How to Get Cheap Airfare to London

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London is one of the world's busiest air hubs, serviced by three international airports. Once you get to London, you can switch airports and fly to secondary locations across the Continent via a budget airline. Putting together a cheap flight to London with one of those EasyJet or RyanAir bargain-basement flights makes getting to an outdoor adventure anywhere in Europe affordable. This makes knowing how to find a cheap airfare to London one the most elementary skills in bargain travel.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Step 1

Subscribe to the e-mail lists of as many airlines as you can, and keep an eye on their bulletins and newsletters. London is such a heavily trafficked destination that it actually is pretty normal for at least one airline to be offering a special on a London route at any given time, although you might need to book a separate flight to the specified departure airport.

Step 2

Set your travel dates for non-peak travel periods. Try to depart and arrive in the mid-week and during the off-seasons (basically, don't travel between May and September or the Christmas holidays). Also, it is a good idea to search for airfares during the mid-week as well, as this is when online retailers and airfares typically tend to dump the tickets that aren't moving.

Step 3

Use a cross-indexing online travel agency, such as Kayak.com, to search a number of different travel websites for airfares at the same time. Focus on Gatwick International Airport, as it usually has cheaper flights than Heathrow International Airport. Do not search for flights to Stansted International Airport, as it does not service any flights to the U.S. Try to throw the net around your local area airports as wide as possible.

Step 4

Check your cheapest flights against the airline itself. While uncommon, sometimes an airline will underbid the online travel agencies on its own flights.

Step 5

Go to Farecast.com to see if it has any prediction on where your cheapest airfares are going in the near future. This website has a handy feature for predicting near-term airfare trends, and you might discover that your fare will drop even further if you wait a couple of weeks.

Step 6

Compare your options and choose the best balance between low price and the hassle of making the flight in question. For example, if you live in Philadelphia and found a $150 savings for a flight at JFK International Airport in New York, making the trip both ways on the bus to take that flight might not be worth it, depending on your personal tastes.

Article Written By Edwin Thomas

Edwin Thomas has been writing since 1997. His work has appeared in various online publications, including The Black Table, Proboxing-Fans and others. A travel blogger, editor and writer, Thomas has traveled from Argentina to Vietnam in pursuit of stories. He holds a Master of Arts in international affairs from American University.

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