mandpete

Last night I was checking out prices for flights back to Manchester at Easter and within the space of an hour Continental's price for 4 tickets dropped from $2500 to $1950.00.

That price includes all taxes and fees, flying out from Newark on 29th March and coming back on 9th April. So we're off to England for Easter.

jumping doris

Was that booking directly with Continental?
We have promised my two eldest daughters a trip home this summer but we cannot book anything at the moment because of our GC application Our lawyers have said that there will be a period this year when it would be wise to stay in the US but they don't know yet when that will be!

I am worried that the last minute prices will be horrendous but if they get the OK to travel I want them to go as it's probably the last time my eldest will see all her friends together before they go to Uni.

mandpete

Yes I booked with continental.com.

We are also going through the GC process but our lawyer told us we should be fine for travelling at Easter as we should have Advance Parole by then.

Jerseygirl

I always book direct with Continental.com...it also enables me to secure my seat choice. Prices will start to climb in May...July and Aug being the most expensive. Cheapest time is normally Oct to March.

cindyabs

Cheapest time is 1 Nov-31 Mar, April-May are shoulder season as is part (possibly of Sept and all Oct). June-Aug (possibly into Sept) is HIGH season. So speaketh the travel agent.

for last minute clients I have had the best luck using wholesalers.

Patrick Hasler

Thats f**kin discracefull !

Virgin have a sale from any NY airport to Heathrow at $300 round trip.

We just came back and all 4 of us only cost $1350 round trip.

BigDavyG

I wouldn't worry about the last minute bit that much if I were you - worry about it being in the summer though.
I'm looking at almost twice what I paid at Christmas for a flight in June or July
I'd say you have another few months before prices start to go up even more.

jumping doris

It sucks, doesn't it?
When we decided to come here, a trip home every year was a must...if only to buy decent clothes and shoes.
We didn't go home last year and I won't be going this year and it makes me want to just give up and go home for good.
What a happy start to the day

Jerseygirl

Don't let it get you down. When my daughter was at school I used to plan our trips for the October and March school breaks...cheapest time for flying too.

jumping doris

My OH gets 5 days per year to go home but if he doesn't use it he can't take it into the next year. It creates a dilema because it isn't worth going home for 5 days as our families are spread between Yorkshire and Sussex and Cornwall ,with all our friends on the Wirral. We couldn't see them in a week but if he adds on some of his 2 weeks vacation time we don't have many days left to see the US, which we want to do.

He suggested to his HR dept that he had 10 going home days every two years instead of 5 each year. Nothing extra, just a different way of using it.
Answer.....no.

We have thought of taking the last week in one year and then the first week of the new year as his 5 days and then that way we get 10. (Clear as mud)

We had set our hearts on all of us going home this year and possibly having the middle weekend in Spain or France, leaving the teenagers in the UK. I really didn't think the HR people would be so anal about the way he used the 5 day allowance.

Never mind, we are going to New York for Easter and we are really looking forward to it. We have become very American in that a 3 day break feels like a fortnight!

Ben

jumping doris, I know what you mean about the problems of having family in different parts of the UK. We have the same dilemma and solve it by going individually now. When he goes he stays at his parents and my family go to visit him. If I go I stay with my family and his family have to travel. When we all go together we take it in turns, one time we stay with his, next we stay with mine. Not always an easy thing to do, though. We don't get any vacation time for the UK - just have to use normal vacation allowance and have found the best way for him to see his parents is for him to go for two long weekends a year. That way it doesn't use up too much vacation time and it isn't that much more than travelling during the school vacation time (he normally goes end of October/November and March).

jumping doris

I think we are slowly comming round to the idea that we will have to go separately. Last year we went to Florida and I went the week before with the kids as he didn't want to use 2 weeks vacation in one go.
I am also beginning to accept that going for 2 weeks as a family is a distant dream.
A US friend of mine loves the UK and goes every year at Thanksgiving just for 4 days. They pack tons into those few days so we might give that a go .

Jerseygirl

My daughter and I would go alone...sometimes hubby would join us for the last week. It's easier for us as our immediate family and friends are in Cheshire.

BigDavyG

It seems that common sense is not a prerequisite for a job in HR anywhere.
That said I'm sure they have to put up with a lot of crap every day, but in my experience they do themselves no favours - your example would seem to back this point up.

jumping doris

I could go on.
How about this one. OH is taxed as single because that was how it had to be for the first few months we were here. Stupidly we assumed that HR would change his tax staus as they would have done in the UK.
When he realised it was up to him he filled out the IRS form to change his witholding to married filing jointly and gave the form to HR.
They won't action it because " the IRS will wonder where all these realtives have come from".
The IRS have no problem at all . We are sorting it out but what an answer!