Q. We're looking for cheap accommodation and these both fit the bill, but some of the reviews are pretty rough. Help us make up our minds between them!
A. Not stayed in either.
However I have stayed at the Britannia's sister the Britannia Airport Hotel in Manchester and it is every bit as bad as the reviews. The chain seems, in my opinion to have somewhat of a bad reputation.
Never stayed in any Etap (i think it is Accor's budget chain - they also own Ibis and Novotel). However, all the ones I have seen are pretty new. I would expect it to be relatively clean and comfortable but very basic in terms of facilities
However I have stayed at the Britannia's sister the Britannia Airport Hotel in Manchester and it is every bit as bad as the reviews. The chain seems, in my opinion to have somewhat of a bad reputation.
Never stayed in any Etap (i think it is Accor's budget chain - they also own Ibis and Novotel). However, all the ones I have seen are pretty new. I would expect it to be relatively clean and comfortable but very basic in terms of facilities
When is the best time to book a flight to England?
Q. My friend and I are planning a trip to England this summer (july, 2010). I was wondering when the best time to book our tickets? Right now they are super expensive, will they go down at all?
Thank you!
Thank you!
A. Hi Jessica,
Typically tickets tend to be their cheapest, I have found, for international travel about 8 - 12 weeks prior to the date of departure. With that said, traveling to the UK in July is a peak travel time and I would not expect to find inexpensive tickets. Prices you see now, I feel, will go down but do not expect them to go down that much. If you are looking for inexpensive tickets to the UK there are two periods when ticket prices for travel to the UK is reasonable. One period is from mid-September - late Nov / early December. Second period is from late January / early February - late April / early May. Also you have to remember that the cheapest days to travel, generally speaking are Mondays - Thursdays. Fridays and weekend departure dates can be significantly higher. Therefore to get the best deals possible look for departure dates during the week.
Another option you may want to consider is booking your flight and hotel room together. Sometimes it is cheaper to book both together on line instead of booking them separately. Also if you are going to the UK as a group of at least 8 then you may want to see if the airline will give you a group discount. However to get a group discount you may have to go through a travel agent or call the airline directly then booking on line. Lastly consider other airports such as Birmingham or Manchester sometime you can get cheaper flights into them instead of London. Birmingham is about a 1.5 hour train ride and Manchester is just over 2 hours via train from London.
Typically tickets tend to be their cheapest, I have found, for international travel about 8 - 12 weeks prior to the date of departure. With that said, traveling to the UK in July is a peak travel time and I would not expect to find inexpensive tickets. Prices you see now, I feel, will go down but do not expect them to go down that much. If you are looking for inexpensive tickets to the UK there are two periods when ticket prices for travel to the UK is reasonable. One period is from mid-September - late Nov / early December. Second period is from late January / early February - late April / early May. Also you have to remember that the cheapest days to travel, generally speaking are Mondays - Thursdays. Fridays and weekend departure dates can be significantly higher. Therefore to get the best deals possible look for departure dates during the week.
Another option you may want to consider is booking your flight and hotel room together. Sometimes it is cheaper to book both together on line instead of booking them separately. Also if you are going to the UK as a group of at least 8 then you may want to see if the airline will give you a group discount. However to get a group discount you may have to go through a travel agent or call the airline directly then booking on line. Lastly consider other airports such as Birmingham or Manchester sometime you can get cheaper flights into them instead of London. Birmingham is about a 1.5 hour train ride and Manchester is just over 2 hours via train from London.
Multiple layover and flight change question?
Q. If you have a flight with multiple layovers (Birmingham, UK to Paris, France to Houston, Texas to San Diego, California for example) and flight changes how does that work?
Do you have to collect your luggage, check in and go through customs again at every stage, or are you automatically transferred between flights at each airport?
Also, if you have an overnight layover, is it possible/allowed to spend the entire time in the airport or do you have to find a hotel?
Do you have to collect your luggage, check in and go through customs again at every stage, or are you automatically transferred between flights at each airport?
Also, if you have an overnight layover, is it possible/allowed to spend the entire time in the airport or do you have to find a hotel?
A. For an international flight with layovers, when you check your luggage, it will be tagged for your final destination city and moved along accordingly, so in most cases, you don't have to worry about it (even though I have run into some issues with lost luggage over the years and those instances are more likely with more layovers). I would double check about your luggage if you are changing airlines at any point in your flight. For example, if you had a flight that was UK to Paris on Delta then Paris to Houston on United, I would ask if you need to collect your luggage in Paris and re-check it with United.
The airlines are very accustomed to passengers who have connecting flights and will help guide you to where you need to be going next, but it's important to pay attention because there are sometimes flights that lead to more than one connection, so make sure you're going to the correct next leg of your flight.
Is it possible to spend the entire time at the airport? In most cases, yes, you can. Most major airports are open 24/7 and there are so many people waiting around for flights that most likely, no one will even notice or care that you've been sitting around for hours...except you. Sitting in those airport chairs for hours gets to be uncomfortable after a while.
Although you didnât ask about it, I also wanted to mention that itâs a good idea to check with your airline about bag size restrictions and items that you canât carry onboard. This information can be found on the airlinesâ website. Itâs no fun to find out while boarding that your carry-on bag is too large and needs to be checked. Itâs also a real bother to be held up at the security checkpoint because your toothpaste tube is too large or you brought a regular size can of shaving cream.
The airlines are very accustomed to passengers who have connecting flights and will help guide you to where you need to be going next, but it's important to pay attention because there are sometimes flights that lead to more than one connection, so make sure you're going to the correct next leg of your flight.
Is it possible to spend the entire time at the airport? In most cases, yes, you can. Most major airports are open 24/7 and there are so many people waiting around for flights that most likely, no one will even notice or care that you've been sitting around for hours...except you. Sitting in those airport chairs for hours gets to be uncomfortable after a while.
Although you didnât ask about it, I also wanted to mention that itâs a good idea to check with your airline about bag size restrictions and items that you canât carry onboard. This information can be found on the airlinesâ website. Itâs no fun to find out while boarding that your carry-on bag is too large and needs to be checked. Itâs also a real bother to be held up at the security checkpoint because your toothpaste tube is too large or you brought a regular size can of shaving cream.
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