travel between UK and US

[GeekyLynn]

I'm an American student with family in the UK - especially England. I need to get to the UK as often as I can, as cheaply as I can, and I'm very flexible with dates/times/quality of travel. Is there some way to do this without flying myself into debt? I've heard that being a courier may work, but most organizations seem to go from the US to Asia, not the UK. Thanks so much in advance for suggestions.

[jno]

there's not much courier work any more. The cheapest flights are often on airlines coming in from some other region, eg Air India - the UK is just a touchdown en route between the USA and India, and they may sell empty seats cheaper just to fill them up. Not sure if they are still the cheapest (as I remember, they used to be); you'll have to phone around, and it will depend on your dates. Trailfinders are pretty good at this sort of thing if you don't want to do it yourself: www.trailfinders.com

[GeekyLynn]

Thanks for the reply, but Trailfinders only works if you're departing from London as far as I can tell. I'd be departing from San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, New York, St. Louis, or Chicago.

[metagirl]

hey there geekylynn -  basically, roundtrip flights from the US to UK are cheaper than flying from UK. Buy your tickets in advance  and avoid peak travel months like (May-Aug). i have to travel frequently (but not as frequently as i'd wish!) between London and California and it is very pricey - but visit the usual budget/student travel sites and they'll give you some idea on how much you'll be out of pocket. obviously flying from the east coast is cheaper and there are more special deals going then flying from west coast. good luck.

[acw]

You could apply/train to be a member of the cabin crew for a company that pretty much only does the UK-US routes.  It might mean only a few days at a time, but it would be something.  I do realise this is a rubbish suggestion if you're a full time student, but I wasn't sure how long term your plans are. 

If you're left with flying, the tips here have been very sensible it seems to me.  Remember to shop around for flights, and don't assume one airline will always be the cheapest - just ONCE, someone might beat them and save you a few dollars/pounds! :-)

[jimmyb01]

You could find the cheapest fare to any city in Europe and then book  a flight with one of the British/Irish budget airlines, which if booked early can offer incredible value.  www.easyjet.com www.ryanair.com  www.flybe.com www.bmibaby.com www.airberlin.com

[KARL]

Icelandair are sometimes remarkably cheap and cover many of the US starting points you list - the have two destinations in the UK, Glasgow and London