SarahH1409

Well I am happy to say we have sold our home here in the UK so it is officially all go!!

Entry date to the new owner is Sept 25th. Shipper coming Spet 16th so I will prob stay with my Dad a few weeks to tie everything up here before flying out to Houston.

Anyways, I have ben keeping an eye on flight costs and BA have jumped almost £400 in the last 3wks Before it was going to be a little over £500 for myself and my daughter to fly out... today it is now at £897.40

I refuse to go back through Charles de Gaul as I nearly died of heart failure last time for the stupidly close connection time and the lack of help from the airport staff.
I dont mind Amsterdamn airport, but KLM seem to like to loose my luggage everytime we fly with them.

Continental is coming up with a good deal, but I have never flown long haul with them... are they a good airline?

I havent looked into American Airlines yet, but they were great last time, except I had to get a connection in Chicago which I dont really want to do with a 3yr old in tow and me pregnant!

I an easy and relaxing flight!!

lansbury

When it comes to flying economy across the Pond there isn't very much if anything to choose between any airline, they are all much of a muchness.

Just go with which ever is the most convenient and cheapest.

paul_79

I've flown that route to Houston quite a few times and never had any problems with Continental. I was once delayed flying with them from London to Newark due to fog which made me miss my connection. They put me on the next connecting flight without any hassle at all.

SarahH1409

Thanks - thats great to know!

Sharron_

I don't think I have flown Continental Airlines.....but my advice is play around with dates.

Also I am figuring you are going one-way and entering just an outbound flight.

You may find it alot cheaper to pay for a Round-Trip ticket and not use the second half. Go to BA.com and try it.

Also it is cheaper to fly out on the Thursday 24th Sept than Friday which is a VERY busy day to fly. (The quietest apparently is Wed during the week).

I have flown British Airways and I was very happy with them.

Oh and one thing I forgot to add....the price will increase as the date of departure nears, so the sooner you book the flights the cheaper it will be.

Good Luck.

Duncan Roberts

Flown with them a lot and never had a problem. The only issue I ever had was when the airport that our plane was coming from was closed and the airport we were at was closed and our flight was delayed by hours. Not really Continental's fault and they still managed to get us to Newark to catch the flight to London.

Walkingman

Sarah,

I've lived in the United States for over 25 years and have spent a great deal of that time flying (used to be in the consultant business). I fly across the pond once every three months.

As someone's already said, transatlantics in economy are going to be much the same not matter what carrier but, with my experience, I'll heartily recommend Continental for this reason: If something does go wrong - connections need to be rescheduled, you need special attention before, during or after the flight, etc., - Continental is easily the most flexible and friendly 'big' airline in the US.

celticgrid

Very often true. And here's a tip...airline schedules are notorious for changing when you book any distance ahead.

If you do buy a return ticket, intending not to use the return half, book the return flight as far ahead in time as possible. I did. Travelled to the US, and then waited...

And then was contacted by the airline to tell me their schedule had changed. It was so unfortunate, none of the options they offered were suitable so I had to reluctantly accept a refund of the fare. So sad.

CitySimon

I've flown with Continental many times and after the third emergency landing I've given up.

My own experiences:

Rochester, NY to Newark, NJ - Undercarriage partially collapsed on landing.

Newark, NJ to Manchester - Power and engines died at about 8,000 feet following take off. Plane dropped for a good four or five seconds before the lights flickered back on and the engines restarted. The look on the stewardesses face did not fill me with much confidence.

Newark, NJ to Manchester - Left wing engine needed to be switched off at 25,000 feet, the plane turned around and had to make a forced landing at Boston while fuel was pouring out of the engine. Apparently, the fuel pump died and the plane was unable to maintain altitude.


Also, remember that it was a Continental plane which dropped the piece of metal which punctured the engine on Concorde at Paris.

They're cheap for a reason. Personally, I'll never fly them again, but that's just my experiences. I'd take American or US anytime over Continental.

SarahH1409

Thanks for the info.

It is return tickets I am looking at, the one way ones are rediculous considering you are only using half the fuel etc if you know what I mean!!

I'll be keeping an eye on things and not booking yet. And it would be a Wed we would go (mid Oct)

Sharron_

Well Good Luck and remember the nearer the date of departure the more expensive it will be.

Also in my opinion the best Airline I have flown transatlantic has to be Virgin, but I don't know if they fly into Houston.

Try not to get a flight with City Simon!!!! seems like he has alot of bad luck!.

SarahH1409

As far as I know Virgin dont fly to Houston

lansbury

Be careful doing that with BA, I know they have taken people to court over it. On the other hand lots have people have got away with it.

celticgrid

Please, do tell more!

Given that BA's general conditions do not commit them to anything, give them the freedom to change times, flights, etc. and to even deny access to the flight if they've screwed up the overbooking process, I would be fascinated to hear on what grounds they reckon they can take individuals to court for not taking up a service which they have paid for.

Presumably they lost these cases, but on what grounds were they brought?

lansbury

No they didn't lose the cases. Two individuals were found guilty at Uxbridge Magistrates Court (I was involved in both cases). A third case I have personal knowledge of was a North London travel agent who sold return tickets knowing the purchaser was only going to use the outbound leg, in fact he suggested it. Sorry cannot remember exactly what offense he was charged with now but he was found guilty as well.

Theft Act 1978
Section 1 (as amended by the Theft (Amendment) Act 1996), provides:
(1) A person who by any deception dishonestly obtains services from another shall be guilty of an offence.

The airline provided a service at a lower price because they were dishonestly deceived into believing the person was going to undertake a return trip when they only intended to make a single journey. Hence they sold the service at a lower price than if they had been told the real intention. Same as going to the barber who does OAPs for half price on Tuesday and telling him you are 65 when you are 62.

I make no comment on the morality of airline fare structures etc, and I was really shocked when BA said they wanted to take the matter to court for the two individuals.

Normally the airlines just either refuse carriage or make people pay the extra if caught.

Also to note this is English/Welsh law only.