andrewnovell

Hello group,

After 12 years in the USA I am moving back to England in January. I'm interested to know if there are any problems experienced returning on a one-way ticket? I'm not a flyer by any means, and have virtually no experience of international travel (my last flight was when I came here!) As a British Citizen from birth and British passport holder I know the simple answer to this question, but I was wonder what were practical experiences anyone has had doing this? Also, can any frequent commuters recommend an airline?

Many thanks in advance.

dj6372

The main problem is the expense! Airlines load a single ticket up with a stupid price

Buy a return and pick a return date at least 3 months away to get the cheapest fare

Sounds totally stupid but works!

If your flying from LAX, American/BA or Virgin are all much of a much, if you can get a deal on Air NZ they are my recommendation

As a British passport holder, you can enter on one way ticket if that's what you get

SanDiegogirl

You are a British citizen so you can enter on a one way ticket.

Pulaski

Or, indeed however else you like. No questions, no issues, no nothing. If you have British passport that is all you need.

vikingsail

Totally agree. Buy a return with one caveat. If your returning in January experiment with different return dates as the price will definitely vary. Just picking 3 months hence may mean you pay more, eg generally march is more expensive than February on the International flights and certain days can be more expensive than other days.

If it were me I would pick a return mid Feb (after Valentines day) on a Wednesday = usually cheapest day to fly. You can see this process play out if you go to one of the major airlines like BA and look at the grid of return dates. You may only save a 100 pounds but better in your pocket ....

One last thing. If you are an LAX departure try Las Vegas and even San Francisco as potential departure airports as they may be cheaper.

BritInParis

Providing your British passport is valid then you just need to get on the plane. If you've naturalised as a US citizen then you'll also need a US passport to exit the United States. This is a US legal requirement.

andrewnovell

Thanks. But that is one of the things I don't quite understand: so I use my US passport to leave the US, but present my UK passport when I enter the UK? Because if I use my US passport for the whole trip how will the UK know I have right of abode? Isn't that going to cause a confusion? Like I say, I'm not a frequent traveller.

mikelincs

That's why you use your British Passport to enter the UK, then they know you are a British Citizen and have the right to enter for as long as you wish to stay. If you used you US passport to enter the UK you would be stamped in as a visitor and given a visitor visa.

Pulaski

The US doesn't have an exit process where you are "processed" by US immigration, so personally I would say if you are leaving and not planning to return, and don't have a US passport, it is unlikely to be an issue if you just use your UK passport. You would need a US passport before you next return to the US though, even if you're only visiting. ..... Then use your UK passport to enter the UK. It's not like you're going to be deported, but it could lead to administrative confusion if you are flagged as an "immigrant" by entering the UK on a US passport.

BTW don't forget to do your US tax return each year.

BritInParis

Correct. Present your US passport when departing the US and your British passport when arriving in the UK. If your British passport is a biometric ePassport you needn't even queue for immigration; you can use the automatic ePassport gates.

cheers

The cheapest price is around $749 on Scandinavia Airlines during Nov through May.
This is from LAX to Copenhagen. Then $29? to the UK.
This would be my choice.
Cheers

Piff Poff

https://matrix.itasoftware.com/ or Skyscanner - Compare Cheap Flights, Hotels & Car Hire are good for finding flight prices.

andrewnovell

Great answers and thanks to all the above