Teremok

If you want cheap consider flying into Seattle and renting a car or taking the Quick shuttle Bus, if you want really cheap, Iceland air fly from Heathrow & Glasgow via Reykjavik to Seattle. More "bucket shop" type tickets are available to the US and some sold on a one way basis. You can also fly between Seattle and Vancouver.

Also, Air Canada sell discounted return tickets to Seattle; the last one I used was 150 pounds cheaper than the Vancouver fare. You are ticketed London-Vancouver-Seattle and return, I didnt use the YVR-SEA or the return.

Kaye5

Canadian Affair do charge more for one way tickets, but it's about £50 per person, nowhere near double.

CA flights are ok - they are not BA standard, but they are fine for the price.

Madwife

Wow well who would've thought it!!! I just looked up economy flights round trip to seattle via Vancouver £445 15/4/10 from LHR and return same way on the 29th.

Direct to Vancouver (no ongoing flight to seattle) £545!!

Didn't bother looking up one way, I have seen before they are about £895
Canadian affair is 299 one way direct to Vancouver. I have been with them before a couple of times and Zoom (RIP) so am now tempted to go Air CAnada.

Thanks for that

Sarah x

lmartin999

Be aware. If you don't fly any of the segments the rest of the ticket will cancel. If you want to use this as a return from YVR you MUST fly the YVR-SEA-YVR segments. If you are planning on using this to simply get to YVR (and not intending to use the return at all) you will be ok, though strictly speaking hidden city and throw away ticketing is not permitted so you would do well not to tell the airline what you are doing.

There are many ways to make these kind of tickets work, including taking another flight to/from SEA or even the bus, but they require careful planning.

Madwife

So I would be okay if I just wanted a decent seat to Vancouver one way then. But what about immigration as far as the US are concerned would they be involved? I had a friend turned off a flight to the US last year as he had been turned down for a visa. They wouldn't be able to turn me away in London would they? Anyway my destination is Victoria so I shuld look up LHR to SEA to Victoria shouldn't I, but tired now and head spinning at the complicatedness of it all! Job for the morning as no work due to school being closesd, and have to stay home!

Sarah x

Teremok

As Imartin999 correctly points out you have to use flights in sequential order, so it will not work if you intend to use the return, unless of course you fly the YVR SEA YVR sectors. You will need to apply for a US ESTA which is quick and simple online, if your intent is o get off in Vancouver the airline will still think you are going to the USA therefore an ESTA is required

https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta/esta.h...5-208E5D530C59

Strawberry

We went with Canadian Affair - Thomas Cook Manchester to Vancouver (not air Transat, but the Thomas Cook airbus) and they were excellent in the summer, reasonable prices, seat back tvs etc, we took 4 kids and would def go again with them.

Ikatita

just wanted to say -- this is very timely for me, as I'm about to book our tickets to YVR today as well (for end of March)

and the same is true for Paris, one-way is at least double the price of a return ticket, and unfortunately, no direct flights exist outside of the summer holidays. You guys are all so lucky with flights out of Heathrow

Miss Clinique

Thomas Cook are fine, bigger seat pitch than Air Transit and the food is a tad better. You also get English tea

DigitalGhost

Would you still need ESTA for a flight terminating in Vancouver/Toronto but connecting from Europe in the US?

Basically, I suppose what I'm asking is if ESTA is required if you are connecting in America but not leaving the airport?

linz3112

Thank god! I booked our Reccie to Calgary yesterday with Air Transat and it is on a Thomas Cook airbus. Was getting worried when people started saying not to use Candian Affair!!
Thanks for putting my mind at rest a little!
Linz

Ikatita

yes, you do need ESTA when changing planes somewhere in the US

you actually go through immigration in the US when doing that. (at least I did the two times flew to YVR via the states in 2009)

DigitalGhost

You should be OK with a long haul Thomas Cook flight, just don't ever use them for an internal flight within Western Europe unless you really want a glimpse into the horror that UK package holiday customers have to go through.

DigitalGhost

Yes I thought that would be the case unfortunately. I know that they have transit visas in the UK and Japan but generally I just thought they were for people who had to leave the airport for a short time, for instance to connect between Gatwick and LHR.

Somebody at work actually said that she had to clear US immigration on a connecting flight recently but, again they gave her 21 days leave and she did actually leave the airport for a walk around so I wasn't sure, America has always been my final destination whenever I have been there in the past but I connected in Incheon recently on a flight back to Europe from Japan and they just cleared us through security to the departures lounge.

linz3112

Have experienced something close to horror before on a "Sunshine Package deal" to Tenerife......urgh *shudder*

Thanks for the reassurance.....