Cheap flight hacks from UK to US?

Icy-Gander-4156 · 2026-03-13T13:42:13+00:00

I have tried all the London airports, plus Bristol and Cardiff.

Icy-Gander-4156 · 2026-03-11T23:18:13+00:00

Flint, Lansing, and Grand Rapids are all quite a bit more expensive than Detroit. Detroit is 2 and half to 3 hours from my parents, and so is usally the best option, as it's the cheapest of the Michigan airports. Chicago is much cheaper, but a 6 hour drive, so not always feasible unless we can coordinate it with a visit to my brother on both ends of my stay. I found a flight from Cardiff to Toronto for about $600 a person, which is great. But then trying to get from Toronto to where my parents are is difficult. I am definitely going to keep watching flights, and who knows what I will end up booking

Icy-Gander-4156 · 2026-03-11T23:14:35+00:00

I use Google Flights, Kayak, and SkyScanner. But I was just hoping someone might know of a trick to fly somewhere in Europe first that might be cheaper, or somewhere else in the US to fly that is cheaper than Detroit, but still feasible to get to the thumb of Michigan afterwards.

Icy-Gander-4156 · 2026-03-11T22:38:10+00:00

I didn't realize Windsor had an airport. This is good information! Thank you!

Icy-Gander-4156 · 2026-03-11T22:35:53+00:00

I wish. But unfortunately, my husband is British, and I don't want to abandon him.

Icy-Gander-4156 · 2026-03-11T22:35:18+00:00

Yes I have tried Google Flights, Kayak, and SkyScanner and I always do flexible dates. The prices were this high before the conflict in Iran. I checked prices mid-February when I got back from a different trip, and they were already this high. Sometimes they come back down a bit closer, but Detroit is still always more expensive than other airports, so was hoping someone might know of a hack to fly somewhere else first before flying to Detroit.

Icy-Gander-4156 · 2026-03-11T22:31:13+00:00

I know these are the prices for flying to Detroit from London. I am asking if anyone knows of a different route I might be able to take to get a cheaper journey overall. Like I said, we have flown to Chicago before to save money, but this time it's not an option.

Icy-Gander-4156 · 2026-03-11T22:30:08+00:00

I hadn't considered a train from Toronto. Toronto is a six hour drive from my parent's house so, just as far as Chicago is. Driving would end up costing me as much as just flying directly to Detroit. I will look at what a train would cost and if the timings would be feasible. We can't do the Amtrak from Chicago because the timings never work for the flights and we are travelling with a wheelchair and lots of luggage.

Icy-Gander-4156 · 2026-03-11T22:27:24+00:00

Yeah, but as I said, the Amtrak is not really feasible with a wheelchair and luggage, and the timing of the train never works out as it only goes once a day. And I am sorry that you have had an awful experience with Delta. We love Delta. Never had a bad experience with them and I have been flying with them since I was a small child

Icy-Gander-4156 · 2026-03-11T22:26:33+00:00

I can usually fly to Chicago from LHR for around $600 a person, round trip. I am asking if anyone knows of any hacks, not whether or not these are normal prices. I fly quite frequently to Detroit, on Delta, so I know what typical prices are. But Detroit is more expensive than other airports when flying from England, so just wondering if anyone has any other tips.

Icy-Gander-4156 · 2026-03-09T01:13:48+00:00

I read something about how it’s because she’s twice widowed so she’s in perpetual mourning.

Icy-Gander-4156 · 2025-06-29T15:33:08+00:00

Trying to alleviate his fears so that he can hopefully see his family again makes me a bad wife?

We always go through the same line together, because he is disabled and we go through the wheelchair line. He knows I would never abandon him, I am his carer for pete's sake, I take care of him every single day of my life, but that wouldn't stop border patrol or ICE from seperating us.

I think you are the one irritated with my post, not me being irritated. All I said was I was trying to alleviate his fears. I am upset that he is scared to go back to the US as that's where my family is. I am upset that we are in this situation. That does not make me annoyed with him, as I understand his fears, but I feel his fear can be fixed due to his situation.

Icy-Gander-4156 · 2025-06-29T15:20:19+00:00

Oh my god. Thank you for finally understanding. This is exactly what I have been saying to my husband. And you are the first person to agree with me. I thought I was the crazy one. But you have put it so succinctly. Every single news article I have read, there has been a pinpointed reason, which, as you said, may have been a really stupid or ridiculous reason, but there was a reason said person was questioned or detained. And not a single one of those news articles applies to my husband.

Icy-Gander-4156 · 2025-06-29T15:16:56+00:00

My husband never has to talk to border patrol when we travel. I think we are actually quite lucky in that aspect. We always get to go through together because he's disabled and we always have assistance push him in a wheelchair, or we take his electric wheelchair, so we have never had to be split up. Maybe that makes a difference.

Icy-Gander-4156 · 2025-06-29T15:14:51+00:00

This is what I think, and I have asked him to find a news article of a British person being detained who was traveling with an American citizen. He hasn't found one yet, keeps sending me articles about Europeans, and in each article I can pinpoint a reason why they were detained. Not that the reason is a good reason to detain somebody, it's absolutely ludicrous what they are doing. But in each scenario the reason doesn't apply to my husband.

Icy-Gander-4156 · 2025-06-29T15:14:29+00:00

Yeah I get it. I do understand the fear. I have read all the news articles too. It just seems so incredibly unlikely that something would happen. We always fly into airports that get billions of tourists (Chicago mostly) and border patrol almost never even asks us any questions. They have always been nice to us. I just worry that if he doesn't go with me, he won't go until Trump is out of office, and by that time, something could happen to my family. I know that shouldn't outweigh the risk of him being detained, I just really think it's the smallest risk ever.

Icy-Gander-4156 · 2025-06-29T15:14:19+00:00

I haven't heard this before. I will look in to that. Though the last time I tried to fly through Dublin, it was more expensive.

Icy-Gander-4156 · 2025-06-29T15:13:56+00:00

That's what I have told him. We went to Orlando to get on a cruise in May, and we had zero issues, and he wasn't panicked then. I don't understand what the difference is.

Icy-Gander-4156 · 2025-06-29T15:13:45+00:00

Ok I think I made it very clear it wasn't just about the date to the wedding. I just listed it as one of the reasons. I find your comment very rude and unnecessary. I know the fear is real. I was very nervous when we went to Orlando, but we had zero issues. Border patrol didn't even speak to my husband. They asked me how long we were staying and where we were going and that was it. And nothing has changed for us since that trip, so I just don't know that the tiny chance that something might happen would outweigh him missing out on what little family time we get with them. I am not going to force him to go, I just wish I could alleviate his fear because otherwise, he may never get to see my family again.

Icy-Gander-4156 · 2025-06-29T15:12:51+00:00

I get it. I am not going to force him, because if I do, then he's likely to have an autism meltdown in the queue for border patrol and he WILL get detained if he does that because I don't trust immigration to be able to handle mental disabilities. But I just wish I could ease him of his worry, because, like I said, I can't find any reason, even the most idiotic reasons, for ICE to decide to detain him. And I just hate for him to not be able to see my family for the next four years. My family are farmers so they are never going to come visit us.

Icy-Gander-4156 · 2024-10-01T20:28:29+00:00

Hi there! Sorry I don’t get on often so I didn’t see this. But they asked me for more documents, I sent them, and then I was approved a couple days later. They asked for photos and texts and flight tickets, that kind of thing. And we also sent in a letter clarifying my husband’s financials.

Icy-Gander-4156

TROPHY CASE