Finding the Perfect Flights from UK to US
Attempting to find decent, fairly priced flights online is difficult. Where do you even begin? Should you go directly to the airlines? Is it best to wait until the last minute? I certainly do not have all the answers, and I am by no means an expert, however, I can give my advice based on my own experiences.
Firstly to tackle the issue of where to begin. I always start by looking at a couple individual airlines, but this is very time-consuming and is not the best way to begin. If you are a student like me then you are in luck, there are flight companies made just for you with student friendly prices. My favourite company is Student Universe, they offer cheaper flights than you will find anywhere else on the web. All you need is a student email account from your college or university (and yes faculty members this means you too!).
They are also the only company that I have come across that do not charge you double for a one-way flight, in fact, they charge you half. It seems crazy to pay double for half the number of flights, but airlines typically do not like travellers who do not fill their flight on their return. So if this is what you are after then Student Universe is even more economical for you. For me, there is just no other place I’d look.
So should you go directly to the individual airlines? Yes, to get a base price, but they certainly will not offer you the best deal.
Finally, there is a universal belief that the longer you wait, the cheaper your flights will be. From my experience, this is not true at all. Not only do flight costs increase the closer you get to your travel date, but it becomes harder and harder to get a good seat on the plane or you are left with 8+ hour layovers in airport terminals. So unless you want to be sat in between two strangers like the meat in a sandwich, and have a very long airport shopping trip (with crazy airport prices), then book your flight early.
