Expert: David Stewart White - 5/11/2007

Question
Hi Mr. White . . I have made trips in the US, but this will be the first time I have travelled overseas. My questions is this: Do I need a travel agent to help me with booking the flight? I always made my own arrangements before, but this time I want it to be a really comfortable trip, and I want to be sure I am getting the best deal on my flight.  I have friends in England, so once I am there I won't need a place to stay, etc. Thanks for your advice, I really appreciate your taking the time to answer my question. P.S. I am traveling alone, but I hope you have good advise on solo travelers as well as families. Take care,Margaret

Answer
Hi Margaret,

I doubt that you will need a travel agent simply to book the airline portion of your trip to England.  Here are some considerations:

--where are you flying from in the USA (?) and what airlines serve your area?

--when are you going?

--you say that you want this to be a "really comfortable trip."  Does that mean you want to fly an upgraded class beyond coach?

My general recommendation is that you check first with British Airways.  Few airlines have top-notch reputations in this day of crowded planes and high costs, but British Airways (BA) is probably the best for flights from the US to the UK and back.  Virgin Atlantic rates fairly well too.  They both certainly have better reputations for international travel than many American airlines (United, Delta, American, etc.).

[When I say "check with the airlines" I mean to start by checking their websites.  In most cases you can also call their telephone reservations services, but you will pay a fee for booking through a telephone service.]

If you want to consider upgrading from coach class--and, really, that's the only way to have a "comfortable" trip--then both BA and Virgin offer a premium coach class that is somewhat better than coach.

If you can afford it, flying BA or Virgin's business class are VERY comfortable, since they offer flat bed seats on their flights.  There are also some newer all-business class airlines flying between the US and the UK:  Maxjet, Eos and Silverjet.

90%+ of US flights to England will land at Heathrow or Gatwick airports outside of London.  From either airport, there are express trains to central London for connections elsewhere in the UK.  (there are less expensive ways to get from the airport to downtown, but the express trains are more comfortable.  

I hope this information is helpful.  If you have a specific question about flight to England, or need more advice, please feel free to contact me by a follow-up question on All Experts or by email at:

mail@KidsToLondon.com

Have a good trip!

David White