Deal alert: Fall fares to London from Chicago, Philadelphia from $362
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
You may think it's too soon to start planning your fall travel, but we say it's never too early to save money on airfare. A new deal offers some solid prices to one of our favorite cities: London.
Aer Lingus has a number of flights marked down in this sale. Ireland's flagship carrier is offering steeply discounted round-trip tickets to London's Heathrow Airport (LHR) from Chicago and Philadelphia for travel in September and October of this year. The best prices involve a layover in Dublin, but considering some fares are 50% off normal prices, it's worth it.
As with many of the deals we spotlight here on TPG, these prices are for economy fares. With Aer Lingus, this gets you a free carry-on bag. If you want to check luggage, it will cost you around $55 each way. In other words, people who pack lightly can maximize their savings.
Related: The 23 best hotels in London
Deal basics
Airline: Aer Lingus
Routes: Round-trip flights from Chicago and Philadelphia to London
How to book: Browse Google Flights, then book directly with the airline
Travel dates: Various dates in September and October 2024
This deal was originally sent out by Going. Sign up for Going to get up to 90% off select flights via its Premium membership, which users can try for free for 14 days and then $69 per year. You can also upgrade to the Elite tier for $199 per year for all the Premium deals, plus premium economy, business-class and first-class alerts.
Sample flights
There are lots of options out of Chicago in this sale. We found $362 round-trip economy fares throughout September, like this one from Chicago's O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to LHR. This fare would typically cost around $800.
We found good availability at this price for October travel out of Chicago, too.
There's also a round-trip October itinerary out of Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) for only $385. According to Google Flights, that price is about half off the normal price you'd expect to pay.
The same round-trip route in September is also available for just a few dollars more, at $392. It applies to the same economy tier, with the free carry-on bag.
Related: The best lounges at London Heathrow -- and how to get inside
Maximize your purchase
When you book this deal or any flights, be sure to use a credit card that earns bonus points on airfare purchases, such as:
- Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (see rates and fees): 2 points per dollar spent on travel
- American Express® Gold Card: 3 points per dollar spent on airfare when booked directly with the airline or through amextravel.com
- The Platinum Card® from American Express: 5 points per dollar spent on airfare when booked directly with the airline or through American Express Travel® (on up to $500,000 of these purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar)
- Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees): 8 points per dollar on all Chase Travel℠ purchases and 4 points per dollar on flights booked directly through the airline
- Citi Strata Premier® Card (see rates and fees): 3 points per dollar spent on air travel
Bottom line
Another bonus to this sale: AAdvantage members may be able to earn miles and Loyalty Points because Aer Lingus is now an earn-only partner of American Airlines. But don't wait too long to book, or the best prices may disappear.
Remember the golden rule about deal alerts: The more flexible your travel plans are, the better chance you have to find the best possible fare price.
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