In April of this year, British Airways will begin offering roundtrip direct flights between Charleston and London. According to the Post and Courier, this flight marks the first time a non-stop transatlantic flight has been offered out of South Carolina. The flights will depart Charleston only on Tuesdays and Sundays. The maiden flight is scheduled for April 4. The average price of a roundtrip ticket on the flight will be $1,319 for Economy Class and $3,585 for Business Class. Currently, the airline is offering certain discounted flights for a price of $1,088 for Economy Class during the dates of April 4-10, April 22-May 9 and Sept. 30-Oct. 24, 2019.

To accommodate the new airline and flight, Charleston International Airport is expected to spend an estimated $9 million on updates, renovations, and changes. Hopefully, the new flight will bring revenue to the state with an influx of new tourists from London and the whole of England to Charleston and other areas around South Carolina.

Yearly, hundreds of thousands of foreigners visit the state of South Carolina, a large portion of which arrive from overseas. Thus, the new flight is expected to substantially aid in the movement of these masses to the state, especially people arriving from Europe. Currently, over 200,000 South Carolinians fly out of Charleston to Europe throughout the year. The flight will surely make the long journey across the Atlantic a much smoother experience for travelers.

The fights will arrive in London’s Heathrow Airport, the busiest airport in Europe. Not only will the flights more easily connect South Carolina residents to London, but also the entire European continent. Out of Heathrow Airport, flights leave daily taking passengers to every country around Europe. These flights are often extremely cheap, typically ranging between $10-$40 0n budget airlines. Truly, visitors from South Carolina will have all of Europe at their doorstep.

However, travelers from South Carolina to London on this new flight should be aware that although convenient, this is by no means the most economical way of traveling to Europe. In fact, these flights amount to hundreds of dollars more than other cheaper options. In particular, travelers should consider using Norwegian Airlines, a popular and nice European airline offering inexpensive travel options. For instance, some flights currently on offer by Norwegian Airlines are:

April

Round Trip from New York-London: $400-$500

Round Trip from Boston-Rome $400-$450

Round Trip from New York-Madrid: $300-$500

June

Round Trip from New York-Amsterdam: $430

Round Trip from New York-Copenhagen: Under $500

Round Trip from New York-Paris: Under $500

Although these fights leave from New York, round trip flights between Charleston and the city are typically around $200, leaving you with a plane ticket $400-$600 less than the British Airways flight out of Charleston. Norwegian Airlines also leaves out of many other cities in the US including Boston and Orlando where equally cheap flights leave out across the Atlantic.

In addition, other companies also offer far more reasonable flight prices than British Airways , including WOW air and TAP Air Portugal.

For example, WOW air is offering roundtrip flights for $400 from JFK to Amsterdam in June.

Ultimately, the British Airways flight to London is a perfect option for those who do not want to deal with the inconvenience of connecting flights before catching your trans-Atlantic flight. Nevertheless, if you are looking to save money on your travels, you can find equally comfortable options at much less expensive rates.

Hopefully, the new flight makes Charleston an even more global location and increases worldwide interest in the city as well as encourages more Charleston residents to experience cultures abroad.