Jan 17, 2008
Hurry to book a blockbuster airfare sale to London -- starting at $378
The big travel news this week is an unusual winter sale on British Airways for both air (to London) and accommodations (in London). What the Brits have announced would be a real steal even if it were limited to the specially low winter airfares that BA is offering on roundtrip tickets to London: starting at $378 out of New York or Washington, D.C., $478 from Los Angeles or San Francisco (15 other departure cities are available at similar or in-between prices).
What makes the deal truly spectacular is that those prices include -- repeat, include -- a free, two-night stay in any of nine three- and four-star London hotels. That's a huge bonus in this age of high European prices and a weak dollar, when even three-star properties in London are charging as much as $200 a night for a double room.
And these aren't in the boondocks, but in such prize locations as Covent Garden, Kensington, and Chelsea, with many of the hotels belonging to prominent chains such as Jury's Inn, Holiday Inn, Marriott, Premier Inn, and Comfort Inn. Do a fast web search and you'll discover that many of the above names charge an average rate of $204 in winter. Deduct that savings from the airfare and suddenly the real cost for flying the Atlantic round-trip can amount to a mere $174.
The catch? You must book by January 24 (that's less than a week from now), and the bargain is good only for travel from January 22 through March 23.
Buried in the fine print is the note that, if you are a www.ba.com member (you can always sign up just before booking), you can get an additional $20 off. Also in that fine print are a weekend surcharge of $30, a Saturday-night stay requirement (for the roundtrip air portion; you can pick any nights of your stay on which to invoke the free hotel room), and those unavoidable various airport fees and government taxes of $165 to $240. Also, only two people traveling together get two hotel nights free; solo travelers can also book the deal, but get only one free hotel night.
There does not, however, seem to be any restriction that confines you to stay at that hotel beyond your freebie nights, after which you can either opt to continue your stay there, search out even cheaper accommodations, or take off from London to explore more of Great Britain or Europe -- the only restriction being a maximum stay of 11 months.
Write and read comments about this post.
What makes the deal truly spectacular is that those prices include -- repeat, include -- a free, two-night stay in any of nine three- and four-star London hotels. That's a huge bonus in this age of high European prices and a weak dollar, when even three-star properties in London are charging as much as $200 a night for a double room.
And these aren't in the boondocks, but in such prize locations as Covent Garden, Kensington, and Chelsea, with many of the hotels belonging to prominent chains such as Jury's Inn, Holiday Inn, Marriott, Premier Inn, and Comfort Inn. Do a fast web search and you'll discover that many of the above names charge an average rate of $204 in winter. Deduct that savings from the airfare and suddenly the real cost for flying the Atlantic round-trip can amount to a mere $174.
The catch? You must book by January 24 (that's less than a week from now), and the bargain is good only for travel from January 22 through March 23.
Buried in the fine print is the note that, if you are a www.ba.com member (you can always sign up just before booking), you can get an additional $20 off. Also in that fine print are a weekend surcharge of $30, a Saturday-night stay requirement (for the roundtrip air portion; you can pick any nights of your stay on which to invoke the free hotel room), and those unavoidable various airport fees and government taxes of $165 to $240. Also, only two people traveling together get two hotel nights free; solo travelers can also book the deal, but get only one free hotel night.
There does not, however, seem to be any restriction that confines you to stay at that hotel beyond your freebie nights, after which you can either opt to continue your stay there, search out even cheaper accommodations, or take off from London to explore more of Great Britain or Europe -- the only restriction being a maximum stay of 11 months.
Write and read comments about this post.
Labels: deals, london, packages
Fifty years ago, 
Arthur Frommer is generally acknowledged to be the nation's foremost travel authority. He is the founder of the
