October 2, 2003 -- Every time we write about fares to London, we think they couldn't possibly get any lower. But they do. First, airlines offered $200 roundtrips. Then Virgin Atlantic pitched in with $186.
Now 1-800-Fly Europe (a reliable and well-known consolidator) is serving up a $169 roundtrip fare from New York or Boston to London. That's under $300 with taxes. That's less than it costs to fly to Phoenix. Fly Europe's fares to London include:
- New York: $169
- Boston: $179
- Washington, D.C.: $189
- Atlanta or Raleigh: $249
- LA or San Francisco: $299
- Seattle or Portland (OR): $339
These fares are good for flights from November 1, 2003 through March 31st, 2004, except for flights between Dec. 15 and Dec. 24. You can book any time up to Oct. 31.
The UK has a terrific public transportation network, but a car can help you get out to remote castles and moors, especially in lesser-populated areas such as Scotland. Fly Europe is bundling reasonably priced car rentals with their latest airfare deals; the following prices include round-trip airfare and three days of a manual transmission car:
- New York or Boston: $309
- Washington, DC: $329
- LA or San Francisco: $459
(Yes, that's $50 a day in some cases, but that's what it costs to rent a car in Europe.)
Book any of these deals by calling 800/FLY-EURO or going to www.1800flyeurope.com.
British Airways Almost Does It
Fly Europe has the absolute lowest rates to London, but British Airways' ongoing sale is still pretty good, with $198 fares from New York to London available for purchase through Oct. 2, and for flights between Nov. 1 and March, 2004 (except Dec. 18-23.) The lowest fares are available on Tuesday and Wednesday flights.
The big boon in this sale, of course, is that BA flies from dozens of US cities. Prices we found for November and December dates on BA's site included:
- Atlanta: $286
- Boston: $226
- Chicago: $254
- Dallas: $310
- Denver: $446
- LA, Miami or San Francisco: $302
- New York: $198
- Phoenix: $426
BA's sale covers all of their European destinations, from Barcelona to Berlin, so check their site for sale fares all over: www.britishairways.com/travel/offerus002/public/en_us.
BA is willing to help you with hotels, too, offering up double rooms in London at the Royal National Hotel for $74. That's a good price, though you can probably do a little better with a B&B or on Priceline, and the Royal National is one of those big package-holiday barns. To check out BA's hotel options, go to www.baholidays.com/brochure/promotions2.jsp?&chosenCountry=US&ADREF=USBritainWeek&c=US_BritainWeek.
