UK Flights Help Please.....

[Louand66]

Hi all,

 

We are doing a land tour and cruise with Princess in June 2024.

 

We start our land tour at Fairbanks and finish our cruise at Vancouver.

 

I don't think there are any direct flights from UK to Fairbanks so I just wondered if anybody had any ideas of our best route to get to Fairbanks.

 

Many thanks for any help in advance.

 

Lou

 

 

[nijh]

Hi

 

Try a search on a flight comparison website, that will show you available routes.  Not sure what we can and cannot mention here, but one is owned by Google and my favourite is ‘a type of a canoe’.  
 

After that go to the airline websites that it throws up as it is often clearer there about hidden charges for luggage, seat choice etc.  For example I was surprised  to find that Icelandair no longer provide food on their long haul - just some very unappetising sandwiches to purchase.

 

I’m betting you’ll route through Seattle or Chicago.

[Louand66]

Thanks for your help.

 

Yes seattle has been mentioned by a few....

[CruiserBruce]

This sounds like Cruise Air board questions:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/77-cruise-air/

 

Check out Matrix Ita:

 

https://matrix.itasoftware.com/search

 

Good way to search for your options.

 

Looks like LHR-ORD-FAI is one of your very few one stop options.

[Gardyloo]

Assuming you're flying out of London, then flying to Seattle (nonstop on British Airways, American Airlines, Delta, or Virgin Atlantic) will let you connect to direct flights to Fairbanks easily (operated by Alaska Airlines, a BA partner, or Delta, which is also a Virgin Atlantic partner.)

 

However if you want to fly out of Plymouth instead of schlepping to London, you might consider Aer Lingus to Dublin, connecting to Aer Lingus' nonstop to Seattle.  One advantage of going via Dublin is that one "pre-clears" US immigration and customs at Dublin airport, so that when you arrive in the US it's just like coming off a domestic flight - collect bags and off you go, or if you're continuing to Alaska, your bags will be checked through so you'd just go to the connecting flight.  

 

Now all that said, can I comment on your overall plan, and make a (big) suggestion?

 

Do the trip in reverse.  Fly nonstop to Vancouver (British Airways, Air Canada) and cruise northbound. 

 

Why?  A couple of reasons.  First, the weather in interior Alaska (Fairbanks, Denali) will have more time to improve.  June is still pretty early for those parts of the state.

 

Second and more importantly (IMO) is the time change factor.  Flying across nine time zones and landing in Fairbanks in June, when it really doesn't get dark at all, then climbing on a tour bus and get herded about, is not my idea of a relaxing time.  You'll be staring out the bus windows through bleary eyes, and the scheduling of stops and excursions will be pretty hard on your jetlagged systems.  

 

Instead, fly into Vancouver (8 hours difference) and when you get on the cruise ship, the first couple of days don't involve any stops; you'll be sailing through beautiful Inside Passage waters.  If you want to nap, fine, nothing to stop you.  You'll arrive in Alaska more rested and ready to hit the streets with more energy.  

 

Do think about it, okay?

[Louand66]

Thank you so much. Some wonderful thoughts.

 

Really appreciated.

[pdmlynek]

There are plenty of options for you. I would think that some search engine would be able to give you an open jaw LON>FAI, YVR>LON ticket.

 

If nothing is coming up, I'd search for a rt LON<>YVR, and a ow YVR>FAI. 

[Louand66]

How does it work that when you go through Dublin pre clears US customs.

 

Many thanks

 

 

[CruiserBruce]

1 hour ago, Louand66 said:

How does it work that when you go through Dublin pre clears US customs.

 

Many thanks

 

 

You simply do the stuff you would at a US airport to clear Immigration. Customs will vary a little if you are connecting or not, but it's really not an issue to meet Customs.  Immigration is potentially the more complicated process.

[Gardyloo]

Here's a (pre-Covid) video that's probably still usable.  

 

 

[pdmlynek]

On 2/8/2023 at 4:23 PM, Louand66 said:

How does it work that when you go through Dublin pre clears US customs.

 

Many thanks

 

 

 

The preclearance simply means that the passangers go through the immigration atDublin, instead of in the US.  The flight is considered a domestic flight, and the passangers will disembark in the US at a domestic terminal instead of the international terminal.  

 

It gives the airlines the freedom to fly to more places in the US.  

 

I am not sure if it makes that much of a difference.  A passenger still has to go through the hassle of going through immigration; whether it is in Dublin or in the US does not seem to me to be drastically different.

 

 

[wolfie11]

I have taken Icelandair in the summer to the UK.  It's one of a few flight that go directly to Europe from Alaska with a stopover in Reykjavik.  It's about a 7 hour flight to Reykjavik and another couple of hours to the UK.  It was the best transatlantic I've ever done from Alaska, saving many hours in flight time and sitting in airports.  And, you can always do a couple of days in Iceland at no extra cost. Icelandair also flies into Vancouver and the flight is also about 7 hours.  

[Louand66]

1 hour ago, wolfie11 said:

I have taken Icelandair in the summer to the UK.  It's one of a few flight that go directly to Europe from Alaska with a stopover in Reykjavik.  It's about a 7 hour flight to Reykjavik and another couple of hours to the UK.  It was the best transatlantic I've ever done from Alaska, saving many hours in flight time and sitting in airports.  And, you can always do a couple of days in Iceland at no extra cost. Icelandair also flies into Vancouver and the flight is also about 7 hours.  

Thank you very much.....

On 2/7/2023 at 9:16 AM, nijh said:

Hi

 

Try a search on a flight comparison website, that will show you available routes.  Not sure what we can and cannot mention here, but one is owned by Google and my favourite is ‘a type of a canoe’.  
 

After that go to the airline websites that it throws up as it is often clearer there about hidden charges for luggage, seat choice etc.  For example I was surprised  to find that Icelandair no longer provide food on their long haul - just some very unappetising sandwiches to purchase.

 

I’m betting you’ll route through Seattle or Chicago.

 

On 2/7/2023 at 4:36 PM, Gardyloo said:

Assuming you're flying out of London, then flying to Seattle (nonstop on British Airways, American Airlines, Delta, or Virgin Atlantic) will let you connect to direct flights to Fairbanks easily (operated by Alaska Airlines, a BA partner, or Delta, which is also a Virgin Atlantic partner.)

 

However if you want to fly out of Plymouth instead of schlepping to London, you might consider Aer Lingus to Dublin, connecting to Aer Lingus' nonstop to Seattle.  One advantage of going via Dublin is that one "pre-clears" US immigration and customs at Dublin airport, so that when you arrive in the US it's just like coming off a domestic flight - collect bags and off you go, or if you're continuing to Alaska, your bags will be checked through so you'd just go to the connecting flight.  

 

Now all that said, can I comment on your overall plan, and make a (big) suggestion?

 

Do the trip in reverse.  Fly nonstop to Vancouver (British Airways, Air Canada) and cruise northbound. 

 

Why?  A couple of reasons.  First, the weather in interior Alaska (Fairbanks, Denali) will have more time to improve.  June is still pretty early for those parts of the state.

 

Second and more importantly (IMO) is the time change factor.  Flying across nine time zones and landing in Fairbanks in June, when it really doesn't get dark at all, then climbing on a tour bus and get herded about, is not my idea of a relaxing time.  You'll be staring out the bus windows through bleary eyes, and the scheduling of stops and excursions will be pretty hard on your jetlagged systems.  

 

Instead, fly into Vancouver (8 hours difference) and when you get on the cruise ship, the first couple of days don't involve any stops; you'll be sailing through beautiful Inside Passage waters.  If you want to nap, fine, nothing to stop you.  You'll arrive in Alaska more rested and ready to hit the streets with more energy.  

 

Do think about it, okay?

 

1 hour ago, wolfie11 said:

I have taken Icelandair in the summer to the UK.  It's one of a few flight that go directly to Europe from Alaska with a stopover in Reykjavik.  It's about a 7 hour flight to Reykjavik and another couple of hours to the UK.  It was the best transatlantic I've ever done from Alaska, saving many hours in flight time and sitting in airports.  And, you can always do a couple of days in Iceland at no extra cost. Icelandair also flies into Vancouver and the flight is also about 7 hours.