Cheapest Return Flight To UK - Jan 2014

[davejones]

I'm planning to visit UK & Europe next year - leaving Bangkok first half of January, and returning second half of May. I've check skyscanner and cheapest tickets are $1,219 return. Can I get a better deal than this. I'm happy to fly via another country or even get a return to Europe mainland and get cheap flight to UK from there. Are prices likely ro rise or fall between now and January? Can't book until end September at earliest.

[stoneyboy]

A quick search just came up with £661 return Bangkok to Heathrow that's US $1033 and on sky scanner.

[stoneyboy]

Admittedly the return leg is pretty horrendous at 27 hours but its cheap non the less.

I'm sure if you search around the time you can actually book it you will get something in this region anyhow.

[negreanu]

Norwegian

[davejones]

Is there an easy way to check the various routes and options? e.g. single to London, travel around Europe, then single back to Bangkok from another European country? There are so many possible combinations, that I could spend a whole month searching. But there are bound to be certain cities where flights are generally cheaper. Any have any idea on where to start my search, or would using a travel agent be a better bet?

[lomatopo]

Can't book until end September at earliest.

No real sense in looking now if you can't buy, unless I'm misunderstanding some important facet of your requirement.

It's a bit like saying I want to buy some apples in six weeks.

You might find a bazillion affordable offers today, which likely won't be available at the end of September.

What is your budget, or target buy price?

China Eastern, Aeroflot, China Southern, Swiss, Uzbekistan Airways, Turkish, Lufthansa, Kuwait, Gulf, SAS, BA, Qantas, Korean have the (currently) lowest published fares from lowest to highest.

Taxes/fees are higher ex-LON, but there is more competition so potentially lower fares, An open-jaw (BKK-LON/CDG-BKK for example with ground transport between LON and CDG) might not save any money.

Check out consolidators/travel agencies like H.I.S. http://www.his-bkk.com/ as they push a lot of inventory. They have offices in some BTS stations.

Pick travel dates, pick city-pairs, assign a value, then buy as soon as you can.

[asanee]

your idea to save money by flying into the ''continent'' makes no sense- UK is by FAR the cheapest place, even with higher rates ex-TH, to fly into.

Also very much depends on WHEN you want to return and how much ''fixed booking'' you can live with.

The very cheapest return into Uk from continent-on RYAN-without the luggage charge, will still cost you 40-50 GBP, {LUS that RYAN does not serve any main airport cheap fares may send you to. To make up your mind-about WHICH continent part you would like to visit, and not have people tell a triziliion possibilties would also make much sense. Best is then most likley an open jaw-into There, from UK, and book lowcost /or train in between.

[davejones]

Can't book until end September at earliest.

No real sense in looking now if you can't buy, unless I'm misunderstanding some important facet of your requirement.

It's a bit like saying I want to buy some apples in six weeks.

You might find a bazillion affordable offers today, which likely won't be available at the end of September.

What is your budget, or target buy price?

China Eastern, Aeroflot, China Southern, Swiss, Uzbekistan Airways, Turkish, Lufthansa, Kuwait, Gulf, SAS, BA, Qantas, Korean have the (currently) lowest published fares from lowest to highest.

Taxes/fees are higher ex-LON, but there is more competition so potentially lower fares, An open-jaw (BKK-LON/CDG-BKK for example with ground transport between LON and CDG) might not save any money.

Check out consolidators/travel agencies like H.I.S. http://www.his-bkk.com/ as they push a lot of inventory. They have offices in some BTS stations.

Pick travel dates, pick city-pairs, assign a value, then buy as soon as you can.

The reason I'm looking now is because I think this will take quite a lot of planning, so I'm looking for general ideas at the moment. I know I want to go to UK and lots of other European countries. They aren't set in stone, so I have some flexibility. At the moment I have no idea what's the best ticket to get, as I haven't traveled around Europe in the past (apart from to one country and back again), so I'm looking for ways to organize the flights in the most efficient way. For example, if I fly into London, and I'm then in Russia at the end of my travels, it might make more sense to fly back to Thailand from Russia than pay to get back to London and then to Thailand. I'll use buses, trains and planes to get around Europe, depending on where I'm going next.

So maybe my plans are a little too vague at the moment. I'll have to give it some more thought.

I don't have a budget or a target price. I just want to pay as little as possible. No point having a budget/target of £1,000 if it can be done for £500.

[Gnasher328]

Due to UK 'Air Pasenger Duty' ripoff I have flown long haul from Paris using Eurostar to/from the UK. Quite an experience in itself, I couldn't believe how fast that thing was.

[Ricardo]

Just to point out that northern-Europe tends to be a bit chilly, at that time of year, perhaps better to go when the weather is more-clement ?

[lomatopo]

So maybe my plans are a little too vague at the moment.

It seems like you understand the challenges, at least at some level, in estimating future airfares on indeterminate routes.

You really need to, at some point prior to purchase, nail down BKK-LON/???-BKK.

The idea of a budget/target price is just that, a target you aim for. Obviously if you see a price below that then you would buy.

[davejones]

Just to point out that northern-Europe tends to be a bit chilly, at that time of year, perhaps better to go when the weather is more-clement ?

Yes,I know that. But I'll be spending lots of time in southern Europe, and the weather won't be so bad there. Also, I have other plans later in the year, so this is the best time for me to go. Chilly is ok for me.

[davejones]

So maybe my plans are a little too vague at the moment.

It seems like you understand the challenges, at least at some level, in estimating future airfares on indeterminate routes.

You really need to, at some point prior to purchase, nail down BKK-LON/???-BKK.

The idea of a budget/target price is just that, a target you aim for. Obviously if you see a price below that then you would buy.

The problem is that I have no real idea of flight prices from SE Asia to Europe, and not much idea of flight prices around Europe. I also don't know if it's cheaper to fly BKK-LON, or whether there's a cheaper route from somewhere else in Asia to somewhere else in Europe. I wouldn't even mind flying to somewhere else in Asia, spending some time there, then flying to Europe. So I'm pretty flexible on the order I do things.

So as a starting point, is BKK-LON generally the cheapest route from SEA to Europe? Or are there other cheaper routes? e.g. KL to somewhere in Europe.