Flying in/out USA deep south
Flying in/out USA deep south
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Discussion

ro250

Original Poster:

3,361 posts

75 months

Tuesday 7th October
quotequote all
At early stages of holiday to USA deep south. Haven't planned route yet (will likely be Tennessee, Louisiana, possibly Georgia) but first need to decide where we'll fly in and out of.

Slightly struggling with trying to find the cheapest option. Ideally we'd fly in and out of different airports but sometimes that is more expensive. I'd seen Atlanta is the world's busiest airport but that doesn't appear to make it cheaper! It'll be from London airports.

Any advice welcome!


TwigtheWonderkid

47,029 posts

168 months

Tuesday 7th October
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Somewhere popular would be my guess. Nashville?

alangla

5,877 posts

199 months

Tuesday 7th October
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BA do a few places, eg New Orleans and Nashville. I d have suggested Atlanta in the first instance as you ll get Delta and Virgin going there as well as BA.
Some leftfield suggestions might be to consider going from Edinburgh or Manchester instead of London (Delta) or going to JFK/Newark/Dallas and then connecting.

//j17

4,796 posts

241 months

Tuesday 7th October
quotequote all
Worth considering flights into Orlando as seats on the more package tour flights are often cheaper - and quite a nice drive up Florida's Golf (of Mexico) coast.

ro250

Original Poster:

3,361 posts

75 months

Tuesday 7th October
quotequote all
Thanks. Doesn't sound like there's a stand-out favourite so will just need to do more searching.

I expect Orlando will be cheaper but I think that will add too much distance to the trip before it starts but something to consider.

OMITN

2,794 posts

110 months

Tuesday 7th October
quotequote all
When I did a Deep South trip many years ago, I flew into Atlanta and then took and internal flight to New Orleans to meet up with my wife who had been working there. We then drove up the Mississippi delta to Nashville and then hopped back to Atlanta and flew home.

In more recent times we did a road trip from DC through the Blue Ridge Mountains to Ashville, turned south east to Savannah and then worked up through the Carolinas to DC and home. Flights were in and out of Dulles. That might be an option and then take an internal flight to your starting point.

All flights in and out of the US are expensive these days. As is the country when you're there (my credit card is still bruised from this summer's trip to California and the West.

geeman237

1,317 posts

203 months

Tuesday 7th October
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I live in South Carolina. Whenever I fly to/from the U.K. I try and get Virgin/Delta via ATL. Generally everything runs on time and the service is good. I’ve no idea how US immigration is for UK citizens through ATL. I’d rather pay a little more knowing I’ve a reasonably good chance of no problems.
American Airlines also fly direct from London to Charlotte NC but they may be a little out of your way. Personally I avoid AA as I don’t find them as good as Delta/Virgin.

jpringle819

732 posts

257 months

Tuesday 7th October
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We have done both Atlanta and Dallas then onto Pensacola. Both airports we had no issues with immigration no more than 20 minutes. Then from Pensacola its a nice coastal drive to New Orleans. If you have time take the ferry from Fort Morgan to Dauphin Island rather than drive round the bay via Mobile

DJC76

13,287 posts

143 months

Thursday 9th October
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As above BA direct to Nashville or NOLA. ATL is one of my least favourite airports in the entire world and I’ve flown through 60 others in the last 4 years so personally I’d do anything to avoid it. Try google flights to look at open jaw flights, normally it’s cheaper doing it one way round rather than the other so if you’re not fussed about your itinerary order you could end up saving some money.

ro250

Original Poster:

3,361 posts

75 months

Thursday 9th October
quotequote all
DJC76 said:
As above BA direct to Nashville or NOLA. ATL is one of my least favourite airports in the entire world and I ve flown through 60 others in the last 4 years so personally I d do anything to avoid it. Try google flights to look at open jaw flights, normally it s cheaper doing it one way round rather than the other so if you re not fussed about your itinerary order you could end up saving some money.
We quite often fly out of a different airport (although never heard the term "open jaw"!).

New Orleans seems to have very limited flights but I am looking for next summer so that may explain it. Everything looking very expensive too but again, I think I'm looking a bit too soon.

DJC76

13,287 posts

143 months

Thursday 9th October
quotequote all
ro250 said:
DJC76 said:
As above BA direct to Nashville or NOLA. ATL is one of my least favourite airports in the entire world and I ve flown through 60 others in the last 4 years so personally I d do anything to avoid it. Try google flights to look at open jaw flights, normally it s cheaper doing it one way round rather than the other so if you re not fussed about your itinerary order you could end up saving some money.
We quite often fly out of a different airport (although never heard the term "open jaw"!).

New Orleans seems to have very limited flights but I am looking for next summer so that may explain it. Everything looking very expensive too but again, I think I'm looking a bit too soon.
NOLA is 5 days a week, Nashville is every day I think. BA will have released everything up to 355 days in advance so if you can’t find it before the end of September it doesn’t exist.

Depending on how Deep South your Deep South tour is you could fly into Houston and cross into Louisiana that way. If you fancy including Texas because it’s the best state in the US of course I could keenly recommend San Antonio, hill country to the NW including Fredericksburg etc. That opens up Dallas and Austin as viable flight options. If you’re strictly sticking to the proper South I think the guys above are probably right and at some point ATL might have to feature. On a positive note it’s not far from there to Chattanooga and some of the cool places in Tennessee and NC that others have mentioned. ATL is a good spot to pick up a hire car too by virtue of its size.

fiatpower

3,445 posts

189 months

Thursday 9th October
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I've flown Heathrow to Raleigh with BA and Heathrow to Nashville with Virgin. Both were good flights and reasonably cheap when I used them in the last couple of years.

DJC76

13,287 posts

143 months

Thursday 9th October
quotequote all
fiatpower said:
I've flown Heathrow to Raleigh with BA and Heathrow to Nashville with Virgin. Both were good flights and reasonably cheap when I used them in the last couple of years.
Presumably via somewhere else?

fiatpower

3,445 posts

189 months

Thursday 9th October
quotequote all
DJC76 said:
fiatpower said:
I've flown Heathrow to Raleigh with BA and Heathrow to Nashville with Virgin. Both were good flights and reasonably cheap when I used them in the last couple of years.
Presumably via somewhere else?
No they were both direct. The Raleigh flight was actually a connecting flight to New York for us.

DJC76

13,287 posts

143 months

Thursday 9th October
quotequote all
fiatpower said:
DJC76 said:
fiatpower said:
I've flown Heathrow to Raleigh with BA and Heathrow to Nashville with Virgin. Both were good flights and reasonably cheap when I used them in the last couple of years.
Presumably via somewhere else?
No they were both direct. The Raleigh flight was actually a connecting flight to New York for us.
I think you might be misremembering, as above Virgin don’t operate a London to Nashville flight that’s BA. BA don’t operate a Raleigh flight, that’s AA although it will have a BA flight number as they codeshare on it.

shakotan

10,826 posts

214 months

Thursday 9th October
quotequote all
Virgin go to Nashville too, prices seemed fairly on par with the Orlando route went I travelled.

DJC76

13,287 posts

143 months

Thursday 9th October
quotequote all
shakotan said:
Virgin go to Nashville too, prices seemed fairly on par with the Orlando route went I travelled.
Not direct they don’t, they will gladly sell you a connecting ticket (probably with Delta) but that’s always a pain in the arse in the US.

fiatpower

3,445 posts

189 months

Thursday 9th October
quotequote all
DJC76 said:
shakotan said:
Virgin go to Nashville too, prices seemed fairly on par with the Orlando route went I travelled.
Not direct they don t, they will gladly sell you a connecting ticket (probably with Delta) but that s always a pain in the arse in the US.
Just checked my pictures and yes you're right. We fly into JFK first and then a connecting ticket with Delta.

P2KKA

252 posts

78 months

Friday 10th October
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Charlotte NC is a major hub to consider too. Nice drive up into Tennessee through the mountains. I cant remember who we flew with back then.

Voodoo Blue

1,044 posts

163 months

Saturday 11th October
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We flew in and out of Atlanta in June with Virgin and it was a pretty good experience. One benefit if you have any time to kill before the flight home is the Porsche Experience Centre is next to the airport and you can pay $5 to visit the small museum and watch people going around the various tracks they have. Or book a driving experience if you have more time (and money smile )They have a cafe and restaurant there as well.