flights

my visa arrived, and i am planning to enter the uk on sept 1, so i would like to book my flight in the next day or two. are there any websites/airlines you can recommend? in the past, i've flown in dec/jan, so prices were down and i was able to fly british air, which was great but not really an option now. does anyone know anything about aer lingus? they are inexpensive, but would flying with them be terrible? i've looked at priceline and expedia ... are there any other discount sites that may have flights that aren't listed by them?

I would be weary of Aer Lingus, as you may encounter problems having your visa stamped when you enter the UK (there usually isn't passport control between Ireland and the UK).  Basically, if you fly Aer Lingus you will need to ensure you let the flight crew know you will need an immigration interview (or whatever they are called so you can get your stamp!).

Expedia is my favourite because you can use your mileage programs.  Maybe check BMI out as well.

Student Universe usually has good deals, if you have a university e-mail account. They only reserve a certain amount of seats on each flight, so I'm not sure what will be available three weeks out, but it's worth a try.

http://www.studentuniverse.com/

I always start with Kayak, as it supposedly searches most travel websites like Orbitz and Expedia in one go (and if you see something you like, you book through the travel website).

For whatever deal you're offered by a travel website, though, it's a good idea to always double-check the fare with the airline directly. So, if Expedia tells you that you have get a BA flight for £300, check with BA to make sure they're not offering the same flight for less.

Student Universe is also a good suggestion, but it's sometimes hit or miss with late notice.

I've used www.sidestep.com quite a bit.  I like them. 

I just bought my tickets to come over this Sept. and I used www.bt-store.com

I got a pretty good price for my wife and me.

I would be weary of Aer Lingus, as you may encounter problems having your visa stamped when you enter the UK (there usually isn't passport control between Ireland and the UK).  Basically, if you fly Aer Lingus you will need to ensure you let the flight crew know you will need an immigration interview (or whatever they are called so you can get your stamp!).

I've heard this as well - not specifically about the airline but about entering the UK through Ireland.  I've been told that you'll need to enter the mainland because of immigration and such.

The best bet for me is to start at cheaptickets.com (they also let you use your mileage programs). They always have the lowest fares when I use multiple search engines. Then go to the Web site of whichever airline had the cheapest ticket and search for that exact flight, and quite often it will be at least a few dollars cheaper. If not, go back and get it from cheaptickets.

I've heard this as well - not specifically about the airline but about entering the UK through Ireland.  I've been told that you'll need to enter the mainland because of immigration and such.

Sorry, I should have been clearer.  Its not the airline that's the problem, but any flight coming into the UK via Ireland.

American Airlines has some good prices right now...IF you buy off the UK site. I think some are around 200+ quid. If you go to the US website they are around $700. I'm not sure why the prices are so different but whatever lol.

I always fly AA...I like the service, extra leg space...ext

Good luck

thank you. i looked on sidestep.com and ended up booking a bmi flight there for $300 less than what was advertised for the same flight on expedia, priceline, cheapseats, and the bmi website. i would definitely recommend that site to anyone searching for flight deals in the future.

American Airlines has some good prices right now...IF you buy off the UK site. I think some are around 200+ quid. If you go to the US website they are around $700. I'm not sure why the prices are so different but whatever lol.

I always fly AA...I like the service, extra leg space...ext

Good luck

Dh & I always use American Airlines for the same exact reasons as Reeeeka said.

I booked mine on www.statravel.com years ago. american airlines has good prices right now and I usually have good luck with KLM (but on the KLM website, not through Northwest...they're the devil).

I booked mine on www.statravel.com years ago. american airlines has good prices right now and I usually have good luck with KLM (but on the KLM website, not through Northwest...they're the devil).

I've found STA Travel to be the cheapest airline for students and Under-26's at the moment. I've been looking for good prices on one-way flights from London to New Mexico in January and while the cheapest one-way on the America Airlines site and most others is over £500 (in which case, it's cheaper to buy a return flight), STA has flights available for £280 (with an ISIC card). Hopefully they'll still be available at that price when I finally get my visa (which won't be until Sept/Oct).

I don't know if they're always this cheap or I just stumbled across a sale, but I got my ticket from Air Canada last month. It was before I got my visa approved, but I had to jump on it--the entire thing, including all the taxes and fees they add on at the last minute, came to less than $400. 

I don't know if they're always this cheap or I just stumbled across a sale, but I got my ticket from Air Canada last month. It was before I got my visa approved, but I had to jump on it--the entire thing, including all the taxes and fees they add on at the last minute, came to less than $400. 

That's who I'm flying with.  I got them off bt-store.com for a good price.  Just under 700 for both my wife and me (around the same price).
I wonder if we're on the same flight?  What day are you leaving?  We're flying out on the Sept. 22.