Flying from the US to London

Hi!
I'm new to here but have been reading all the messages and have found so many of them very helpful!
I'm moving to London from Boston in about 3 weeks and am searching for a flight over.  As of right now the only thing I can find that's under 900$ is Aer Lingus through Dublin.  The layover is only about 1 hr.  Have others done this? Has it worked out well? Would I have to pick up my luggage and then go through customs or not? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Take a look at this before traveling thru Ireland if this is your first entrance on your visa:  http://www.uk-yankee.com/articles/item/advisory-important-reminders-for-visa-holders-traveling-between-the-uk-and-the-republic-of-ireland

You may want to check Vayama.com.  I see a few other flights under $900.

Thank you!
Though I have to say...I'm not exactly sure I fully understand it! I have only ever flown into Ireland when I was actually visiting there (many years ago) and therefore never experienced just going through...
would you suggest that I don't do this as it might be too much of a hassle and cause me problems once I land at Heathrow? (I'll be on a work visa...)

I know it can cause some really annoying problems for those on a spousal visa, but hopefully someone else can comment on the work visa implications.  Are you traveling in the middle of the week to get the best fares?

If you fly the Aer Lingus flight you've found through Dublin, IME you will not have to recheck your luggage.  However, if you are looking to get your visa stamped, as it is CTA- they won't do it.  If you need a visa stamp it seems it may be better to fly through Heathrow. Best wishes.

I wish I could fly mid-week but it's looking more and more like I need to leave on a Friday which I know increases the cost...
Thanks for all the help! I hope someone on here has done this using a work visa ....

Are you planning on settling permanently in the UK?  If not, it shouldn't matter.  (In my non-professional opinion, based on the fact that the stamped visa is primarily relevant to spousal visa and Tier 1 holders who need an established exact date of entry for their ILR applications).

Your luggage would be checked through to Heathrow, you'd go through Immigration in Dublin, then at LHR you'd just collect your bags and be on your way. 

Hiya
Have you checked VirginAtlantic? I just searched for  a one way from Boston to London Heathrow. For a Outward flight it was $864 to leave on Friday Aug 21. Lower midweek prices.
Just a thought.
Kay

Just checked tickets for a roundtrip price from Boston to London and there were plenty of them on Fridays well under $900.  You can fly here on a roundtrip ticket and just not use the other part, or use it for a time that you may want to go back to the states. 

Delta has $697 flights from Logan to Heathrow leaving on 22 August.

Hi!
I'd love to know what sites you use to search - I've been trying many and often they give me this little tease of 500$ for the flight and then you wait and add the 400$ in taxes and I become annoyed.  I did find a one way flight on Aer Lingus for 390$ which includes all the taxes.  They seem to be the only airline (that's I've searched) that one way flights are cheaper than returns.
historyenne - As of right now I am not completely sure of my plans to settle though I chose to go through the long process of getting a certificate of sponsorship (I'm in the health fields and currently work for a school in the states so there's no way they would be sending me anywhere! ) I had studied abroad in London about 7 years ago and loved it so basically if I like it again now, I'd love to stay for a long time.  I know this question should belong in another area at this point but how would this stopping in Ireland issue affect ILR? Would I still not go through customs in London at all since I entered in Ireland (the whole CTA thing...)

That right, lb... you will not go through immigration at Heathrow since you will have cleared immigration in Dublin.  You will not get a stamp showing that you entered the UK, which makes it difficult (but not impossible) to show that you have lived there for two years when it comes to applying for your ILR.   If you do enter through Dublin, make sure you keep your ticket stubs and any bills that you get soon upon your arrival to prove your residency.  The other option is to take a little trip to Mainland Europe within a few weeks of your arrival (even through the Channel Tunnel to France) and then you will be stamped upon your return to the UK.

The Delta flight that Chary refers to is available on Orbitz and Cheap Tickets.
I also found a flight on Vayama for $575, for travel on Aug 21. All it will tell you is that it is on a Star Alliance flight (which is United, Lufthansa, Air Canada and a few others), and they only give you windows of time that the flight departs and lands, but they allow you to cancel within an hour of booking if you dont like the flight given.  

That right, lb... you will not go through immigration at Heathrow since you will have cleared immigration in Dublin.  You will not get a stamp showing that you entered the UK, which makes it difficult (but not impossible) to show that you have lived there for two years when it comes to applying for your ILR.   If you do enter through Dublin, make sure you keep your ticket stubs and any bills that you get soon upon your arrival to prove your residency.  The other option is to take a little trip to Mainland Europe within a few weeks of your arrival (even through the Channel Tunnel to France) and then you will be stamped upon your return to the UK.

Minor nitpick, lb's on a work visa route, which currently is 5 years before ILR...(man, don't I wish it were 2!!!) but who knows with the new laws... 

I've been searching kayak and the airline websites themselves...  you do, as someone said before, have the option of channel hopping/flying somewhere cheap soon after you land and coming back in and getting the visa stamped...

Ah yes - sorry.  Thanks for pointing that out Phat!

Ah yes - sorry.  Thanks for pointing that out Phat!

No worries