Flights to England in 2010, where and when to start?

[mabba18]

I'm not sure if if this should be in Request-a-deal, but I'll start here because I'm sure that there is a greater level of knowledge.

Long story short, we are starting to plan a trip to England for next year. Thankfully, we will be able to stay with family while there, so the only major expense will be the flight.

We can travel anytime from Mid-May to Mid-September, and are extremely flexible within those dates. We can end up at any airport, but ideally we'd like to get to Birmingham Int, as our final destination is Coventry. We would prefer to start in Ottawa, but Montreal would be ok, and Toronto is a maybe.

Just looking for any advice from those with more experience booking flights, as to where and when to start. When do charter companies start advertising? How early/late can we risk booking? Are sites better then http://www.airtransat.ca/ , or http://www.canadianaffair.ca/ ?

A very quick search got Toronto to Birmingham via Thomas Cook, 2 adults, mid June for $1,391.90 all in, from airtransat. Can we get any better then that?

Thanks!

[Pete_Coach]

$1400 for 2 people all taxes and charges included, right to your destination is a very good price. I don't think you will find any cheaper than that even when the set sales start.

[mpsrent]

I fly to England once or twice every year to visit family and friends (my wife is a Brit) so I have plenty of experience. We have even been known to travel for an extra long weekend and I constantly check the web site for opportunities.

Transat and Thomas Cook are partners. Air Transat's 800 series flight numbers are actually Thomas Cook flights. Similarly, Thomas Cook (Canadian Affair) offers Transat flights.

As Toronto/Montreal are major airports, you likely have a better chance of finding a deal out of one of the two though you must also consider your travel time/cost if you live in the Ottawa area. I fly from Toronto though I have Ottawa as a backup.

I'm lucky as I fly to Manchester as its close to my destination yet is serviced by many flights making it price competitive. Having said that, rail service is great with lines into both Manchester and Birmingham International. Don't be afraid to look at alternate airports.

Flight prices constantly fluctuate and are computer controlled and market driven by load/date factors. Once you establish a base price (you have one now of $700 each all in) you need to check regularly using the sites you mentioned. I've flown for as little as $500 all in and often at $600 to $650. I view $650 as my high end though if you are date sensitive, take what you can. A word of caution, $700 isn't bad so don't expect to go far lower for June. The flip side is that prices also rise up as the plane fills, so you could see your $700 easily turn into $800 or more.

Good luck and enjoy.