Flights to/from the USA for 12 month stay

[AndyDRHuddleston]

Moderators - pls move my msg from Pax & SLF as I have had no replies! thanks


I am looking at return flights to the USA for my 12 months stay in Florida (modular ATPL), and have been tipped off that I could get a cheap rtn flight for around £200. So far I have not been able to find one this cheap, the cheapest so far has been £605 rtn with £50 date change penalty.

I have since been told to just get a last minute £200 deal and simply miss (no-show) for the rtn flight and do the sma ein 12 months time. I am a little worried about doing this as I don't know how the US imigration would view it. So, my question is, has anyone here done this before, if not, how did you organise your flights? I am looking at a Man-Mia!

Thanks folks

ADRH

[sharksucker]

Hey,
sometimes (or always) it is cheaper to start a trip at an airport where your airline is not based and other airlines offer the same destinations...;
For example I flew from FRA via LHR to SFO with BA for 620 Euros beginning of April. Ticket is valid 12 months and rebooking for another returnflight date costs 50 Euro.
Another Example was last autum from CDG via ZRH to DXB with Swiss was half the price compared to a flight with same airline out of ZRH...
What I want to say is: check different airlines from different airports, maybe it is the best deal to go there with a low cost then and start there your trip..
Good luck!

[onehunga]

Where are you checking for flights? Have you tried the discount shops like dial a flight or ebookers and done the usual google search on "cheap tickets to Florida"?

As wannabe said the cheap tickets usually involve flying with an American airline to one of their hubs (eg: United LHR to Chicago) and then grabbing another flight to Florida. Then again deals can often be picked up with others like Britannia etc.

Also checkout teletext as they often have good deals. You could always "buy" a weeks holiday and only use the flight portion of the fare to get you to the US.

If you want to get creative you could always try for cheap tickets to say NY or Chicago or anywhere else for that matter in the US and then find a cheap internal flight from there to Florida. Assuming you are heading to Naples you might get a flight closer to the school than say Miami. With the exchange rate it might save you some money as well.

[Valkyr]

Hi Andy,

I have also been looking at cheap flights to Florida as I am flying there very soon. The cheapest flights I could find were with Continental going to MCO. The cost was around £470 return.
Check them out if you want, they're a good airline by my standards, and the cheapest I could find on the web.

Val

[Charlie Zulu]

Ah cheap flights to Florida...

Usually the cheap flights involve flying to an Airline Hub in the USA and then onward.

Recently I was looking for the cheapest flights to Florida (Miami or Fort Myers) travelling out on the 28th June and the cheapest that turned up were with American Airlines from LHR to JFK onward to MIA and then to RSW (Fort Myers) - yes it was cheaper to get that than to stop the journey at Miami! ;-) Anyway this was around £511.

Then I went to the travel agents and whilst they couldn't find any flights cheaper the agent thought of a really good idea and checked on their system direct to Virgin Holidays for a fly-drive package.

The deal was £469 direct from Heathrow to Miami with a hire care thrown in. All I have to do is pay the insurance for the hire car only if I want it.

I booked those flights with them there and then.

Best wishes,

Charlie Zulu.

[EGAC_Ramper]

Last year when i was looking for flights to San Diego to do my PPL I signed up to recieve online offers from BA and soon after got an e-mail with a ticket price of £205 return from LHR-SAN.Though later on San Diego was dropped from their route they with no extra charge changed my booking to La and put me on American Eagle to san Diego.Very good I though for £205rtn!!

[mad_jock]

Don't limit your self starting from just UK.

I used to go via Germany and Amsterdam.

Bit of a laugh when you gov over to DUS to get a flight back to LHR to get on the flight you wanted but its 100 quid cheaper than going striaght from LHR

MJ

[AndyDRHuddleston]

Flights

Thanks for all the info guys, I have since found a bargain site, www.usit.ie.

This site is specifically for students and under 26's. They have quoted me for an Dublin-Lhr-Mia return for €521.92 (£352) using BMI and BA. To change the return date will cost €50 (£33), so all in all thats one hell of a saving over the £605 I've already been quoted. Only problem and extra expense is now getting to Dublin, although I would be interested in being a no-show at Dublin on the way out and Lhr on the way back!

Thanks Again

Andy

[gabu]

Andy i'm sitting here in US doing some flight training with some other bods and from my experieces of the US the immigration people do not give 2 monkeys about the return ticket of your airline ticket they have never asked me to show it to them here in the us or any country, if your of arab or of a hue of dark persuation they may ask to see it.

I'd just get a cheap 2 week return ticket from airtours or another charter and similarly at the other end.

The issue will be which visa you have the right visa and is it in order. Sure you'll find the immigration people over bearing and a little obnoxious but if they do ask just explain the situation, they are people and the'll understand if you tell them this is the best way for you to save a few bucks.


Enjoy training

[onehunga]

Be VERY careful about no showing for a leg of a flight. Generally the airline will cancel the onward connections and leave you stranded. Almost happened to me on a round the world ticket a few years ago when I decided that it suited me better to make my own way on one leg. Had to do a lot of apologising.

[razzele]

first choice travel and air tours offer good prices on shorter term flights, there was some earlier this year for 149rtn!

i just got a 14 day return charter flight NCL-MCO with thomas cook for 229 squids!