# Best airline to travel from USA to UK



## uop1497 (Aug 25, 2016)

This is my first trip to United Kingdoom.

I need help choosing the best airline to travel to Leeds Bradford Airport from Bay area ( SFO/ SJC/OAK) . I will be travelling in Economy class.  

On the outbound flight, my destination is Follifoot, Harogate, HG3 1JH, UK.  And the inbound flight , will depart at Heathrow Airport (LHR).

 I do not know which airport is better for outbound flight . Should I land at Manchester (MAN) or Leeds Bradford Airport (LBA).  I plan to use public transportation from airport to hotel if possible.

Please advise and thank you.


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## DavidnRobin (Aug 26, 2016)

I would suggest SFO-LHR w/ as few stops as possible with cheapest fare

Then from LHR take take train/Tube into London train station (e.g. Kings Cross, and 1-2 more) that takes you to your destination by train.
There are cheap within-UK flights, but you may find trains easiest and not too expensive w/o the hassle of using EasyJet (or the like).

3hr from LHR to Leeds by train.  Getting to Harogate from Leeds - another hour or so.


Enjoy


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## VacationForever (Aug 26, 2016)

United's Dreamliner has direct flight from SFO to LHR.


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## mjm1 (Aug 26, 2016)

We flew Virgin Atlantic from SFO to LHR and back several years ago and loved it. Great service.

Mike


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## Ken555 (Aug 26, 2016)

Cheapest nonstop is OAK-LGW on Norwegian. Their premium cabin is not quite business class but very nice, from friends who have done this route in that cabin. If you buy on the Norwegian site, which is not difficult even though it's not in English, it's about $600 each way (economy can be as little as ~$175 each way though plan on paying for everything extra, including bags). 

Norwegian uses 787 "Dreamliner" planes on this route, as well.


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## uop1497 (Aug 27, 2016)

Thank you ALL for giving me your input.

I was told British Airways cut off serving meal during international fly. Does anyone know if that true. if I fly with this airline and the flight time is ~10hrs, Do I need to  carry food on airplane with me. 

I am still looking for better fly which fit DS meeting schedule and good deal to book my flight. I tend to lean to British airway, but unsure if this is a good choice . I will do purchase our air fare in a next few days.


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## x3 skier (Aug 27, 2016)

I'd be leery of BA as they are notorious for fuel surcharges on FF Award flights. Not sure how they compare on paid flights. I really doubt they stopped serving meals transatlantic. 

Google.com/flights is a good place to check fares. I would fly to London and take the train to Leeds. 

Cheers


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## Pompey Family (Aug 27, 2016)

uop1497 said:


> Thank you ALL for giving me your input.
> 
> I was told British Airways cut off serving meal during international fly. Does anyone know if that true. if I fly with this airline and the flight time is ~10hrs, Do I need to  carry food on airplane with me.
> 
> I am still looking for better fly which fit DS meeting schedule and good deal to book my flight. I tend to lean to British airway, but unsure if this is a good choice . I will do purchase our air fare in a next few days.



BA still serve food on flights longer than three hours. I haven't flown with them in economy long haul for some time so I don't know what the offerings are like now but business class standards have dropped. As for Club Europe the product has deteriorated so badly it is no longer worth paying the extra.

Virgin are my preferred airline to fly transatlantic from the UK however their destinations are limited unless you're willing to fly with Delta and nothing will persuade me to do that.


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## isisdave (Aug 27, 2016)

Since you want to go to Leeds right away, and are flying from the US, I first thought I'd look into going by British Airways, and connecting from either LHR or LGW, since you're already in the airport.  This looks like it would cost $1000 or so if purchased as a one-way.

You could fly to Manchester instead of Leeds if the flights to Leeds aren't convenient. These two cities are 36 miles apart and you'd take a train between them.

It is also possible to fly nonstop from JFK to Leeds, and from Boston to Manchester. There are plenty of bookable flights from any North American city to Leeds, although they may have multiple connections, which I wouldn't like. You gotta admire Turkish Airlines, which offers a connection in Istanbul, nearly doubling the length of the trip. Icelandic and Aer Lingus have some reasonable offerings.

I couldn't find a one-stop connection to Leeds from SFO, but here's one to Manchester for $569:

Depart — Tue, Sep 13	16h 35m
7:20a — 8:53a	Economy 1h 33m
San Francisco (SFO) — Las Vegas (LAS)	  
JetBlue 2288  ·  Narrow-body Jet  ·  Airbus A320-100/200
Change planes in Las Vegas (LAS) Long layover	
5h 02m
1:55p — 7:55a Lands Wed, Sep 14	Economy 10h 00m
Las Vegas (LAS) — Manchester (MAN)	   
Condor 5033  ·  Wide-body Jet  ·  Airbus A330-200
Operated by Thomas Cook Airlines​


Of course, combined with your return, you'll probably get a lower overall cost. If you're willing to make two changes, you can find more flexibility and cheaper cost, but of course every change adds possibility of flight interruptions, baggage loss, etc., so I try to do the fewest.


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## uop1497 (Aug 27, 2016)

Thank you ALL for continue helping me.

DS is waiting for reply (from the organization) regarding detail of pick up transfer from airport to hotel (Follifoot -Harrogate area). I hope DS will get a reply by Monday and I will complete air purchase by Tuesday or so.

Travel to Leeds is a must becasue DS conference meeting start in Harrogate City . I know there is more choice if I choose my connection fly at one of East coast airport. However, our travel time around the first week of November and I worry that there maybe a delay due to bad weather. 

As I search air fare online, it costs around $1K for around trip ticket per person. I can not find any cheaper with 1 connection.


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## Ken555 (Aug 28, 2016)

uop1497 said:


> As I search air fare online, it costs around $1K for around trip ticket per person. I can not find any cheaper with 1 connection.



Huh?

http://tugbbs.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1920718&postcount=5

One-way coach fares on the US based site is ~$219-295 depending on date to London (or ~$171-222 if booked on the Norwegian site); add fees for baggage, etc. I'd take a train from Gatwick to Leeds. Once such example:



> Leg 1
> Departs from	Gatwick Airport	at	11:15
> Arrives at	London Victoria	at	11:45
> 
> ...



Or, make it easier and Uber/Lyft/Taxi from the airport to Kings Cross and then not have to bother changing trains or taking the tube with luggage. Given the frequency and ease of trains, I'd much prefer that than a flight from London to Leeds/Manchester.

And, if you're okay with that "$1K" per ticket fare then pay just a little more and get Norwegian's premium cabin instead (larger seats, etc), as I mentioned in my earlier post.


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## uop1497 (Aug 28, 2016)

@Ken555,

I am looking forward to learn from you (how you can come up with cheaper air fare) if you do not mind .

DS schedule does not have much flexibility to work with. We need to depart from 10/28 (evening time) or 10/29 (during day time) to make sure we reach Harrogate by 5:00pm -6:00pm on 10/30. And we need to be back to Bay Area by November 6, 2016. Norwegian does not have any flight on the day we want to flight home. Plus we plan to depart from LHR for a non stop flight home .

I google search / kyak website and find the airfare at least >$950 or above for a round trip ticket . If you have a better way to find cheaper fare please let me know.

ALL,
British Airway personnel told me that any connection flight longer than 4 hrs at LHR airport, luggage must go thru screening and recheck again for domestic fly. Not all the way to final destination. I wonder if that only apply for British Airways or with all airline, can someone please confirm.

Thank you


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## Pompey Family (Aug 28, 2016)

uop1497 said:


> @Ken555,
> 
> I am looking forward to learn from you (how you can come up with cheaper air fare) if you do not mind .
> 
> ...



Try Vayama.com, I just did a quick search and found non stop flights from SFO to LHR with Brussels Airlines, Austrian, Lufthansa and others from between $902 to $904. There are plenty of others from this price point up.

As for rechecking luggage I don't believe that this is solely a BA thing.

Personally I wouldn't bother with a connecting flight to Leeds. BA fly twice a day to Leeds, at 07.20 and 14.00. The majority of flights from SFO are landing later than 14.00 so your options would be to stay overnight and catch the morning flight or take the train.


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## Ron98GT (Aug 28, 2016)

Whom ever you fly with, go non-stop to Europe, R/T. 

In April, we used Virgin Atlantic to fly R/T from Las Vegas to London.  This was our 1st time flying non-stop to/from Europe, what a big, big difference it made.

Now, flying to Portugal from Gatwick was another story: should have use Heathrow.

Like others have stated, just use the train once you get to London, they run all the time.  You can pre-book and pre-pay for the train before you leave the states, and they will let you hop-on any train once you are there, in-case you arrive earlier or later..


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## Ken555 (Aug 28, 2016)

uop1497 said:


> DS schedule does not have much flexibility to work with. We need to depart from 10/28 (evening time) or 10/29 (during day time) to make sure we reach Harrogate by 5:00pm -6:00pm on 10/30. And we need to be back to Bay Area by November 6, 2016. Norwegian does not have any flight on the day we want to flight home.



Norwegian offers a nonstop 787 from Oakland to London, and return. They do not fly every day. Want to save money? Fly on one of those days.



> Plus we plan to depart from LHR for a non stop flight home .



London Heathrow and London Gatwick offer international nonstop flights to the Bay Area. Is there some reason you think Heathrow is better? 




> I google search / kyak website and find the airfare at least >$950 or above for a round trip ticket . If you have a better way to find cheaper fare please let me know.



If you can fly on Norwegian then, as I previously posted, simply book on their Norwegian website (not their US version). It's in Norwegian, so you can open another page in English to see details, but it's quite simple. The savings can be significant.

If I was paying cash for a flight I would seriously consider Norwegians premium cabin for ~$600 each way, but it's not cheap. For cheap, their coach seats are among the least available.


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## uop1497 (Aug 28, 2016)

I have a few question about taking train in UK.

If I use google map (direction) to plan for my train  trip from one place to the next, can I use google map (direction) as guide to know which train company to take . Will that work and how  accurate it is.  Can I relay on that to plan my in land trip.

b)If not, what website is best to plan train trip from one place to another in UK.


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## SmithOp (Aug 28, 2016)

uop1497 said:


> I have a few question about taking train in UK.
> 
> 
> 
> ...





http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/#

http://www.redspottedhanky.com/


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## uop1497 (Aug 30, 2016)

@ken555,
I want to fly non-stop flight and choose LHR airport because DS want to explore London an extra day or two at the end of his meeting trip.

@ ALL,
For taking train in UK, can someone please advise how the whole check in and boarding the train work. Does I have to pay extra fee for my luggage, do you check in luggage or carry them with you on train. Also what is different between first class ticket vs standard ticket. For long distance train (3-4 hrs travel time, from Harrogate to London, should I by standard ticket.

Also, should I exchange some British money in US before my trip.

Please advise and thank you


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## Luanne (Aug 30, 2016)

uop1497 said:


> @ ALL,
> For taking train in UK, can someone please advise how the whole check in and boarding the train work. Does I have to pay extra fee for my luggage, do you check in luggage or carry them with you on train. Also what is different between first class ticket vs standard ticket. For long distance train (3-4 hrs travel time, from Harrogate to London, should I by standard ticket.
> 
> Also, should I exchange some British money in US before my trip.
> ...



It's been awhile since we were in the UK so I'm trying to remember all we did.

We took the train from London to Liverpool.  I booked the tickets online.  I don't remember if I booked first class or standard.  It was a fairly short trip (a few hours) so I may have just booked standard.  We did have luggage as we spent the night in Liverpool.  I don't remember paying extra for the luggage.  That should all be spelled out on the train website.  As I recall check in and boarding were very simple.

We did not exchange any money ahead of time.  I think we got some money at an ATM at the airport, so we could pay the taxi driver.  After that I really don't remember where we got money.  Dh usually likes to exchange money at a bank as he feels he gets the best rate there.  ATMs are usually a good way to get money as well.

Hopefully someone with more recent experience will chime in.


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## SmithOp (Aug 30, 2016)

We were there last summer. The first class was a separate coach. You carry on any luggage, keep them small because there isn't much room, the overhead bin has about 12 in clearance. There was a spot for luggage near the door in some cars but we weren't comfortable being that far from it.

Think of London as the hub of a spoked wheel, the different rail lines branch out from the various stations in London depending on what area of the country you want to visit.  We traveled on Midland rail line, the Virgin express high speed also stopped at a few of the same stations. It's more expensive but first class was very nice with a porter to stow your luggage and serve a cuppa. You can reserve nice seats with a table. 

London has lots of free stuff, as well as paid. We got a London Pass and Oyster Card, stayed a week in London so it was worth it, enjoyed the hop on bus to orient us and then used regular buses to visit various places.  There is a sale on the card now summer is over.

https://www.londonpass.com/?aid=265

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## SmithOp (Aug 30, 2016)

PS: getting train tickets is mostly handled by automated machines, then you view the message boards to see which track. There are a few employees around in uniform that can help direct you to the proper platform.  It's a bit of a mad dash boarding at the London stations during morning and evening rush hours, a lot of people commute via train. Don't be intimidated, you'll get the hang of it, the signs are all in English, and mind the gap.

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## x3 skier (Aug 30, 2016)

uop1497 said:


> @ken555,
> I want to fly non-stop flight and choose LHR airport because DS want to explore London an extra day or two at the end of his meeting trip.
> 
> @ ALL,
> ...



I usually have a few pounds left over from a trip for any immediate needs on arrival. If not, you can use an ATM at the airport or simply make a small purchase with $20 and get change in £.  That should take care of things until you find a Bank ATM and withdraw £ from your account at home. The transaction is seamless as you select the amount of £'s you want and the corresponding amount of $'s are taken from your account. I use my credit union which does not charge a fee. 

All trains have places to store your luggage in the carriage, no charge. You just board at the station when the train is ready on the appropriate platform, store your luggage, find your seat, show your ticket when asked by the conductor and enjoy the ride.

I seldom go first class on the train as standard class is ok. Commuter trains can get very crowded but intercity ones usually have plenty of space and can have assigned seats. Except on weekends when routine track maintenance is done and schedules change, British trains are very reliable.

Cheers


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## uop1497 (Aug 30, 2016)

When we visit Singapore recently, I found a website gothere.sg. It is very good and details for travel from point A to point B within city, it show the cost, bus #, distance travel ect.. I use this website to plan my trip in Singapore and find it very useful for first time visitor.

I found a similar website https://www.rome2rio.com for British trip . However, I am not sure how accurate and reliable it is. It does give a general idea , but not in details, (ie bus # or train in the selected route). If anyone has use this website, please share your experience.

Does anyone know the website which I can use as trip planner at the spot so that I know what train # and bus # to take and the cost of it for traveling within a city like York, Harrogate, Leeds.

Or I stick with using google map as my trip planner . Please advise


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## Passepartout (Aug 30, 2016)

Google is your friend. Try this: https://tfl.gov.uk/ at least for London. I suppose there are similar websites for everywhere else you want to go. Also your smartphone may well have surface transport guides with bus/train/metro numbers and times. If you use an Oyster Card- the cost is no matter. It's all included.

Also, I have been told that some people there even speak a primitive version of English. Everywhere in the world I've been, looking perplexed and staring at a map will generate more helpful people than I ever need.

I also second waiting until you get to the UK to get some 'walking around' cash from an ATM. DO NOT use the exchange booth at the airport. They are a rip-off.

Jim


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## uop1497 (Aug 31, 2016)

I have a few questions about  Virgin East Coast train . We will travel from Harrogate / Leeds - Kings Cross station . I do a dummy booking at the Virgin train east coast website to see how it works. Here is my questions 

a) If I choose departure at Harrogate, I need to change train at Leeds. Ticket price is the same for both departure places. Will 20 -25 minutes is enough to get my luggage & transfer to the new train (for Leeds- London) . 

b) For a ticket requires a transfer (connection) ,  Do I get  2 separated train tickets for my trip or will 1 train ticket valid for both segments of my trip (from Harrogae ==> Leeds ==> London (Kings cross) 

b) When choosing seat , what does it mean "Facing travel" and "Back to travel. Which one should I choose. Does it matter which wagon section  I select my seat.  And which side of the train (left or right) I should choose my seat

c) For delivery detail, I select "Ticket on Departure at the station  - Harrogate", does this mean, I must pick up the train ticket when arrive to Harrogate station on my departure day. I am not clear on this . 

I thought, I will receive a confirmation thru email or so, then the date of my departure, I just show up at the kiosk and get my ticket. 

The website has some note attached saying I must have the same credit card ( which used to purchase the ticket on line), but no further explanation why it requires and who to verify it. Can someone please explain if you have bought ticket with this train company.

Thank you


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## Ken555 (Aug 31, 2016)

uop1497 said:


> I have a few questions about  Virgin East Coast train . We will travel from Harrogate / Leeds - Kings Cross station . I do a dummy booking at the Virgin train east coast website to see how it works. Here is my questions
> 
> 
> 
> a) If I choose departure at Harrogate, I need to change train at Leeds. Ticket price is the same for both departure places. Will 20 -25 minutes is enough to get my luggage & transfer to the new train (for Leeds- London) .



Yes. Typically you only need a few minutes to transfer at a station but anything more than 10 minutes is more than enough so 20-25 will give you plenty of time.





> b) For a ticket requires a transfer (connection) ,  Do I get  2 separated train tickets for my trip or will 1 train ticket valid for both segments of my trip (from Harrogae ==> Leeds ==> London (Kings cross)



It should be on the same ticket but listed clearly showing the change in Leeds.





> b) When choosing seat , what does it mean "Facing travel" and "Back to travel. Which one should I choose. Does it matter which wagon section  I select my seat.  And which side of the train (left or right) I should choose my seat



Facing travel is looking forward as the train moves; back to travel is opposite. I wouldn't worry much about the rest.





> c) For delivery detail, I select "Ticket on Departure at the station  - Harrogate", does this mean, I must pick up the train ticket when arrive to Harrogate station on my departure day. I am not clear on this .
> 
> 
> 
> ...




You'll find an automated machine at the station. Insert your credit card and it will print your ticket. Some do email as well, at least your confirmation (which you should bring). 

It's really much simpler than it sounds.


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