US$150-$160) for Dublin to Toronto in July. Luckily I saw the post right away and was able to get the same fare. Fabulous.

I love Northern Ireland for 50 weeks of the year, but not those 2 weeks in July with the dummy fluters marching about in 70s-style American high school marching band uniforms.
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Old May 19th, 2004, 04:19 AM
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Air Canada has just announced return air fares in the order of $660 CDN plus taxes to London to July and August.
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Old May 19th, 2004, 05:22 AM
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I bought my ticket for $500 with tax through travelocity out of Chicago to Newark to Heathrow on Virgin about a month ago. My friend decided to join me, but could not find any cheap tickets into Heathrow, but she kept on looking. She eventually found a great deal ($530) from Chicago to Minn to Gatwick. I suggest you try flying into Gatwick, looks to be cheaper.
I don't think you'll find a direct flight into Heathrow under $800 any longer. Horrible, I know, considering I was in London in March and my direct flight was under $300! Good luck to you!
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Old May 19th, 2004, 08:21 AM
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curiousx, where did you see that fare for Air Canada?
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Old May 19th, 2004, 04:57 PM
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To: Willtravel - here you go...this came out in the weekly websaver email to subscribers

http://64.4.43.250/cgi-bin/linkrd?_l...j4S0Cg40Hbg0AN

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Old May 20th, 2004, 12:06 AM
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Also wanted to add that by buying early, you usually pay the highest prices. That doesn't mean you shouldn't jump on a good sale, but typically the best fares are to be had starting at about 45 days from your departure date. Aside from that insane fare I just go to Toronto, the best fare I've ever found from US to London I booked the day before I left.
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Old May 21st, 2004, 12:57 PM
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Hi Jand
Not sure how helpful it'll be, but cheapseats.com generally has good fares. Also, you should check out Skyauction.com, where you can bid for flights. I did this a couple years back and got a ticket to London for around $500 (trip was in July, and booking was made end of May, which is pretty good!)...best of luck!!
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Old May 23rd, 2004, 01:18 PM
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In my last message buried somewhere in this message, I had said I got the tickets for $528 on nwa.com. Anyway, I am sure others have benefited from the continuation of this thread
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