Cheap flights from London to Charleston

February is when fares on this route tend to sit at their lowest, and the price calendar covers September through December and then February and March, so the autumn and late-winter months are the ones worth comparing side by side. Summer and the Christmas run are busier and cost more. Midweek departures are usually quieter than Friday or Sunday, and shifting your trip by a day or two either side often brings a lower fare. For summer travel, book well ahead; for February, a shorter lead time can work in your favour.

The carriers listed for this route — Air Baltic, Brussels Airlines, Air Canada, Swiss, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Helvetic Airways, Air France, Austrian, Delta Air Lines and TAP Portugal — are network airlines rather than low-cost operators. KLM, Air France, Swiss, Brussels Airlines, Austrian, Air Baltic, Helvetic Airways and TAP Portugal are European, so their connections begin on this side of the Atlantic, while Air Canada and Delta Air Lines are North American and come into play on the second leg. With no direct flights, what you are really comparing is the length of the layover and what each fare includes: a checked bag, seat selection, and whether the whole trip sits on one ticket.

Charleston has one airport, so there is no decision to make on landing — everyone on this route arrives at the same place. It sits outside the city rather than beside the historic centre, so a taxi, a rideshare or a hotel shuttle is the usual way in; ask your hotel before you fly whether it runs a shuttle, because that saves a scramble at the kerb. Allow time for immigration and baggage, which can take a while after a long first leg. If you want a rental car, collect it at the airport rather than downtown. Check the return leg too, since some connections back to London leave early in the day.

Currency

USD ($)

Power sockets

Type A, B · 120 V

Language

Samoan, Hawaiian, Chamorro, Carolinian, Spanish

Emergency number

911

Driving side

right

Calling code

+1

Internet domain

.us

Population of Charleston

150 k (2020)

Time zone

UTC-04 (America/New_York)

Country facts: Wikidata

• Check which London airport your fare leaves from — Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton and London City are not interchangeable.
• Confirm whether your connection sits on one ticket or two, because a missed leg on separate tickets is your problem, not the airline's.
• Look at the baggage allowance for each leg, since a fare that covers a checked bag on the long haul may not cover it on the short one.
• Check the United States entry requirements before you book, and make sure your passport has enough validity left.
• Compare February with the summer months on the price calendar, and weigh the layover length, not just the fare.