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We knew where we were starting from and we knew where we were going to, but the question was: How are we going to bridge the gap?
After a couple of weeks of checking the above travel sites, I collected the reams of data and tried to convert it into information. I reviewed the (at the time) three cheapest routes. One was Air Canada through Toronto. The second was with American Airlines from St. Louis through London, Gatwick. And the last was Delta Airlines through Atlanta. I carefully reviewed each step of the air travel both coming and going. I checked the distances between arriving and departing gates between connecting flights. I checked when and where Immigration and Customs would be done.
After reviewing all the facts associated with my and James IV travel to and from Manchester, I the started looking at how my father would travel from Jacksonville. The choice for my father seemed much simple determine the best route.
Having created information out of data, I wrote the following as an e-mail to my father.
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Here are the choices as I have identified them. (Prices as of 9:00am Feb.20):
Advantages: Flying directly out of St. Louis to England. Returning directly from England to St. Louis. The Immigration and Customs in St. Louis, I would imagine, would be easier than it would be at other US airports (Atlanta or Chicago). American Airlines frequent flyer miles can be collected for you two for a nice long trans-Atlantic flight. Disadvantages: In London, Gatwick, we will have to go through immigration and customs, and then change terminals for the connecting flight to Manchester. All in two hours and 5 minutes scheduled time. This sounds like a rather tight schedule. By booking through humans at American Airlines, it might be possible to get a later flight to Manchester. I checked the British Airways web and there is a flight that is two hours 10 minutes later. (Four hours to go through customs, immigration and change terminals.) The "stand alone" price for this alternate flight is 20 pounds cheaper (about $30). I called American Airlines and checked. I can book the later flight with British Airways (BA2906) for $1515.80. 
Air Canada:
Advantages: As of today, is cheaper than flying American Airlines. Intangible advantages include getting James IV into a second country on the trip, even if he was only there in an airport. Depending on how things went, it might be possible to send Laura and Colleen a post card from Toronto. Another (paranoid) advantage would be not flying an American flagged airline at a time of increased tension. Disadvantages: Flying through Toronto may require us to go through both Canadian Immigration and Customs in Toronto and US Immigration and Customs in St. Louis. I checked with the Toronto Airport web site and found this: International and Canadian Arrivals with Connection to United States and International Flights For a connecting flight to the U.S.A., baggage must be claimed, then processed through U.S. Customs and Immigration. For a connecting flight to an international destination, baggage can be checked through to the final destination in most cases; however, passengers should check with the airline. (Italics mine.) So it may be that we would be process by US Customs and Immigration in Toronto. I don't know how that would compare with other airports for hassle factor. I called Air Canada and was told that we would indeed go through both Canadian and US Customs and Immigration in Toronto. We'd have 1:25 minutes which is tight, but within the guidelines for connections. 
Delta:
Advantages: As of today, this is the cheapest flight with which I've come up. The connection from Jacksonville to Atlanta is rather straight forward (Leave Jacksonville at 6:10pm and connect with D64 in Atlanta. Total Travel time 10:00. for a cost of $957.) Disadvantages: Atlanta boasts of being "the busiest passenger airport in the world". Last June there were 3,637 international flights arriving at Atlanta, which I figure is 121 international flights per day. This could make Customs and Immigration go well because they may be equipped to handle a large volume of people, or it could go poorly because there might be a lot of people going through at the same time. Jacksonville to St. Louis: There is only one non-stop flight between Jacksonville and St.Louis based on today's search. American Airlines flight 3049 departing St.Louis at 9:43am and arriving St. Louis at 11:00am. This would leave a 6 hour layover in St. Louis waiting for either the Air Canada or American Airlines flights. Jacksonville to Toronto: There are quite a few flights, but most of them go through Chicago or Washington DC. The only one that doesn't arrives in Toronto too late to catch the flight to Manchester. The most "reasonable" in terms of schedule, and it turns out also airline, is Air Canada departing Jacksonville at 12:11 and unfortunately connecting in Chicago. This flight would cost $312 in addition to the cost of the Toronto to Manchester leg of $506.49. If the prices were simply additive, the cost of the Air Canada route would be $813. A Yahoo! Travelocity search with 2 stops quotes this flight schedule as $797. However, its a 16:34 hour trip. Jacksonville to Atlanta: This is the most reasonable flight. The Jacksonville to Atlanta part costs only $177. Summary: I would suggest that the most reasonable flight would be Delta through Atlanta. There is at least one flight later in the evening if we missed the connection out of Atlanta on the return leg because of congestion in Immigration and Customs. Dad would have 1:45 to make his connecting flight and James IV and I would have 2:30 to make our flight. There is something about Delta and Atlanta that I find less than exciting, but other than emotionally, the combination is by far the most attractive. Interestingly booking directly through Delta's web costs more. The St.Louis to Manchester flight booked through Delta comes out at $1559.60 as compared to $1439 on Yahoo! Travel. |
