Travel Guide: Cheap flights to USA
USA Airlines and Airports
Airline and airport information plus insider tips for USA
Much of America will be familiar to tourists from books, television, films and music before they go. Think those yellow taxis in New York, white picket fences in Surburbia, USA, diners (with or without wise-cracking waitresses) and the towering cities of glass not to mention the sublime wildernesses of national parks and beaches that look like they are straight out of Baywatch.
For tourists, the US can be a bargain. The pound has been strong against the dollar for a couple of years now and the euro has also been holding its own.
The climate is temperate in most of the US. In general, it gets hotter the further south you go and seasonally more extreme the further you are north and inland from the coasts. Tourists gravitate towards the following cities New York, the original metropolis; Los Angeles, home of Disneyland and Hollywood; San Francisco, small, beautiful and liberal gay capital of the world; Las Vegas, the gaming and entertainment and wedding capital of the world; and Orlando, another of Mickey Mouse's homes, a firm family favourite.
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When to fly to USA
Peak season:
There is not really a bad time to visit the US, but New York is nicest in the spring and fall. May and June have the most comfortable hot weather. For visiting Los Angeles, August and September are the hottest months.
San Francisco is an all-year-round type of place with warm temperatures. Las Vegas is best experienced during spring and fall. Orlando is a family favourite. Its best months - July and August - coincide with school holidays, although temperatures can climb to 37 degrees Celsius.
Off season:
In general stay clear of New York during the harsh winter months. January and February are the coolest and wettest months in Los Angeles. Likewise, San Francisco gets some rain in the wintertime. Summer in Las Vegas can be unbearably hot and the winters surprisingly cold. In Orlando, September is the wettest month and between October and May temperatures can drop to 15 degrees Celsius.
Getting Around
The car is king in America, but there are dozens of low-cost airlines including Southwest, the granddaddy of all the no-frillers and Ryanair's inspiration, JetBlue, AirTran and Spirit Airlines to name just a few.
Rent a car and take to the open road, Route 66, and all that. The major car rental outfits all have a presence at most US airports including Budget, Dollar, Hertz, Thrifty, AAA Rent-A-Car and Payless. Your arrival airport will generally have this information.
By bus: GotoBus.com sells line run bus tickets and tours throughout the States. Travellers can search by destination and compare all the options for a given route from one screen. The site sells tickets for more than 100 bus companies ranging from low-fare to luxury.
By rail: AmTrak covers the States and Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal in Canada. See where you can ride the rails, and check for weekly specials.
Flying to USA
Major airports in US:
New York: JFK; LaGuardia (LGA) and Newark (EWR)
Los Angeles LAX (LAX)
San Francisco (SFO)
Orlando International Airport (MCO)
Las Vegas (LAS)
Airlines serving America include:
American Airlines
Air India
British Airways
Continental Airlines
Aer Lingus
Virgin Atlantic
United Airlines
Air New Zealand
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In-flight Reading
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
By Mark Twain
An entertaining read for young and old travellers alike. Twain's epic is about the adventures of an enterprising southern boy and his friend Huckleberry Finn.
The Grapes of Wrath
By John Steinbeck
Follows the fortunes of the Joads, a family of migrating workers, as they leave 1930s Dust Bowl Oklahoma for a better life in California.
Breakfast at Tiffany's
By Truman Capote
The unforgettable story of Holly Golightly making her way in the world.
Notes From A Big Country
By Bill Bryson
After 20 years in the UK, Bryson and family return to the US. In this collection of Mail On Sunday columns from the mid- to late-1990s, he gives his impressions of home.
Insider Information on USA
There's no need to feel lost in Los Angeles. Purple People Greeters answer questions, provide directions, make referrals or even call the police if things go awry. They're easy to spot. The Greeters travel in pairs, wear purple teeshirts with “District Safety” or “Downtown Guide”, and can be visited at their Service Center at 801 S Hill St.
Feed your inner vulture some culture. The San Francisco Conservatory of Music presents hundreds of recitals and concerts by students, faculty and guest artists each year. Most of the performances are free.
Orlando - there's not a giant mouse in sight in Harry P. Leu Gardens, fifty acres of lush vegetation in the middle of the city. There is also a restored farmhouse which harks back to a time when space travel was barely imaginable and citrus, not themeparks, was king. The gardens are open every day, from 9 am to 5 pm. Adults pay $5, school children pay $1, and Monday mornings are free (excluding tour groups).
Las Vegas - eat well and save money by starting the day with an all-you-can-eat buffet. The Spice Market Buffet at the Aladdin Resort & Casino www.aladdincasino.com, a “killer whale in a sea of buffets”.
Whatever you do, don't forget to tip. Between 15 and 20 per cent is acceptable. Angry waiters have been known to follow customers onto the street to ask why they did not leave more money. Use this handy website to keep you in the good books.
Travel Tips
- Finding Cheap FlightsOur golden rules for finding a cheap flight
- Airlines with low-cost ticketsAn essential guide to how the main carriers operate
- Before You GoAdvice on everything you need to do before you set off
- Regional UK and Irish AirportsFlying from the four corners of the UK and Ireland
- Glossary of Flying TermsAn A-Z of common terms you’ll need to know
- Travel Sickness and DVTHow to stay happy and healthy in the air
Travel links
- Destination GuideLonely Planet's guide to the USA
- MapInteractive map of America from Multimap
- EventsLocal events calendar
- WeatherThe weather now in North America
- Currency converterFind the current exchange rate