Do you want to visit Europe, but don’t want to pay the exorbitant plane tickets? These discounted flights to Great Britain may be right for you.
Several airlines offer competitively priced flights to Bristol and Birmingham in England, as well as to the Scottish city of Glasgow. Bristol and Birmingham, which are both around 120 miles from London, can be useful options if you want to fly into a smaller airport.
![](https://thepointsguy.freetls.fastly.net/us/originals/2023/09/GettyImages-595311349-scaled.jpg)
Both English cities also have sights worth visiting. Birmingham is home to Cadbury World, a theme park based on the popular British chocolate, and Bristol is packed with theaters and museums.
If you’ve always wanted to visit Scotland, the country’s most populous city, Glasgow, has many museums and is known for its beautiful Victorian architecture.
Travel dates for these deals run from September through March 2024, with some availability during Thanksgiving. These low prices are only expected to last for the next few days, so book quickly.
Deal Basics
Airlines: Aer Lingus, Air France, Delta Air Lines, KLM and Virgin Atlantic.
Routes: From Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, DC
How to book: Search Google Flights to find your ideal dates, then book directly with the airline of your choice.
Travel dates: September to March. Some routes are available on Thanksgiving, but all are excluded from travel during Christmas and New Year’s Eve.
Book via: Within the next two days.
Many thanks to Going, formerly known as Scott’s Cheap Flights, for highlighting these deals. The site’s Premium membership costs $49 per year and offers discounts of up to 90% and includes a 14-day free trial. The Elite membership also scouts premium economy, business class and first class deals.
Sample flights
These deals are widely available in major US cities in the Northeast and on the West Coast.
Here are some available flights:
- Delta and KLM: Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) to Bristol Airport (BRS), from $441 (including a stopover in Amsterdam)
- Delta and KLM: John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Glasgow Airport (GLA), from $445 (including a stopover in Amsterdam)
- Aer Lingus: O’Hare International Airport (ORD) to GLA, from $498 (including a stopover in Dublin)
- Delta and Air France: Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Birmingham Airport (BHX), from $540 (including a stop in Paris)
Although the majority of these flights have stopovers in other European cities, they can still save you a significant amount of money on airfare; economy flights to Britain could otherwise cost as much as $950.
For a trip to Scotland around Thanksgiving, Google Flights shows a Delta flight from JFK as the cheapest option available.
![](https://thepointsguy.freetls.fastly.net/us/originals/2023/09/Screen-Shot-2023-09-11-at-3.08.47-PM.png)
This flight includes a stopover at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) and the second part of the flight is operated by fellow SkyTeam partner KLM.
To pay just $445 for a return flight to Scotland, you’ll need to book a 6:10am return flight from Glasgow.
![](https://thepointsguy.freetls.fastly.net/us/originals/2023/09/Screen-Shot-2023-09-11-at-3.11.28-PM.png)
While the airfares are hard to beat, there’s a caveat: You’ll be flying basic economy, which is the most restrictive class of travel and not the most comfortable option for longer international flights. Basic economy fares incur additional seat selection and checked baggage fees, so keep that in mind when checking out.
![](https://thepointsguy.freetls.fastly.net/us/originals/2023/09/Screen-Shot-2023-09-11-at-3.14.28-PM.png)
Basic Economy is also not eligible for Delta’s SkyMiles program, so you won’t earn miles on these flights.
![](https://thepointsguy.freetls.fastly.net/us/originals/2023/09/Screen-Shot-2023-09-11-at-3.17.26-PM.png)
Maximize your purchase
Don’t forget to use a credit card that earns bonus points when purchasing airline tickets, such as:
- Chase Sapphire Preferred Card: 2 points per dollar on travel
- American Express® Gold Card: 3 points per dollar on airline tickets when booked directly with the airline or through American Express Travel
- The Platinum Card® from American Express: 5 points per dollar on airline tickets when booked directly with the airline or through American Express Travel, on up to $500,000 of these purchases per calendar year
- Citi Premier® Card (see rates and fees): 3 points per dollar on airfare
- Chase Sapphire Reserve: 3 points per dollar on airline tickets
In short
With such huge demand, it almost feels like it’s expensive to fly to Europe at any time of the year, and not just during the popular summer tourist season. However, these deals to Britain give you the chance to see some of the charming and smaller cities outside London.
Make sure you weigh the pros and cons of flying basic economy before booking these flights; the amount of money you can save on plane tickets may well outweigh any restrictions that typically come with basic economics.