Hi all,

although I have just returned from San Francisco, I need to go back. Unfortunately this time I am unable to spend a whole week up there.

I'm trying to find some flights from Heathrow, or anywhere in the UK to San Francisco or anywhere close by. (LAX will probably suffice). The catch is I'm trying to find a flight that leaves UK very late evening/night on a Friday, or very early morning on a Saturday. From my searches it appears that all flights to the US would depart UK in the morning/early afternoon (unless I change somewhere with a 10-12 hour gap, which is pointless). Can anyone tell me otherwise?

I have no issues with flights times from the US, but I need to find something more suitable to the US, if its possible. Money not an issue (within reason) as I won't be paying for it.

Thanks for reading.

Latest on the Friday I can see without a long stopover is:

LHR-IAD (Washington DC)-SFO

17:15 LHR - 20:20 IAD (with BA)
21:50 IAD - 0:22 SFO (with United)

Not sure if 1hr 30 is long enough for international - domestic at IAD though.

Top pinned one: http://www.kayak.co.uk/flights/LHR-S...28e1beff0b0781

I've not heard of flights leaving early/late evening for the US - it would arrive very late at night and it would be poor aircraft utilisation as they'd have to depart the following morning rather than turning within an hour or two.

I can see a Continental/United 925/225 flight that leaves Heathrow at 16:20 and arrives in SFO at 01:02. Only 90 min to connect though which is not much time to go through immigration and security.

Failing that an 06:15 that gets to SFO at 13:40 on Lufthansa on a Saturday.

Or maybe 20:35 LHR-REK, arr 23:35, then AM departure but I can't find departures from REK until the afternoon.

Thanks for your input - was what I was afraid of, but thought I'd check just in case I missed something :-)
looks like I will need to take Friday off and make an earlier flight

The Iceland option would have been ideal, if there was an early flight, or even a direct flight from RIK, but unfortunately not :-(

I think Virgin do a lateish London to Boston, but that doesn't help to much I suppose if there's a big lay over to connect to the west coast, but something to look into perhaps?

www.hipmunk.com

If you do get into Boston, could use Virgin America to cheaply get to the west coast.

Seems everyone in Boston has been using them over the last couple of days to get there for GDC at all times of the day...even if the wifi has been very dodgy.

Don't change planes at this time of year, if travelling between the UK and the West Coast.

On my last trip back from Blighty (December '10), I was seated next to a couple who were travelling onto San Francisco. They wanted to stop en-route because "she didn't like to sit for so long." My flight was one of the last ones in because of a Snowfall, and all departing flights had been cancelled, leaving them stranded in Chicago.

You run the risk of this happening if you change en-route, unless you change in Dallas, Miami or Atlanta.

Best of Luck.


Jim.