Travel costs to USA

[GoneWest]

Anybody considering going Stateside for flight training (or hour building) may be interested to see that British Airways are doing some deals from £220 return.
http://www.britishairways.com/inet/regional/uk/ukoffers.html

Gotta be worth that - even with BA.

[Sensible]

Be fair Gone West, BA is the best. Problem is do you need a visa to fly in the USA? Does fun flying require a visa now?

[Superpilot]

Return LHR-LAX in March for £250.70 !

Thanks for that.
:)

[GoneWest]

Sensible...you appear to have forgotten how to edit messages.

"Be fair Gone West, BA is the best. " WHAT??

The singularly WORST flight I have ever had across the Atlantic was at the hands of BA - if McDonalds hadgiven that much space to a chicken they would have been done for cruelty to animals.

The head set didn't work in the arm rest - I could watch the movie, but not listen to it.

Best crossing - overall - was Freddie Laker.

Visa?? Hour building, No. Flight training (over 18 hours a week) Yes.

[Sensible]

Gone West, I do my best, if I'm a poet then I don't know it! :D

Sir Freddie, ah yes! don't happen to have a current phone number for his operation across the pond do you? :D

I still prefer cattle class with the worlds favourite. headsets that don't work are a fact of life with all the carriers I'm afraid. Business class is great but I personaly can't justify the extra cost!

I always try to travel off peak when there is a better better chance of changing seats to one where the headset will work and where kids are not kicking the life out of the back of my seat.

[GoneWest]

Sensible...if you really want a phone number I'll get you one (after my next road trip)....but his cross-pond operation stops at the Bahamas.

He does have a route or two from FLL and MIA to Freeport (at least). Possibly even out of PBI (West Palm Beach - if you've forgotten).

Still hate BA - though did have one very pleasant trip when I was upgraded to World Class...even then I spent four hours on the flight deck...remember those days...flight deck visits??

<<Edit to say: All trips now have a VS flight number...have tens of thousands of airmiles for no other reason than I hire a lot of cars...each with 1,000 miles...and lots of upgrades to comfy class now>>

[ 01 October 2001: Message edited by: GoneWest ]

[Sensible]

Fraid the Bahamas is a long way short of my front door and I can't yet walk on water tho' I'm working on it at the moment :D

I did hear that Sir Freddie was still working although he must be in very advanced years now. I know people who used to work for him at LGW who still fondly remember him. I guess that Sir Freddie's airline will never fly across the pond again.

[Julian]

Sensible - I have been speaking to a school in the US recently about exactly the same thing, their comments are that fun flying does NOT require a visa. They did say it helps if you have pre-booked a plane as it keeps immigration happy! Going there as a student pilot does, in theory, require a visa although they have students who didn't bother getting one and were let in the country. I guess this route you take your chances.

Julian.

[Sensible]

Thanx, but taking a chance is too chancy for me, I can just envisage wandering around the USA with a pair of headphones and a GPS and ending up renting a car!!

[Facts Not Fiction Pls]

Julian

You are correct about chancing it on the Visa - just had a friend that they would not let check in at Gatwick because he did not have a visa as he was doing flying at a school.

Sensible - if I were you I would continue on your line of thinking! Better to be sure than waste a lot of money on a ticket to be turned around! :D