Prices of flights to New York

[JandLandG]

Hi there...maybe a daft question but we're hoping to fly to the US ( New York) this summer for our hols to visit rellies..

Not done it for a good while, so a bit perturbed by the high prices - even for August; is there any chance that some cheaper options will appear, or will it just keep on getting more expensive?

Keen to book now even though it's so expensive, but we were stung last year when we booked v early, only for prices to go down a couple of months later.

Any experience/advice v gratefully received.

Thanks so much.

Flight prices seem to change daily (have seen these change hourly in some cases!).

If you want specific dates and perhaps some more flexibility with flights then I would book it sooner rather than later. NYC is expensive all year round; a lot of people want to visit that city and prices reflect demand. A lot of airlines do fly into either JFK or Newark so there is choice: I would look at both British (e.g. Virgin and BA) and American carriers websites (AA or United).

I'd look at Norwegian Air. I've flown with them to the U.S. and found them fine. No frills obviously but I don't drink and never eat the plane food anyway.

Also look for flights with one stop, you can get some with just a one or two hour wait en route and then back on the next flight. They can be considerably cheaper.

How did you search? I like Google Flights ( www.google.co.uk/flights/ ) because it makes suggestions of when the cheapest time and dates to fly is.

End of August from about the 22nd seems to be cheaper. Try ebookers. You can search +3 days either side and look at the grid for when flights are cheaper.

thanks for these thoughts, everyone...hmmm...we'll see. I need to go at the start of aug and back for the 23...trip of a lifetime hols with the kids to see the city, rellies and hopefully Niagara.

not cheap though...even air bnb in new York city is 200 quid a night! ha...my lad wants to stay as close as possible to where Bowie lived....cool, but expensive!

We are flying to the states via Sweden at Christmas saved 2k over same lhr-PHX flight.

you mentioned airbandb in new York. there are real issues with apartment renting which is basically prohibited. suggest you google this and I will provide the link when I find it.

Unfortunately NYC is expensive because a lot of people from all over the world want to visit it. Prices reflect demand.

No to apartment rentals in NYC: practically all short term lets of under 30 days in that city are illegal. Go online and read about this problem. You will need to stay in hotel accommodation instead.

Websites do not check the veracity of any such listings either and many people have been scammed.

thanks for these thoughts....yep, I have read about the new York city council and its attitude to airbnb....we've used airbnb extensively both in this country and abroad and I think its ace.

peer reviews beat the opinions of people who work for the council any day for me, but I suppose it's personal choice and opinion.

either way, getting there and back - we're visiting relatives 100 miles outside the city - is not cheap so I guess we'll just have to splash out...and I thought aviation fuel prices had fallen by 1/3 over the past year!

Airlines buy aviation fuel 12-18 months in advance. What makes the fare expensive is the sheer amount of taxes and charges added to the basic cost. Its quite eye watering.

Ha! Atilla...you sound like a PR for BA! :-)

Airlines' management wants shaking up then....poor decisions made if you're buying high in a falling market....they still charge their 'fuel levy' that they brought in a couple of years ago....i'm a bit 'hmmmmm' about that.

and don't forget, taxation is the price we pay for a civilised society.

perhaps we should mention that to those big corporations who want a free ride while you and I pay up. some of these mega-corps think they're more important than the government (i.e the people) and above the law.

anyway, off topic...but perhaps i'll mention it to the good people of America when i'm over there. :-)