Flight advice from the UK to USA

[Pippafee]

We booked our cruise for Jan 2018 well in advance directly through celebrity- so at that point flights weren't available. Can anyone advise regarding the best way to book flights - want most cost effective without more than one stopover - we would fly initially from Manchester - Boarding Silhouette in Fort Lauderdale? Has anyone from UK booked flights directly with Celebrity? Any advice most appreciated.

Many thanks

[Mynki]

We don't book direct with Celebrity as the prices are usually around twice as much as booking direct with the airline. You won't find direct flights to Fort Lauderdale. Manchester to Miami via Heathrow is probably your best option. I don't think there are many if any direct flights from Manchester to Miami these days.

 

Alternatively there are many flights via Philadelphia or other hubs on American Airlines etc to Fort Lauderdale.

[villauk]

We book our own flights independently as X are always more expensive, and we prefer changing in the US rather than LHR. Remember to fly in at least the day prior to sailing if you book your own flights ;). Keep an eye on the airline sales too - you may pick up a deal ;). There is a 'Cruise Air' forum on CC head on over there to ask specific flight questions. ITA Matrix is a good site as well as skyscanner for price guides.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=128

[Pippafee]

Thanks -looks like some homework to do 😏. Notice X charge a fortune for 1 night hotel stay as well !

[Hydrokitty]

We're flying the opposite direction for Celebrity cruise in August...from JFK to London. We usually book our own because we like to fly Lufthansa business class to Europe. This time we let X make arrangements with Virgin Atlantic and they saved us about $2500 for flights that I picked out. I think a lot of it depends on where you live and how many flights you need to take. We're in NYC so we have so many more non-stop options than someone living in a smaller city.

[Pavovsky]

As an option - Aer Lingus are flying to Miami this year. You clear immigration in Dublin. Worth a look.

[AandB like to travel]

We have never used X to make arrangements before, but we did for our upcoming Norwegian Fjords cruise. We fly business class from Charlotte to LHR and it was 1/2 as much if I had booked directly with the airline. Not sure if this is because it is business class or what, but it worked well for us!

[eatdrinkfly]

it's worth getting a quote from X to compare... I used to believe that it would always be more expensive through the cruise line, but lately I've seen some really competitive prices, sometimes below the current published rate.

in any event, getting a quote to compare doesn't hurt... only takes a few minutes of your time and then you know for sure.

and as an added bonus, you don't have to pay for the air until your final payment date if you decide to go with them.

[chemmo]

From Manchester UK the nearest to direct flight you can get is Virgin to Orlando. In addition you can also consider charter flights (Thomson, Thomas Cook...). Some of these are seasonal so may not be available. That then leaves you with options to 'Disney' for a few days and then a leisurely drive down to Fort Lauderdale or overnight in Orlando then drive to Fort Lauderdale....As we love to unwind for a few days this suits us most often. Even if you are not into theme parks Space coast is only a drive from Orlando airport...If you want to fly from Manchester to Fort Lauderdale without an overnight or few days on route look at anything other than via Heathrow....(From experience, prefer, if necessary, to go via Amsterdam or Paris)....Easiest are United/AA from Manchester (I think via Washington), or Virgin from Manchester (via New York or via Atlanta). Well worth spending a few hours searching. We usually fly business and have found some great deals by being flexible in flying out one day earlier or one day later....Really look at the flexibility of your travel dates and then browse...

[Guernseycruiser]

You may also wish to consider Norwegian airlines, they fly from Gatwick to Fort Lauderdale direct on their new dreamliners. Prices are very competitive, however I would recommend upgrading to their premium economy, which has more legroom than BA or Virgin. We flew FLL to LGW a few months ago and were impressed, however the food was not good, so I would purchase beforehand and take onboard.

 

I have seen flights advertised from Manchester to Miami on a Thomas Cook, but this is not that regular, and may not tie in with your dates, but worth checking anyway.

[Globaliser]

You may also wish to consider Norwegian airlines, they fly from Gatwick to Fort Lauderdale direct on their new dreamliners.

By then, BA will also be flying from Gatwick to Fort Lauderdale, three times a week (Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays, I think).

 

A quick look suggests that Norwegian will be flying on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.So the date of the OP's cruise may affect the viability of this.

 

As a Londoner, I have almost always simply flown non-stop to Miami and transferred to Fort Lauderdale by road. That's easy and pretty fast, so there is nothing to be concerned about so far as a transfer is concerned if the flight is to Miami.

 

The dynamics of getting to Miami are different, of course, if you're starting from Manchester, and the BA-BA connection at Heathrow on this itinerary is not as good as other connections because of the terminal change.

 

If Norwegian is an option you'd consider but the flight from Gatwick is too difficult because of the absence of flights from Manchester to Gatwick, then look at the other European starting points from which Norwegian flies. For example, you could fly to Paris CDG and get a Norwegian to Fort Lauderdale from CDG.

[DrivesLikeMario]

We're flying the opposite direction for Celebrity cruise in August...from JFK to London. We usually book our own because we like to fly Lufthansa business class to Europe. This time we let X make arrangements with Virgin Atlantic and they saved us about $2500 for flights that I picked out. I think a lot of it depends on where you live and how many flights you need to take. We're in NYC so we have so many more non-stop options than someone living in a smaller city.

 

That's true. It always pays to check the cruise line's air in addition to going directly to your favorite air carrier's website and then also some sites like Kayak.com or Travelocity. I saved $1200 on my bus. class flight from SAN to LHR this summer so for once, it paid for me to use the cruise line's air.

[villauk]

That's true. It always pays to check the cruise line's air in addition to going directly to your favorite air carrier's website and then also some sites like Kayak.com or Travelocity. I saved $1200 on my bus. class flight from SAN to LHR this summer so for once, it paid for me to use the cruise line's air.

 

Just to point out that it's a different system on this side of the pond to your Choice Air - X provide a fly/cruise package and the flight offers are not usually as good value as you can get coming in the opposite direction ;).

 

We have flown various routes and changed in the US (prefer it rather than having the hassle at LRH), usually into Orlando, spent a few days at the parks, and then drove down to FL. We've even driven back up to Port Canaveral and added on another cruise.

 

Globaliser makes a good point about changing in mainland Europe too - we've done this and upgraded for less than flying out of the UK directly to the US ;p.

[Orlando Vic]

I always use Google Flights to see what is available and to book flights.

 

 

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[wendychloecruiser]

When you do all your homework, be sure to check on CHOICEAIR (Air2sea) ONE WAY fares.I just saw a one way MIA to LHR on Virgin Atlantic for $236. Bargain. Personally I avoid MIA but it was a good price. I have flown into FLL on Norwegian and out of MIA on Virgin.

 

Norwegian Air has exceptional rates as well and they fly out of FLL but they fly into Gatwick which may or may not suit you.

 

Whatever you do don't book something until you've checked out all the options as rates vary tremendously.

[Ox Fan Cruiser]

You may also wish to consider Norwegian airlines, they fly from Gatwick to Fort Lauderdale direct on their new dreamliners. Prices are very competitive, however I would recommend upgrading to their premium economy, which has more legroom than BA or Virgin. We flew FLL to LGW a few months ago and were impressed, however the food was not good, so I would purchase beforehand and take onboard.I have seen flights advertised from Manchester to Miami on a Thomas Cook, but this is not that regular, and may not tie in with your dates, but worth checking anyway.

 

 

We are using Norwegian Air for our return flight home on Eclipse's TA in April. We have the Premium Economy also. The Youtube videos of the Premium class seem to be very comfort & roomy. (I'm a big guy). The prices for their Premium section are MUCH cheaper than the big airline's economy sections. We are flying from London Gatwick to JFK. I would have flown to Boston but that route is only 4 days a week and we would have had to stay an extra day in London. JFK is 7 days a week. Coming in Saturday evening works out better than Sunday evening with my early wake up for work on Monday...

[Hlitner]

From the UK you would want to search for flights to MIA (Miami International) which is located about 45 min drive South of Ft Lauderdale and its port. You can get to Ft Lauderdale through numerous online transfer services...although we recommend simply using Uber (the cost would be about $35). There are plenty of hotels in Ft Lauderdale...in all price ranges and various levels of quality. One of the most popular hotels for cruisers is the Embassy Suites Hotel (17 th Street Ft Lauderdale) which is a short transfer or taxi ride from the port. It is relatively easy to book your own air and hotels via the major online booking engines (i.e. Expedia, Orbitz, etc). You can even check prices using a site such as Kayak...which actually searches many other sites for the best rates (and tells you where to find those prices).

 

We get the impression that the OP has little to no experience booking their own air/hotels online. If that is the case, and if he/she does not have a good comfort level...then we suggest finding a good friend or family member who is better versed in using the Internet to book travel.

 

Hank

[wendychloecruiser]

As you are sailing out of Fort Lauderdale, I highly recommend trying to fly into FLL. It will make your travel MUCH more pleasant and simple unless of course it is affected by your your departure city.

[Ayton lady]

Another northern vote for avoiding LHR at all costs! From the north east we have found flying via Amsterdam much easier and a much better hub than LHR. Obviously Manchester has many more flights to USA than the north east but I would certainly look at changes in the USA or Dublin sounds an interesting option.

[mickey89]

There are many choices for Flights from UK to the US, don't rule anything out like some have suggested.

Use a website like Skyscanner, LHR will nearly always be the cheapest route whether direct or with some stops.

Flight will also be cheaper into MIA than FLL . It is very easy to transfer between the two since the Tri-rail has been extended into MIA and cost about $4/pp. Also consider West Palm Beach Airport as your destination as it is also connected by the Tri-rail.

When to book is the difficult question to answer, it can be cheaper to book early. We booked for a March return flights 9 months ago but the same flights are £150 cheaper today, its always difficult to second guess.

Edited February 23, 2017 by mickey89

[turnip eater]

Would this be a good reason to go via Dublin from Manchester

https://www.dublinairport.com/at-the-airport/passenger-information/us-preclearance-facility

[lovescarborough]

Would this be a good reason to go via Dublin from Manchester

https://www.dublinairport.com/at-the-airport/passenger-information/us-preclearance-facility

I am also looking at flights from UK to Miami in Jan 18 so am finding lots of helpful info here. I can't seem to find how to fly from Manchester or even London via Dublin. Is it possible to do this with one carrier or would I need to book a separate flight to Dublin?

[Ayton lady]

When we have flown from Teesside we have gone via Amsterdam all the way with KLM but the Dublin route I think would be booking 2 separate airlines with the attraction of US customs in Dublin instead of what can be a trial at the other end.

[villauk]

I am also looking at flights from UK to Miami in Jan 18 so am finding lots of helpful info here. I can't seem to find how to fly from Manchester or even London via Dublin. Is it possible to do this with one carrier or would I need to book a separate flight to Dublin?

 

Aer Lingus fly from MAN TO MIA (changing in Dublin) - you'd need to check their site for which days they fly etc. ;)

[Ayton lady]

Last year we also found that by booking separate KLM flights from Europe to USA in euros and then a flight from Teesside to Amsterdam in pounds the business class flight across there was a great deal cheaper! I have been told that Dublin is the same. You may have to collect your case and check it in again though but for £1000 cheaper I was willing to put up with that.