britnyank

Hi,
I've been trying to research best (ie cheapest) times to fly over to the States. The internet just seems to want to sell me tickets - how can I find out which airlines have which cheapest days, times etc?
Other than that, has anyone any experience of the better days, times, airports etc? We're planning on flying to Phoenix, from maybe Manchester, Humberside or London - or any other airport Eastern England, at some date in late summer - August/September. Surely some days/times must be 'better' than others?
Anyone?
Thanks.....

Partystar

Mid week in normally cheaper.

lee_in_nj

Obviously its going to be more expensive during summer/school holidays. The price also jacks up over the weekend. So Mon-Thu are usually your best bets. I shop around priceline/travelocity then the airlines own website all the time..you can get prices for pretty much any flight without purchasing anything.. oddly enough last time direct from BA was cheaper than priceline etc for the same exact flight. Coming from the UK the student travel agency used to get me crazy cheap flights... you just need a student union card.

Englishmum

I think that the cheapest way is possibly with one of the charter airlines which fly to places like Orlando (Sanford) and then you would need to take a domestic flight to your final destination.

These charter flights are intended for UK residents and I think companies like Thomson, Airtours, MyTravelite, Cosmos and Thomas Cook are the most likely companies offering these flights.

Prices drop a lot in mid-October. Bear in mind that flights out of London (LHR and LGW) are usually cheaper than flights out of the regional airports as there is more competitio and choice of flights amongst other airlines (UK and American) flying out of London.

Also check out the forums or post your question at

http://www.flyertalk.com

- lots of frequent flyers, travel agents, airline staff post there and always have lots of ideas.

TruBrit

tues/wed usually seems cheaper however afraid you've just got to shop around, seems no rhyme or reason to ticketing...

cpf

Yes -- you've got to play around with the dates. Some sites allow you to do this by looking three days either side (orbitz, virgin). Prices make no sense. I had been looking for weeks just recently for a flight from DC-LHR because I thought London would be cheaper. All I would find was $950. I looked at Manchester (where we'll be going) just to see and I got a flight for $530. Usually it is more expensive to fly there than London, so I have no idea why it's almost half price. Also, if you have kids sometimes if you put them in, it shows very few options. It's easier to search sans kids to find more options and then call expedia etc. to add them.

scrubbedexpat099

Prices tend to go up on a Wednesday.

Cheaper tickets go first, so usually the price inceases as the plane fills up and fewer ae left.

BA site also allows you to see best time bands.

The days of last minute discounts to fill space seem to be gone, quite afew more planes have been retired than brought into service, demand is up and all the flights I have been on recently have been full. Wife said that last Friday there were over 100 people trying for her flight on stand by.

Englishmum

yet another reason why I quit my job with BA....too much hassle dealing with angry passengers who are bumped off their flight.

TOP TIP

****Check in Online****

Pulaski

I believe that pricing of any one flight depends on how many seats are available and howmany days/ weeks/ months there are left until the flight. If the flight is heavily booked the price of the remaining seats will be higher, if there are plenty if seats and a sell-out isn't looking likely you'll get a better deal. As others have said, the further away from schools holidays you fly the better the price you'll get. In my experience October- November and February- March are the cheapest months.

dgsyd1

Unless you have children, in which case you aren't allowed to check in online. At least not with BA.

britnyank

Thanks for all the input,guys!
I have been looking at various websites and getting heaps of differing prices! Wondering whether to book now, or wait until nearer the time - decisions, decisions.....!
One thing that confuses me is why one-way tickets are so much more expensive than return! BA quotes £2570 for 4 one-way and £1910 for 4 return, in both instances the outward flights on the same plane!

unicorndreams

We fly Continental out of Birmingham. Its pretty good. Goes to Newark then change flights.

Good luck.

snowbunny

Newark Lincs or Newark NJ?

Crispyuk88

#1. Everyone should know that I HATE FLYING.
So, when I look for my tickets I'm looking at price, and duration.
Originally planned to go back June 15th. Would of been a perfect time as there was a few things going on that I would of liked to attended. 15th was also a Thursday.
After not having much luck with price and duration, I moved it over the the 20th June (Tuesday) and managed to find a flight that was the shortest duration at the lowest price. On the 15th, this same flight was going into the 2000 range and I found it for 700! Not sure whether that was a blatant bit of luck, or whether early week and it getting later into June helped; but I was proper chuffed.

Recommend Orbitz for flights to. Searched for hours using loads of different sites and they are by far the easiest to use and usually turn up the best results. Be flexible when booking, have a date then check flights for +/- 3 days and compare.

kevntrace

Doesn't work if, like me, your name is on the watch list. And no, my name isn't Osama