Trip to Charlotte > NYC > London

jayu619

Hi All,

Looking to book a trip to Charlotte for a friends wedding leaving on the 4th June,with 2 days stopover in NYC before heading back to London on the 11th. Does anyone know of where I should look to book [cheap] flights? Leaving from London...

Also, will be needing hotel for the 2 nights I am in NYC. Any particular sites I should be looking at? A friend at work suggested bookit.com - is that any good? What areas should I look into/avoid?

I know there are so many questions, but any guidance/suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!

Thanks,
Jay

skintpaul

compare flights LON - Charlotte ('CHAR'), with stopoff in NYC,

against separate trips: LON - NYC, with a side trip NYC - CHAR - NY- CHAR.

I've been out of the travel bus for ages, but splitting the bookings may work out cheaper?

shaun_from_Africa

Have you looked at the BA website for hotels?
You don't have to be flying on BA to book hotels with them and I've always found their prices to be pretty competitive.

If you want to fly non-stop to Charlotte then you will have to go from Heathrow. Gatwick flights will be slightly cheaper but will take longer as they all require a stop off and/or a plane change en-route.

Your best bet with regards to prices is to look on websites such as the one you mention, Expedia etc then check directly on the airlines websites.
Booking directly with the airline is often cheaper than going through a third party agent and usually gives you more control over your ticketing options such as seat booking, baggage, meal choices etc.

richardw

I would try and do 3nights in NY it'll be great in June.

Kayak is good for comparisons. Tick the 'add nearby airports' box.

jayu619

Hey guys,

thanks for taking your time out to respond, much appreciated.

I checked kayak - the best is £655 with 2 nights in nyc - as stated above. however, when I searched through momondo - i managed to find a flight to charlotte only for £515 with US airways with a company called "wefly" - anyone have any past dealings with them? are they legit? they are abta members etc.

Also, regarding the hotel part of my trip in NYC has anyone heard of/about "bookit.com"?? they seem to have really good prices although in dollars, for some top hotels in manhattan - have a look. Is that also legitimate website that I can use to book hotels?

Many thanks in advance.
Jay

richardw

Google for reviews of those companies.

George_Michael

Regarding the prices you saw on bookit.com, did you go through the website as if you were making a booking or did you just see the prices shown on their comparison pages?
Many American hotel and motel booking companies advertise a price which will be their base rate and will be exclusive of all taxes, fees and supplements.
These will only be shown when you get to the payment stage and these extras can add a fair bit on to the overall cost.

jayu619

hey guys,

just an update - i will not be doing NYC (will be doing that later on in the year, when the summer holidays are over). So I booked 7 days to Charlotte via wefly.co.uk - the tickets cost £523 (incl. £10 CC charge). Immediately got an email confirming. I also checked US airways and AA sites to see my reservations, and it was all there - I even phoned AA to double check and ask what happens if my flights (going or coming) are delayed, will they charge to get on the next available plane etc etc.

Anyway, now that is booked. I will need to head over to Asheville when I arrive for 2 days to see some family friends - what would be the easiest way to get to Asheville from Charlotte? Will taxi cost an arm and a leg? Transfer services available? Any pointers/advice as to how I should go about doing this, would help.

Thanks,
Jay

jackieblack

Charlotte to Asheville is a good couple of hours by car, about 125-140 miles depending on which route, so I'd guess a cab would be pretty pricey. Could you hire a car for a couple of days?

shaun_from_Africa

I second the idea of getting a car.
Driving in the US is generally fairly easy even if it's your first time and you will be able to pick up a vehicle for 2 days fully inclusive for around about £60. Add on about £30 to £40 for fuel (which should be more than enough) and it will work out far cheaper and more convenient than having to rely on a taxi which for the distance you want will be somewhere in the region of $300+ each way for a metered cab.

Obviously_the_best

Either hire a car or get a Greyhound Bus. Both quite cheap.