Deal alert: Fall fares to London from Chicago, Philadelphia from $362
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.
Related reading:
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