For those who have travelled, how much were your tickets?

[EnglishMan]

Hey guys.

So i've been doing the usual shopping around for the cheapest prices etc etc, they dont seem to get much cheaper though!

Just wondering how much people paid for their flights to the US? I'd be going from London to Portland, Oregon, so anyone who's made that trip before I'd love to hear from you. Looking to hear how much everyone's tickets cost in general (specifically return costs for flights all-tolled).

Best im looking at seems to be around £650 :s

[Haley53]

My SO's will probably cost around $600-700. I pay about $900-$1100 for when I visit in the summer.

[Kiyama]

When are you going?
Christmas and other holidays will always be more expensive than usual so try and go "out of season".
Have you checked scyscanner and united airlines? They have good offers usually. I have seen flights around 600€ or are you looking at direct flights?

[Sabbi696]

When I do go, I checked around and the cheapest I could get from Canada to Indianapolis, US was like 528..and the cheapest website I found was cheapoair..but I think I am going to take the plane to Toronto, and then take the greyhound to indy..it's like almost 300 dollars cheaper.

[hevpie]

The first flight to the US, altogether with ESTA I paid just under a grand. This time around I paid just under 700. I find if you book around 6/7 weeks ahead or more you will get the best deals. I kept an eye on expedia even though I did not book with them to get a feel for the prices because they change dramatically week to week.

This was me flying out from Birmingham Internation (uk) The first flight was via Amsterdam and Detroit on the way to Norfolk Virginia.

This time I am flying straight to the States via Newark Ny

[Verojoon]

I find as long as I book 1-2 months in advance, it doesn't matter when I fly. For example when I'm looking at flight prices for Christmas time right now, they are the same price as what I flew around summertime ($400) Last Christmas I booked 1 month or less in advance and my flight cost me over $600... August before (2011), it was about $400.

[Oldblighty]

Having flown to Chicago on numerous occasions I use different websites to find the best deals. And as Hevpie said booking some weeks before you intend to fly means you can sometimes get good deals. I have used Expedia, also Momondo and a few times I've actually booked flights through the airline. My flights have cost anything between £340 to £470 return and it also depends on what time of year you fly. And I always book the direct flights because I don't want to hassle of connecting in another airport, so you do pay more if you fly direct....

[BlueCat]

The cheapest I ever managed was $2000, I think last time I paid around $2800 which made me very sad. But I always use expedia to find my flights, it's really the easiest option as opposed to going through the websites of separate airlines etc.

I always started looking for flights at least a month before I wanted to book them, that way I got a better idea of prices, had more time to compare different dates and days etc and could see how the prices were fluctuating, plus you're more likely to find something cheaper if you check more often. I think that's how I got the flights for $2000 once, just one day I happened to check and there it was, hadn't been there the day before and it wasn't there the next day either. Just keep an eye out.

[EnglishMan]

My SO's will probably cost around $600-700. I pay about $900-$1100 for when I visit in the summer.

Blimey, that's cheap on his side! That's not too dissimilar a journey for him either, mine would be around $1000 (£700)

When are you going?
Christmas and other holidays will always be more expensive than usual so try and go "out of season".
Have you checked scyscanner and united airlines? They have good offers usually. I have seen flights around 600€ or are you looking at direct flights?

We haven't settled on any dates just yet, but it would likely have to be during a 'holiday' time, due to where she's at college.
i've shopped around a little bit (though by no means have I exhausted my options). Just looking at comparisons to other's prices mostly .

Oh and there dont seem to be options for a direct flight from London to Portland, Oregon. Everything ive seen has a connection flight at Dallas/New York, so it's gunna be a long one .

[EnglishMan]

Oh, and this is on a slight parallel, but it's just popped into my mind and I figure starting another thread seems silly.

How long should I allow for my connection flight wait? This would be my first time flying to America, so I would have to go through the whole customs check, biometrics etc etc.

[Kiyama]

You always have to go through customs, no matter how many times you've visited
Usually you take the option the website gives to you. They plan it that way that you are able to get your connecting flight.
That doesn't mean that you can't run into troubles though. Planes do get delayed. A few months back I had a two hour delay because some of the toilets didn't work. The guy's comment who told us: this plane is no good. But don't worry. We have another one ready for you. well, but of course not immediately. But those are things you cannot foresee.

[Tooki]

I think that 4 hours is a pretty safe amount of time. It depends on the airport though. Smaller airports are quicker to get through.

[Haley53]

Blimey, that's cheap on his side! That's not too dissimilar a journey for him either, mine would be around $1000 (£700)

When are you going? He visits spring break, so in the off-season. I visit in the summer and try to avoid peak season.

My ex, who was from London, visited me for around $500-600 in February and double that in the summer. Any time in the off-season, it's going to be less expensive, but depending on your/her commitments, that's going to mean making certain sacrifices.

Also, I have never had issues with 1-2 hour long layovers, but I often look for 3-hour long ones "in case." Still, the only problem occurs if it occurs at the first airport. I had a delay going home to San Francisco, but it didn't matter much to me because it was the last plane before home. I have never had an issue with the plane being delayed the airport I'm departing from, so usually feel pretty safe with shorter layovers. But I think 3 is a good time. I would never go longer than that if I could avoid it.

[EnglishMan]

You always have to go through customs, no matter how many times you've visited
Usually you take the option the website gives to you. They plan it that way that you are able to get your connecting flight.
That doesn't mean that you can't run into troubles though. Planes do get delayed. A few months back I had a two hour delay because some of the toilets didn't work. The guy's comment who told us: this plane is no good. But don't worry. We have another one ready for you. well, but of course not immediately. But those are things you cannot foresee.

Oh yeah I knew I'd have to go through customs every time, just I figure the initial time might require extra checking etc .

Oh thats good that they'll work with your connecting flight where possible. I read that usually if there are delays that make you miss a connection, they'll put you on the net available one (would hope so really..) although it can get confusing with flights done by different companies on either end.

I think that 4 hours is a pretty safe amount of time. It depends on the airport though. Smaller airports are quicker to get through.

Fortunately a good few of the ones on my journey seem to have 6 hour waits, which while annoying would at least play it safe.

When are you going? He visits spring break, so in the off-season. I visit in the summer and try to avoid peak season.

My ex, who was from London, visited me for around $500-600 in February and double that in the summer. Any time in the off-season, it's going to be less expensive, but depending on your/her commitments, that's going to mean making certain sacrifices.

Also, I have never had issues with 1-2 hour long layovers, but I often look for 3-hour long ones "in case." Still, the only problem occurs if it occurs at the first airport. I had a delay going home to San Francisco, but it didn't matter much to me because it was the last plane before home. I have never had an issue with the plane being delayed the airport I'm departing from, so usually feel pretty safe with shorter layovers. But I think 3 is a good time. I would never go longer than that if I could avoid it.

I figure it'll likely be during one of the 'holidays', just cause that's when she'll be free. Dont want her to just be at college all the time, or me distracting her from work .

$500-600?!? Dayum, I need to find me some tickets like that. And Yeah I agree with you about the layovers. Im most bothered about the changeover on the way to her, if the delays happen on the way back then it's less an issue, would just drag on is all lol

Thanks btw everyone. Really helping a noob out here

[Tooki]

6 hours is too much. My first trip to Europe had a 6 hour stopover, and I was sitting around for about 4 hours with nothing to do. If there aren't any delays, you can transit within 60 minutes tops.

(I believe that the US has more security measures than other countries, so add some time on if need be)