jamesontheroad From United Kingdom, joined Jul 2005, 518 posts, RR: 1 Posted (2 years 3 months 3 days 9 hours ago) and read 2302 times:
Howdy. Last week I asked Miss Ontheroad to marry me, and she said yes
We're planning a wedding in the UK for sometime in 2012. The ceremony could be a few hours from London, or it could be in central Scotland... we are still to decide.
However, since she's American, a lot of family and friends will be coming from various US cities to the UK. All in all, there'll be people traveling ex SFO, MSP, ORD, NYC, and WAS/BWI. There will also be a sizable contingent coming from remote NW/DL outstations in the mid-west, who will therefore be limited to DL/KL through LHR or AMS if a KL regional destination works out closer.
Here in the UK, I regularly use the consumer website and forums MoneySavingExpert to discuss the best time to plan long distance travel from the UK. However, I have zero experience of buying trans-Atlantic flights from the US to the UK. We need to consider a) when would be the best time to schedule our wedding in the UK and b) when would be the best time to recommend that family and friends start shopping for the best fares.
Assuming it could be any time in 2012, but with a preference for summer months, is it still true to assume that it will be prohibitively expensive for people to travel US-UK in high summer? Or are bargains likely to be had if we give them enough notice and they book well ahead?
Apologies if this sounds like a dumb question, but all my knowledge relates to coming from the opposite direction!
JBirdAV8r From United States of America, joined Jun 2001, 4459 posts, RR: 22 Reply 1, posted (2 years 3 months 3 days 8 hours ago) and read 2278 times:
My experience has been that from now until around the end of May have been really the best times to buy tickets to the UK. In May 2009 I got tickets from TRI to LGW for $500 r/t...taxes and all. I bought those tickets less than three weeks in advance.
Quokka From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 2, posted (2 years 3 months 3 days 8 hours ago) and read 2242 times:
I recall from Shakespeare "Oh to be in England now that May is here" The airlines seem to work on a similar principal and fares due tend ti increase as summer approaches. Easter might also be a good time to avoid even if travellers may find that they can have extra days off work because of official holidays. May generally is not too bad: earlier may present problems with weather but later you will definitely be encountering peak demand and can expect highre fares. No guarantees however: there may (hopefully not) be another GFC that depresses demand and lowers fares.
EI2KSEA From Ireland, joined Jul 2004, 573 posts, RR: 0 Reply 3, posted (2 years 3 months 3 days 8 hours ago) and read 2199 times:
Congrats!
I always fly to Ireland or the UK from the last weekend in May for two weeks. Despite the fact that its Memorial Day in the US, there always seems to be a lot of deals about. Last year I had the choice of BOS-SNN-LHR-SNN-BOS with EI for USD$570 or CO/EI BOS-EWR-MAN-DUB-EWR-BOS for $600. Given that later in the Summer fares were always above the $900 mark it always seems to be a reasonable time to fly from BOS and I have heard similar stories from friends in the midwest when doing the same (ORD and STL).
nighthawk From UK - Scotland, joined Sep 2001, 4989 posts, RR: 38 Reply 4, posted (2 years 3 months 3 days 7 hours ago) and read 2135 times:
Quoting jamesontheroad (Thread starter): Assuming it could be any time in 2012, but with a preference for summer months
Apparently there is an athletics meeting taking place in the Summer of 2012... might be best to avoid it as there will be one or two athletes and a handful of fans around...
jamesontheroad From United Kingdom, joined Jul 2005, 518 posts, RR: 1 Reply 6, posted (2 years 3 months 3 days 7 hours ago) and read 2093 times:
Quoting nighthawk (Reply 4): Apparently there is an athletics meeting taking place in the Summer of 2012... might be best to avoid it as there will be one or two athletes and a handful of fans around...
Quoting Quokka (Reply 5): Would that be the Olympic Games? I had quite forgotten about them.
Ah cr@p. We'd completely forgotten about that little amateur athletics event as well. Thanks for the gentle reminder...
PITingres From United States of America, joined Dec 2007, 958 posts, RR: 12 Reply 7, posted (2 years 3 months 2 days 23 hours ago) and read 2028 times:
Quoting jamesontheroad (Thread starter): We need to consider a) when would be the best time to schedule our wedding in the UK and b) when would be the best time to recommend that family and friends start shopping for the best fares.
I'm no expert, but I do travel to the UK every year or so to meet up with a friend.
a) suggest late April, May, or early June
b) Dec thru Feb. As near as I can tell, travel pricing is a crap-shoot, but if one books in the spring for summer TATL to the UK, one is going to pay the price. Also, as others have said, there is some sort of wee buggery athletic thing going on in summer 2012, and you might want to avoid that.
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From United Kingdom, joined Jul 2005, 518 posts, 
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Would that be the Olympic Games? I had quite forgotten about them.
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